COMMITTEE TAILORS RULES TO TARGET SHERIFF

SUPERVISOR DEANNA ALEXANDER - 18 District

For Immediate Release – June 13, 2013
Contact: Samuel Rappé, Legislative Assistant
414/278-4234 Office, 414/939-9339 Cell deanna.alexander@milwcnty.com
Twitter: @CntySupDeanna
 
Ethics rule aimed at Sheriff Clarke is based on hypocritical reasoning

Milwaukee – Since many County Supervisors have admitted distain for Sheriff Clarke, Supervisor Alexander expected some would support changing ethics rules with the aim at ending the Sheriff’s famous public service announcements.  However, Alexander was absolutely floored at the arguments Supervisors used today to make their case.

“My colleagues claimed that using taxpayer dollars is where they have a problem despite the fact that those same Supervisors use taxpayer dollars to donate money to charities they favor, to publish their pictures in newspaper advertisements, and to self-promote themselves and their offices,” Alexander said.

Supervisors also compared the Sheriff’s public service announcements to pornography saying “you know it when you see it,” yet the committee took only half an hour to discuss the proposed policy and the only amendment the committee offered was wording that distinctly exempted the board’s own methods of self-promotion.

“I could have supported limiting public service announcements during the time right before an election.  I would have understood if Supervisors wanted to stop electeds from putting out any photos or self-promotion.  But the resolution the committee passed has targeted the County Executive’s and the Sheriff’s practices while exempting County Board’s practices, which are no less ‘like campaigning’ than what they’ve set their sights on ending with this policy,” said Supervisor Alexander.

Supervisor Alexander thanks her colleagues, Supervisors Stamper, Johnson, and Lipscomb for their reasoned arguments and their votes against what she calls “biased, haphazard, hypocrisy-laced rule-making,” that passed by a 4-3 committee vote.

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