CAPiTOL EYE

College cuts

UW System to trim costs with admin furloughs

The UW System will furlough some 588 administrative employees to partially cover unprecedented financial losses due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In an email to UW System Administration, UW President Ray Cross called the mounting costs and revenue losses for the system “almost hard to believe,” and that neither he nor anybody else knows when a turnaround is coming. He said the system is “doing all we can to preserve our future as a university.

“This is a painful but necessary reality. And it is difficult news to share,” the email read. “I am so proud of your dedication to our mission in the face of unprecedented challenges. It is my top priority to protect you, your job, and your benefits as best we can.”

Beginning in May, Cross announced a one-day furlough per month for all UW System administration employees, including UW-Shared Services and UW Extended Campus, through June 2021.

UW-Shared Services is an efficiency program meant to save costs and consolidate administration whenever possible. And UW Extended Campus is an online education branch of the UW System partnering with all campuses.

Additionally, Cross said campus chancellors have authority to make their own furlough decisions with staff and faculty on how best to reduce costs.

Why no howls about the May 12 special election?

Facing a torrent of criticism about moving ahead with a statewide election amid a national health emergency, Gov. Tony Evers made a last-minute bid to push the spring contests back to June only to be overturned by the state Supreme Court.

Critics chirp that his administration doesn’t seem to be as concerned about the special election for the heavily GOP 7th CD on May 12. That date comes smack dab in the middle of his administration’s stay-at-home order, which has been extended to May 26.

But now that the April election is out of the way, his chief legal counsel suggests the May 12 contest may go ahead as planned. Ryan Nilsestuen said the May 12 election is much different from the April 7 statewide spring election, because the area is more rural, meaning there won’t be similar issues with large groups of people congregating in one area. A much lower turnout is also expected as GOP state Sen. Tom Tiffany faces Dem Tricia Zunker. And there are also fewer COVID-19 cases in the district compared to urban areas. Republicans again see politics at play, saying if Evers had truly been that concerned about voters with his efforts to move the April 7 election, he’d be taking similar steps in the 7th.

Tavern League asks for soft reopening

The Wisconsin Tavern League president is calling on Gov. Tony Evers to allow a “soft reopening” of the state’s bars and restaurants May 1 with safety precautions such as requiring staff to wear masks and gloves and practicing social distancing.

President Chris Marsicano argued that without a vaccine — which could be over a year away — the same challenges facing Wisconsinites from COVID-19 will exist after Evers’ new stay-at-home order ends May 26.

Marsicano argued bars and restaurants can take similar steps to protect customers and employees modeled after what businesses now operating are doing.

Beloit casino decision now rests with Evers

Wisconsin now has a second chance at a new casino, with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs approving a Ho-Chunk Nation Beloit plan and sending it to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk.

The move comes after former Gov. Scott Walker in 2015 shot down a plan by the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin to build and manage a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Kenosha County.

Walker at the time cited “more than 100 million reasons” why he rejected the $800 million plan after nearly two years of negotiations, including a compact with the Forest County Potawatomi that the state would reimburse Milwaukee’s Potawatomi Hotel & Casino for any lost revenue.

The current plan has circulated in the BIA since late 2018, and Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Aimee Thurner said the organization is “thrilled” with the economic prospects of a new casino and urged the guv to sign off on the plans soon.

Baldwin fundraising at solid clip

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin continues to be a more active fundraiser than her GOP colleague Ron Johnson, who hasn’t yet announced whether he’ll seek reelection in 2022.

Baldwin, D-Madison, raised $618,411 during the first three months of the year, according to her latest report. She also spent $390,983 and had $694,110 in the bank.

Johnson, R-Oshkosh, reported $53,539 in receipts, $26,370 in spending and $358,221 cash on hand to end March.

Baldwin’s fundraising during the period, which included the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, ticked up compared to the final quarter, when she raised $474,076.

Johnson, meanwhile, saw a drop in his fundraising after pulling in $154,037 during the final three months of last year.