CZAJA'S DECISION HAS A PUZZLING POLITICAL SPIN

Czaja's decision to seek help is a good one. Even though, clearly, it
wasn't his first choice.

When a Milwaukee County Board supervisor goes and gets himself busted
outside a known drug house -- a prostitute and a knife in the car with
him -- it's time for some serious spin control.

To his credit, Anthony Czaja did all the right things after being
released from jail. He offered heartfelt apologies to his family,
friends and constituents.

He promised to clean up his act, literally and figuratively, while
announcing his immediate plans to enter an alcohol and drug treatment
program.

According to police reports, Czaja told officers he was lonely and
looking for companionship during his lost weekend on the north side.

The entire episode fit neatly into the 24-hour news cycle; public
disgrace followed by sympathetic contrition.

Just another example of the pitfalls of human frailty.

Except many in the recovery community -- former addicts and alcoholics
who depend on social service agencies for help in fighting their own
demons -- have a nagging feeling Czaja is getting off easy.

"Hey, this is a guy who voted against all kinds of drug and alcohol
program funding for lots of poor people!"

This anonymous caller, who works for a community organization,
specifically mentioned Career Youth Development, the north side agency
run by Jeannetta Robinson.

CYD's funding was drastically cut last year after an audit found
evidence of mismanaged funds.

The caller named Czaja as a politician who consistently voted against
funding for CYD and other agencies that provide drug and alcohol
programs on the north side.

"Now he's coming to the north side looking for drugs and women! Why
doesn't he stay out there in West Allis instead of coming into our
community!"

I placed a cautious call to Robinson to ask about Czaja. (Cautious,
because the small fireball of a woman everybody calls Jeannetta has
been blazing mad at me for months because of a column I wrote last
year criticizing the agency's sloppy accounting procedures.)

Robinson confirmed Czaja had been a particular thorn in her agency's
side. Last year, after an audit, Czaja voted for cuts for CYD's
funding, which included money for the agency's drug alcohol treatment
program.

At the same time, Robinson offered spiritual support to the disgraced
supervisor: "I'm a Christian, I pray for him and hope he gets well."

Robinson said that despite setbacks, CYD is still in business, trying
to serve its impoverished clientele with drastically reduced funding
sources.

"We don't have the money anymore, but we still do what we have to do,"
she said. "It's a commitment with God; as long as they need us, we're
here."

The people CYD serves don't have money or insurance to pay for
expensive trips to lush rehabilitation facilities. A point not lost on
my caller.

"Here he is, coming down to a black neighborhood to buy drugs, he gets
caught, and now he's going to go off to some rehab paid for by taxpayers!"

What the caller meant was that Czaja's stay in drug rehabilitation may
be paid by his county medical insurance.

Regardless, Czaja's decision to seek help is a good one. Even though,
clearly, it wasn't his first choice.

When he gets out, maybe the politician will want to reconsider some of
his votes that denied money for drug treatment programs for people who
live in the city's most drug-infested neighborhoods.

Maybe he'll remember, back when he was feeling lonely and at
rock-bottom, these were the only friends he could find.