Washington County Budget Passed
Press release from W-C3.
Washington County Board held a rare evening meeting to approved County’s
$118 million budget. When Supervisor Mark McCune’s tried to introduce his
$1,000,000 budget cut amendment, County Board Chairman Herbert Tennies
found McCune out of order refusing to let him speak. The Chairman then
refused to allow an amendment citing HIS authority to make up rules. A
motion was made to allow the Board to vote on the Chairman’s decision.
Supervisor William Meyers, Richfield said, “The U.S. Constitution Article
1, Section VIII established the rule of law over the rule of any man. You
don’t get to just make up the rules Mr. Chairman.” To which the Chairman
responded, “Yes, I do!”19 of the 30 Supervisors agreed and voted in favor of the Chairman, making
Washington County the first Hugo Chavez style republic in Wisconsin. With
this vote, the narrative of a functioning democracy is no longer allowed.
Under Tennies, Washington County now will only allow dissent so long as
those dissenters agree with the Chairman.Supervisor Mike Bassill, West Bend said, “This action sets a dangerous
precedent for the future.” One Supervisor, who asked to remain unnamed,
stated, “Meyers is the real problem here. You need to go along to get
along. He won’t do that!”Video of the meeting is available by contacting Mike Ryan, West Bend
Community Television Coordinator, (262)335-5157,
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Additional information is available by
contacting W-C3 at http://www.w-c3.org/contact.php or by calling
262.628.2940.
Herb Tennies can do this because, frankly, no one runs for county board!
I ran against him in 1991 as a 19 year old UWWC student. At that time he was already a 26 year, unopposed, entrenched incumbent. I lost by a mere 40 votes.
I no longer live in that district, but if what Herb Tennies is doing is out of line…who will step up and run against him.
He has nothing to worry about, nobody will run.
So who is at fault?
We are all for not throwing our hat into the ring.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 04, 2011 at 1029 hrs
Kevin nails it. Someone in that district needs to run against him.
As with Dan Rostenkowski, Bob Kastenmeier, Dave Obey, etc, Herb’s time will come.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 05, 2011 at 0813 hrs
Did Mr. McCune offer specific areas to cut or just demand $1 million in general?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 05, 2011 at 1326 hrs
Herb’s time will come?
After 46 years on County Board, I don’t see it.
Herb is a fixture. The job will be his as long as he wants it.
Even a well financed, well heeled candidate, will be in for the fight of his life to unseat Herb.
Herb is no Proxmire, but like Proxmire, Herb has achieved historic preservation status. Something rarely achieved by public office holders.
Generally, Herb has been just conservative enough to satisy his district. While his political machine parlimentary tactics need some work on the PR side…it’s not like he called for a $1 million increase in spending in response. He also got 19 of 30 board members to go long with his heavy handedness to cut off the amendment that I also agreed with.
There may be an argument that you want Herb to be more conservative like McCune, but is that enough for Herb’s opponent to beat Herb?
I doubt it.
One just has to realize that Washington County is run by the Herb Tennies political machine. Its a moderately conservative machine. It’s by no means a liberal Mary Panzer machine. When we threw out the liberal Panzer political machine, the choice was clear. Here, its not so clear. Herb is just conservative enough to be able to use the term “conservative” to describe himself without me laughing…and I consider myself very fiscally conservative.
Mary Panzer using the term “conservative” made me laugh out loud for hours on end.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 05, 2011 at 1513 hrs
Washington County levy tax rate is $2.85 per thousand with a sales tax. Waukesha County is $1.97 WITHOUT a sales tax. Ozaukee is $1.74 with a sales tax. Obviously, we are getting ripped of a buck a thousand.
I applaud those 30 that showed for the evening meeting but, in a County of 130,000, where were the rest of you? 19 Supervisors voted to violate the US Constitution but in a blog read by thousands, 4 people express an opinion.
Incumbents like Mr. Tennies run unopposed while folks complain about daytime meetings. OK, then run for the School Board. There is plenty of fat to cut there or pull your nomination papers - you only need 50 signatures - and force a primary.
The point here these people laugh at the voters because you are too apathetic to do anything. Remember that as you write out that check for your property taxes.
Posted by Bill Meyers on November 06, 2011 at 0740 hrs
Bill,
Tax rate is not the only measure. If average assessment in Waukesha or Ozaukee county is 40-50% more than Washington County, that means Washington county may have a cheaper county tax bill on an average residence, despite a higher rate.
Also, before we hail Waukesha as better managed, Waukesha Co. levied $100 million in taxes in 2010. Where Washington County levied just shy of $39 million in 2010, down about $70,000 from the previous year. In that same time period, Waukesha increased its levy by $1.8 million.
http://wistax.org/docs/facts/county-levies-1989-90-to-2010-11.pdf
Can Washington County do better? Sure. But we are not talking Tom Ament here. Is it possible to defeat a 46 year fairly moderate conservative, with a passionate conservative like McCune?
That is the real question.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 06, 2011 at 1005 hrs
Kevin makes a great discussion point but free speech is no longer allowed in the 1st Banana Republic of Wisconsin formerly known as Washington County.
How soon folks forget that in the 150 year history of our County, Tennis was the only Chairman indicted for violating State Statutes. Your hero fairly moderate conservative was behind the tax payer funded bailout of a private business at Fair Park (our own miniature version of Obama’s bailouts) that former County Supervisor Don Berchem called “a fraud perpetrated on the people of Washington County.” But we can’t talk about that because the only dissent allowed now are by those that agree with our Dictator-in-Chief.
The real question is not whether our elected officials should honor their oath of office when they swore to uphold the US Consttution, it is what are YOU goig to do about it?
Posted by bill meyers on November 06, 2011 at 1445 hrs
Jed sent me an e-mail telling me indicted was the wrong word. OK, sorry, I am not a lawyer just the guy that got the DA to charge him for illegally banning elected officials from a meeting in violation of state statutes. After I told Tennis it was my legal right to be in the meeting, Tennis said to me (and another witness confirmed) was, “I don’t care what the law is. These are my rules and my rules are you will not be in this meeting.”
My oath of required that I to do something. In my initial complaint to the DA, I asked him to not charge Tennies because all I wanted was an apology.
Posted by bill meyers on November 06, 2011 at 1638 hrs
What I told Bill is that people are indicted (rarely in Wisconsin) for committing a crime, which Herb’s offense was not.
The rhetoric here is getting a little overheated.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 06, 2011 at 1943 hrs
Bill,
Your comments get back to the base issue.
Herb is an entrenched political machine, running the county.
Is there anyone to take on the machine?
When it gets to Tom Ament level of corruption, those local political machines can be taken out because the people get upset enough to take on the corruption.
Does what Herb do, rise to the level of corruption? I think it does rise to the level of being rude and heavy handed. Is short circuiting a last minute budget cut amendment, corruption? Some would say its vigorous parlimentary procedure.
If it is corruption, we have 19 other supervisors joining in. Then let’s call for a recall of all of them.
Or at the very least, a challenger for all of those supervisors in the next election.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 06, 2011 at 2036 hrs
Yes, I do think violating State Statutes is against the law. I am not a lawyer just an old farm boy with some common sense so I have to admit my ignorance about legal stuff.
I have spent 4 years on the County Board but I am only one person with a single perspective and one vote. It is up to you, the voters to decide if you want a change. This County Board voted against a smaller County Board - 13-17, to continue Sales Tax 24-5; for Redistricting to protect incumbents 22-4; for a public funded bailout of of the private business running Fair Park 21-6.
The point here is IF the way these Supervisor vote represent you, then that is your choice and I am just a squeaky wheel to be ignored. If you do not, then I would encourage you to go to the County Clerk’s office and get your nomination papers or find someone to represent you the way you want.
I had previously decided to not run for re-election. It was a family decision. That may change after Thursday’s events.
Posted by bill meyers on November 06, 2011 at 2104 hrs
What Bill says is right on point.
This means everyone that claims to be a conservative needs to consider running for county supervisor.
Bill lays it out pretty succinctly. Is this acceptable from the county board?
I don’t think so….but can we get the candidates to run?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 07, 2011 at 1403 hrs
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