Tom Nardelli and the "Snitch"

Is this newsworthy?

I don't think so. Daniel Bice, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, does.

The chief of staff to County Executive Scott Walker wants to run a tight ship.

And that means, of course, no loose lips.

So Tom Nardelli - a former Milwaukee alderman who now runs Walker's county operation - was none too thrilled when somebody leaked news from a recent cabinet meeting.

Even if the leak was minor and mistaken.

"If we learn who is imparting information from our cabinet meetings, even erroneous information, I will personally deliver their pink slip faster than they can blink!" Nardelli wrote in an e-mail this month.

...canned for tattling. She said Nardelli just wanted to make clear that he was upset with someone for speaking out of turn.

To put it mildly.

The cabinet had met June 4 to discuss Walker's proposed spending cuts. Walker, a Republican running for governor, is facing a projected $14.9 million deficit in the county budget by the end of the year.

Among the subjects on the table were plans to cut hours at various county offices to trim costs.

Not long after the meeting ended - Nardelli's note estimated the time at 10 minutes - Walker's office began receiving calls from the County Board and the chief judge asking about a possible press conference to discuss which agencies might be going to a 35-hour workweek.

A little later, Channel 58 called to ask why Walker had set up a news conference that would conflict with one being held by the County Board.

Only Walker's staff was not planning any press conference.

"Wow, how misinformed can one be!" Nardelli wailed in his e-mail.

"I am very concerned that one or more of you would run off to pass along information from our cabinet meeting. The worse part was that the information is inaccurate."

He then called the blabbermouth cabinet member a "snitch."

Then he did it again.

But this time, Nardelli drew on his inner Dr. Seuss:

"Obviously the snitch was sleeping at the switch!"

Spoken with Grinch-like glee.

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect cabinet members to be trusted with information and not spread falsehoods.

Perhaps Bice takes offense because he makes his living off of people with loose lips.

Is Bice's problem with the word "snitch"? Maybe Bice's informant has the problem.

Does Bice have a problem with Dr. Suess? Maybe as a child the blabbermouth was scared by Thing One and Thing Two.

I don't get it.

It's not as if Nardelli went all Rahm Emanuel.