Three ex-GOP speakers now lobby for school choice
Several former Assembly speakers looked on Jan. 7 as the 75th speaker, Republican Rep. Robin Vos, was elected to lead that half of the Legislature.
But some of them looked on with more than senior-statesmen pride. They looked on either as a lobbyist or knew they would soon be registering as a for-hire Capitol influence-peddler.
The 2011-12 speaker, Republican Jeff Fitzgerald, congratulated Vos for succeeding him on Jan. 7, after Fitzgerald’s eight years in the Assembly ended.
Two days later, Fitzgerald registered as a lobbyist. Government Accountability Board records list two of Fitzgerald’s clients as School Choice Wisconsin and American Traffic Solutions.
Another former Republican speaker, John Gard, is also a lobbyist for School Choice Wisconsin. Gard, who spent four years as speaker, registered as a lobbyist Jan. 7.
Gard also lobbies for Local 139 of the Operating Engineers Union and Marquette University. He’s not the only ex-Republican advocating for a union; former Republican Rep. Tim Hoven lobbies for AFSCME Council 11.
Records show that a third former speaker, Republican Scott R. Jensen, Gard’s predecessor and speaker for about six years, is also pushing school choice.
Jensen, who registered as lobbyist Jan. 11, works for the American Federation for Children. Its website says the group exists “to elect candidates in states across the country who will work to enact, expand, and strengthen educational choice for America’s children.”
Having three Republican ex-speakers and former senior Fitzgerald aide Jim Bender pushing for alternatives to public schools may already be paying off.
In his State of the State speech, Republican Gov. Scott Walker made it clear he wants to expand choice beyond Milwaukee and Racine:
“We continue to expand the number of choices for families in Wisconsin—be it a traditional, a charter, a voucher, a virtual, or a home school environment. Moving forward, we want to continue to dramatically improve existing schools and give parents the opportunity to choose legitimate alternatives to failing schools.”
But choice is not the only cause being lobbied by two ex-speakers.
Gard and former Democratic Speaker Walter Kunicki lobby for a major utility, Wisconsin Energy Corp. State records identify Kunicki, speaker for four years in the 1990s, as the utility’s senior vice president for state public affairs. Jim Villa, chief of staff to Walker when he was Milwaukee County executive, is also lobbying for the utility.
More than 25 ex-legislators had registered as lobbyists last week, and more were signing up every day. Also lobbying are a former cabinet secretary, former state budget director, and dozens of ex-aides to governors and legislators.
The list of legislative leaders turned lobbyists is impressive: Four of the eight Assembly speakers since 1991; former Assembly Majority Leader Steve Foti (1997-2002), a Republican; former Senate majority leaders Mary Panzer (2003-04), a Republican, and Joe Strohl (1987-90), a Democrat; former Senate President Brian Rude (1994-’95 and ’97), a Republican.
When they leave the Legislature, legislators become lobbyists for many reasons:
They can be paid several times the $49,943 annual salary of legislators. Leaders know legislators, most of whom get re-elected, so well that their calls for future meetings on behalf of clients will be returned. Leaders, when they recruit and raise money for their candidates, are used to being the contacts for organizations and their leaders statewide. Having been lobbied repeatedly, legislators know both the issues and how lobbyists work.
There’s also a partisan pendulum to lobbying.
Ex-Republican legislators and aides are in demand when that party controls the Capitol, as it has since 2011. In the 2009-10 session, Democrats held the levers of power, so special-interest groups scrambled to find lobbyists with those connections.
Two lobbyists and first-term Assembly Democrats from Milwaukee are fathers and sons.
Rep. Dan Riemer is the son of former state budget director David Riemer, a lobbyist for an advocacy group for the poor, Community Advocates Inc. And Milwaukee Rep. Evan Goyke is the son of former state Sen. Gary Goyke, who lobbies for transit systems and the Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Former Republican Sen. Ted Kanavas said he registered as a lobbyist, even though he’s not being paid to push his personal cause—early childhood reading. “Got to get kids reading at grade level entering Grade 4,” he said in an email.
Steven Walters is a senior producer for the nonprofit public affairs channel WisconsinEye. This column reflects his personal perspective. Email stevenscwalters@gmail.com.
Jan 24, 2013 at 10:53 p.m.
Suggest removal
Is Privatization of the school system what we REALLY need? Let's see.... Budget hawks question whether it is appropriate for the state to be subsidizing kids from wealthy families.....The public schools are wondering why they would get cut while voucher schools and charter schools are held harmless or even advanced.....The teachers unions are concerned about the standards and accountability of the private schools....Walker and the GOP controlled legislature added $16.3 million in spending on 2r charters for the 2011-13 biennium.... Unlike other charter school programs across the state that are run by school districts, 2r independent charters are not accountable through the democratic process of local control.... As opposed to charter schools sponsored by school boards that are staffed by public employees, 2r charters more closely resemble private schools in their staffing, management and accountability than they do public schools. The combination of the increase in spending on the Milwaukee voucher program and 2r charters in Milwaukee is at least $36 million. [2011 Assembly Bill 40] Yes, I try to stay informed and keep up with the Bills that effect our lives! United we stand...divided we fall . Concerned Citizens...continue to keep an eye on these guys!
Jan 24, 2013 at 4:42 p.m.
Suggest removal
Privatization of public schools is wrong, voucher name not with standing. All three of these guys either lost their position or were forced out. They represent special interests to the hilt.
Jan 24, 2013 at 12:39 p.m.
Suggest removal
Hey if all you want to do is influence a state agency toward giving a contract to a special interest that you work for,you don't need to register.
http://www.channel3000.com/news/opinion/...
Jan 24, 2013 at 12:37 p.m.
Suggest removal
NOT having school choice is the most assinine, UNAmerican thing there ever was.
Imagine being forced to do all your business in the town you live in and not being able to go to a car repair shop or retail establishment in another town....Completely assinine.
Many adults suffer because they were forced to stay in a failing public school or one they couldn't succeed in for various reasons while they were of school age.
Jan 24, 2013 at 9:48 a.m.
Suggest removal
donnaw, my opinion is that our pocketbooks are far more powerful than our votes. Sadly, many people are either unwilling or can't deal with changing their long term spending habits in a way that would remove financial support from entrenched lobbying/banking/corporate groups.
Jan 24, 2013 at 9:43 a.m.
Suggest removal
"a capital crime"?!?! says retired airforce. There's a fringe belief if I've ever heard one.
Jan 24, 2013 at 9:24 a.m.
Suggest removal
Panama..you've got be kidding, right? We as voters are almost powerless. I hate to be so pessimistic but what do you suggest?
Jan 24, 2013 at 9:21 a.m.
Suggest removal
If both sides of the political aisle strongly agree that restrictions should be placed on lobbyists to prevent them from influencing our politicians, then why isn't there more being done to force an end to the practice?
Jan 24, 2013 at 7:29 a.m.
Suggest removal
mooshoo....and that's also why I asked in my first post, why do we bother to vote? Lobbyists on both sides have more power than we voters do. Campaign monies and lobbyists are the bane of this country.
Jan 24, 2013 at 7:12 a.m.
Suggest removal
Does that include Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton??
Choice is a word not in a liberal's vocabulary, unless you're talking about abortion. 400,000 less union members in 2012. That is real choice for many grateful educators.
Jan 24, 2013 at 6:14 a.m.
Suggest removal
Apparently some of you lefties, westorbust, eagle, etc. are incapable of reading both the article and my post. There are lobbyists in the article who are democrats too!! So don't just blame the republicans. And my post blames both sides of the aisle.....democrats AND republicans. Lobbyists should be banned from any contact with politicians...BOTH SIDES!
Jan 23, 2013 at 10:45 a.m.
Suggest removal
nice to see good old fashioned rational and consistent thought and posts on here for a change. (Sarcasm to the largest degree)
Jan 23, 2013 at 10:16 a.m.
Suggest removal
Fox News!
Classic punchline!
Jan 22, 2013 at 1:36 p.m.
Suggest removal
Another occurence of Republicans attempting to steal money from public education.
Jan 22, 2013 at 7:58 a.m.
Suggest removal
"Jeff Fitzgerald presided over Huge cuts to public education"
.
Remember, the super rich don't need no stinking public education........
Jan 22, 2013 at 7:54 a.m.
Suggest removal
ugh this illustrates exactly why the GOP is not for smaller government, lobbying is one of the biggest reasons politics has become the disaster it is. I am all for school choice but lobbying in any form for any issue needs to seriously be curbed at best, this will never happen as politicians love the perks and former politicians love staying 'in the game' after they are not in office. This is pure crap. Shame on supporters of the GOP for thinking this is fine, when it is clearly hypocritical of the party that claims they are for smaller government. And shame on Democrat supporters who have issues with this when their party supports lobbying for every issue imaginable. Wake up.
Jan 22, 2013 at 7:43 a.m.
Suggest removal
hmmm, I don't think I've ever seen donnaw's and wislady's criticisms of Republicans for playing the political game, but they always point to the Dems, like we're all in 1st grade and when the kid next to you is chewing gum in class, you decide to do it too and get caught, and your only defense is, "well, he did first!"
Jan 21, 2013 at 8:39 p.m.
Suggest removal
I think the big picture take-away from that article is that Jeff Fitzgerald presided over Huge cuts to public education, education union busting, and crippling education revenue caps, and now lobbies for private education. hmmm....Were those activities meant to strengthen our public education system like they touted? Really?
Jan 21, 2013 at 10:27 a.m.
Suggest removal
I guess lobbying is only bad if it is done by a conservative.
The corporations who are the biggest donors to the inauguration have spent $160 million lobbying government since Obama first took office.
From a report by The Center for Public Integrity:
"Chief among corporate inaugural donors: AT&T Inc., Microsoft Corp., energy giant Southern Co., biotechnology firm Genentech and health plan manager Centene Corp. Together, more than 300 registered lobbyists worked on the five companies’ behalf to influence legislation and government policy, according to their latest federal filings covering January through September"
http://nation.foxnews.com/obama-inaugura...
Jan 21, 2013 at 8:22 a.m.
Suggest removal
Exactly, donnaw.
2012 campaign machine as political advocacy group
http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/18/obama-...
Jan 21, 2013 at 5:35 a.m.
Suggest removal
Just makes one feel warm and fuzzy inside. If this is what it's like in Wisconsin just imagine that 50 times over in DC. And we bother to vote?
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.