Doyle Colluded with Veterans Affairs Board

So much for “independent boards.”

At least a week before Veterans Affairs Secretary John Scocos was fired, the department’s board members had secretly come up with a strategy to dismiss and replace him, complete with a “PR plan” and “talking points” about the decision, e-mails show.

And Gov. Jim Doyle’s office reportedly had advised a board member to openly criticize Scocos to “ensure public exposure prior to the actual removal vote,” according to the e-mails, which were obtained through a state open records request.

The board voted on Nov. 24 to fire Scocos and replace him with Ken Black, a department administrator. The governor’s office and board members have repeatedly said the board acted independently of Doyle, but the e-mails raise questions about whether that’s the case - and if the state’s open meetings law was violated.

If this is obviously a case of the governor imposing his will on an “independent” board, what other boards has he manipulated (PSC?)?