The Ways and Whys I'll Be Voting on Tuesday

Tuesday is Election Day, as the gentle reader is surely aware.  I don't like doing predictions or endorsements much, mostly because they have a great ability to turn around and bite you, usually at the least opportune moment.  But I can tell you how I'm going to vote on Tuesday, and why I am voting that way.

Supreme Court

I will be voting for JoAnne Kloppenburg to be the new Supreme Court Justice.  She has proven herself to be a dedicated servant to the people and to the law.  She follows the law and the most her detractors can come up with against her is that they don't like the laws that she was hired to enforce as a prosecutor.

Her opponent, on the other hand, has proven himself to be unworthy of a law license, much less a seat on the highest bench in the state.  David Prosser is a career politician who isn't afraid to lean on the big, bad Koch Brothers for their help, even if it means selling out the entire state for it.  Furthermore, he has more than amply shown his lack of temperance and good judgment when he acted completely and utterly unprofessionally to his colleagues, most noticeably the Chief Justice herself.  As egregious of the other things mentioned, Prosser has made it clear he would be a rubber stamp for anything Walker or his cronies would send to the Supreme Court, which is alarming considering that even the current hot topic of the budget repair bill is against federal law.

Milwaukee County Executive

To be honest, I'm not thrilled to death with either of the candidates for this job, Chris Abele or Jeff Stone. I would have preferred someone who was more eager to being proactive in restoring the county after eight years of Scott Walker's abuse and neglect.  That said, the choice for this race is also very clear.

Stone is Walker's heir apparent, and the two of them can't get enough of singing each other's praises.  Stone thinks that Walker was just a grand county executive and is an even greater governor.  He has also said that the would continue where Walker left off.  What that tells me is to expect more sexual assaults at the mental health complex, more buildings falling on people and an ever increasing debt even while furthering the deferred maintenance and lack of repairs that have been plaguing the county.  Stone has also shown questionable judgment by regularly working with ex- and future-cons.  And he has the Walker hypocrisy displayed by calling Abele an amateur while failing to file a campaign finance report which was both accurate and on time.

While I have some concerns about Abele's plans, such as for the transit system, the parks and other important assets, I don't believe that he would willingly cause the chaos or the harm that Stone would if elected.  Abele said that he is willing to listen to all sides and work with anyone if they have a good idea.  I certainly hope he keeps that promise.

County Supervisor District 10

I don't live in this district and thus can't vote for it, but as I pointed out during the primary, Eyon Biddle is the guy to go with.

County Supervisor District 14

As with District 10, I don't live in District 14, so won't be voting in this race.  But I can tell you hands down that I would be voting for my good friend, Jason Haas.  Not only is Jason well-versed in county issues, he has some outside of the box ideas on how to get things moving in a positive direction.

His opponent, Steve Kraeger, leaves a lot to be desired.  For starters, Kraeger knows nothing about what is a county issue versus any other level of government.  But to make things even worse, there is some considerable hanky-panky going on with his campaign finances.  We already have a supervisor, Paul Cesarz, with those kind of issues. We don't need a second one.

Milwaukee Circuit Court Branch 18

This is a race between Pedro Colon and Christopher Lipscomb. Both men are currently sitting as judges, with Lipscomb presiding as a municipal judge challenging Colon.  As in the primary, I am going with Lipscomb.  Lipscomb is a straight forward judge who would show a strong dedication to the law.

Colon is first and foremost a politician.  As evidenced by a growing ado about the fact that Colon and Prosser have endorsed each other in their respective races, Colon is going to do whatever he thinks is going to be the most politically expedient, even if it means doing a mutual love with what most people consider to be an unfit judge.

 I don't want a judge that wants what is helpful to his or her career. I want a judge who will follow the law. In this race, the person is Lipscomb.