Jimmy McMillan 2013

Jimmy McMillan wants to be the mayor of New York.

Why?

"THE RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH."



As weird as this guy is, he probably wouldn't pull the sort of stuff that Michael Bloomberg has tried, like his ban on large sugary drinks.

McMillan might be an improvement.

Jack Chiovatero, Hit the Road

Where's Gwen Moore when you need her?

A little musical accompaniment would be nice to sum up the mayoral election in New Berlin.

The voters have spoken: "Hit the road, Jack!"

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

[Ald. Dave] Ament was elected to a four-year term as mayor with 58% of the vote, according to complete, unofficial returns. Chiovatero was denied a third term in the office.

Ament has served four three-year terms on the Common Council. On Tuesday, he also ran unopposed for re-election as alderman.

Ament's bid for mayor was endorsed by New Berlin Citizens for Responsible Government. The group approved Ament's willingness to impose a freeze on the city's property tax levy.

He has pledged to improve the city's roads.

Chiovatero is a former two-term alderman. In his re-election campaign, he said his accomplishments included no city tax increases over five years and opening more than 500 acres on the city's west side to development.

The Journal Sentinel fails to mention that Chiovatero slammed his constituents in June 2010.

Jack Chiovatero, mayor of New Berlin, has a very low opinion of his constituents; so low, in fact, that I wonder why Chiovatero chooses to live in the city, let alone be its mayor.

He minced no words. The mayor believes his city is loaded with bigots. His view came to light in an official e-mail, not a personal correspondence.

Read Chiovatero's e-mail.

"Our City is filled with prejudice and bigoted people who with very few facts are making this project into something evil and degrading."

According to Chiovatero, the people of New Berlin are bent on making the city "a community of bigots."

Chiovatero's words and actions came back to bite him.

Holding an elected official accountable - imagine that!

His loss to Ament makes perfect sense.

Pat Roggensack Wins Second Term

Justice Pat Roggensack's victory over the inexperienced, unqualified Ed Fallone was decisive.

It was as it should be.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

State Supreme Court Justice Patience Roggensack easily won a second term Tuesday, overcoming Marquette University law professor Ed Fallone.

With 93% of precincts reporting, Roggensack had 57% of the vote to Fallone's 43%.

Roggensack touted her experience in the race, noting she served seven years on the Court of Appeals and nearly 10 years on the Supreme Court. She had the backing of law enforcement and more than 100 judges, as well as the state Republican Party.

Fallone, who had the support of Democrats and unions, contended the high court has grown dysfunctional and said Roggensack needed to be replaced to start to improve sour relationships on the court.

Roggensack's victory gives her a second 10-year term on the bench and preserves the court's conservative majority. On the most controversial issues and cases in recent years, the court has often split 4-3, with Roggensack in the majority.

Speaking to reporters after the race was called, Roggensack thanked supporters and said she believed voters wanted to see a justice with knowledge of the job and were tired of negative campaigns.

"Now I can go back to my books. It suits me just fine," she told her backers at her victory party at Veranda, a restaurant in Fitchburg.

...Fallone told supporters at the Best Place in Milwaukee that he was proud of his campaign and that he would continue to fight for issues he raised in the race about campaign financing and judicial discipline.

"Deep divisions remain in our state Supreme Court," he said. "They need to be healed. But I hope with today's election that the members of the court can begin work on healing those divisions, moving past their disputes and restoring our state Supreme Court to a position of respect."

We all know what Fallone's idea of "healing" means.

It means giving activist judges a majority on the Court.

Obviously, the people didn't want to penalize Roggensack for dysfunction on the Court. Fallone's attempt to blame her was misguided.

His loss was completely justified.

Rebecca Bradley Wins

All the Scott Walker haters in Milwaukee couldn't defeat Judge Rebecca Bradley.

Rough night for the Leftists.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's headline tells how the Leftists viewed the race:

"Scott Walker appointee Rebecca Bradley re-elected judge in Milwaukee County"

I think it speaks to Bradley's qualifications that the Left's efforts to dismiss Bradley based on her appointment by Walker failed miserably.

Incumbent Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Bradley on Tuesday held off a challenger who made an issue of Bradley's appointment by Gov. Scott Walker and a conservative group's spending to back her.

According to complete, unofficial returns, Bradley took 54% of the vote to 46% for Janet Protasiewicz, a veteran prosecutor backed by the area's leading Democrats.

Bradley, 41, a Milwaukee native, had worked 16 years as a corporate litigator with two large law firms, and was also a software company executive. She was appointed in November and has been serving in Children's Court since December.

Protasiewicz, 50, also a Milwaukee native, entered the race in late December. Initially, she stressed her courtroom experience as a primary challenger portrayed both her and Bradley as too political.

Bradley once belonged to the Republican National Lawyers Association and led the local chapter of the Federalist Society, a conservative lawyers group. She contributed $1,750 to Walker's campaigns since 2005.

Protasiewicz has been active in the Democratic Party, demonstrated in Madison over Act 10 and signed the Walker recall petition.

Protasiewicz won endorsement from Democrats such as Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, District Attorney John Chisholm, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, and most leading Democratic legislators, aldermen and county supervisors. She also had the backing of several major labor groups and more than a dozen Milwaukee circuit judges.

While on the bench only a few months, Bradley stressed her own judicial experience and work as an arbitrator, a neutral party in disputes. She had the support of several circuit judges, the Milwaukee police and deputies unions, and retired District Attorney E. Michael McCann. She also touted the fact she had managed to get two of the area's most antagonistic political leaders - Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. and County Executive Chris Abele - to agree she was the better candidate.

The election is over but the JS is still fighting.

It's not insignificant that Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele endorsed Bradley, that she received bipartisan support.

The Leftists really are not dealing with their big judicial defeats well.

A Scott Walker appointee won in Milwaukee County. Deal with it, Leftists.

Joe Voiland Wins

It was nice to be celebrating the election returns Tuesday night rather than feeling crushed like in November 2012.

Especially satisfying was the ouster of Ozaukee County Circuit Court Judge Tom Wolfgram.

Joe Voiland trounced Wolfgram.

The results:

Tom Wolfgram

7,714 votes

37%


Joe Voiland

12,999 votes

62%

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

An Ozaukee County judge lost his job Tuesday when voters sided with a challenger critical of the incumbent's 2011 signature on a petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker.

Attorney Joe Voiland defeated Circuit Judge Tom Wolfgram, a three-term incumbent, by collecting more than 60% of the vote, according to partial returns. He was elected to a six-year term.

Voiland criticized Wolfgram for forfeiting his impartiality by publicly supporting the recall.

"I have promised to be an impartial judge," Voiland said late Tuesday. "I want to thank Judge Wolfgram for his many, many years of service to Ozaukee County."

Voiland, a military veteran, did not challenge any ruling in Wolfgram's 18-year judicial career.

Obviously, the Leftists are not happy.

The reason Wolfgram lost is because he made a fatal mistake. He paid the price for his terrible judgment. The people tossed him out because he deserved to be tossed out.

"It's been a pleasure and honor to serve every citizen of Ozaukee County for 19 years," Wolfgram said late Tuesday. "I wish my opponent well."

Wolfgram campaigned on his record as judge and said his signature on the petition would not affect his ability to be an impartial judge. He signed the petition several months after a controversial bill became law and sharply curtailed collective bargaining for most public employees.

The law also required the workers to pay more for medical and pension benefits.

Oh, good grief.

I think Don Behm of the Journal Sentinel wants to pull a Peter Jennings and say Ozaukee County residents had a temper tantrum.

...Wolfgram had not faced opposition in any of his previous elections for judge. He was serving as the Ozaukee County district attorney when he was appointed judge in 1994 by Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican. Wolfgram was elected to a full term in 1995, and he was re-elected in 2001 and 2007.

He was named 2008 Judge of the Year by the State Bar of Wisconsin. The organization described him as "an example of a fair and impartial jurist" and a judge who was diligent in specifying the facts of each case and applying appropriate legal standards.

A circuit court election is nonpartisan, but both candidates emphasized their Republican supporters in the race. Several Republican office holders in the county, including District Attorney Adam Gerol and Sheriff Maury Straub, endorsed Wolfgram.

Gerol described Wolfgram as "a good judge" and cited the incumbent's ability to explain how he applies the law in each case before him.

This article is hilarious.

How could the 2008 Judge of the Year lose???

Pathetic.

This race was nonpartisan. So was the JoAnne Kloppenburg lunacy, the nonpartisan race billed as the referendum on Scott Walker, until Kloppenburg was defeated.

The fact is Wolfgram made a fool of himself with his stunningly lame attempts to explain his decision to sign the petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker. He blew it. The voters held him accountable.

Wolfgram's judgment was exposed as lacking.

Voiland's candidacy was backed by several Republican lawmakers representing portions of the county, such as Alberta Darling of River Hills and Jim Ott of Mequon.

This was Voiland's first run for public office. He has been an attorney since 2002 and specializes in litigation involving financial services, from securities and investments to employee benefits.

Walker won the June 2012 recall election.

Can you feel Behm's pain?

Voiland didn't just win.

It was no contest.

THANK YOU to all my supporters, volunteers & donors. I couldn't have done it without you. I simply can't say "thank you" enough.

— Joe Voiland (@votevoiland) April 3, 2013

Vote Joe Voiland

The choice is clear for Ozaukee County Circuit Court judge.

Vote for Joe Voiland.

The time for better judgment is now.

Election Day is here. People from across our state will be casting a ballot for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice.

Here in Ozaukee County, we have an additional opportunity to defend the integrity of our judicial system. I am challenging Judge Tom Wolfgram in tomorrow's election. Since declaring my candidacy, I have made the case that judges should not play politics. By signing the Walker Recall Petition, Judge Tom Wolfgram publicly injected himself into one of the most bitterly partisan events in our state's history. The people of this county deserve better judgment.

As I've made my way from door to door throughout the county, I've been encouraged by enthusiastic support. I've been honored and humbled by the broad range of endorsements I've received from non-partisan Ozaukee County Supervisors, school board members, assistant district attorneys, aldermen, town supervisors and village trustees, in addition to Senator Alberta Darling and Assemblymen Jim Ott, Duey Stroebel, and Dan Knodl.

The people of our county need a judge who is impartial and displays good judgment. My experience handling cases in Wisconsin’s Circuit Courts, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Federal District Courts, and the Federal Court of Appeals, my time as a Special Prosecutor, and my prior service in Iraq, has made me ready to be that judge.

I am asking for your vote tomorrow. We can defend the integrity of our judicial system from partisan judges who play politics, but we can only do it if you make your way to the polls, cast your vote for Joe Voiland for Circuit Court Judge, and then ask your friends and family to do the same.

Please don't forget: Vote Joe Voiland for Ozaukee County Circuit Court Judge!

Thank you so much for your support,

Joe Voiland

Exercise your good judgment and vote for Joe Voiland.

Ozaukee County Judicial Candidate

Vote Pat Roggensack

Ed Fallone has no judicial experience. Zero.

He's not remotely qualified to be a justice on the Supreme Court of Wisconsin.

Fallone's campaign has been about pinning the Court's dysfunction on Justice Roggensack. It's ridiculous. His lame campaign speaks to the fact that he isn't qualified, unless you consider his signing of the petition to recall Scott Walker reason enough to put him on the Supreme Court.

Some Leftists are actually satisfied with Fallone, just because he's against Gov. Walker. What hacks!

Pat Roggensack is by far the superior candidate in this race. She is experienced and fair.

With my nearly 17 years of experience as a judge in the courts of Wisconsin, I understand that the number one job of a judge is to apply the law, fairly and impartially to all who come before the court. I have great respect for the rule of law and the separate responsibilities of the three branches of government.

I am asking for your vote, tomorrow, April 2nd for Supreme Court justice because the people of Wisconsin deserve a justice who has the extensive experience that I bring to the bench. While my opponent has no judicial experience at all, I know what is required of a judge because I have done the work myself.

I also have broad bipartisan support from the law enforcement community as well as state-wide support among judges. I am endorsed by 53 Sheriffs from across the state, 24 District Attorneys, the Milwaukee Police Association, the Milwaukee Professional Fire Fighters’ Association, the Milwaukee Police Supervisors’ Organization, and the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. In addition, over 120 judges throughout the state of Wisconsin also have endorsed my efforts to be re-elected, as have four retired Supreme Court Justices.

So don’t forget to make the experienced choice, tomorrow, Tuesday, April 2nd and vote for me, Justice Pat Roggensack for Supreme Court!

Thank you so much!

Justice Pat Roggensack
Wisconsin Supreme Court

Vote for Pat Roggensack.

Tom Wolfgram and Scott Walker

Ozaukee County Judge Tom Wolfgram made a terrible decision in 2011.

He's up for reelection and his poor judgment is coming back to bite him.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Tom Wolfgram's bid for re-election in the April 2 spring election will rise or fall on the judgment of voters weighing the significance of his signature on a 2011 petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker.

Wolfgram, a 19-year veteran of the court in an overwhelmingly conservative county, acknowledges signing his name to a petition seeking to recall a sitting Republican governor.

The signature triggered a challenge to his hold on the job for the first time since he was appointed to the court in 1994 by then Gov. Tommy Thompson. County voters rehired Wolfgram without opposition in 1995, 2001 and 2007.

Joe Voiland, an attorney attempting to unseat Wolfgram, announced Monday that four Republican state legislators representing portions of Ozaukee County had endorsed the Voiland campaign: Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills, and Reps. Dan Knodl of Germantown, Jim Ott of Mequon and Duey Stroebel of the Town of Cedarburg.

...Wolfgram on Monday insisted he viewed the possibility of a recall campaign as simply providing time for himself and other citizens to gain more information on a few proposals in Walker's first-term agenda that prompted the recall effort. Among them were rescinding collective bargaining for most public employees and requiring public employees to pay more for medical and pension benefits.

Walker won the June 2012 recall election. Both initiatives became law a year earlier, several months before Wolfgram signed the petition.

When Voiland last month registered as a candidate and called Wolfgram out for signing the petition, the judge said his signature was "not a political statement" in opposition to the governor or his proposals.

...Forcing a costly recall election to provide more time to discuss legislation is bad public policy, Voiland said Monday.

There is no way I'd vote for a judge that signed the petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker.

"Not a political statement"?

Rubbish!

Wolfgram really made a fool of himself with that remark.

The notion that he actually believed a recall election would be a sensible way to simply provide "time for himself and other citizens to gain more information on a few proposals in Walker's first-term agenda" is ridiculous. That explanation is embarrassingly lame.

Wolfgram is obviously trying to slither out of the mess he made when he signed to recall Walker.

Actions have consequences. Wolfgram added his name to the petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker, a public document. He determined that was appropriate for a judge to do. Then, when confronted about his choice, Wolfgram was unable to provide a reasonable explanation for his decision.

Wolfgram needs to go.

Vote for Joe Voiland.

Roggensack, Fallone Win Primary

Justice Pat Roggensack pulverized her challengers in the primary election for Wisconsin Supreme Court.

From the Associated Press, via 620 WTMJ:

Marquette University law professor Ed Fallone will face Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Pat Roggensack in the April election.

Fallone finished second in Tuesday's Supreme Court primary, behind Roggensack but well ahead of challenger Vince Megna. In unofficial returns, Roggensack took 60 percent of the vote to Fallone's 33 percent. Megna was far back in single digits.

...Democratic lawmakers and unions are supporting Fallone in the nonpartisan race. Roggensack has the backing of more than 150 county sheriffs and judges.

Results, from FOX 6 News:

99% OF PRECINCTS REPORTING

Pat Roggensack (I) - 229,552 - 64%

Joe Fallone - 106,638 - 30%

Vince Megna - 22,556 - 6%

Roggensack's challengers did not do well. Obviously, Fallone has the backing of the Leftists, but they failed to produce an impressive showing.

Maybe it was too cold and windy yesterday for the Leftists to vote.

Maybe Roggensack's supporters are just more enthusiastic. She's clearly a tremendous candidate.

Maybe the union/Democrat machine isn't firing on all cylinders yet.

Maybe the fact that the utterly unqualified Fallone has NO judicial experience accounts for the Roggensack landslide.

Vote Pat Roggensack

Vote Pat Roggensack for Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Dear Friend,

With my nearly 17 years of work as a judge in the courts of Wisconsin, I understand that the number one job of a judge is to apply the law, fairly and impartially to all who come before the court. I have great respect for the rule of law and the separate responsibilities of the three branches of government.

I am asking for your vote on February 19th for Supreme Court justice because the people of Wisconsin deserve a justice who has the extensive experience that I bring to the bench. While my opponents have no judicial experience at all, I know what is required of a judge because I have done the work myself.

I also have broad bipartisan support from the law enforcement community as well as state-wide support among judges. For example, I am endorsed by 53 Sheriffs from across the state, 24 District Attorneys, the Milwaukee Police Association and the Milwaukee Police Supervisors' Organization. 126 judges throughout the state of Wisconsin also have endorsed my efforts to be re-elected, as have four retired Supreme Court Justices.

I hope I have earned your vote for Wisconsin Supreme Court this Tuesday, February 19th.

Thanks!
Justice Pat Roggensack
Wisconsin Supreme Court

PS Please click here to see why experience is crucial to doing the job of a Supreme Court Justice.

Leftist candidates Ed Fallone and Vince Megna have ZERO judicial experience.

Vote Pat Roggensack

Wisconsin Right to Life has endorsed incumbent Justice Pat Roggensack in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.

Barbara Lyons, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life, writes:

In an extremely important State Supreme Court race, the Wisconsin Right to Life Political Action Committee has endorsed incumbent Justice Pat Roggensack. Roggensack has served for the past ten years with distinction in this critical position. Her judicial philosophy is to respect the law and the Constitution rather that to create new law from the bench.

Roggensack faces two opponents in the February 19 primary election. Ed Fallone is an outspoken proponent of embryo-destroying embryonic stem cell research and is considered to be anti-life for that reason. The third candidate in the race is Vince Megna whose position is unknown. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the February 19 primary will face off in the April 2 general election.

Wisconsin Right to Life PAC urges everyone to vote for Pat Roggensack on February 19 and April 2.

There is no question that Pat Roggensack is the most qualified candidate in this race.

We can trust her to respect the rule of law.

Read her long list of endorsements here.