Saturday, March 16, 2013

Release The Walkergate Files!

The following is a statement from the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council:
As a rule, emails created by public officials that discuss government business and policies are the public's property and should be available to the public.

But hundreds, and possibly thousands, of emails created in secret by some of former Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's office staff are closed to public access. They were unearthed during a John Doe investigation of some of Walker's aides and a judge has ordered the material from the investigation not be released to the public.

The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council urges the judge who presided over the John Doe investigation to reconsider his secrecy order and release the staff emails because the court proceedings revealed they discuss important county government policies and issues, including patient abuse at a county-run mental health facility and the death of a teenager killed when a concrete slab fell on him in a county parking facility.

The three-year John Doe investigation was recently completed. There's no longer a reason for information generated by public officials on the public’s dime that discusses the public's business to remain secret.

Additionally, the Council calls on the Milwaukee County Board and County Executive Chris Abele to reclaim ownership and take custody of these records, since they should have been turned over to Walker’s successor as state law requires when he left office. See State Statute 19.21(2). These records would then be subject to release under the Public Records Law.

This issue was the subject of an editorial this week in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Council hopes that others in the media will take similar stands.
Needless to say, I completely concur with this statement. It should not matter if it is embarrassing to Scott Walker or makes things difficult for the county to defend itself in a lawsuit stemming from the O'Donnell Park tragedy or Walker's mismanagement of the mental health complex.  If they screwed up, they should be held accountable, but in the court of law and in the public's eye.

And while they're at it, they also should roll out the Mystery Dumpster O'Fun. Who knows what kind of things were stuffed into that before it was locked up and put into hiding. But we can guess what we'd might find:


13 comments:

  1. Give it up crapper. You said Walker was going down, you said Nardelli was about to sing, that Wink was singing..blah blah..you failed miserably

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    1. Trolling hard today, ain't ya?

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    2. hopefully they will turn them over to able.then we can see what they were hiding.

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    3. Trolling? Truthing is more like it.

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  2. 8:12, the emails are the property of the Milwaukee County taxpayers. If capper was wrong, why won't Gov. Walker release them?

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  3. @8:12: you know - there's always more and those emails could be more damaging than anyone can imagine.


    And who knows - maybe those pokes in prison might loosen up some tongues.

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  4. The taxpayers have the right to have access to this information. No matter who may be embarrassed by it. I'll bet the information would open some eyes in this state about what elected officials are doing on the taxpayer's dime.

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  5. Maybe they are not being released to protect other on-going investigation, by, let's say, the FBI. Perhaps the JDI found such widespread malfeasance that it became way beyond the scope of the county DA's purview. The FBI raided Archer's home and nothing has yet come of it. I think Capper is right in that "there is more, there's always more."

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    1. This rings true to me as we'll. just because the Milwaukee portion is apparently over doesnt mean there isn't more in Madison or with the Feds.

      Remember how the sleazy GOPs were saying the redistricting case was "settled" last year? Ain't so settled now, is it?

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    2. Maybe the truth fairy is busily editing the emails to make up some grand scheme as to why Chisholm didn't keep track if the billable hours spent on the investigation.

      Something every lawyer does every day.

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    3. Every private lawyer. Ask JBVH if he has his people do that.

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  6. Perhaps the judge is protecting the federal investigation that is still ongoing. Have faith friends of justice. the weasel may still wear an orange jumpsuit.

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