“The cure for what ails democracy is more democracy.”

— Robert M. La Follette

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Remember this? "Wisconsin's Last La Follette Blocks a 'Dictator' Governor's Power Grab"

http://www.thenation.com/blog/159438/wisconsins-last-la-follette-blocks-dictator-governors-power-grab

Wisconsin's Last La Follette Blocks a 'Dictator' Governor's Power Grab

John Nichols on March 24, 2011 - 9:49am ET

From his office atop a building opposite the state Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, Secretary of State Doug La Follette keeps watch on the comings and goings of the political mandarins who see governing as a game rather than the serious work of democracy. Once, decades ago, La Follette was one of the young stars of Wisconsin politics and he too played the games, as a state senator and contender for congressional nominations.  But long ago he settled into what has always been the least partisan of state constitutional offices.

Now, however, La Follette finds himself at the center of the political wrangling of a state he has loved and served for four decades. A governor born just three years before La Follette entered Wisconsin politics forced legislators to enact an ill-conceived law designed to radically restructure state government while stripping public employees of collective bargaining rights. The governor's actions have been so extreme that the senior member of the state legislature characterizes the newly-elected executive as "dictatorial." La Follette cannot abide by that. As a longtime champion of the system of checks and balances that has served Wisconsin well since 1848, the secretary of state says, "I thought there were too many unanswered questions, I noted confusion and I worried about all legal challenges and the concerns about possible violations of open meetings rules."

But, most of all, La Follette worried about the thousands of local officials-school board members, city councilors, village trustees, town board members-who suddenly found themselves in the middle of debates about whether to quickly renew or alter existing collective bargaining agreements. As someone who has worked closely with those local officials-many of whom serve part time-he decided it was wise to slow the process down. So, under his powers as the elected secretary of state, he delayed publication of the new law for ten days.

For several days, it was La Follette, alone, who stood in the way of the governor's power grab.

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The Capital Times

Posted: September 8, 2010

The Capital Times has, since its founding in 1917, adopted the view that Wisconsin’s greatest governor and senator was right about the democratic necessity of giving power to the people so that the people can hold the powerful to account.

But, just as not all political leaders share La Follette’s faith in the people, not all newspapers are so democratically inclined.

Newspaper editorial writers go on and on about the need for citizens to get more engaged in the processes of democracy, to participate in public affairs, to sound off and, above all, to participate in elections.

Yet the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has announced that it will not offer recommendations in contests for lieutenant governor, state treasurer and secretary of state.

In doing so, the paper is embracing the wrongheaded proposal by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett to eliminate the treasurer and secretary of state positions. Barrett fantasizes that money can be saved by eliminating these offices and shifting their functions to existing agencies. He is wrong. Every time new duties are added to unaccountable agencies headed by unelected appointees, the cost to taxpayers leaps. It is always the case. And it will be doubly so if these two positions, which have been elected since the state’s founding, are eliminated.

But something worse will happen if they are eliminated.

There will be two fewer elected watchdogs in state government, two fewer officials who are accountable to the people -- or, in the vision of the Journal Sentinel, three fewer, as the paper would also eliminate the office of lieutenant governor.

The Journal Sentinel claims that the line of succession can easily be updated so that a lieutenant governor is not needed. In fact, other states -- including New York and New Jersey -- have had miserable succession experiences in recent years. Indeed, New Jersey just created an office of lieutenant governor because of the problems the state had.

The answer for Wisconsin, a state that has always respected democracy, is not to address the problems associated with so-called “down-ballot” positions by eliminating constitutional offices. Rather, we should strengthen those positions.

The treasurer should be a real watchdog, with the power to analyze and challenge wrongheaded and irresponsible spending.

The secretary of state should oversee elections, so that someone is responsible when things are screwed up. The state Government Accountability Board’s constant bumbling -- currently on display in the unresolved wrangling over how to ensure that Wisconsinites serving in the military will get their ballots this fall -- illustrates what happens when an unelected and unaccountable agency is put in charge of functions that in most states are overseen by elected officials.

As for the office of lieutenant governor, it has been well filled for the past eight years by Barbara Lawton, who has used it to highlight economic development initiatives, environmental and energy efficiency projects, smart strategies for funding the arts, and a host of other initiatives. Lawton has offered Wisconsin a good sense of what can be done with the office, but she could have done even more if her position was fully independent of the governor. We think Wisconsin should return to the model it had until 1970, with the lieutenant governor elected in November on a separate ballot line from the governor, as happens in California and a number of other states. The old authority of the lieutenant governor to preside over the state Senate should be restored. Doing so would give the lieutenant governor better-defined responsibilities and strengthen the legitimacy of the existing line of succession.

In all instances, the goal should be to place more authority in the hands of officials elected by the people, rather than in the hands of unelected and unaccountable appointees. To do otherwise undercuts democracy and creates charades like the Journal Sentinel’s latest gambit.

As for The Capital Times, we will make endorsements this fall for positions up and down the ballot.

We generally don’t make primary endorsements, following in the tradition of the paper’s founder, William T. Evjue, who believed that parties should pick their candidates in September and then papers should make endorsements in November.

But we will offer a note regarding the race for state treasurer.

Readers may recall that we were big fans of Republican Jack Voight during his tenure as state treasurer. He was an able independent player who called out Republicans and Democrats when they acted irresponsibly. We hope that both parties will nominate candidates who will serve as he did. We note, however, that one Republican candidate, Kurt Schuller, says he is running with the purpose of gaining the position so he can campaign for its elimination.

Schuller is sincere, and we certainly respect his right to his views. But his approach would make state government less accountable and more expensive. We hope that Republicans will choose a candidate such as Scott Feldt, a former top aide in the treasurer’s office who served as a Rock County supervisor, or Jim Sanfilippo, a financial manager with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who is serious about making the treasurer’s office a stronger and more effective watchdog, as the two Democratic contenders, incumbent Dawn Marie Sass and challenger Dan Bohrod, propose to do.

Wisconsin needs more candidates who are committed to expanding democracy and making government more accountable — not contenders who have given up on the prospect of forging a more perfect union.

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La Follette Nominated

June 24, 2010
Contact info: 608-255-7343

Madison – Secretary of State Doug La Follette today presented his required nomination papers to the State’s Election Division thereby placing his name on the November 2nd ballot for re-election.

“I personally collected over 2,400 signatures myself and many friends around the state collected an additional many hundreds for me,” La Follette said.  “It has been a great experience these past three weeks meeting and talking with hundreds of my constituents and listening to their concerns”.

Doug La Follette said he was looking forward to the campaign and urged folks to check his website  [www.douglafollette.com] and be sure to vote this Fall.

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Doug La Follette
Secretary of State
1211 Rutledge #3
Madison, WI 53703

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Doug La Follette: Nixing office an election-

year gimmick

By DOUG LA FOLLETTE | Posted: Friday, June 11, 2010 1:00 pm

Every so often, a politician seeks to gain favor with cost-conscious voters by promoting the political gimmick of eliminating the constitutional office of the secretary of state.

The State Journal on Thursday excitedly endorsed gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett's idea "for saving money and eliminating bureaucracy," but the newspaper does not seem to have really thought the issue through.

Several thoughts should come to the minds of those who promote this gimmick:

1. From where exactly does the more than $1 million in savings come? Someone has to provide the public services provided by the current offices of the secretary of state and treasurer.

Barrett seems to think great amounts of money will be saved by moving the functions of the secretary of state to the lieutenant governor's office. But the office space and employees will still be needed to do the job.

I suppose my salary of $64,000 would be saved, but that is hardly the level of savings touted by Barrett and the State Journal. And the lieutenant governor might well need to hire a manager to oversee these functions, further reducing any savings.

2. These public services include a great deal more than keeping the Great Seal of Wisconsin, the example that the State Journal loves to talk about.

A few examples include registering and maintaining trademarks, notary commissions, apostilles (a type of notary) for foreign adoptions, education and trade, and maintaining the historical records of Wisconsin's municipalities.

By the way, under my direction the office has completed a project to digitalize all of the records of notaries public, trade names and trademarks, municipal records and forest land deeds, thus making them far more accessible to the public.

I would suggest that people see for themselves what our offices does by looking at the secretary of state's website: www.sos.state.wi.us.

3. Barrett talks about eliminating bureaucracy, but since when is moving responsibility from one elected person to another eliminating it? I find this to be very strange thinking. Past experience with doing this has ended up costing money and making it more difficult for citizens to obtain services. And, by the way, all of these services are paid for by fees, so there is little or no drain on the state's budget.

Political campaigning is sometimes called the "silly season" by pundits, and ideas like this certainly justify that name. I hope logic will prevail and we will move on to other ideas that might actually benefit Wisconsin's citizens.

La Follette has served as Wisconsin's secretary of state for more than 30 years.

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A GREAT RESOURCE –UNUSED

Wisconsin had a great resource that is unknown to most people and is therefore being underutilized.
I am talking about the BLACKWELL JOB CORPS CENTER in Laona, Wisconsin.

The Center offers education as well as job training courses.  Students can work towards achieving their high school equivalency diploma or receive hands-on job training in one of eight areas, including business technologies, carpentry, welding, health occupations, painting, electrical work, bricklaying and construction crafts.

While enrolled, students receive a living allowance every week which is increased the longer they are enrolled.  Once they finish their classes for the day, students can partake in recreation, cultural, educational and athletic activities. 

When students graduate from the program placement counselors help them find employment that is right for them.
For the past several years the Blackwell Center has had room for more students and federally funded scholarships have gone unused.

To be eligible for Job Corps an applicant must be under the age of 25, U.S. citizen or legal resident, be able to meet the income requirements and be ready, willing and able to participate fully in an educational environment.

For information on enrolling in the Job Corps program contact the Blackwell Center, 4155 County Hwy H, Laona, WI 54541; Phone: (715) 674-2311 or 800-733-JOBS [5627].  Or visit them on the web at  http://chicagoregion.jobcorps.gov

Doug La Follette
Wisconsin Secretary of State
Box 7848, Madison, WI. 53707
608-266-8888, then push 3 
Please visit our site at  www.sos.state.wi.us
fax 608-266-3159

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Dear Legislator,

I have some good news.  The Office of the Secretary of State has successfully completed "The Records Preservation Project".  This project, initiated several years ago for purposes of preserving thousands of historic documents and making them available on-line, was completed on time and under budget.

I want to thank you for your support of this important effort.  Through this project, members of the business community, adoptive parents, other government agencies, and in fact, all the individuals we serve around the world, will be able to easily access on-line the essential records they seek from this Office. 

The databases that are now available on-line include: 1) Municipal records submitted to the Office of the Secretary of State by Wisconsin’s towns, villages, cities and counties (such as incorporation papers, annexations, corporate boundaries, maps, and litigation correspondence), 2) all Wisconsin Trademarks and Trade Names and 3) all Notaries Public commissioned in Wisconsin.  To access this information, please visit our website www.sos.state.wi.us, and click on the database of your choice.

I am pleased and proud to offer this expanded access to these important government records, and I invite you and your staff to take a look.

Please let your constituents know that this information is now available on-line. 

Sincerely,
Doug

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Paid for by La Follette Campaign Fund
R. Wahlers, Treasurer