Redaction clip summary on March 15 by Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Lemon law: Can an acceptable replacement be a different color? 3B Obituary: Greenhouse was Slomski’s pride and joy. 4B Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 01/26/2013 Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page Violent Femmes: Band announces first concert in 5 years. Encore/8B

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Bill would make public records pricier By JASON STEIN and PATRICK MARLEY jstein@journalsentinel.com

Madison — Government agencies could once again attempt to charge hundreds — even thousands — of dollars to release public records about how police deal with and report on crime, under a draft bill in the Assembly. The bill also would allow agencies to extend those charges to other areas, such as records on taxpayer subsidies to businesses. The proposal seeks to undo a unanimous state Supreme Court ruling last summer that found the City of Milwaukee could not charge the Journal Sentinel for the time its employees spent de-

Agencies could charge for deleting confidential details

leting from public records some information they considered confidential. The lawsuit stemmed from a 2010 open records request based on a Journal Sentinel attempt to audit two weeks of incident reports for offenses such as assault, burglary and theft. The department, which had already produced copies of 100 incident reports for free, switched gears and told the news organization the additional 750 reports would cost about $4,000 and would take police more than nine months to

produce. While the lawsuit was moving through the courts, the news organization asked for much larger crime data files from the state Justice Department and the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office. Both agencies provided those records quickly and at minimal cost. Ultimately, the Journal Sentinel reported that police had misreported thousands of violent assaults, rapes, robberies and burglaries as less serious offenses, and failed to correct the problems

or publicly disclose them. A consultant hired by the Fire and Police commission largely confirmed the findings. The consultant, who for months publicly backed Police Chief Edward Flynn and his department’s handling of the flawed crime figures, said he found no evidence of conspiracy to alter the numbers. The sponsor of the draft bill is Rep. Garey Bies, chairman of the Assembly Corrections Committee and a former chief sheriff’s deputy in Door County. Bies said he hadn’t talked with the depart-

ment or its police officers union about the bill. He said he wrote it after learning of the Supreme Court decision and talking to local officials in his district, who were concerned about being saddled with unexpected costs. “I don’t want to see the taxpayer stuck with a bill from someone who’s maybe on a hunting expedition,” he said. He said that most redactions should cost little or nothing, and that if newspapers are seeking records that cost thousands of dollars to redact, they must be makingbroadsearches.AskedspecifiPlease see PUBLIC, 3B

Referendum delay planned

In The Moment

Sanfelippo will give supervisors time to act first By STEVE SCHULTZE sschultze@journalsentinel.com

The author of a draft bill to hold an April 2 binding referendum on slashing the pay of Milwaukee County supervisors said Friday he has agreed to up to a year’s delay on that vote to give supervisors a chance to enact their own reforms. State Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis) said in an interview that he’ll still introduce a bill in about a week that will call for a later referendum and likely include a major cut in the County Board’s budget. He wants the Assembly to act on the measure soon but would consider recommending amendments to the state Senate if the County Board enacts its own reforms that RICK WOOD / RWOOD@JOURNALSENTINEL.COM

Lori Krueger (left) uses a scarf to enhance her movement during a belly dancing rehearsal. To see more photos, go to jsonline.com/photos.

Moving bellies to a different beat Troupe’s organizer finds culture, art in dance By BILL GLAUBER bglauber@journalsentinel.com

n a cold winter night, the women rush into the warmth of a dance studio, pulling off their boots and bulky coats and tying hip scarves around their leotards. By day, they’re pharmacy techs, a sales rep, a publicist, a nurse midwife, a psychotherapist, a dental hygienist and a college student. But on this night, for two hours, they are transformed, immersed in the music

A JOUR SENTIN WATCH UPDAT

work and an understanding of the culture and the music to dance well.” Christensen is a petite dynamo who goes by the stage name of Samantha Fairuz. Born and raised in Milwaukee, she’s a married mom with a 6-year-old son. Christensen runs the Safar Dance Company. The company performs at events around the area, and its soloists can often be seen dancing on Friday nights at Casablanca restaurant on Brady St. A graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Christensen has been captivated by belly dancing since 1995. It was back then that she

In The Moment is a feature of the Journal Sentinel devoted to the people, places and character of our communities.

he considers adequate Sanfelippo, a former c supervisor. “I’m usin old trust-but-verify proach,” Sanfelippo “I’m proceeding with t but in a way that will time for (supervisors) some things on their ow “If don’t do state’s do it.” He sa would ha partisan port for measure Sanfelippo Sanfel in his month as a legislator made county reform h priority. His draft bill for an April referendu cutting supervisors’ pa to$15,000ayearandelim ing their health and pe benefits. It also would d ly cut the board’s $6.5 m annual budget to $1.1 m

Please see COUN

Walker says he plan to boost school aid

Governor addresses district officials at state convention By ERIN RICHARDS erichards@journalsentinel.com

Striking a congenial tone that contrasted with some of the bitter fights in Wisconsin education and politics over the past two years, Gov. Scott Walker told hundreds of district 5:25 officials March 15, 2013 pm / and school board members Friday he intends to increase aid for schools in his biennial budColorful hip scarves with individually

likely be part of his stat get proposal schedule delivery on Feb. 20. “One of the things looking to do is put add al resources into publi cation over the nex years of this budget, in ety of ways,” Walker to crowd at the Hilton Mi kee City Center Hotel. The governor reite his support for creat pool of incentive grant would reward high-per ing or high-growth sc as well as a pool of fund help failing schools imp

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 01/26/2013

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Saturday, January 26, 2013

From page 1

lay. The City of Milwaukee argued that taxpayers should not have to pay for the costs of blacking out the confidential information so it could not be read. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the newspaper, but four of the juscally about the costs charged tices signed a separate concurto the Journal Sentinel for the rence that discussed the policy Milwaukee police records, implications of the ruling and Bies said the newspaper “may- said the proper place to adbe should have been keeping dress those concerns was the track of that to start with.” Legislature. Justice Patience Bies said that he had not Roggensack wrote that the rulchecked with legislative leading would likely result in taxers about whether they backed payers being required to pay his idea and that he expected for redacting information or difficulty in getting it to the public records requests going floor. unmet because a government Bill Lueders, president of body lacks necessary personthe Wisconsin Freedom of In- nel. formation Council, said that The Milwaukee Police Dein the past government offi- partment had no one available cials have abused to comment on the the fees that are al- Previous stories proposal Friday aflowed under the law. ternoon. A spokesHe predicted more online woman for Milwauwould do so if the To read the Journal kee Mayor Tom BarLegislature provid- Sentinel stories on rett also had no impolice misreporting ed another avenue mediate comment. of crimes, go to for charging fees. Assembly Minori“We consider it a jsonline.com/ ty Leader Peter Bartax on the public’s crimedata ca (D-Kenosha) said right to know. Pubhe was not familiar lic officials are already paid to with the bill. do their jobs,” Lueders said. “My first reaction is not pos“Why should they get paid ex- itive,” he said. “Obviously, tra when they get paid to do you have to balance costs, but I this job already?” think the public should have a Existing state law allows re- right to expect records withcords custodians to charge for out being overly burdened by the costs of locating, copying excessive expense.” and mailing records but does The Journal Sentinel’s atnot allow them to charge for torney in the lawsuit, Robert the cost of redacting informa- Dreps, said it would be easy for tion. The Bies bill would allow public officials to manipulate government officials to im- the standard for charging pose fees for the “actual, neces- costscontainedintheBiesbill. sary, and direct cost of delet- Dreps, who routinely handles ing, redacting or separating open records cases for a variinformation” from public doc- ety of clients, said that he’s uments or electronic files. seen past cases of public offiPublic records cover every- cials using inflated charges to thing from data on crime to in- try to keep records under formation on government wraps. spending, public officials’ sal“This bill would invite more aries, subsidies to companies, of the same, only worse,” and water and air quality. Dreps said. “That’s just an unThey are used by private busi- workable standard.” nesses and nonprofits as well Dreps further said that alas journalists, ordinary citi- lowing government agencies zens and public officials them- to charge for redacting reselves. cords takes away their incenThe Journal Sentinel law- tive to use databases, which suit asked a judge to order the should make searches easy department to allow the news and inexpensive — and allow organization to inspect and for confidential information copy the records without pre- to be easily withdrawn from a payment of fees for redaction database before it is made puband without unreasonable de- lic.

PUBLIC

Records costs could grow

RICK WOOD / RWOOD@JOURNALSENTINEL.COM

ancing routine that they will perform for

a two-piece costume and executing unating moves of her torso. It was exhilarating and scary,” she says. huge rush of adrenaline being in front of ple, like giving a speech, but you don’t e to talk.” esides the music and the movement, umes are the other key ingredient in y dancing. The outfits cost anywhere m $400 to $1,000, she says, depending on quality of the fabric and the intricate mbination of beads and sequins. There’s a fine line being sensual and ropriate, and not appropriate,” she says he sensuality exhibited during the dance. hrough the years, Christensen has ned several styles of dancing. The Egypn style, she says, “is contained, controlled very subtle, maybe coquettish, sweet endearing.” The Turkish style is bigger, grittier and a e more sensual,” she says. With her troupe, she mixes and matches es, with a dash of American-style showSometimes, she takes inspiration from movies, especially Busby Berkeley muss. ut what she enjoys, most, she says, is to erve the growth of the dancers. The students come in and lose their ibitions,” she says. “It’s awesome to see.”

he board n its own. ers have would be nfelippo’s e referenallot. na Alexconservaty Board th Sanfesaid she an oppor-

form. She emphasized that the approach should be broader than just supervisor pay and encompass a wide array of efficiency moves. “It’s going to take some time to have a quality discussion and to base it on the facts,” Dimitrijevic said. Abele said it was great some supervisors realized “the train has left the station, this (reform) is going to hap-

We Buy Pens

February 5, 2013 10:01 pm /

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A13 • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2013

OPINION

Madison Wisconsin State Journal 02/04/2013

“Wisconsin’s independent voice” State Journal Editorial Board

WILLIAM JOHNSTON • JOHN SMALLEY Copy Reduced to %d%%K. from originalPublisher to fit letter page

Editor SCOTT MILFRED Editorial page editor The views expressed in the editorials are shaped by the board, independent of news coverage decisions elsewhere in the newspaper.

OUR OPINION

New fees for records? No way M

emo to state Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay: Don’t mess with our state’s public records law. The law, outlined in Chapter 19.32 to 19.37 in state statutes, is among the best in the nation. And by best, we mean strong and clear and inescapably devoted to a free flow of public information. The public records law is a hallmark of good government, based on an unwavering expectation that citizens have a right to public information to the fullest extent possible. So, Rep. Bies, just leave Chapter 19.35 — the section devoted to access and fees for public records — alone. Bies has been circulating a bill that would change the law to allow record keepers to charge additional fees for time spent making redactions to documents. That’s a bad idea on a number of levels, not the least of which is that it flies in the face of the core premise of the law. Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 19.31, which is the declaration of policy for the law: “... it is declared to be the public

Proposal to charge for redaction time takes law in wrong direction. policy of this state that all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them. “... To that end, ss. 19.32 to 19.37 shall be construed in every instance with a presumption of complete public access. ... The denial of public access generally is contrary to the public interest, and only in an exceptional case may access be denied.” Certainly, costs are associated with providing copies of public records, and we have no issue with that concept. If you want copies of a record, you need to pay for the cost of the copies. And we understand in certain cases, redactions to public records are necessary to protect sensitive personal information or for other reasons as specified in the law.

MIKE DeVRIES — The Capital Times

The “Forward” statue stands Tuesday on the state Capitol grounds in Madison. New fees for blacking out parts of public records would hurt Wisconsin’s strong tradition of open government.

But charging record requesters for the time it takes to make those redactions is a slippery slope toward restricting access. It would create a gray area in a law that for the most

part is crystal clear. Some have called it a tax on public information. And this is one tax Wisconsin citizens do not need or deserve.

Calling out insane idiocy

YOUR VIEWS Goldberg insults women in combat The insincerity of columnist Jonah Goldberg’s examination of American women in combat is manifested in the title “We’ve got the soldier girl blues.” Referring to military women as girls is demeaning and offensive in this context. And reducing the

SEND YOUR VIEWS Send your letter, 200 words or less, to wsjopine@madison.com or to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 8058, Madison, WI 53708. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification.

My work frequently takes me to

ush Limbaugh thinks John Lewis should have been armed. “If a lot of African-Americans back in the ’60s had guns and the legal right to use them for selfdefense, you think they would have needed Selma?” he said recently on his radio show, referencing the 1965 voting rights campaign in which Lewis, now a congressman from Georgia, had his skull fractured by Alabama state LEONARD troopers on the Edmund Pettus PITTS JR. Bridge. “If John Lewis had had a gun, would he have been beat upside the head on the bridge?” Right. Because a shootout between protesters and state troopers would have done so much more to secure the right to vote. Incredibly, that’s not the stupidest thing anyone has said recently about the Civil Rights Movement. No, that distinction goes to one Larry Ward, who claimed in an appearance on CNN that Martin Luther King would have supported Ward’s call for a Gun Appreciation Day “if he were alive today.” In other words, the premiere American pacifist of the 20th century would be singing the praises of guns, except that he was shot in the face with one 45 years ago. Thus do social conservatives continue to rewrite cans are going to protect our beautithe inconvenient truths of African-American history, ful state? The evidence shouts an repurposing that tale of incandescent triumph and overwhelming no. inconsolable woe to make it useful within the crabbed — Larry Skupien, Mount Horeb corners of their failed and discredited dogma. This seems an especially appropriate moment to call them on it. Not simply because Friday was the first day of Governments must Black History Month, but because today is the centenary of a signal event within that history. stop foolish spending February 2013 2:55 pm / born 100 years ago. You Rosa7, Louise McCauley was Many American citizens are conknow her better by her married name — Rosa Parks, cerned about the recession, and hope the quiet, unassuming 42-year-old seamstress from

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, a

r r

nificant, if less noticed, a When it comes to Republicans, the most primal polit- bipartisan group in the Appleton 02/02/2013 House has also been working ical instinctPost-Crescent — self-preservaquietly on an immigration tion — has belatedly begun plan — “some of the hard to kick in. The last few

effect when the deal expires in March. Same for the prospect of a government shutdown later that month when existing funding ends.

$737 billion (including interest) in new revenue they coughed up in the cliff deal See MARCUS, Page B2

THE POST-CRESCENT’S OPINION

Thumbs Up and Down T

o the First Book-Fox Valley program, for winning a national competition with a prize of about 40,000 new books to give to kids. The program won the national First Book organization’s Truckload of Books Challenge, for signing up the most schools and programs that serve low-income students — 300 schools and programs. The books have already arrived and are being distributed to kids. Congratulations to First Book-Fox Valley for its efforts on behalf of our children.

o the Neenah Joint School District, for saving $750,000 on its health insurance costs. In devising its 2012-13 budget, the district offered employees and retirees $2,000 if they declined the district’s insurance plan. More than 100 people took the offer, twice as many as anticipated. With the district saving $11,400 for each person who declined the insurance — presumably they had other access to coverage — the extra people, along with other insurance adjustments, meant big savings for Neenah. Creative thinking paid off.

o Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, for a great contribution to the team and northeast Wisconsin. Driver, the Packers’ all-time leading receiver, announced he’ll retire next week after

Packers wide receiver Donald Driver waves to the crowd as he walks off the field after the Dec. 9 game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. GANNETT WISCONSIN MEDIA

14 seasons — all in Green Bay. But as big of an impact as Driver had on the field, he had an equal impact in our communities, lending his name, support and presence to numerous charitable causes. For that, he’ll be remembered as one of the all-time greats in franchise history.

o a proposed bill in the state Legislature that would allow governments to charge people seeking public records for the cost of the time spent redacting information from those records. The proposal, authored by Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, stems from a state Supreme Court ruling that the city of Milwaukee couldn’t charge the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the

time it spent redacting information from about 750 police reports the newspaper sought. The city had attempted to charge $4,000 for the redaction costs. Public records are public records and if a government thinks it needs to delete information it considers confidential from them, that’s their responsibility. It’s also part of their job — one a records requester shouldn’t have to pay for. Governments already use exemptions and fees that are a part of the state’s public records law too broadly in an attempt to discourage people from getting records they want — and have a right to get. This truly is a tax on the public that’s seeking information that should be open. It’s wrong — and we urge Bies’ fellow legislators to reject it as an affront to the open government Wisconsin is supposed to have.

SILVER PEN LETTER

Gun-control measures don’t make sense February 7, 2013 2:47 pm /

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Janesville Gazette 02/06/2013

OPINION

6A Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page

OUR VIEWS

Redaction fees would limit open records State Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, has set a noon Friday deadline for fellow lawmakers to join him in sponsoring legislation that would allow records keepers to charge for time needed to delete sensitive information from documents. Here’s hoping no one lines up behind Bies. The proposal comes on the heels of last year’s state Supreme Court ruling that barred records custodians from charging requesters for such redaction expenses. The decision stemmed from a dispute involving how the Milwaukee Police Department classified crime data. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel sued after the department demanded $4,000 to cover time it spent deleting, from hundreds of incident reports, information that state law deems confidential. State law does permit records keepers to charge fees for locating, reproducing and mailing documents to requesters. Most requests can be handled quickly and without much staff time or expense. Others, however, involve hundreds of records and can require much time and money. Why, argues Bies, should fisWhere to write cally challenged Wisconsin Senate local governments • Tim Cullen, 15th District, Room 108 South, be forced to pass state Capitol, P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882; phone 608-266-2253; email along these costs Sen.Cullen@legis.wisconsin.gov to taxpayers? • Neal Kedzie, 11th District, Room 313 South, state Capitol, P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI You might 53707-7882; phone 608-266-2635; email Sen.Kedzie@legis.wisconsin.gov think his argument makes sense. Besides, it’s not just journalists who are permitted to demand, see and scrutinize public records. That gadfly neighbor of yours, the one who hates the town board chairman and the school board president and who has an ax to grind with most Where to write every government decision, is within Wisconsin Assembly Representatives in the Wisconsin Assembly from his rights to deSouthern Wisconsin may be reached at these mand records, Tyler August, 32nd District, P.O. Box 8952, Madison, WI 53708; 608-266-1190; too. Why, you email might reason, Rep.August@legis.wisconsin.gov. Andy Jorgensen, 43rd District, P.O. Box should taxpayers 8952, Madison, WI 53708; pick up the costs 888-534-0043; email of his fishing exRep.Jorgensen@legis.wisconsin.gov. Deb Kolste, 44th District, P.O. Box 8952, peditions? Madison, WI 53708; 888-947-0044; Here’s the flip email Rep.Kolste@legis.wisconsin.gov. side. Too often, Amy Loudenbeck, 31st District, P.O. Box our public ser8952, Madison, WI 53708; 888-529-0031; email vants are relucRep.Loudenbeck@legis.wisconsin.gov. tant to hand over Stephen Nass, 33rd District, P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708; 888-529-0033; records that help email Rep.Nass@legis.wisconsin.gov. us gauge how well Janis Ringhand, 45th District, P.O. Box they’re doing 8953, Madison, WI 53708; 888-534-0045; email their jobs. We’re Rep.Ringhand@legis.wisconsin.gov. paying their Messages for state representatives also may be phoned in to the Legislative Hotline: 1-800salaries and bene362-9472. fits to create and keep those records on file, yet they frequently resist requests to see them. If you think that’s exaggerating, consider how The Gazette recently had to make repeated formal requests and involve attorney services to get the Milton School District to give up records related to its handling of the paid leave of its superintendent. Should Bies’ proposal become law, government officials could throw an arbitrary and enormous fee for a lawyer’s redaction services at a journalist or citizen, squashing the interest and keeping the information hidden. Only when we can see police records do we know that our justice system is handling criminal cases fairly. Only when we can scrutinize related documents can we know that a deal a town or city struck with a developer used tax dollars wisely. Government operates best in the light of day. Wisconsin has one of the strongest open records laws in the nation, and it should stay that way. Call your legislators today and encourage them to ignore Bies’ plan. Then hope his proposal sinks in the dark depths of that vast body of water off Sister Bay, the one known as Green Bay.

Sidney H. Bliss, Publisher Howard F. Bliss, 1883-1919 Harry H. Bliss, 1919-1937 Sidney H. Bliss, 1937-1969 Robert W. Bliss, 1937-1992

OTHER VIEWS

Obama playing shell game with contraceptive mandate WASHINGTON gious rights are held by individuals, The Obama administration’s latest not only by nonprofit religious institurevision of its contraceptive policy was tions. This law requires government to welcomed by some religious people as use the “least restrictive means” to a breakthrough, even a “miracle.” Upon pursue compelling interests at odds reflection, it seems less like the parting with religious belief. Balancing these of the Red Sea than a parlor trick. considerations can be difficult, particuAt issue is whether Obamacare’s larly in a business setting, but the adbroad mandate of insurance coverage ministration isn’t even attempting it. for contraceptives, sterilization and It is a valid public health goal to abortifacients should apply to institupromote the broad availability of contions with moral objections. For more traception. But is a nearly universal than a year, the admandate, imposed under threat of ministration has heavy fines, really the least restrictive struggled to clarify a method to achieve this objective? The set of regulations, administration has chosen to promote while provoking 44 lecontraceptive access in the most heavygal challenges. handed way, then define the tightest To the administraexemptions it can get away with. tion’s credit, it has Now it is establishing a pattern of now abandoned one announcing revisions that include few particularly provocasubstantive concessions. This strategy MICHAEL tive definition of reliis clearly motivated by the courts, GERSON gious institutions that which have pressed for clarification on excluded organizaimplementation of the mandate. Retions that employ and cent changes seem narrowly tailored to serve nonmembers. In better withstand judicial scrutiny— fact, many religious institutions serve without shifting the policy itself. Cosnonmembers precisely because their metic concessions also have the benefit faith requires generosity to outsiders. of dividing opposition to the mandate, But the outlines of the mandate reproviding cover for those in search of main essentially the same, offering dif- fig leaves. ferent levels of religious liberty to But President Obama’s policy does churches and ministries. An exemption not strike me as cynical. Disturbing, from the mandate still doesn’t reach but not cynical. The administration much beyond the doors of has never shown a partica house of worship—covIt is a valid public health ularly high regard for inering only churches, assostitutional religious libergoal to promote the ciations of churches and ty. Obama’s Justice Dereligious orders. partment, in last year’s broad availability of The accommodation Hosanna-Tabor case, arcontraception. But is a gued that there should be for religious charities, colleges and hospitals is efnearly universal mandate, no “ministerial exception” fectively unchanged from at all—a contention the imposed under threat of Supreme Court labeled the last version. While these institutions aren’t “amazing.” In this case, heavy fines, really the required to pay directly the administration views least restrictive method access to contraception as for contraceptive coverage, they are forced to to achieve this objective? an individual right to be provide insurance that inguaranteed by the govcludes such coverage. It is ernment, and institutiona shell game useful only for those who al religious rights as an obstacle and want to deceive themselves. inconvenience. But the First Amendment, it is worth remembering, was “The religious institutions are required by the government to give their designed as an obstacle and inconvenience to the government. workers an insurer,” says Yuval Levin All this is evidence of a deeper deof the Ethics and Public Policy Center, bate. Liberalism, back to John Locke, “and that insurer is required by the has understood religion to be a fundagovernment to give those workers mentally private matter. It has a diffiabortive and contraceptive coverage, cult time understanding the existence but somehow these religious employof loyalties outside the law, and often ers are supposed to imagine that they’re not giving their workers access views them as dangerous (unless the demands of faith are harmless and picto abortive and contraceptive coverturesque, like the Amish). age.” But this is not the way many reliThe administration has still made no attempt to deal with the hard cases. gious people understand religion. They view it as the grounding for a vision of Is it right to impose the mandate on a justice, and the source of standards for for-profit religious publisher? On a nonreligious pro-life organization or a a community of believers. It has been part of the American Catholic TV station? On a familyowned business with a highly religious miracle to balance individual rights with institutional religious freedom—a owner? difficult task for which the Obama adReligious liberty protections are ministration shows little appetite. So broader for religious institutions than they are for businesses, consistent with now it falls to the courts. Michael Gerson is a columnist for the First Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But under the Reli- the Washington Post Writers Group; email michaelgerson@washpost.com. gious Freedom Restoration Act, reli-

167 years of community service. . . since 1845 February 6, 2013 9:29 pm /

Scott W. Angus, Editor sangus@gazettextra.com Sid Schwartz, Local News Editor sschwartz@gazettextra.com

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The Jane itor. Letters ited to 250 tem.They m

The County Line

Page 12

Backtalk

By Karen Parker | County Line Editor

t was so quiet around the office in January that I almost didn’t mind when the phone rang last week and the caller unleashed a string of profanities. I was starting to think that each week’s newspaper had plunged into a black hole, but here was resounding proof that, yes, indeed, someone was actually reading the latest edition of the County Line. The caller was furious at being named in a relatively minor police matter and, oddly enough, didn’t even bother to ask for anyone in charge. All of that invective might well have been wasted on the janitor. If we had one. I never got a chance to answer back; once the caller ran out of four-letter words, the phone was abruptly slammed down. As a side note, maybe we need to change our terminology. In this age of cell phones, can anyone actually “slam” down a phone? But I digress. Had I been given an opportunity to respond, I probably would have said something flip like, “When my children were growing up, I always told them that if they ran afoul of the law, they would be on the front page, so, what makes you think you’re so special?” But that implies a certain amount of vindictiveness that really is not present. It’s hard to be vindictive against someone we don’t even know, and that’s usually the case. Come to think about it, a vindictive newspaper would chase down the caller and file charges for obscene calls. Then again, how much time do I want to spend standing waiting for our county’s already over-burdened legal system to take action? I actually have a great deal of sympathy for those who find the error of their ways enshrined in newsprint — it is embarrassing. In some cases, charges may be proven false, and it certainly is true that crime makes the front page, but proof of innocence may be relegated to the back pages, somewhere near the golf scores or the ads for used cars.

So why do we do it? You might not have thought about this, but the press is the only commercial enterprise protected by the United States Constitution. Steelmakers, mining, grocery stores, airlines, you name it: No other business endeavor is so protected that any complaint against them is likely to be settled in court, often all of the way to the Supreme Court. In plain terms, we can get by with just about anything as long as it is based on truth. Not that it is always true. Did you drive drunk? The law says you did, and your name is in the paper. You may plead guilty and cough up the fine, or you may fight it in court and win your case. That is part of the process in a system that has worked quite well for more than 200 years. So why should I care that my neighbor was ticketed for drunk driving? It’s none of my business. Really? You may care if you happen to be the one riding to work with him or her. If sexual abuse is occurring down the street, you may not want to take your children there to be babysat. Is there a drug house in town? Why would you not want to know that? If you pay taxes and assume that buys you protection from crime, then you may want to know that the police are in action and not down at the convenience store, sloshing down coffee and eating doughnuts. You should want to know that the justice system is operating efficiently and correctly, because you or someone you love may someday be the one in handcuffs. Not long ago, one of my readers jumped me over a story about a local bank in trouble with the FDIC. “Why would you print that? You could hurt their business!” No. The bank hurt its own business. Our job is to tell the public so that those transacting business with that institution can take action to protect their interests if they wish to do so. If 10 people drop dead after eating the shrimp scampi at a restaurant you frequent, wouldn’t you think you have a right to know? The gun lobby loves to argue that anything that restricts the right to own firearms is the beginning of tyranny. Really?

February 14, 2013 Could any citizen or group of citizens stand up to the firepower of a truly tyrannical government? Who is ready to take on a Sherman tank or the 101st Airborne? Tyranny begins when a free press ends. Just try writing an editorial critical of government policy in China and see how long it takes to end up in chains. The tug of war between the people’s right to know and the government’s drive to hide information is a battle that never ends. We are fortunate to have laws that plainly favor openness and the right of the press and citizens to access information. But that hardly prevents those forces from obscuring and hiding information. Meetings are closed with questionable justification, high fees are charged to obtain records, and sometimes public officials just plain lie. Shocking, I know. Last year the Wisconsin Supreme Court came down firmly on the side of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel regarding charges imposed by the Milwaukee Police Department for redacting information from crime records. Although the agency is within its rights to remove certain sensitive information, they chose to charge newspapers and the public outrageous costs for redaction. That is absurd in view of the fact that taxpayers pay to gather and maintain the information in the first place. Although the Milwaukee newspaper has deep pockets, the average citizen does not and is often deterred from seeking information due to the high costs. Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson wrote for the court majority that imposing high fees on record requesters has the effect of limiting access to public documents, which flies in the face of Wisconsin’s open records law. The press plays a vital role in keeping the public informed, and an informed public is the key to a healthy democracy. But with newspapers struggling financially and broadcast media in the hands of corporate America, there is real danger that the public will become increasingly less informed. That may spell fewer irate phone calls to the news desk, but in the end, all citizens will be the big losers.

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pick up your ballot and vote. But if you need one more reason to want to protect Paul Michaelis, Post-Crescent 02/20/2013 Appleton same-day voting registration

eed our politicians to the same.

Darboy

e rules: Leave your first and last names names, please), community of residence me phone number. Calls can be edited for arity. You have one minute to leave your ease, no lost-and-found messages and messages topical, not personal.

THE POST-CRESCENT’S OPINION REDACTING OPEN RECORDS IS PART OF GOVERNMENT’S JOB

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million or more. assistance. to do — it would cost that The GAB’s cost estimate Meanwhile, the Wisconsin much money for state agenshould put an end to the Municipal Clerks Associacies that would get added Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page push. tion wants to keep same-day responsibilities.

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rs and calls must include st and last name, adnd day and night phone rs. Only your name and unity will be published. mous contributions, nyms and first initials allowed. Contributors identities cannot be d to our satisfaction may uired to submit further cation. ributors are limited to blished letter and one ed phone call per Letters must be no than 300 words. rs and calls will be ednecessary for grammar, y, clarity, brevity and ssues. Include sources for nd figures included in tter or call. Unless otheroted, all material must inal to the author. on’t publish mass-mailers or form letters; open or letters addressed to ed at a specific individual ness instead of being for the general public; that involve private s between individuals nesses; letters that use busive or racist language personal attacks instead essing issues; or letters e vague or are outdated. me standards apply . rs and calls may be pubor distributed in print,

our tax dollars pay for the records your government keeps. Your tax dollars pay for the people who work on the documents. In fact, most of the records belong to you. That’s why Assembly Bill 26 is an affront to the concept of public access to government records and must be defeated. The bill’s nine sponsors want to put a financial barrier between you and the information you’re entitled by law to see. The bill would alter the public records law by allowing municipalities or agencies to charge you for the time it

takes to redact certain information. But here’s the thing — you’d be paying twice for the information because it’s already public employees’ legal responsibility to do this work. It would be like your town collecting property taxes for snow plowing, then charging you a fee to have the truck actually come down your street. It’s flat-out wrong for your lawmakers to do this. Yes, the bill would cost news organizations more to access the records we reSee EDITORIAL, Page A10

COMMENTARY

ABOUT ASSEMBLY BILL 26 The bill reads: “Except as otherwise provided by law or as authorized to be prescribed by law, an authority may impose a fee upon a requester for the actual, necessary, and direct cost of deleting, redacting, or separating information that is not subject to disclosure from a record.” It was introduced by Reps. Gary Bies, Joan Ballweg, Ed Brooks, Chris Kapenga, Tom Larson, Michael Schraa, Gary Tauchen, Paul Tittl and Josh Zepnick. It was referred to the Committee on Government Operations and State Licensing.

February 21, 2013 9:27 pm /

So-called right-towork laws are being Appleton Post-Crescent 02/20/2013 adopted in several states, which cut benefits worked for by dwindling unions for the real mid-

Editorial

Continued from Page A9

quest. But we’re requesting them on your behalf in our government watchdog role. The bill stems from confusion in state Supreme Court cases. The Osborn v. the Board of Regents ruling in 2002 says, “We have also noted that the university is entitled to charge a fee for the actual, necessary and direct cost of complying with these open records requests.” But in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel v. City of Milwaukee case in 2012, the court ruled that public agencies can’t impose

The bottom line has superceded the welfare of the workforce. Human beings have been reduced to a vast faceless multitude whose individual

employers should be ashamed for treating workers as disposable. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remains high and benefits are due

those fees. The ruling states, “If the legislature had wanted to allow an authority to impose fees for a broad range of tasks, or if it had wanted to include the task of redaction as a task for which fees may be imposed, it would have said so. It did not.” Wisconsin’s public records law is clear, and it must not change: “Providing persons with such information is declared to be an essential function of a representative government and an integral part of the routine duties of officers and employees whose responsibility it is to provide such information.” This bill is a slap in the face to the concept of open government.

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Viewpoints

Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page

Our View

This potential bill is simply wrong for state There are many components to making a successful democracy. High on the list is public scrutiny of government activities.

We are concerned — as every citizen should be — about a draft bill that may soon be considered by the Wisconsin Assembly. The bill was introduced by Rep. Garey Bies (RSister Bay) and it essentially would allow government agencies to charge for time spent deleting confidential information from documents. Known as “redacting,” the process allows government agencies to blacken out names, or other information, that should not be viewed by the public, and/or the media. There are several problems surrounding the process of allowing agencies to charge for this service. First, it goes against a State Supreme Court ruling that prohibits charging redaction expenses from those who solicit information from the government. The court case involved a records request made by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for information involving the Milwaukee Police Department and how it classified crime data. The Journal Sentinel filed suit when the MPD demanded a $4,000 fee for redaction services. The case went to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It ruled that under Wisconsin’s open-records laws, custodians could only charge for reproducing, photographing, locating and mailing records. In the Journal Sentinel case, the newspaper found that police had misreported thousands of violent crimes, failed to correct the problems and failed to disclose them. Those findings were later confirmed by a consultant hired by the city, but only after the newspaper released its findings. Openness benefits all citizens, not just the media. That brings up a second point — cost of redactions. All records in Wisconsin are presumed open unless there is a specific statutory exemption. Generally the number of records requiring redaction for confidential reasons is minimal. As taxpayers, we have already paid for government documents — we pay the salaries and the benefits of the person who created them. It is not out of line to expect that public officials spend some of their time responding to requests from the public. As they say — it’s their job. Thirdly, if redaction fees are allowed, every citizen should be concerned about the potential cost — not in money, but in information. A change in the law could make it easy for custodians (government) to charge exorbitant fees to make it difficult for those seeking public records. At what point does the requestor (the public) get discouraged and simply walk away? There are many components to making a successful democracy. High on the list is public scrutiny of government activities. It is almost essential in a system of checks and balances. We continually see examples where government is at its best when it is done in the open for all to see and analyze. Secrecy is the breeding grounds for corruption, crookedness, fraud and malfeasance. Changing the law, and jeopardizing open records, would be too high of a price to pay; the change would surely go against the openness that is a trademark of Wisconsin.

Letter to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Cannot believe w To the Editor: Just a note to say thank you to all the wonderful volunteers in Baldwin who put on The Red Cedar Special Olympics Basketball Tournament. I hope everyone who worked the tournament was able to witness all the great things that happened on this day. First and foremost, our athletes were given an opportunity to compete after many weeks of hard practice. Secondly, a lot of people were able to see the abilities that these athletes put on display and have a new found

respect for people with cognitive disabilities. Both of those things are great, but there is more to the story. The compassion and energy I saw from the volunteers was like no other tournament we have been involved in. I can hardly begin to list all the acts of kindness I saw from volunteers young and old. Let me add a few things that I saw and I hope it does it justice. I saw volunteers shadow teams all day to make sure every detail was covered. I saw volunteers engage ath-

letes, who strangers in a your heart me I saw cheerl pictures with cherish the mo saw referees and teach rul letes. I saw pare sions pack lu athletes at Gre did not have snowy weathe teers asking a graph their T-s were Aaron R We all hear welcome and

Social Security facts need To the Editor: Every week I read the letters section and truly look forward to those written by George Richard. The wealth of disinformation he spews is truly entertaining. Last week’s letter about the world’s greatest Ponzi scheme, also known as Social Security, had me shaking my head in awe. Let’s talk reality here Mr. Richard. First of all, the Federal Insurance Contributions Act was not set up as a savings account. It was set up more as an “insurance policy” to pay out to those who beat the odds and actually lived to see age 65, seeing as life expectancy at the time was 58 for males and 62 for females, relatively few made it. (In reality, in my opinion, the program was meant as a slush fund for politicians from the very

beginning.) Two, we do not “contribute” to the fund. A contribution is voluntary. FICA taxes are confiscated at the pain of prison if we don’t pay. Third, employers do not “pay half” of FICA taxes. The employee pays the entire tax as they do workers comp, unemployment, and all other taxes and fees that are part of an employee’s compensation package, that was purposely set up that way to hide the true cost of the program from the employee and to make the “low information” employee think he was “sticking it to the man.” Now let’s move on to his claim that the “the system works,” yes, just like any Ponzi scheme. It works very well in the beginning when many marks are having their wages confiscated for the

system. In 19 159 workers f ciary, now th workers to ea This is not sus Mr. Richard the system w has never mis Granted that i any Ponzi sc coming to an e mates say tha paying out mo lects within fiv The progra have to rely o fund” to make ence. This brings Richards a $2,700,000, plus. Can he this money is l cannot becaus exist. That “su ing more tha paper promisi ers in the fut

February 11, 2013 3:50 pm / honest poli Where have To the Editor: How do you count back-

Constitution to protect the rights of others. If you can’t

ance premium increase, the

Viroqua Vernon County Broadcaster 02/07/2013

“The theory of a free press is that truth will emerge from free discussion, not that it will be presented perfectly and instantly in any one account.” —Walter Lip

O PINION

Assembly bill goes too far; citizens shouldn’t be taxed for public records Citizens should not have to pay a tax to obtain information from public officials. Yet that is exactly what a draft bill in the Wisconsin Assembly would propose by allowing government agencies to charge for time spent deleting confidential information from documents. Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, wants to undo a state Supreme Court ruling last year that prohibited records custodians from charging requesters for redaction expenses. That settled a lawsuit from a 2010 opens records request made by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel which asked for reports as part of an investigation of the Milwaukee Police Department and how it classified crime data. The newspaper sued after the police department demanded $4,000 to cover redaction time after it had already provided 100 copies of reports for free. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Wisconsin’s open records law allows custodians to charge only for reproducing, photographing, locating and mailing records. We must remember that all records in Wisconsin are presumed open unless there is a specific statutory exemption. The number of records that would require redaction for confidential reasons is limited. Bies and bill supporters argue that taxpayers should not bear the costs of redaction. But there is no indication that complying with requests creates widespread undue burden or expense. It is reasonable that public officials should spend some of their time being held accountable to the public. It’s part of their job. In the Journal Sentinel case, the newspaper found that police had misreported thousands of violent crimes, failed to correct the problems and failed to disclose them. Those findings were later confirmed by a consultant hired by the city, but only after the newspaper released its findings. It is through the open records law that the La Crosse Tribune obtained documents that showed that the city of La Crosse has

spent $1.3 million in outside legal fees over the past three years, much to the chagrin of some city leaders. Examinations and scrutiny of public documents is a crucial part of d e m o c ra c y ’s system of checks and balances. Government by Chris Hardie, serves its citiPublisher zens best when it is done in the open, for all to see. Openness and access is for all citizens, not just journalists. Our concern — and something all Wisconsin citizens should be concerned about — is that the change in law would make it very convenient for custodians to throw an outrageous redaction fee as a roadblock to release public records. It would be far too easy under the law change for public officials who don’t want records released to say that a highly-paid attorney must review the records for redactions — even if they’re not required — and quote a ridiculous charge, hoping that the requester will simply go away. Sadly, it’s not uncommon that our requests for public documents are ignored, delayed or challenged under existing law. This redaction change would only add another layer of unnecessary obstruction. We — that’s all of the taxpayers in Wisconsin — have already paid for that document because we paid the salaries and the benefits of the person who created it. Changing the law as proposed would be high price to pay for our right to know and certainly not the spirit of openness our state is known for.

From the Publisher’s desk

Letters to the ed President Obam following att

Letter to the editor: This is what I would have were president of the United America, on Sept. 12, 2012 — th the American diplomatic m Benghazi, Libya, was attacke four Americans dead. My first action would be to c schedule for the foreseeable find out exactly what happene person to interview would be m of state. If he or she did no answers or were unable to get reasonable period of time, say would terminate their employm What actually happened o was the president went to La raise money for his presidential The secretary of state disap about four months and fina pretty soft interview, admitte did not know what happened importantly, she said she didn mattered. This was speci response to Sen. Ron John Wisconsin) question. They sent out Susan Rice career by giving obvious misi

Pew Center gives Wisconsin high marks for its eff Wisconsin’s elections ranked first in the nation

election officials.” Full details of the study,

high-performing state. DataFebruary for the study came 11, 2013 3:52 pm / from public reports and They include: consistently

i t

Editorial Board Stevens Point Journal 02/06/2013

Mike Reduced Beck, General Copy to Manager %d%% from original to fit letter page Linda Taylor, Managing Editor

OUR VIEW

Don’t allow new limits on open government

e pay close attention to the state’s open records laws because we take our watchdog role seriously. Stevens Point Journal Media makes many records requests each year, both for major reporting projects and smaller, more routine reports. But the power to request records is not the province of the news media. It’s a power that’s open to any citizen — as it must be, to help secure open and honest government at every level. That power is, again, under threat. State Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, is circulating a bill that would allow government officials to charge new fees to citizens who make records requests. Like most threats to open government, this bill’s restrictions are cloaked in what might seem like harmless exceptions. Its purpose would be to allow governments to charge for the redaction of confidential information. What’s the harm? We already accept that the law makes some information private — individual Social Security numbers, for example. It must take some staff time to redact them. Surely some fee is reasonable. It’s an argument that falls apart on closer examination. First of all, it’s important to understand that fees — sometimes quite expensive fees — are already part of open records requests. Fees for locating, reproducing and shipping records currently apply. They can add up, and we would argue that they already can serve to discourage records requests by the public. The new law would pile additional fees on top of what already exists. Second, while “redaction” sounds like an official term — invoking, perhaps, top-secret CIA documents — in practice this is usually a choice made by the records custodian, not a legal requirement. In other words, under this law the government official with the power to decide what to censor also would have the power to run up costs for the records. And this points to the last major flaw in the bill, which is that a person requesting records from the government has no way to control the efficiency of the public office’s record-keeping, nor of its redaction procedures. Under a law that allowed governments to extract fees based on the more time it took to retrieve records, the most outdated and inefficient systems would end up being the most profitable. The incentive, in other words, would be for governments to have lousy systems for retrieving records, and to take an extra-long time to fulfill anyone’s request. That’s not open, transparent government. Bies’ bill is apparently a response to a 2012 state Supreme Court decision that found current law does not permit governments to charge these types of fees. That decision was a significant victory for open government. Let’s not allow our legislators to take us backward.

HOW TO CONTACT FEDERAL OFFICIALS President Barack Obama: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington DC 20500, www.whitehouse.gov/contact U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson: 2 Russell Courtyard, Washington DC 20510, 202-224-5323

OPEN LETTERS Why have school during snowstorm? As a parent of a small child, I was rather puzzled why the Stevens Point School District decided that during a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service (on Jan. 30), it was important enough to endanger our children and the staff of the schools and keep the schools open. My daughter is 7, and does not miss much school unless she is very sick. I am also not one of those people that “hate” driving when there is a little bit of snow. But the logic behind keeping school in session during a storm defies me. When they issue this warning, the snow is coming and we are getting it. There wasn’t a “chance of snow.” There wasn’t an “advisory, it was a winter storm warning. So it was more important to send our children to school in weather that was far from safe for what reason? I really feel that the school district really needs to assess their priorities. They need to build in snow days and they need to real-

ize that we do live in Wisconsin — we will have days where the weather is so bad that we can’t have school. If the forecast had merely called for snow that would have been one thing. But the National Weather Service — that watches the weather for the nation — implements a winter storm warning. That means a winter storm is coming so be prepared. But now we will deal with waiting for our children to (hopefully) get off the bus safely without a mechanical malfunction or an accident. I think I am safe in saying that the superintendent doesn’t have a child in the schools here. He might have thought differently about sending his child out in this sort of weather. Pam Swope Stevens Point

Skyward snub will hurt economy On Friday evening, after most offices were closed and everyone’s eyes were turned to the weekend and football, the Wisconsin Department of Administration announced that they’re outsourcing the state’s student information

system to a Minnes company rather t hire Stevens Po based Skyward I one of our state’s sh ing success stories more than 30 years Here’s the backs ry: since 1981, S ward has made s ware used by scho large and small, manage everyth from grades and tr scripts to health r ords and payroll. Last year, Wisc sin passed a law quiring all of our p lic schools use just system. Until t point, under a f economy mark more than 50 perc of Wisconsin scho chose Skyward their provider. now, Gov. Walker state Superintend Tony Evers are tell the company: do y business elsewhe This short-sighted cision is a devastati tragic blow not only the economy and co munity of Stev Point but to the st itself. All of Wiscons public schools, ready financially b dened, will be quired to scrap S ward in favor of us the other softwa The state will und write the implemen tion, meaning taxp

‘60 Minutes’ missed opp

n the days of the late Mike Wallace, “60 Minutes” was known for hard-hitting, aggressive journalism that asked the questions viewers wanted answered and held the powerful accountable. The Jan. 27 program eign policy successes. He on which Steve Kroft mentioned Egypt and interviewed President said, “ ... had it not been Barack Obama (at his for the leadership we request, no less) and showed, you might have outgoing Secretary of seen a different outcome State Hillary Clinton fell there.” far short of that high Kroft should have standard. It was the kind followed up with: “Differof softball toss you might ent from Mohamed Morhave expected if Oprah si, Egypt’s president and Winfrey or Barbara WalMuslim Brotherhood ters had conducted the proponent, who agrees interview. with the Koran that Jews The president said of ‘ ... are descendants of Clinton, “ ... a lot of the apes and pigs’”? February 6, 2013 2:13 pm / successes we’ve had Kroft brought up the internationally have been 2008 presidential cambecause of her hard paign during which Clin-

CAL THOMAS

though the president maintained that wind down two wars, keep pressure on terrorist and “dismantling” alQaida’s core leadersh constituted success. Kroft could have countered with: “Terr ism appears not to be about leaders, but fol ers of an ideology. Is y policy simply to keep killing terrorists? Do think you can kill the all?” Kroft mentioned t terrorist attack on th U.S. mission in Bengh Libya and properly called it “ ... the bigge diplomatic disaster o this administration,” the question he put to Clinton was limp: “Do you blame yourself th you didn’t know or th you should have know

The County Line

Page 12

Backtalk

By Karen Parker | County Line Editor

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LOCAL

WWW.GMTODAY.COM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 • THE FREEMAN • 3A

Ament, Chiovatero to vie for New Berlin mayor NEW BERLIN – New Berlin Alderman Dave Ament will challenge Mayor Jack Chiovatero as he vies for for a third term in the April 2 general election. Those two were the top vote-getters out of a fiveperson primary election field on Tuesday that included former Mayor Mary Claire Lanser, sales

manager Joseph Wieneke and human resources professional Janet Schulz. Out of 6,464 votes reported cast, Ament received 2,472, or 38 percent; Chiovatero, 1,753, or 27 percent; Lanser 1,438, or 22 percent; Schulz, 334, or five percent; and Wieneke, 318, or just under five percent. Results are unofficial until canvassed.

Chiovatero said in the general election that he aims to “reinforce all my accomplishments and continue to show (voters) that they made the right choice eight years ago.” Among his priorities, he said, is keeping city tax rates low and properly shepherding Section 35, an area in the south end of the city that recently got sewer

service. “We have to make sure we develop that correctly,” Chiovatero said. Ament, the current District 7 alderman and owner of material-handling business Ament Industrial Truck, cites road maintenance, revitalizing the City Ament Chiovatero Center and boosting public safety through upgrades to top priorities. He says he'll the city's police and fire propose a property tax levy departments as among his freeze in the city.

On Tuesday night, Ament said the candidates will come into sharper focus now that the race is down to two. "People will be able to see the stark difference between myself and my opponent," he says. Chiovatero says he anticipates two debates with Ament, but is not yet sure of the dates. – Freeman Staff

‘It went incredibly well’ Novack’s first election goes smoothly with approximately 20% turnout By Sarah Pryor Freeman Staff

Charles Auer/Freeman Staff

Light turnout for primaries WAUKESHA – Micah Pappe takes his ballot from poll worker Tina Dennis, right, during voting at the Evangelical and Reformed Church on Tuesday. Pappe was only the second voter in the tiny Ward 27, which has little more than a dozen registered voters.

Former campaign volunteer charged with her second OWI WAUKESHA – Rachel Pecor, a former campaign volunteer for 98th Assembly District candidate Jeanne Tarantino, was officially charged Tuesday in County Circuit Court with second offense operating while intoxicated after being arrested in Pewaukee last week. According to the criminal complaint: Pecor, 31, was driving at 8:16 p.m. Feb. 12 at Prospect Avenue and Lake Street when she made a hard left turn, causing her vehicle to go entirely into the wrong lane of traffic. This drew the attention of an officer, who pulled her over and asked for Pecor’s driver’s license, which she didn’t have. The complaint states that the officer smelled intoxicants on Pecor’s breath, so he asked her to get out of the vehicle to perform field sobriety tests, at which point she

said “I’ve not been drinking.” When the officer told Pecor that was a lie, she said “Well, I mean I’ve had a glass of wine four hours ago.” The complaint states that Pecor told the officer she had a hard time standing because she may have multiple sclerosis. When she lost her balance during a finger-to-nose test, Pecor blamed her heels, the complaint states. The complaint states that Pecor blew a .20 on a preliminary breath test, and that another officer located three empty vodka bottles in the back seat of Pecor’s car. Ed Baumann, one of Tarantino’s opponents in the 98th Assembly District race, is the outgoing police chief of the Pewaukee Police Department. This is Pecor’s second OWI charge. She was convicted on May 17, 2004 of operating while intoxicated on Feb. 12, 2004.

In the squad car video The Freeman obtained via open records request, Pecor can be heard telling the police officer "my candidate is running for the assembly here," and that she left her driver’s license at Tarantino ’s residence when she left to pick up Tarantino’s daughter from dance class. Tarantino said last week that Pecor has since been dismissed from her campaign. “At this point a political campaign is not a priority for someone who has a second OWI. There’s a serious issue that needs to be addressed,” Tarantino said last week. “Through the grace of God, no one was harmed and now she has a second chance to seek the help she needs. My prayers are with her.” If convicted, Pecor faces up to $1,100 in fines and up to six months behind bars. – Sarah Pryor, Freeman Staff

Two men arrested after gun allegedly flashed at other driver By Katherine Michalets Special to The Freeman

PEWAUKEE – For the second time in a little over a month, a driver has allegedly flashed a gun at another motorist in Waukesha County, resulting in an arrest. According to Brookfield police records, at 4:31 p.m. Sunday, a driver with several children in his vehicle reported that another driver in a silver Mazda revealed, but did not point, a black handgun to the caller in the area of Interstate 94 and Pewaukee Road. The caller said children in the vehicle had been making faces at other cars when the suspect driver flashed a gun. Jennifer Wallschlaeger, pub-

lic information officer for the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department, said two men from Milwaukee were arrested Sunday in relation to the incident. A 24-year-old man was arrested for disorderly conduct and obstructing and a 20-year-old man was arrested for an outstanding warrant and obstructing. Charges have been referred to the District Attorney’s Office. The report on the incident was not made available Tuesday. Also recently, Oconomowoc resident Michael Bukosky, 36, was charged Jan. 31 in Waukesha County Circuit Court after he allegedly pointed a gun at another driver who had cut him off near I94 and North Grandview Boulevard on Jan. 4.

According to the criminal complaint, both vehicles switched lanes multiple times and when they met at a stop light, both drivers began swearing at each other and Bukosky allegedly pointed a black handgun at the man and said, "That’s right, don’t (expletive) around in a concealed carry state.” Bukosky is the widower of Jennifer Bukosky, who died on April 25, 2008, along with her daughter Courtney Bella, 10, and unborn child during a traffic accident. If convicted of the charges filed, Michael Bukosky could face a maximum penalty of $10,000 in fines, nine months in prison, or both. His arraignment is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 11.

WAUKESHA – At 10:01 p.m. on Tuesday, County Clerk Kathy Novack had a big smile on her face. “It went incredibly well,” Novack said, as Deputy County Clerk Kelly Yeager ran final reports behind her, just two hours after the polls closed. With a hotly contested 98th Assembly District race and a big Supreme Court justice race on the line, Novack expected voter turnout to be slightly higher than the Government Accountability Board’s statewide estimate of 10 to 15 percent. “We were getting 20 to 25 percent turnout at most locations,” Novack said, adding that she was relieved that the evening is over and went off without a hitch. Novack said her staff members put an emphasis on keeping the county’s website and Twitter feed updat-

Charles Auer/Freeman Staff

County Clerk Kathleen Novack, left, looks over information with Kelly Yaeger and Cinty Watkins on election night. ed with up-to-the minute vote totals. “That was a real top priority for us” Novack said. “My staff was wonderful, the municipal clerks were great. It just went terrifically.” Novack said moving forward, she plans to implement a couple of small changes to make the postelection process easier, such as changing where the signed poll books are kept to make things easier for herself and municipal clerks. A former City of Pewaukee alderwoman, Novack won the clerk seat last year after her predecessor Kathy Nickolaus decided not to run for re-election. The end of Nickolaus’

tenure was marked with controversy over how she handled several elections, including a 2011 primary in which votes from Brookfield weren’t reported, flipping the result of a controversial Supreme Court race. Novack won the Republican primary and beat Democratic challenger Jessie Read in November to secure the spot. Novack said she’s excited to see what the future holds in the always-interesting world of Waukesha County elections. “I’m looking forward to the April 2 challenge,” she said. Email: spryor@conleynet.com

Chairwoman: Supervisor’s open records request could cost town $40K German says he has right to any info involving the town nal employee issues and the By Sarah Pryor SOUND OFF Freeman Staff like. TOWN OF WAUKESHA – Chairwoman Angie E. Van Scyoc said Tuesday that Supervisor Everett German’s request for six months of her emails could cost the town up to $40,000 in legal fees to redact confidential information before they’re released to him. German said he filed an open records request for six months of Van Scyoc’s sent and received emails in October because he suspects Van Scyoc of making agreements and attending meetings he wasn’t aware of, as well as participating in walking quorums. He’s retained attorney Paul Bucher to facilitate the process. At last week’s Town Board meeting, German agreed to go to the Town Hall each day this week from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to review 16,000 pages of 6,000 emails. When he arrived Monday morning, Van Scyoc introduced him to someone from Town Attorney Hector de la Mora’s office who would be watching him go through the emails. “Any time anyone comes in and looks at a file, we stand there with them,” Van

What do you think? Phone: 513-2641 Email: soundoff@conleynet.com

Scyoc said. “We don’t just hand someone a file any time they walk into Town Hall and say ‘have at it.’” German said that Van Scyoc accused him of disrupting the office after he asked the man how much it would cost the town for him to sit with German as he went through the emails. “I will not sit in Town Hall under those conditions,” German said. “I’m an elected supervisor. I have the right to any information pertaining to the town.” German has asked to have the emails put in binders for him to take home and view at his leisure, but Van Scyoc said the documents are sensitive. “He has a reputation, in our experience, of removing sensitive documents and providing them to others,” Van Scyoc said, adding that the only way she could consent to letting the files leave Town Hall would be after the town’s law firm redacts any confidential information, such as potential legal strategies, inter-

German said Van Scyoc’s allegations are false. At an attorney cost of $150 per hour, assuming it takes one minute to review each page, Van Scyoc estimated redaction could cost the town up to $40,000 in legal fees. German said it’s just a stall tactic. “If she has nothing to hide, I would’ve had these emails a long time ago,” German said. “If I would’ve gone through and picked out which emails I wanted and then (Van Scyoc) turned them over to the attorney, he would’ve redacted anything that would’ve been useful to me. It all could be considered potential litigation.” German said he’s paid $4,000 in copying fees to the town, and instructed the town to only redact “personal information.” “Any other redaction fees are (Van Scyoc’s) choice,” he said. Van Scyoc said the process of redaction has already been initiated and will continue unless German or his attorney tells them otherwise. Email: spryor@conleynet.com

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yourOPINIONS LETTER POLICY Writers are asked to keep their opinion letters to a reasonable length, no more than 300 words. All letters are subject to editing and care will be taken not to change the meaning. Full first and last names must be included for publication, along with the name of the community in the writer’s address. A daytime phone number, which won’t be published, should also accompany letters for verification purposes. Letters must be received no later than 4 p.m. on Friday to be considered for inclusion in the next week’s Herald.

EDITORIAL

Bill not in public’s best interest We are concerned—as every citizen should be—about a draft bill that may soon be considered by the Wisconsin Assembly. The bill was introduced by Rep. Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay) and essentially would allow government agencies to charge for time spent deleting confidential information from documents. Known as “redacting,” the process allows government agencies to blacken out names, or other information, that should not be viewed by the public and the media. There are several problems surrounding the process of allowing agencies to charge for this service. First, it goes against a State Supreme Court ruling that prohibits charging redaction expenses from those who solicit information from the government.

The court case involved a records request made by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for information involving the Milwaukee Police Department and how it classified crime data. The Journal Sentinel filed suit when the MPD demanded a $4,000 fee for redaction services. The case went to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It ruled that, under Wisconsin’s open-records laws, custodians could only charge for reproducing, photographing, locating and mailing records. In the Journal Sentinel case, the newspaper found that police had misreported thousands of violent crimes, failed to correct the problems and failed to disclose them. Those findings were later confirmed by a consultant hired by the city, but only after the newspaper released its findings.

Openness benefits all citizens, not just the media. That brings up a second point—cost of redactions. All records in Wisconsin are presumed open unless there is a specific statutory exemption. Generally, the number of records requiring redaction for confidential reasons is minimal. As taxpayers, we have already paid for government documents—we pay the salaries and the benefits of the person who created them. It is not out of line to expect that public officials spend some of their time responding to requests from the public. As they say—it’s their job. Third, if redaction fees are allowed, every citizen should be concerned about the potential cost—not in money, but in information. A change in the law could make it easy for custodians (govern-

ment) to charge exorbitant fees to make it difficult for those seeking public records. At what point does the requestor (the public) get discouraged and simply walk away? There are many components to making a successful democracy. High on the list is public scrutiny of government activities. It is almost essential in a system of checks and balances. We continually see examples where government is at its best when it is done in the open for all to see and analyze. Secrecy is the breeding grounds for corruption, crookedness, fraud and malfeasance. Changing the law, and jeopardizing open records, would be too high of a price to pay. The change would surely go against the openness that is a trademark of Wisconsin.

many other larger schools. We are sure that takes many extra hours of study during and after school hours. The students deserve a lot of credit. Credit must also be given to the teacher who fuels their desire to learn and do these things. In this case, it is Michelle Huppert. She sure must be instilling the interest and motivation for her class to achieve this honor. She is a person who wants her students to learn. She uses her vacation time and other non-teaching time to improve her firsthand knowledge of what she is teaching. She takes her vacation to go to places where she can pick up knowledge and experiences to bring back and share with her classes. This type of experience will take her students to higher levels of life and education because it created a desire to learn. Again, congratulations and much success at the National competition. John Snoeyenbos Ellsworth

In 1923, a German Physician and geneticist, advocate for the Nazis’ “Racial hygiene” program, Fritz Lenz, criticized his countrymen for lagging behind the United States in enacting sterilization laws. He helped draft Germany’s legislation called “The Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring” to prevent “poisoning the bloodstream of the race.” This law mandated forced sterilization for persons with afflictions, from serious physical deformities to chronic alcoholism. The American Eugenics movement flourished during the Progressive Era and especially influential “under reformist state administrations,” including a leader in Progressive reform, the

State of Wisconsin. Historian Rudolph J. Vecoli studied Wisconsin’s sterilization laws and concluded “Sterilization was a Progressive measure…it was taken up and agitated by reform groups and organizations, it was advocated by Progressive leaders and publications; and it was enacted by a Progressive legislature and administration.” The Progressive sociologist who coined the term “Social engineering,” Edward A. Ross, was a known advocate of eugenics. In 1891, he earned his PH.D in political economy under the direction of one of the most influential Progressive economists, Richard T. Ely. Ely played a

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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Pierce County Herald USPS 432-140 ISSN 8775-3244 Postmaster: Send address changes to: 126 S. Chestnut Street Ellsworth WI 54011-4117 www.rivertowns.net pchcomp@rivertowns.net PH 715-273-4334 FAX 715-273-4335 Published every Wednesday Periodicals postage paid at Ellsworth, WI 54011 © 2013 Pierce County Herald

process about PA system ‘troublesome’

TO THE EDITOR: Open Letter to the Ellsworth Community School Board and the public, pertaining to the board’s interaction with their constituents: Several times over the last 3-1/2 years, I brought to the board’s attention the need for a public address system so that all attending, especially the hearing impaired, could meaningfully participate in the process of governing. My request was acknowledged, but ignored. On Feb. 13, 2012, I presented to the board a letter citing the American Disabilities Act, and my contact with the Wisconsin office. (Note: Following my presentation, there was a comment by a board member stating he was very familiar with the ADA.) The following week, I received a letter and two follow-up phone contacts from the school’s administration assuring me the matter was being actively pursued. At the next board meeting, an interim PA system was provided, followed by a state of the art system. The issue was the PA system. The underlying thinking process, used by the board, first to ignore the requests and then to respond to the request, is the most troublesome. It is critical that the people understand why and how their representatives make their decisions. That is why governmental proceedings, i.e., board discussions and voting on issues, are to take place where the public can access their performance so that they may make informed decisions. The Concern Citizen Group believes that our Constitutional Government and the Wisconsin Open Meeting Law requires Transparency, Clarity and Parity. (There is no substitute for public involvement.) The CCG is presenting this matter to the board and the public for review and comment. (Note: The CCG has formally requested to discuss governing process with board representatives in a small group setting on two occasions - once ignored - once refused.) Nick Even Concerned Citizen Group Bay City

First-place SV science students, teacher deserve credit, he says TO THE EDITOR: Congratulations to the Spring Valley Science Class and teacher, Michelle Huppert, for finishing first in the State Science Competition on Feb. 9. They beat out last year’s National first place winners (Marshfield) and

Why do Progressives preach diversity while creating division, he asks TO THE EDITOR: Recently, Al Gore appeared on MSNBC, referring to a report in the New Scientist, which found genetic differences separating liberals from conservatives. Why is it, Progressives preach diversity while creating division, sourcing feeble scientific evidence? Since the beginning of the 20th Century, American Progressivism has had a long-standing connection to German-influenced eugenics.

ONLINE OPINION GOP: Dayton’s plan has wrong focus

www.piercecountyherald.com.

—“Long term economic prosperity” for the state government but nobody else.

Due to uncertain riding conditions, have you sold a snowmobile in the last five years? Results—Yes, 16.7 percent; No, 50 percent; Doesn’t matter, 33.3 percent. (Total votes: 6.) —Check Marketplace for business deals at www.piercecountyherald.com. —Buy photos from the Herald at www.piercecountyherald.com.

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NEWS FROM THE PAST Pierce County Herald Archives

75 YEARS AGO Feb. 17, 1938 Charles J. Brewer, vice-president of the Eau Claire Teachers College and the first principal of the Ellsworth High School, was relieved of his final classroom duties at mid-semester and will confine his activities to supervisions and placements until his retirement next summer, says the Eau Claire Leader. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Village Treasurer Charles A. Baarley to the Herald Wednesday. “Taxes are coming in so slowly, it is painful. Last Monday, only two paid their taxes during the entire day at the Bank of Ellsworth.” Icy conditions prevail in this section following the freeze-up that came after the spring-like weather of last week. Ellsworth side streets have been a glare of ice, making both motoring and walking hazardous.

50 YEARS AGO Feb. 21, 1963 The Ellsworth Public Library is being made more usable to the people of this community. The library room was 18 by 30 feet in size and had over 2,000 books on the shelves, and many of the books were piled on top of the shelves, where they could not be reached by the users. The council has begun to make some of these improvements, and had the south wall moved

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back 16 feet so that the room will be 46 feet in length. Monday night, a pickup truck owned by Jerome Brickner was stolen from his garage. The pickup was located in St. Paul by police Tuesday. Directors of the Ellsworth Rod and Gun Club have elected the following officers for 1963: President, Morris Voelker; Vice-President, Harold Fosmo; Secretary-Treasurer, Frances Huppert. Francis Baarley was named agent of the club.

10 YEARS AGO Feb. 19, 2003 A truck stolen in Red Wing was recovered in Ellsworth last week. The converted Ryder rental-type truck was found at Ellsworth Equipment and reported at 8:45 a.m. Thursday. The vehicle, owned by Will-Do Trucking Company of Red Wing, was believed to have been taken from a location in that city sometime after 1 a.m. Thursday. Richard Langer’s health may fail him, but history never does. Langer, who’s spent the last 16 months as a resident of the Ellsworth Care Center, is known by many as the “History Man.” The Village of Bay City will receive a public facilities grant totaling $201,400. The grant will help the village construct a new fire station and purchase a new fire truck. The total costs for this project are $501,071.

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Commentar

Antigo Daily Journal 02/06/2013

Antigo Journal, Wednesday, February 6, 2013, Page 4

Views of Others DON’T RESTRICT ACCESS TO OPEN RECORDS (The Chippewa Herald, Chippewa Falls) Citizens should not have to pay a tax to obtain information from public officials. Yet that is exactly what a draft bill in the Wisconsin Assembly would propose by allow ing government agencies to charge for time spent deleting confidential information from documents. Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, wants to undo a state Supreme Court ruling last year that prohibited records custodians from charging requestors for redaction expenses. That settled a lawsuit from a 2010 opensrecords request made by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which asked for reports as part of an investigation of the Milwaukee Police Department and how it classified crime data. The newspaper sued after the police department demanded $4,000 to cover redac tion time after it already had provided 100 copies of reports for free. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Wisconsin’s open-records law allows custodians to charge only for reproducing, photographing, locating and mailing records. We must remember that all records in Wisconsin are presumed open unless there is a specific statutory exemption. The number of records that would require redaction for confidential reasons is limited. Bies and bill supporters argue that taxpay ers should not bear the costs of redaction. But there is no indication that complying with requests creates widespread undue burden or expense. It is reasonable that public officials should spend some of their time being held accountable to the public. It’s part of their job. In the Journal Sentinel case, the newspa per found that police had misreported thou sands of violent crimes, failed to correct the problems and failed to disclose them. Those findings were later confirmed by a consultant hired by the city, but only after the newspa per released its findings. Examinations and scrutiny of public docu ments is a crucial part of democracy’s system of checks and balances. Government serves its citizens best when it is done in the open, for all to see. Openness and access is for all citizens, not just journalists. Our concern — and something all Wisconsin citizens should be concerned about — is that the change in law would make it convenient for custodians to throw an outra geous redaction fee as a roadblock to release public records. It would be far too easy under the law change for public officials who don’t want records released to say that a highly paid attorney must review the records for redactions — even if they’re not required — and quote a ridiculous charge, hoping that the requestor will simply go away. Sadly, it’s not uncommon that our requests for public documents are ignored, delayed or challenged under existing law. This redaction change would only add another layer of unnecessary obstruction. We — that’s all of the taxpayers in Wisconsin — already have paid for that doc ument because we paid the salaries and the benefits of the person who created it. Changing the law as proposed would be a high price to pay for our right to know and certainly not the spirit of openness our state is known for.

Antigo Daily Journal

By KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ On the morning of the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling, I felt a chill, and it wasn't the bitter cold. After Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, some 500 or so New Yorkers walked through the streets of Midtown Manhattan, in front of God, man and Grand Central Station, praying for life, love and mercy. Our prayers were not in judg ment of others but that humanity may do bet ter: that women and men may see better options than abortion and that God may for give us for letting anyone think that she is alone and has no other choice than the death of her child. The chill was the knowledge that some of the people nearby know the pain of abortion all too well. It was the certainty that some-

one, on her morning comm that was her only option. I in a community's pain, guilt and We tend to live our lives m the self, pretending we live a tary as we might sometimes affect others. Now is the time to take a not to turn back the clock, but to Our problems won't be so islative actions. And legisla the extent that they are ef maximized without a fuller simply hold a vote to Parenthood in order to send sage and assume that the cu that people will suddenly s eugenics upon which the organiz

Byron York: GOP seems By BYRON YORK "While we were playing footsie debating each other 22 times, they were spending $100 million on technology," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said recently, referring to his party's rigorous debate schedule in the 2012 GOP presidential primary season. The last campaign, many Republican insiders said during a recent RNC meeting, had too many debates, the result of which was a GOP arguing with itself while Democrats prepared the way for Barack Obama's victory. There's no doubt the Republican debates

produced many damaging party. There was Mitt Rom offer, which helped cement out-of-touch rich guy. There of gaffes from Rick Perry Perry's painful-to-watch " There was Michele Bachma blunder. There were bare-kn immigration. And there was Romney and Newt Ging Gingrich prevailed in South be flattened by Romney in end, there was a lot of blood on Now a panel of GOP vete Priebus is studying what c made next time around. Th three questions: 1) At what paign should debates begin; 2) H

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A look back: Pee 75 YEARS AGO TODAY February 6, 1938 Reports are circulating from the usually secretive Alcatraz that Al Capone is suffering February 25, 2013 serious mental problems. He4:25 couldpm be / trans ferred to a hospital for federal prisoners at Springfield, Mo. Reports from the staff sug

school basketball team eked Crestwood with a 22-21 scor victory was a successful sho of Mattoon with 28 seconds Other players noted in the Augustyn, Ronnie Schroeder, Kunz, Joe Fermanich, Dav

OPINION

Sturgeon Bay Door County Advocate 02/13/2013

P.O. Box 130, Sturgeon Bay, Wl 54235 | Fax: (920) 743-8908 | Email: advocate@doorcountyadvocate.com | Online: www.doorcountyadvocate.com

POTLUCK

nlamented ouse returns rightful wner anyway

older I get the more I appreciate hearing e old saw, “What goes around comes ound,” because it’s so true. We’ve all heard e one about that 50-year-old class ring’s emer om Lake Michigan’s rocky bottom or the r story about a long awaited reunion of dly dead relatives, but today’s Potluck is of them. It’s about a pink item of clothing never lost because it was never missed. Such a story deserves a category of its own. Its return to me, its rightful owner, was not so much a time of rejoicing, therefore as it was a “What did I ever see in that thing?” moment. To pin point this particular gar ore specifically, let me just say it was a louse, top or shirtwaist depending on where d and what you learned. My mother was an der but couldn’t spell or pronounce long To her, this garment would be a “waist” if and “waistes” if plural. ike my mother before me and her mother er, I digress. I start talking about, say, a e Texas and before I know it I’m ranting e price of Texaco gas or other scary stuff ying people low. This column is about a nd it will stay a blouse, God willing and the ving no objections. The fact that the original color was a dusty pink — more an pinky, I might add — and had hung in a ep Advocate closet since the day I “re Dec. 15,1990) without being detected is, I ore than worthy of this space. her reason for the appearance of this del of feminine frou-frou at this time of year ecial spot it occupied in my late husband ’s unromantic heart. His favorite color was pink was a close second. He also liked with puff sleeves and frilly lace edgings. that I’m the broad-shouldered, tailored hered him not one whit: Herman liked what liked. Valentine’s Day breathing down our necks, fitting to emphasize the importance of this finding and subsequent return to its owner. ou, reporter Ramelle Bintz, for your g skills. Wherever my late husband is, he ou, too. To be honest, however, Herman er one to celebrate Valentine’s Day in style. unt the number of Valentines he sent me, g the one he completely edged in black ng his lost youth. n I first saw that morbid envelope I thought was bemoaning his marriage to me — years yet — but, no, my dear non-Romeo nd a gray hair that morning and was trying ver the shock. It took an entire year for his ecover from the blow it had been dealt by a young blonde when he belatedly realized stion — “What’s new, old-timer?” — was ed to him. ntine’s Day, while not meaning much to me, ctically a holy day with my mother — on a h Mother’s Day and her Jan. 26 birthday. ds were too bad for big birthday parties Mother was young, but as long as there was a the mail or an out-of-tune “Happy Birth the phone, Mother was happy. would have loved the pink blouse Ramelle ug out from that little-used closet and my r-in-law, Kathy, freshened, because Mother verything Herman loved — except football. t her promise to him (and other family fans) not to die until the Super Bowl was There would be no one there but the minister a,” she had dolefully told him. Mother’s ,1986, funeral played to a full house. It was, , four years and two months after Her

bs lives in Sturgeon Bay. Contact her at (920) .

ANOTHER VIEW

Don’t restrict access to open records Chippewa Herald

after it already had pro vided 100 copies of re ports for free. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Wisconsin’s open-records law allows custodi ans to charge only for reproducing, photo graphing, locating and mailing records. We must remember that all records in Wis consin are presumed open unless there is a specific statutory ex emption. The number of records that would re quire redaction for con fidential reasons is lim ited. Bies and bill sup porters argue that tax payers should not bear the costs of redaction. But there is no indication that complying with requests creates wide spread undue burden or expense. It is reasonable that public officials should spend some of their time being held accountable to the pub lic. It’s part of their job. In the Journal Senti

nel case, the newspaper found that police had misreported thousands of violent crimes, failed to correct the problems and failed to disclose them. Those findings were later confirmed by a consultant hired by the city, but only after the newspaper released its findings. Examinations and scrutiny of public docu ments is a crucial part of democracy’s system of checks and balances. Government serves its citizens best when it is done in the open, for all to see. Openness and access is for all citizens, not just journalists. Our concern — and something all Wisconsin citizens should be con cerned about — is that the change in law would make it convenient for custodians to throw an outrageous redaction fee as a roadblock to release public records. It would be far too easy under the law change for public officials who don’t want

records released to say that a highly paid at torney must review the records for redactions — even if they’re not re quired — and quote a ridiculous charge, hop ing that the requestor will simply go away. Sadly, it’s not uncom mon that our requests for public documents are ignored, delayed or chal lenged under existing law. This redaction change would only add another layer of unnec essary obstruction. We — that’s all of the taxpayers in Wisconsin — already have paid for that document because we paid the salaries and the benefits of the per son who created it. Changing the law as proposed would be a high price to pay for our right to know and cer tainly not the spirit of openness our state is known for. This editorial appeared in the Jan. 31 edition of the Chippewa Herald in Chippewa Falls.

YOUR LETTERS More details about proposed church shelter This is in reply to the numerous responses to the Southern Door Com munity Church’s request for a conditional use per mit. I have attended and been a member of this church for several years and believe with all sin cerity that the location is of the utmost important for a Single Parent Com munity Support Shelter. Many people could be getting a misinterpreta tion of what the project is designed to do. This is truly not a “homeless shelter” with all of its negative connotations. The people who will have this opportunity available must be single parents with children who need support to back on their own feet. We all know that eco nomic conditions have led to numerous people out of a job and needing educa tional support as well as temporary housing in some cases to get them selves back to self-sufficiency. Most families have a difficult time with two parents working; place yourself in the shoes of a single parent with responsibilities and nowhere to go for fi nancial counseling, bud geting and possibly edu cation to obtain new em ployment. This location will be central to the county giving the opportunity for job locations in Door, Kewaunee or Brown county. Children will also have the available space for outdoor enjoyment

» SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ... Letters are considered a vital part of this newspa per and are welcome. All letters should be kept to 500 words or less and must be typed. There is no limit as to how often a letter writer may appear on this page, but letters from frequent writers may be held to allow room for a variety of voices. The Advocate reserves the right to edit all letters. Letters must be signed in a legible way and contain the author's daytime phone number and address.

which has a placement success rate after 90 days of approximately 92 per cent. They have a waiting list in excess of 60 fam ilies waiting for assis tance and would be part of setting up a successful program here at Southern Door Community Church. The Community Sup port Shelter would be funded by donations from the community and not necessarily by govern ment programs. The object of this type of program is to help single parent families become independent successfully. When they have com pleted their 90 days here, they will have the tools in their “baggage” to be financially stable with the ability to obtain housing, as well as a budget that they have learned to live within and survive. It’s a new beginning with the knowledge and training not received in any other

pride that all families desire and thrive for. We are a nondenominational facility that teaches bibli cal principles and desire to do “What Jesus would do.” Joyce Denil Algoma

My best friend wasn't always civil I read your article about the “Civility Pro ject” possibly coming to Door County. I just wish my best friend could have been involved before he passed away. He was a man’s man; tough, a car penter and a fisherman. Yet, he was the most compassionate, loving person I’ve ever met. He had a passion for spiritual things though, which eventually led to his de mise. I’ve heard about some of the religious argu ments and stunts he pulled and I’m like, “Dude, I can’t believe you said or did that!” (We washed-up youth pastors still say “dude.”) He could be so uncivil. His re sponse to me was always the same: “Thist me on this.” So I did; what are best friends for? Listen to some of this exploits. He has this beautiful garden once. He had two workers tending it and he fires them for eating off the wrong tree on break. I said, “What’s up with that?” “TVust me on this,” was his reply. Another time he went to church and found people selling stuff at exorbitant prices in the foyer. He makes a whip, turns over their tables and boots them out the door! Like,

This last one takes the cake. He went to visit these two villages in the Middle East for a little “R and R.” And yikes, he gets more than he bar gained for. He found rampant immorality; men lying with men and wom en with women. That one really got him frosted. So my best friend just lays waste to both places. I could see he was so sad; I didn’t say a word. He looked up and said, “You know I would die for those people?” I was still stunned. He said, “TVust me on this; I love every one, but I’ll never accept sin.” Sometimes I looked at my best friend and won dered if he thought him self to be God. He claims he was, so I trusted him on this. What I really remember about my best friend, Jesus, is not his lack of civility at times but how he’d always help you out of a ditch but never asked how you got there. Bob Evensen Sturgeon Bay

Thank you from foundation The Belgian Heritage Foundation would like to thank everyone who par ticipated in making our New Year Belgian waffle breakfast a success. A special thank you to all volunteers who made this possible. Carol J. Price Brussels

Not natural February 21, 2013 If Adam and Eve had been gay and lesbian, the Earth would have been

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Ellsworth Pierce County Herald 02/19/2013

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State of Wisconsin. Historian Rudolph J. In 1923, a German Physician and geneticist, advocate for the Nazis’ Vecoli studied Wisconsin’s sterilization “Racial hygiene” program, Fritz Lenz, laws and concluded “Sterilization was a criticized his countrymen for lagging Progressive measure…it was taken up and agitated by reform groups and behind the United States in enacting sterorganizations, it was advocated by ilization laws. He helped draft Progressive leaders and publications; Germany’s legislation called “The Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily and it was enacted by a Progressive legDiseased Offspring” to prevent “poisonislature and administration.” ing the bloodstream of the race.” This The Progressive sociologist who coined the term “Social engineering,” law mandated forced sterilization for Edward A. Ross, was a known advocate persons with afflictions, from serious physical deformities to chronic alcoof eugenics. In 1891, he earned his PH.D in political economy under the direction holism. of one of the most influential Progressive The American Eugenics movement flourished during the Progressive Era economists, Richard T. Ely. Ely played a and especially influential “under21, 2013 9:39 pm / February reformist state administrations,” includ------- S E E M O R E L E T T E R S 5 A ------ing a leader in Progressive reform, the

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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OUR VIEW

Keep public records accessible Citizens should not have to pay a tax to obtain information from public officials. Yet that is exactly what a draft bill in the Wisconsin Assembly would propose by allowing government agencies to charge for time spent deleting confidential information from documents. Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, wants to undo a state Supreme Court ruling last year that prohibited records custodians from charging requestors for redaction expenses. That settled a lawsuit from a 2010 opens records request made by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel which asked for reports as part of an investigation of the Milwaukee Police Department and how it classified crime data. The newspaper sued after the police department demanded $4,000 to cover redaction time after it had already provided 100 copies of reports for free. The case went to the Supreme Court,

which ruled that Wisconsin’s open records law allows custodians to charge only for reproducing, photographing, locating and mailing records. We must remember that all records in Wisconsin are presumed open unless there is a specific statutory exemption. The number of records that would require redaction for confidential reasons is limited. Bies and bill supporters argue that taxpayers should not bear the costs of redaction. But there is no indication that complying with requests creates widespread undue burden or expense. It is reasonable that public officials should spend some of their time being held accountable to the public. It’s part of their job. In the Journal Sentinel case, the newspaper found that police had misreported thousands of violent crimes, failed to correct the problems and failed to dis-

close them. Those findings were later confirmed by a consultant hired by the city, but only after the newspaper released its findings. It is through the open records law that the La Crosse Tribune obtained documents that showed that the city of La Crosse has spent $1.3 million in outside legal fees over the past three years, much to the chagrin of some city leaders. Examinations and scrutiny of public documents is a crucial part of democracy’s system of checks and balances. Government serves its citizens best when it is done in the open, for all to see. Openness and access is for all citizens, not just journalists. Our concern – and something all Wisconsin citizens should be concerned about – is that the change in law would make it very convenient for custodians to throw an outrageous

redaction fee as a roadblock to release public records. It would be far too easy under the law change for public officials who don’t want records released to say that a highly-paid attorney must review the records for redactions – even if they’re not required — and quote a ridiculous charge, hoping that the requestor will simply go away. Sadly, it’s not uncommon that our requests for public documents are ignored, delayed or challenged under existing law. This redaction change would only add another layer of unnecessary obstruction. We – that’s all of the taxpayers in Wisconsin – have already paid for that document because we paid the salaries and the benefits of the person who created it. Changing the law as proposed would be high price to pay for our right to know and certainly not the spirit of openness our state is known for.

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February 11, 2013 3:53 pm /

Viroqua Vernon County Broadcaster 02/07/2013

“The theory of a free press is that truth will emerge from free discussion, not that it will be presented perfectly and instantly in any one account.” —Walter Lip

O PINION

From the Publisher’s desk

Letters to the ed President Obam following att

Pew Center gives Wisconsin high marks for its eff Wisconsin’s elections ranked first in the nation

election officials.” Full details of the study,

high-performing state. DataFebruary for the study came 11, 2013 3:52 pm / from public reports and They include: consistently

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New Richmond News 02/07/2013

n dropped off at the New Richmond News office n mailed to 127 S. Knowles Ave., New Richmond, 54017-1726 n emailed to nrneditor@rivertowns.net n Check our website: www.rivertowns.net

Viewpoints

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Our View

This potential bill is simply wrong for state There are many components to making a successful democracy. High on the list is public scrutiny of government activities.

Letter to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

February 11, 2013 3:50 pm / honest poli Where have To the Editor: How do you count back-

Constitution to protect the rights of others. If you can’t

ance premium increase, the

We Welcome Your Comments Please send them to: The Editor Hudson Star-Observer 02/07/2013 226 Locust Street Hudson, WI 54016 e-mail: hsoeditor@rivertowns.net

Opinion

The Star-Observer welcomes letters of opinion from readers.

keep them as short as possible, preferably Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fitPlease letter page

less than 300 words. All letters are subject to editing, but we’ll be careful not to change the meaning. Name and address are required. Please include a daytime telephone number to help us with verification.

OUR VIEW

This potential bill is simply wrong There are many components to making a successful democracy. High on the list is public scrutiny of government activities.

We are concerned — as every citizen should be — about a draft bill that may soon be considered by the Wisconsin Assembly. The bill was introduced by Rep. Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay) and it essentially would allow government agencies to charge for time spent deleting confidential information from documents. Known as “redacting,” the process allows government agencies to blacken out names, or other information, that should not be viewed by the public, and/or the media. There are several problems surrounding the process of allowing agencies to charge for this service. First, it goes against a State Supreme Court ruling that prohibits charging redaction expenses from those who solicit information from the government. The court case involved a records request made by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for information involving the Milwaukee Police Department and how it classified crime data. The Journal Sentinel filed suit when the MPD demanded a $4,000 fee for redaction

services. The case went to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It ruled that under Wisconsin’s open-records laws, custodians could only charge for reproducing, photographing, locating and mailing records. In the Journal Sentinel case, the newspaper found that police had misreported thousands of violent crimes, failed to correct the problems and failed to disclose them. Those findings were later confirmed by a consultant hired by the city, but only after the newspaper released its findings. Openness benefits all citizens, not just the media. That brings up a second point — cost of redactions. All records in Wisconsin are presumed open unless there is a specific statutory exemption. Generally the number of records requiring redaction for confidential reasons is minimal. As taxpayers, we have already paid for government documents — we pay the salaries and the benefits of the person who created them. It is not out of line to expect that public officials spend some of their time

responding to requests from the public. As they say — it’s their job. Thirdly, if redaction fees are allowed, every citizen should be concerned about the potential cost — not in money, but in information. A change in the law could make it easy for custodians (government) to charge exorbitant fees to make it difficult for those seeking public records. At what point does the requestor (the public) get discouraged and simply walk away? There are many components to making a successful democracy. High on the list is public scrutiny of government activities. It is almost essential in a system of checks and balances. We continually see examples where government is at its best when it is done in the open for all to see and analyze. Secrecy is the breeding grounds for corruption, crookedness, fraud and malfeasance. Changing the law, and jeopardizing open records, would be too high of a price to pay; the change would surely go against the openness that is a trademark of Wisconsin.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Gun numbers tell story Dear Editor, What does your imaginary friend, God, think about spreading untruth using distortion? It’s not really lying, but it sure sounds a lot like it. Maybe He is as forgiving as your conscience seems to be. Here’s a sampling of some of those 106 countries with a higher murder rate than the USA (the number following the name is the count of actual murders); Kiribati 7, Anguilla 1, British Virgin Islands 2, Naura 1, Montserrat 1, USA 14,748. Yes, there are 106 of them, but does that tell us anything? It certainly has nothing to do with gun control. Here is a list of firearm related death rates per 100,000 in countries where the population and lifestyle are more in line with the USA: USA 10.2, France 3, Canada 2.13, Sweden 1.47, Italy 1.28, Germany 1.10, Spain 0.63, United Kingdom .25 and how about those crazy Aussies; Australia 1.05, or Japan 0.07. All of those countries have significantly stronger gun laws than we do and all have a gun death rate about a quarter of ours or less. I’m sorry, but being awash in guns has not made us safer, quite the opposite. Mike Schendel Hudson

buses to roll) the school board should load themselves into a half bus with Eggebraaten at the wheel and do a Thelma and Louise off Birkmose Park. Hopefully, avoiding the treatment plant below.

John Windolff Hudson

Hanson is board choice

School Board is part of a clear history of service to our community. February 19th is voting day. Let’s put Jamie Johnson on the School Board!

Ellen Montgomery Hudson

Hanson gets Backs Johnson writer’s vote for board

Dear Editor, I am supporting Jamie Johnson for school board because: I want

Dear Editor, As an active community member, business leader, but most importantly a Mom, I am proud to support Bruce Hanson for school

real commitment to service. Our school district needs a board member that will ask questions to get answers that move us forward. Bruce is a fiscal conservative willingly to make tough choices to support our youth, to better our schools and ultimately create a stronger Hudson community. I will vote for Bruce because he is the best candidate for Hudson, he is a business leader, a community volunteer, but most importantly he is a father willing to put the important needs of education first. I support Bruce Hanson and you should too!

Michel Tigan Hudson

Dear Editor, I write this letter in support of Bruce Hanson for school board. I met Bruce in 2009 when he became involved with the Daybreak Rotary Club, and have observed first-hand the many great qualities he possesses. Effective school board leadership requires “big picture” perspective, a grasp of the issues facing our district, with an eye on the bottom line. Bruce’s background in business, together with his service in our community through various organizations, makes him the ideal candidate in this election. We need effective leadership on our school board to keep Hudson’s schools heading in the right direction. I support Bruce Hanson for school board because he is the kind of leader this district needs. Ryan Cari Hudson

costs and 12 percent of their health care needs.” Before Act 10 the state paid 100 percent of the cost for benefits. If the teachers are truly educated they should realize how good they have it and retreat before the governor requests they step into the 21st century and pay 100 percent of their benefits like most workers in the private sector do. So what did our school board do with the extra money created by Act 10? They gave it back to the employees in the form of cost of living increases and just raises in Dear Editor, general. Thus making all the govRoberts Police Chief Dan February 11, 2013 3:46 pm / who was hired in Noernor’s work on Act 10 pointless. Burgess, Like their lust for the SCM propvember 2009, began the Northerty, the board just does what it western University School of

Unhappy with Roberts affair

A13 • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2013

OPINION

Madison Wisconsin State Journal 02/04/2013

“Wisconsin’s independent voice” State Journal Editorial Board

WILLIAM JOHNSTON • JOHN SMALLEY Copy Reduced to %d%%K. from originalPublisher to fit letter page

Editor SCOTT MILFRED Editorial page editor The views expressed in the editorials are shaped by the board, independent of news coverage decisions elsewhere in the newspaper.

OUR OPINION

New fees for records? No way M

MIKE DeVRIES — The Capital Times

The “Forward” statue stands Tuesday on the state Capitol grounds in Madison. New fees for blacking out parts of public records would hurt Wisconsin’s strong tradition of open government.

But charging record requesters for the time it takes to make those redactions is a slippery slope toward restricting access. It would create a gray area in a law that for the most

part is crystal clear. Some have called it a tax on public information. And this is one tax Wisconsin citizens do not need or deserve.

Calling out insane idiocy

My work frequently takes me to

CONVERSATION Wausau Daily Herald 02/06/2013

10A

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OPINION EDITOR Robert Mentzer 715-845-0604 from original to fit letter rmentzer@wdhprint.com

WWW.WAUSAUDAILYHERALD.COM

Get the latest editorials, columns, letters and cartoons, follow @WDHOpinions. Go to page twitter.com/WDHOpinions to get in the loop.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013

OUR VIEW

Don’t allow new limits on open government

e pay close attention to the state’s open records laws because we take our watchdog role seriously. Daily Herald Media makes dozens of records requests each year, both for major reporting projects and smaller, more routine reports. But the power to request records is not the province of the news media. It’s a power that’s open to any citizen — as it must be, to help secure open and honest government at every level. That power is, again, under threat. State Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, is circulating a bill that would allow government officials to charge new fees to citizens who make records requests. Like most threats to open government, this bill’s restrictions are cloaked in what might seem like harmless exceptions. Its purpose would be to allow governments to charge for the redaction of confidential information. What’s the harm? We already accept that the law makes some information private — individual Social Security numbers, for example. It must take some staff time to redact such information. Surely some fee is

EDITORIAL BOARD General Manager/Executive Editor, Michael Beck Editor, Mark Treinen Community Conversation Editor, Robert Mentzer Public Service Editor, Peter J. Wasson Reader member, Sara Knoeck

EDITORIAL POLICY Opinions in Our View are the consensus of the Daily Herald Media Editorial Board.

Subject: Transparency New fees would reward inefficiency. reasonable. It’s an argument that falls apart on closer examination. First of all, it’s important to understand that fees — sometimes quite expensive fees — already are part of open records requests. Fees for locating, reproducing and shipping records currently apply. They can add up, and we

would argue that they already can serve to discourage records requests by the public. The new law would pile additional fees on top of what already exists. Second, while “redaction” sounds like an official term — invoking, perhaps, top-secret CIA documents — in practice, this is usually a choice

made by the records custodian, not a legal requirement. In other words, under this law, the government official with the power to decide what to censor also would have the power to run up costs for the records. And this points to the last major flaw in the bill, which is that a person requesting records from the government has no way to control the efficiency of the public office’s record-keeping, nor

LETTERS

Help us keep moving public transit forward EDITOR: The Metro Ride K bus route is back up and running; we have much to celebrate as the metro area is once again re-connected. During its first month of reestablished service, the sevenruns per day route has averaged 42 passengers riding daily. Along with bus service, the southern metro area once again has access to paratransit, which services people whose disability prevents them from using a regular Metro Ride bus. As bus riders who are visually impaired, we’d like to personally thank the community and its leaders for working coopera-

tively to re-establish this vital service. Without it we are stranded! Without it, many people are stranded. We are so grateful to have access to the entire metro area once again. This week is Wisconsin Transit Week. It’s an opportunity for us to

promote and celebrate the vital role public transportation plays in our community. We’d like to invite you to take a ride on the bus and see what it’s all about! If you’re interested in becoming an advocate for Public Transportation, consider joining us on March 14 as we travel to Madison by bus for “Advocacy Day at the Capital.” We will be meeting with legislators to address our state’s public transportation issues. If interested, please contact Bill Hall (715-842-7464) or email hall490@msn.com. We cannot put into words what Jan. 2 meant to us and to many others. Our best Christmas present became a reality as the buses started rolling once again. From the bottom of our heart, thank you. Kathi Zoern and Sandy Volhard, Wausau

Campaign, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, watchdog group, has fought tirelessly for honest and transparent government since its inception in 1995. By providing Wisconsin’s only searchable online database of contributors to state campaigns, it makes following the political money trail easy and accessible to all citizens. Considered Wisconsin’s leading voice of reform, the Democracy Campaign is the driving

to expose corruption, blow the whistle on wrongdoing and fight to keep government as clean, open and honest as possible.” Sadly, the group’s primary funder, the Joyce Foundation, has decided to pull its support, leaving the Democracy Campaign in danger of having to end its work. If you believe in the importance of holding government officials accountable for representing you, not special-

Metro Ride Wausau transit director Greg Seubert, left, talks about the restoration of bus service to Wausau's south metro area at a November press conference. DAILY HERALD MEDIA FILE PHOTO

of its redaction procedures. Under a law that allowed governments to extract fees based on the more time it took to retrieve records, the most outdated and inefficient systems would end up being the most profitable. The incentive, in other words, would be for governments to have lousy systems for retrieving records, and to take an extra-long time to fulfill anyone’s request. That’s not open, transparent government. Bies’ bill apparently is a response to a 2012 state Supreme Court decision that found current law does not permit governments to charge these types of fees. That decision was a significant victory for open government. Let’s not allow our legislators to take us backward.

Medicaid funds will help Wis. EDITOR: Last month Wisconsin Jobs Now, in conjunction with Citizen Action of Wisconsin, held a press conference about the BadgerCare expansion at the Marathon County Courthouse. There is $12 billion available to our state to expand BadgerCare. This would allow more than 211,000 people in Wisconsin who have no health insurance to get access to affordable, life-saving health care. Whether it is because their employer doesn’t offer it, or they can’t afford it, these people need health coverage. Some state government officials have already voiced their preference for not accepting the federal aid. Wisconsin taxpayers would pay back only10

percent of the $12 billion being offered for the expansion. Not only would this save lives, but also it would eliminate the BadgerCare waiting list, save $495 million in health care costs in10 years and create 10,000 additional jobs in the health care field. The money is already there and it would not create a significant tax burden to anybody. If we don’t take the money being offered, then some other state can get it while our people continue to go without health care. Some of these people have pretty serious health problems and can’t get insurance because they have pre-existing health problems or can’t afford it. This is a serious issue that it is our responsibility as a state to take care of. These people need us to speak up so they can get necessary help. Michael Berk, Wausau

February 7, 2013 2:54 pm /

re ready for our tourWe had to keep the Black River ght up or even tilted a Falls Jackson County Chronicle 02/06/2013 he rear or else they pple forward when n the scaffold and hill. e of our scaffold was ep so the skiers could enough to fly off the d not just plop over. vid said, there was ectronic about our old but we had a lot of fun with it in the living Citizens should not have to st of the materials to were recycled from pay a tax to obtain information at would have been from public officials. Yet that is exactly what a draft thrown away. We didany money on it other bill in the Wisconsin Assembly fidential reasons is limited. Bies and bill supporters argue paste. There’s some- would propose by allowing govial about toys that you ernment agencies to charge for that taxpayers should not bear self. It gives you a sat- time spent deleting confidential the costs of redaction. But there is no indication that complying nd feeling of accom- information from documents. Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, with requests creates widespread that you created and ething. You also have wants to undo a state Supreme undue burden or expense. It is Court ruling last year that pro- reasonable that public officials n making them. y-making didn’t stop hibited records custodians from should spend some of their time mps. We also built our charging requesters for redaction being held accountable to the hmoving equipment, expenses. That settled a lawsuit public. It’s part of their job. In the Journal Sentinel case, s and dump trucks out from a 2010 opens records tobacco laths. I wrote request made by the Milwaukee the newspaper found that police se toys several years Journal Sentinel which asked for had misreported thousands of u have a copy of my reports as part of an investiga- violent crimes, failed to correct oss the Fence” book, tion of the Milwaukee Police the problems and failed to disnd that story about the Department and how it classified close them. Those findings were later confirmed by a consultant se of tobacco laths on crime data. The newspaper sued after the hired by the city, but only after again, it helped that police department demanded the newspaper released its finds the carpenter and $4,000 to cover redaction time ings. It is through the open records d I was more of the after it had already provided 100 trying to make them copies of reports for free. The law that the La Crosse Tribune documents that We were a good team. case went to the Supreme Court, obtained ur imagination to cre- which ruled that Wisconsin’s showed that the city of La Crosse of our games and toys open records law allows custodi- has spent $1.3 million in outside were young. I was glad ans to charge only for reproduc- legal fees over the past three r kids also use their ing, photographing, locating and years, much to the chagrin of some city leaders. on to create things. mailing records. We must remember that all Examinations and scrutiny of needs to keep their ively active, no matter records in Wisconsin are pre- public documents is a crucial hey are. You’re never sumed open unless there is a part of democracy’s system of and balances. or too old to learn new specific statutory exemption. checks tter yet, put the old The number of records that Government serves its citizens together. If you have would require redaction for con- best when it is done in the open, ren, get together and d build something. I n show our grandson ilt tobacco lath trucks him help put them Gov. Walker must make an taxes for Wisconsin businesses decision about and citizens. So why is there any d to let kids know that important he dark ages, before BadgerCare funding by mid- hesitancy? Gov. Jan Brewer of zed games and elec- February. The Supreme Court Arizona and other Republican who opposed eople actually made required this decision under the governors ames with their own ruling that legitimized the Obamacare have already accepte let our imagination Affordable Care Act, Obamacare. ed this funding. So why is Walker vity run wild, and the Walker needs your help to decide delaying the decision? Walker has sometimes taken nvisioned in our mind in the best interests of Wisconsin an idealistic stance on not shape and came to life. residents and businesses. The simple decision is to accepting federal funding. accept or reject federal Medicaid However, if he is encouraged to funding to strengthen look at financial implications BadgerCare and thereby cover an and tax interests of additional 200,000-233,000 Wisconsinites, he will make a Wisconsin residents. Accepting good decision. this funding will actually reduce BadgerCare is important for hronicle, 34 S. First

Letters and commentary

On Assembly draft bill: Don’t hide public records behind expensive paywall Editorial

for all to see. Openness and access is for all citizens, not just journalists. Our concern — and something all Wisconsin citizens should be concerned about — is that the change in law would make it very convenient for custodians to throw an outrageous redaction fee as a roadblock to release public records. It would be far too easy under the law change for public officials who don’t want records released to say that a highly-paid attorney must review the records for redactions — even if they’re not required — and quote a ridiculous charge, hoping that the requester will simply go away. Sadly, it’s not uncommon that our requests for public documents are ignored, delayed or challenged under existing law. This redaction change would only add another layer of unnecessary obstruction. We — that’s all of the taxpayers in Wisconsin — have already paid for that document because we paid the salaries and the benefits of the person who created it. Changing the law as proposed would be high price to pay for our right to know and certainly not the spirit of openness our state is known for.

Gov. Walker needs to accept Medicaid funding

POLICY

low-income workers with no health insurance. Helping citizens stay healthy saves the state money by keeping them working and not on disability. More information is available at citizenactionwi.org. Write or e-mail Gov. Walker and encourage him to decide in the interest of Wisconsin taxpayers and citizens to accept Medicaid funding and reduce Wisconsin taxes. John Hempstead February 7, 2013 2:49Lpm a C/ rosse

, a

r r

effect when the deal expires in March. Same for the prospect of a government shutdown later that month when existing funding ends.

$737 billion (including interest) in new revenue they coughed up in the cliff deal See MARCUS, Page B2

THE POST-CRESCENT’S OPINION

Thumbs Up and Down T

Packers wide receiver Donald Driver waves to the crowd as he walks off the field after the Dec. 9 game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. GANNETT WISCONSIN MEDIA

SILVER PEN LETTER

Gun-control measures don’t make sense February 7, 2013 2:47 pm /

Janesville Gazette 02/06/2013

OPINION

6A Wednesday, February 6, 2013

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OUR VIEWS

Sidney H. Bliss, Publisher Howard F. Bliss, 1883-1919 Harry H. Bliss, 1919-1937 Sidney H. Bliss, 1937-1969 Robert W. Bliss, 1937-1992

OTHER VIEWS

167 years of community service. . . since 1845 February 6, 2013 9:29 pm /

Scott W. Angus, Editor sangus@gazettextra.com Sid Schwartz, Local News Editor sschwartz@gazettextra.com

The J

The Jane itor. Letters ited to 250 tem.They m

CONVERSATION

Wausau Daily Herald 02/06/2013 10A

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013

OUR VIEW

Don’t allow new limits on open government

EDITORIAL BOARD General Manager/Executive Editor, Michael Beck Editor, Mark Treinen Community Conversation Editor, Robert Mentzer Public Service Editor, Peter J. Wasson Reader member, Sara Knoeck

EDITORIAL POLICY Opinions in Our View are the consensus of the Daily Herald Media Editorial Board.

LETTERS

Watchdog group needs our support EDITOR: In a democracy, every vote should be equal. Every citizen’s voice should be heard. Unfortunately, that is not the case today. Those with the most money speak loudest in American politics. The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision allows corporations and super PACs to spend unlimited amounts on elections without

Metro Ride Wausau transit director Greg Seubert, left, talks about the restoration of bus service to Wausau's south metro area at a November press conference. DAILY HERALD MEDIA FILE PHOTO

February 6, 2013 2:15 pm /

Editorial Board Stevens Point Journal 02/06/2013

Mike Reduced Beck, General Copy to Manager %d%% from original to fit letter page Linda Taylor, Managing Editor

OUR VIEW

Don’t allow new limits on open government

‘60 Minutes’ missed opp

CAL THOMAS

Appleton Post-Crescent - 2013/01/27 - A16 Property of Wisconsin News Tracker and members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Oshkosh Northwestern - 2013/01/26 - A05 - copy resized to: 78% Property of Wisconsin News Tracker and members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Madison Wisconsin State Journal - 2013/01/26 - A01 Property of Wisconsin News Tracker and members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Madison Wisconsin State Journal - 2013/01/26 - A07 - copy resized to: 97% Property of Wisconsin News Tracker and members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Beloit Daily News - 2013/01/26 - A002 Property of Wisconsin News Tracker and members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association

La Crosse Tribune - 2013/01/26 - B004 Property of Wisconsin News Tracker and members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Eau Claire Leader-Telegram - 2013/01/26 - C04 Property of Wisconsin News Tracker and members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association

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Daily Register Editorial Board

Portage Daily Register 02/05/2013

MaTT MEyERs, General Manager ■ JasON MaDDUX, Editor ■ MICHaEL THOMPsON,Assistant Editor

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to fit letter page

aNOTHER VIEw

Don’t restrict access to open records The following editorial appeared Thursday in the Chippewa, Wis., Herald, a Lee Enterprises paper. Lee Enterprises is the parent company of Capital Newspapers, which owns the Daily Register.

itizens should not have to pay a tax to obtain information from public officials. Yet that is exactly what a draft bill in the Wisconsin Assembly would propose by allowing government agencies to charge for time spent deleting confidential information from documents. Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, wants to undo a state Supreme Court ruling last year that prohibited records custodians from charging requestors for redaction expenses. That settled a lawsuit from a 2010 opens-records request made by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which asked for reports as part of an investigation of the Milwaukee Police Department and how it classified crime data. The newspaper sued after the police department demanded $4,000 to cover redaction time after it already had provided 100 copies of reports for free. The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Wisconsin’s open-records law allows custodians to charge only for reproducing, photographing, locating and mailing records. We must remember that all records in Wisconsin are presumed open unless there is a specific statutory exemption. The number of records that would require redaction for confidential reasons is limited. Bies and bill supporters argue that taxpayers should not bear the costs of redaction. But there is no indication that complying with requests creates widespread undue burden or expense. It is reasonable that public officials should spend some of their time being held accountable to the public. It’s part of their job. In the Journal Sentinel case, the newspaper found that police had misreported thousands of violent crimes, failed to correct the problems and failed to disclose them. Those findings were later confirmed by a consultant hired by the city, but only after the newspaper released its findings. Examinations and scrutiny of public documents is a crucial part of democracy’s system of checks and balances. Government serves its citizens best when it is done in the open, for all to see. Openness and access is for all citizens, not just journalists. Our concern — and something all Wisconsin citizens should be concerned about — is that the change in law would make it convenient for custodians to throw an outrageous redaction fee as a roadblock to release public records. It would be far too easy under the law change for public officials who don’t want records released to say that a highly paid attorney must review the records for redactions — even if they’re not required — and quote a ridiculous charge, hoping that the requestor will simply go away. Sadly, it’s not uncommon that our requests for public documents are ignored, delayed or challenged under existing law. This redaction change would only add another layer of unnecessary obstruction. We — that’s all of the taxpayers in Wisconsin — already have paid for that document because we paid the salaries and the benefits of the person who created it. Changing the law as proposed would be a high price to pay for our right to know and certainly not the spirit of openness our state is known for.

DOONEsBURy

Electoral college

“W

e must stop being the stupid party,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal warned fellow Republicans recently. “It’s time for a new Republican Party that talks like adults.” Many Republicans apparently weren’t listening, because they insist on doing stupid things. Exhibit A: lawmakers in a halfdozen states who are trying to alter the Electoral College system to give Republicans more votes. This is a desperate and ultimately self-defeating reaction to the changing demographics of America. The GOP calculus seems to be: We can never appeal to minorities, and we cannot win the presidency without them, so let’s rig the system to reduce their influence — and, in the process, really tick them off. The result will be to make minorities feel even more unwelcome in the Republican Party than they already do, and more likely to step up their organizing and voting efforts. In all but two cases, Maine and Nebraska, all of a state’s electoral votes go to the winner of the popular vote. Republicans loved this system when they were regularly capturing the White House (five of seven times between 1980 and 2004). But Barack Obama’s two victories have scared the heck out of them, and with good reason. In 1980, the electorate was 88 percent white,

cal viewpoint, it might b worth enraging minoritie if the GOP ploy had any chance of working. But it doesn’t. Smart Republicans are appalled. “It’s not going to happen in Virginia,” insisted the state’s ambitious Republican governo Bob McDonnell. State Se COKIE ROBERTs aND Jill Holtzman Vogel calle sTEVEN V. ROBERTs the scheme “pretty short sighted.” Then a state Sen POLITICAL COMMENTARY ate committee controlled Republicans killed the bi and Ronald Reagan won Even if these proposal 56 percent of that vote in somehow became law, th easily defeating Demowould immediately be ch crat Jimmy Carter. Last lenged in court as racially year, Mitt Romney actubiased. And that’s exactl ally bested Reagan among what they are. State Sen. whites, winning 59 percent. Charles Carrico, the lead But whites accounted for sponsor in Virginia, canonly 72 percent of the total didly explained his motiv vote, and Obama crushed in The Washington Post: Romney with minorities, “The last election, contaking 93 percent of blacks, stituents were concerned 73 percent of Asians and 71 that it didn’t matter wha percent of Hispanics. they did, that more dens These minority voters, populated areas were goi often clustered in urban to outvote them.” areas, provided key margins Most federal judges wi for Obama in swing states surely understand that such as Ohio, Florida and “densely populated areas Virginia. So, figured those — along with “urban” an brilliant GOP strategists, “metro” — are code word perhaps the law could be for race. And by the way, changed to allocate elecSen. Carrico, that’s how toral votes by congressional democracy works. The district, thus boosting the majority wins. Blacks in leverage of rural areas and Alabama and gays in Idah undercutting that Demoalso feel outvoted. cratic advantage. If that Just because an idea alternative system had been is stupid doesn’t make it in effect last fall in Virginia, surprising. Attempts to r for example, Romney would the Electoral College flow have won nine of 13 elecfrom the same motives th toral votes — even while inspired Republican lawlosing the state by 150,000 makers to pass laws limit popular votes. ing voter participation in From a crass politidozen states last fall. Ma

MaILBag Mining bill legacy many watersheds and across Wisconsin; it will damage state people was not just our local issue. The following testimony Now this proposed minwas submitted on Assem- ing bill is another assault bly Bill 1/Senate Bill 1 on on the environment and Jan. 23: many, many people. I am speaking for my You have heard from husband, Hiroshi Kanno, others who have concerns as well as for myself. My about the environmental name is Arlene Kanno; we and economic damage that reside at N9947 Thompson this mining bill will do to Drive, town of Newport, their lives and communiColumbia County, (near ties. The consequence of Wisconsin Dells). this mining bill will be felt My husband is presifor generations. Depleting dent, and I am director of and destroying our natural outreach, of Concerned resources and environment Citizens of Newport, a is not a way to a prosperous grassroots organization and rich future. that successfully fought We want to speak of Nestle/Perrier when it another equally February 5, 2013 10:03 pm / damagtried to build a water boting consequence of this tling plant across from our legislation. This legislation

a powerful interest grou whose sole concern is increasing their bottom line. This is an assault on our democracy — the rig of the people to govern themselves. Through their lobbying efforts, this powerfu interest group has gotten a compliant administration and Legislature to d its bidding. By catering t its demands, this admin istration and Legislature selling out the future of state for a few ill-gotten coins. But it is also a par a bigger picture where th rich and powerful dictat public policy for their ow benefit and the public b damned. A discussion o how this is happening ca