VOTERS SHOW THEY'VE FORGIVEN CZAJA FOR DRUG VIOLATION

Longtime supervisor leads field of 4 candidates, will face
Weishan

County Supervisor Anthony Czaja battled to a first-place finish
Tuesday in the 22nd Supervisory District race, giving him a taste of
political redemption nine months after his arrest for a drug offense.

Czaja received 1,612 votes to lead the field of four candidates and
move on to the general election April 4. John Weishan Jr. also
advanced, finishing second with 901 votes.

In two other supervisory primaries: Willie Johnson Jr. outpolled six
other candidates in the race to succeed outgoing Supervisor Dorothy
Dean in the 13th District; and Tiffany McKinney led a field of four
candidates in the 2nd District.

Joe Davis Sr. also advanced to challenge McKinney in the 2nd. Lennie
Mosley moved on to face Johnson in the 13th.

The winners in the general election will have four-year terms, with a
starting salary of $50,664.

Along with Czaja, local labor organizations appeared to be the victors
on Tuesday, as all three of the candidates endorsed by the Milwaukee
County Labor Council and AFSCME District Council 48 advanced to the
general election April 4.

Candidates with labor backing finished first in two of the three
primaries, with McKinney's narrow advantage over Davis preventing the
electoral hat trick.

Davis said support from the Labor Council and District Council 48
helped him tremendously in the primary and was a significant factor in
an election with low voter turnout.

And Mosley, who finished 362 votes behind Johnson in the 13th
District, attributed the large gap to the labor endorsements and
campaign funding that her opponent received.

Voters in the portions of West Allis and Milwaukee that make up the
22nd District appeared to overlook Czaja's personal failings and give
him a boost toward retaining the County Board seat he has held since
1984.

In May, Czaja was arrested outside a crack house in Milwaukee with a
prostitute in his car. He pleaded guilty to a municipal citation of
loitering with intent to purchase drugs, admitted he was addicted to
crack cocaine and spent 51 days in a rehabilitation clinic.

Several voters interviewed at the McCarty Park polling center said the
arrest and drug addiction made it clear that Czaja, 38, should be
removed from the board.

"Anybody in public office should not be involved with drugs or
whores," John Arena said after voting for Weishan. "That's the bottom
line right there."

But a significant number of voters took what appeared to be a more
forgiving view, and gave Czaja 45% of the vote.

"I view the vote as a strong expression of confidence in the job I've
been doing as a county supervisor," Czaja said late Tuesday night.
"For those people who may have voted against me for reasons of my
personal life, I'm going to work my hardest over the next six weeks to
win their vote.

"A lot of people, once I have a chance to discuss the issues, they end
up expressing their confidence and support for me."

Weishan, 33, said he was confident he would defeat Czaja in the
general election through hard work and traditional campaigning on
doorsteps throughout the district.

"I think Tony's record speaks for itself," Weishan said. "I just plan
on running a campaign based on the issues and what I see as a need for
change for the taxpayers of the 22nd District."

Mosley, who operates a salon on King Drive, said she would take a
similar approach to making up the ground on Johnson in the 13th District.

"Even without any endorsements, with sincerity and truth and faith and
talking to the people in the community, I will win, no doubt in mind,"
she said.

Johnson attributed his winning margin to all of the people who helped
him during the primary campaign by knocking on doors and distributing
political fliers.

Mosley and Johnson have promised to help children in Milwaukee County
by improving the child welfare system and providing more recreation.
Johnson is a social worker employed by the county in the child welfare
system.

In the 2nd District, McKinney said her two years of experience as an
aide to County Supervisor Michael Mayo made her a better candidate
than her opponent, Davis. McKinney will continue to stress economic
development and flood prevention as key issues in her campaign.

Davis is touting a job training program to prepare workers in his
district for jobs in the construction industry. The program would be a
cooperative effort involving labor groups and Milwaukee County.

"In order to do any viable development, we need to develop the work
force," Davis said.