Jefferson alder faces recall for 'no' to Wal-Mart

[MsUSA]

David Olsen still believes the Jefferson City Council did a very wise thing by rejecting - not once, but twice - a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter.


But the 46-year-old alderman and funeral home operator says he never would have guessed there would be widespread repercussions for the role he played in stopping the world's largest retailer from building a superstore on the outskirts of this city of 7,500 in conservative Jefferson County.

In retrospect, he probably was a little naive, Olsen admitted in a phone interview this week. Even so, he still has trouble believing that Wal-Mart supporters would launch a recall effort against him after he twice voted against annexing a 22-acre site on which Wal-Mart wanted to build its store.

Back in April, the council voted 5-3 against the annexation. When Wal-Mart supporters complained, a second vote was held on June 7. This time the vote was 5-3 in favor of annexation, but because a two-thirds majority - or six votes - was required, the proposal lost again.

(this is kind of a long article......but very interesting, and scary)

http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/zaleski/index.php?ntid=55188&ntpid=0

[zbdent]

1. All they have to do to keep Wal-Mart out is to threaten to unionize

and there you go.

[RevCheesehead]

2. After the Tyson strike,

you'd think Wal-Mart would have high-tailed it out of Jefferson. Besides, there's a Super-Center in Watertown - a whole 15 minutes away. And a crappy Wally World in Whitewater, and a slightly nicer one in Janesville.

Sorry to hear this about Dave - he seems like a nice guy. (and, for the record, there was strong opposition to Wal-Mart going in Jefferson - but you don't hear about those who agreed.)

"Conservative" Jefferson County is right. :eyes: I'm so glad I only have to drive through it now.

[RevCheesehead]

3. This part of the article scares the shit out of me:

...there's little doubt in his mind that Wal-Mart also played a substantial role in the recall effort.

No, he doesn't have any proof, Olsen says. But he says that Wal-Mart officials warned him on two occasions that if he voted against the annexation, he might end up facing a recall.

Wal-Mart, however, has emphatically denied any role in the recall effort.

"When we were voted down, we walked away from that site altogether and are moving on to work on other projects," Roderick Scott, Wal-Mart's Wisconsin community affairs manager, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Kudos to Chris Spangler, the Daily Union editor, for her vocal opposition, and editorials against WalMart. (and she's a friend!)

[Magrittes Pipe]

4. He needs to get UFCW local 538 organized behind him.

After the Tyson strike, that town is behind the union.

The rest of the county? Dunno about that. But the city of Jefferson will listen to the union.

[RevCheesehead]

5. do we have a DUer in Jefferson?

I drive thru Jefferson on the way to my parents in Whitewater... and I grew up in Fort Atkinson.

Any ideas on how to help him?

[Magrittes Pipe]

6. I don't know if there are any DUers in Jefferson...

...Jeff Rammelt may be a good contact (former 2nd vice chair of Wis. Dems). He's from the area, and was a major focal point between the strikers and the party.

[theshadow]

7. Here is a way to help Dave Olsen.

Go to this link. You can donate via Pay Pal.
http://www.savingdave.org/

[jfoust]

8. Olsen doesn't seem to share Democratic values

For five years (1996-2001) Olsen was paid full-time by the City of Jefferson to run its economic development organizations. If there was one person in town who claimed it was his job to bring big business to Jefferson, it was Olsen.

And Olsen liked keeping these organizations closed to the public and not accountable. I fought him directly, tooth and nail, for years to open up these organizations so the public and reporters could attend these meetings and have a voice in how economic development was carried out in this small town.

Olsen fought me at every turn. I had to file complaints with the DA and the Attorney General. I managed to see his three organizations as well as the County economic group all disband and re-form in compliance with the law. Now we can attend meetings, read about them in the paper, and speak before them when necessary.

Please visit my www.goJefferson.com community web site for more info about Olsen's antics in Jefferson.

[RevCheesehead]

9. Damn - looks like Olson loses to Havill.

Hello Wal-Mart, good-bye small town America. :(

I had a chance to read a bit more about this situation in the Daily Union. What kills me is - they held a special recall election, even though his term was to expire this coming April.

Can we recall the Pretzeldent? Please??