Let's Navigate the Capitol - Bjork Style

By Jeff Simpson

I have written lately about Mary Burke's top political advisor - Tonya Bjork.   I covered her initially into her being knee deep in the Caucus scandal, secondly being a major player with Wisconsin Hospital PAC who has given thousands of dollars to Scott Walker.

Before we get into today's lesson, we need to clarify something.   There was some sloppy criticism of my post about Tanya Bjork's association with the Wisconsin Hospital PAC.   Apparently she gave all of the money to their Conduit.  A conduit is set up(and quite possibly illegal) for someone like Tanya Bjork to give money to Wisconsin Hospitals PAC and then direct that money elsewhere.  That way if you want to give more than the max.  You can funnel your money through their PAC allowing you to give more than the legal amount, and hope the media stays lazy and does not track your donations.(*clarification, I am not accusing Tonya Bjork of doing this, I am merely pointing out that I do not see any other reason for a conduit.  If you want to give money to a politician give money to them.  No need to give it to someone else to give to them).

Just some more context, before we move on(H/T one of our readers).   Wisconsin Hospitals PAC, of which Tanya Bjork was a major player and fundraiser for,  gave approximately 80% of their donations to the red team.  Would you belong to an organizations that so directly conflicts with your values?   I would not.


Today we are going to cover her day job.  Owner, with her husband/partner Scott Tyre, of a LOBBYING firm called Capitol Navigators.

Here is Tanya's husband at a typical day of work:
 

Here is their client list:

• Altria Corporate Services
• American Petroleum Institute
• American Express Co.
• Association of General Contractors of Wisconsin
• Aurora Health Care
• Community Corrections Corp.
• DCI Group
• Deloitte
• Dewey Square Group
• General Motors
• H & R Block
• Hill Top Public Solutions
• HSBC
• Johnson Controls, Inc.
• Kwik Trip
• MulchSeal
• National Association of Professional Employer Organization
• SC Johnson & Sons Inc.
• Superior Services, Inc
• TDS Telecom
• US Oil
• Water Remediation Technology, LLC
• Webber Merritt
• Wisconsin Bankers Association
• Wisconsin Cable Communications Association
• Wisconsin Cluster of YMCAs
• Wisconsin Early Autism Program
• Wisconsin Hospital Association

Before we go any further, let me address the first objection.  That this is her husbands firm.   1. Wisconsin is a 50/50 state, if they were to get divorced she would be part owner of it real quick(just ask Robin Vos) and 2. She lists her employer as (drum roll please) Capitol Navigators!

Yes, I understand that the donations under her name are all Democrats, but let's take a look at a partial list of the rest of the people that Capitol Navigators have donated too(recognize any of these names):

*Robin Vos
*Jeff Fitzgerald 
*Scott Fitzgerald 
*Committee to elect a Republican Senate
*Republican Assembly Campaign Committee
* Scott Suder 
* Mike Huebsch 

"Dont play both sides of the fence because one day your leg is going to get caught trying to get over on the other side."  Unknown

 Nothing says progressive champion like sending $500 to Robin Vos!  Let's be real, CapitolNavigators has made lots of money suppressing and squashing progressive legislation and helping get the current extreme right wing legislation passed.  Hey, whatever makes you a buck.  Its a tough economy out there(thanks in part to the legislation you lobby). 

Before I come to my conclusion, let's bring one more piece of evidence into the equation.  Do not forget that Scott Walker withdrew a student appointment to Board of Regents(a basically figurehead position) because the original pick, they found out signed the recall.petition.  (FYI: Tanya Bjork and her Husband Scott Tyre did NOT sign the recall petition).

 

Now to my conclusion, We have a very vindictive and petty republican party running our state government.  Tanya and her husband make a very nice living with their lobbying firm, lobbying both parties.   DO you trust Tanya Bjork to do the right thing and attack Scott Walker, when and where he needs to be attacked, to win?  Knowing that her living depends on playing both sides in the Capitol?  Do we trust that when there comes a time, when her career and her current job, collide, that the people of Wisconsin will not get the short end of the stick?

Looking back at her career, from the caucus scandal(which still disgusts me) through her time at Wisconsin Hospitals PAC and beyond, she  has a definite pattern of having an ambitiously me first attitude.   Her willingness to break the law to advance her personal career in the Caucus scandal, and her apparent willingness to suppress her personal beliefs and values, with Wisconsin Hospitals PAC in order to pad her resume speaks volumes to me.

When it comes down to making the tough call, one that might win the race but cost her Lobbying firm business in the end -  Whose side will she be on?

I think we know the answer to that.  I also think we do not like the answer!

Draw your own conclusions.

However, there is enough bad, evil, slimy, play both parties evidence there for me to far outweigh the non existent progressive credentials of this supposedly democratic lobbyist, that I know what side I believe she will pick!

If you're going to connect with the good people of WI, a well connected, political insider who makes a living lobbying, and was in the middle of the biggest political corruption scandal, is probably NOT the best choice to do that.  

I was also hoping, that one of the campaign issues would be Walkers cronyism and incompetent politically motivated hires, one that we would easily win.  Unless, we allow Tanya Bjork to run the campaign and we send the message that cronyism is alive and well in our party also!  


I personally would rather this Bjork be running the show, at least she understands marketing:




It has been made perfectly clear to me, by party members, that no amount of grassroots support matters.  So the only thing they will listen to is our pocketbooks.

For me personally - No Money for Burke until Bjork is gone.   I prefer my Democratic Candidates sans republican lobbyists on their staff.  

@Burke4Wi

Burke for Wisconsin
PO Box 2479
Madison, WI 53701
(608) 807-0602
info@burkeforwisconsin.com


PS:  In case you were wondering, Wisconsin Hospitals PAC - Supported ACT10.  Helping break the Nurses union, maybe not the most progressive position someone could take.

PSS:  To the people on the Burke Campaign, you might want to add Mary Burke's twitter account to the website contact info.  It is the year 2013 after all.

PSSS:  Adding the twitter account does not count as actual content.   The website could use some of that also.   

The Reality of Act 10!

By Jeff Simpson

Marshfield School District has been in the news lately,   This time they have shown us the consequences of ACT10. 

First this story from the Administrators where they praised ACT10:

School administrators in Marshfield are adamant the tools included in Act 10 have had a profound effect on their ability to control costs.

Since the law curtailing most collective bargaining rights for public employees took effect in 2011, the amount the district spends on salaries and health insurance benefits has declined drastically.


“These tools we have been given have been quite effective for us being able to curtail and control the costs,” said Pat Saucerman, business director for the Marshfield School District. “I don’t want to give Act 10 too much credit, but I do believe it’s had a positive effect on our ability to control costs as we move forward.”

The district spent about $16.6 million on teacher salaries last year — the lowest it’s been since the 2007-08 school year — according to unaudited budget figures, which is about $1.3 million less than three years ago, a 7 percent decline.

Yes the School District of Marshfield is now paying less in wages then they have in years.  I am sure that the local businesses in Marshfield thank them.  

Then came this story:

 The Marshfield School District has seen an unprecedented level of turnover among its teaching staff members in the two years since Gov. Scott Walker’s signature piece of legislation was signed into law.
A total of 77 teachers have retired, taken positions at other school districts, or left the profession entirely since Act 10 abolished most collective bargaining powers and required teachers and other support staff members to shoulder more pension and health insurance costs.
That’s about 30 percent of all teachers the district employs.
In the summer before teachers were subject to provisions of Act 10, 40 teachers retired, according to documents presented to the school board’s Finance Committee by district administrators last month.
Retirements essentially have been non-existent in the district the past two summers, but the same can’t be said about teacher resignations. Typically, the district would average about three teacher resignations a year during the decade prior to Act 10; that’s risen to 15 this past summer and 16 in 2012.

There you go Ladies and Gentlemen, Marshfield School District has just signed up to be the farm system to school districts all over the state.  You can have them the first couple years of their career, while they figure things out.  then send them to the districts who put education first!  

Yes,  ACT10 seems to be working well. 

I hope that Kenneth Slezak is able to let the fine folks in the 69th district what has happened to their schools.  I am sure the fine professionals who work at the Marshfield Clinic are none to happy that the best of the best teachers at their children's school are leaving for greener pastures.   



 


PS:  As capper says "there is more, there is always more."   Back soon with the Tonya Bjork "crimes against democracy" truth tour soon!  

An Open Letter To Mary Burke

Dear Ms. Burke: 

A while back, Cap Times columnist Paul Fanlund, correctly pointed out, that in the Governors race of 2014, the high road is WIDE open.  

Asked before the recent Democratic state convention what he expected to hear from that event, Walker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “What they are going to do, because they have nothing to offer in response, they are going to attack and attack and attack and attack, and then attack again.”
So Walker uses the word “attack” five times, which sounds like pretty much all of the chapter titles in Scott Walker’s complete guide to governing.
Beating Walker is possible. This isn’t Alabama. It is a swing state that elected Tammy Baldwin.
In the end, I think there is a critical mass of voters who are not active combatants who yearn for a new path, one that the right Democratic candidate could chart.
Put another way, when it comes to taking down Scott Walker, the high road is open for business.

Anyone who has read CogDis the last few years know that this is the place to come for Walkergate coverage. While Scott Walker, thanks to a well funded "legal defense" fund, was never charged,  many of his closest advisors were convicted or granted immunity.   One of common threads between all of these thugs, besides lack of ethics and morals, is that many of them were knee deep in the original Caucus Scandal.

We have established that the High Ground is a winning strategy and one that is completely wide open.  Unfortunately somewhere along the way Mary Burke has decided to take a different path.    Check out Team Burke! 

Burke’s campaign team includes fundraiser Katie Boyce, a Doyle fundraiser and deputy chief of staff in his second term. Her treasurer is Sheila Conroy, who led the Office of State Employee Relations for Doyle (and is married to Madison biotech CEO Kevin Conroy, who was mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate before Burke got in the race).

Burke’s senior political adviser is Tanya Bjork, whom Doyle hired as national liaison. The appointment was controversial partly because Bjork was convicted of two misdemeanors related to the caucus scandal for campaigning on state time and trying to cover it up. She also was senior adviser for President Obama’s Wisconsin campaign in 2008 and 2012.

Whoa!  Hit the brakes.  

Did she really hire Tanya Bjork has TOP POLITICAL ADVISOR?   What will Tanya Bjork advise? How to campaign from the Capitol and illegally change records?   Just because Scott Walker does it, does not mean it is OK!

Tanya Bjork, 38, was convicted of two misdemeanors in 2005 for her role in the largest political scandal in state history. Bjork served as a chief of staff to former Sen. Brian Burke (D-Milwaukee), who was convicted of a felony and misdemeanor in 2005 as part of a widespread investigation that uncovered political campaigning using taxpayer resources. Before she worked for Burke, she worked for the Assembly Democratic Caucus.

Bjork pleaded no contest to charges that she altered records and illegally solicited campaign funds in the Capitol.

Why would anyone think, that hiring someone who was guilty in the last Caucus Scandal, was a good idea?   I have criticized the way that  Mary Burke has run her campaign to date, saying that she has gotten really bad advice.  I did not know at the time that she was getting really bad advice from a bad apple! 

Who was the last democrat to hire one of these people to their staff?  This Guy! Is that who we want to emulate?  

Speaking of Walker supporters.

 No, just because Tanya Bjork did not sign the recall petition, does NOT mean she supports him, I am sure she was busy that day!  You know she loves the Democratic Party!

There is also a possibility she was busy hanging out with her partner and his good friend:

See her husband is head of (irony alert ahead) a lobbying firm called Capitol Navigators. Scott is such agreat lobbyist that he was elected by his peers(we know what a fine upstanding group of people they are) as    Scott was also elected by his peers to the board of the Association of Wisconsin Lobbyists.  No word if Bob Ney or Jack Abramoff sent him letters of congrats!   Heck as  amember of the Lobbyist board, his hit and run misdemeanor conviction is a feather in his cap.

For the record, I would NEVER suggest that because the current batch of republicans are so vindictive, that they would punish Mr. Tyre, if his partner Ms. Bjork went after Scott Walker with the vigor needed to win the election.   Nor would I suggest that she would let something like the very lavish lifestyle they are accustomed to, get in the way of doing the right thing,   I also would never ever suggest this would be the reason behind the candidate, that she is the top political adviser of  to let such amazingly unethical scandals such as United Sportsmen, fall by the wayside unchallenged.   I also want it clear that I would never suggest that, as top political adviser to one candidate, and her partner being a well paid lobbyist playing both sides, that she wins no matter who wins the election. 

That would be just crazy for me to point out that if we lose next November, while you are here:




    

She will be here:



I would NOT suggest any of that so I hope you do not think it either!

I have met Mary Burke and find her to be very intelligent, friendly, smart and passionate for making Wisconsin a better place.  Mary Burke is ethical and full of integrity.  The last thing that Mary Burke needs,  is the dead weight of the Capitol Scandal on her back.  

Mary Burke goes into her race against Scott Walker with the decided advantage in accomplishments, intelligence, personality, desire to help Wisconsin, business sense and many others.   Ms. Burke also has the clear advantage V. Mr. Walker in ethics, morals and integrity.  That is why it is imperative that she not sully her reputation or spoil this advantage by associating with anyone from the Caucus Scandal.  

Playing dirty politics, wasting taxpayer money and increasing your own bank account plays well on the right, but it absolutely does not on the left where people who are going to vote for you care about such things as honesty and the rule of law.    Our friends on the right, make such a mockery of justice that they treat convicted felon Scott Jensen like a serious person. That is them, that is not us! 

In a state that leads the country in incarceration of black males,  we allowed the group of caucasions involved in the caucus scandal were allowed to skate virtually punishment free, because they set the rules.  The only way to stop that is if the people say enough.  Here is a good spot to draw that line!  

 You would make an excellent Governor of Wisconsin, show us that you want to change the way we have done things and it is a new era.    Show us you are serious about the divisiveness, cronyism and corruption that has become everyday occurrences are over.  

Mary Burke please cleanse yourself of people involved in the Caucus scandal(and it was a scandal) and let's take the high road to victory in November!

Together!

Forward!

Sincerely,


Jeff Simpson,

Lifelong Wisconsin resident, public education advocate and concerned citizen!


Contact Ms. Burke here:  

Burke for Wisconsin
PO Box 2479
Madison, WI 53701
(608) 807-0602
info@burkeforwisconsin.com

@burkeforwi

H/T Political Capital for the pics!