Murphy's Law

This Week's News And Views By Bruce Murphy

A COCAINE USER FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE?

And: Why Dan Finley Deserves His Pay

Everything seems to be going right for Rep. Dan Vrakas (R-Delafield) in the
race for Waukesha county executive. He seems like the perfect candidate:
Vrakas is a lifelong resident of Waukesha, has a small business background
(worked in this father's restaurant) and 14 years of solid service in the
assembly, and boasts impeccable Republican credentials as a pro-tax freeze
conservative who heads the assembly GOP caucus.

Alas, Vrakas has one slight problem: a criminal offense that is a matter of
public record. In 1984, he was arrested in Lake Geneva on a cocaine
possession charge.

Capitol insiders with long memories know all about this. In fact, the
Journal Sentinel wrote about it in 1996. In that story, Vrakas said he paid
a fine and has not used illegal drugs since then. He did not reveal how
much cocaine he had or the amount of the fine.

"It's just one of those episodes in a person's life you'd like to forget
about," Vrakas said at the time. "I certainly learned a lesson as a result
of it."

Until now, Vrakas has been seen as the clear front runner in the race for
executive. He was the first to announce his candidacy and is expected to
have the best organization in place. He has $16,000 in campaign
contributions in his legislative war chest he can use to run for executive.
And he has high name recognition because his father served 16 years as
mayor of Waukesha and owned a popular area restaurant. Dan Vrakas gained
added momentum after Jenifer Finley, wife of outgoing Waukesha County
Executive Dan Finley, threw in with the obvious front-runner by announcing
she wouldn't run for the post and would instead serve as Vrakas' campaign
manager.

The drug charge was likely to come out eventually. Will that stop his
momentum? If this was an African-American candidate, say, a Marvin Pratt
running for mayor, I suspect it might have caused difficulties. In Vrakas'
case, the offense may be dismissed as a youthful indiscretion. Vrakas, now
49, would have been about 28 at the time of his arrest.

Vrakas has said his drug arrest came at a "low point" of his life, shortly
after the death of his brother. This plea for understanding seems
reasonable, but Vrakas hasn't offered equal sympathy to cancer patients and
others who want marijuana to be legalized for medical uses. Polls show 70%
- - 80% of state residents would favor such a bill, but Vrakas has opposed
the proposal.

All of which doesn't matter in the race for county executive, except as it
relates to Vrakas' character. If Vrakas is forthright with voters about his
record, this 21-year-old offense may not matter. But one thing is certain:
The campaign for county executive is far from over.

Why Dan Finley Deserves His Pay

I have been a frequent critic of executive pay, both at private companies
and nonprofits, but the $185,000 that Dan Finley will earn to run the
Milwaukee Public Museum is anything but a high salary. It is a bargain for
the museum. Those posing for holy pictures (Milwaukee County Executive
Scott Walker and some county board members) by demanding the museum board
go back on its agreement with Finley are only hurting the museum and its
national reputation.

Finley's hiring was a huge coup and the first good news in months for an
institution that has faced unending problems. With 14 years experience as a
well-regarded Waukesha county executive running a $250 million
organization, Finley has tremendous experience as an administrator.

Before getting into politics, Finley held fund-raising jobs with Carroll
College, the Leukemia Society of America and the Muscular Dystrophy
Association. He is a personable, well-liked politician with countless
contacts who could build the constituency of donors to the museum. In
particular, his base in Waukesha could add supporters for a statewide
attraction like the museum, which needs regional support from
philanthropists. Finley has already announced support for a seven-county
cultural district, which would put a Waukesha face and perspective on an
issue that has often been seen as a tax handout to Milwaukee.

A Journal Sentinel survey of 10 natural history museums found that Finley's
salary was slightly higher than the median pay for executives. But this was
according to "the most recently reported figures." Anyone familiar with
nonprofits knows the information comes from annual tax filings by museums
which are usually at least two years old. Once adjusted for this, Finley is
likely to be at or even below the median salary.

Meanwhile, consider the challenge he faces. Most natural history museums
have an endowment of $10 million, $30 million, $50 million or more that
automatically spins off annual interest that helps pay for its budget. The
Milwaukee Public Museum had just a $4 million endowment and spent nearly
every dollar of it. It is also running a huge annual deficit. Finley has
taken on what is easily the biggest fundraising challenge in Milwaukee, and
may be one of the most challenging non-profit jobs in America.

And he's doing it for less salary than that earned by the head of the
Milwaukee Art Museum ($250,000), United Way ($150,000 plus $85,000 in
deferred compensation), Greater Milwaukee Committee ($225,000), and
countless other nonprofit heads in Milwaukee.

The comparison to Finley's salary as county executive, or to Walker's
salary, is irrelevant. Political jobs always pay less. Walker knows this,
but apparently couldn't resist undercutting a fellow Republican like Finley
for political gain.

Finley left his job as county executive with the understanding he would be
paid a certain salary, only to have politicians suggest he be
double-crossed. What is the message to candidates nationally, when the
public museum or any other Milwaukee non-profit that gets some county tax
dollars (like the art museum or Marcus Center for the Performing Arts)
tries to find a new leader? This could scare away future candidates and
certainly won't help the museum's credibility.

McCarthyism Gets a Pass from the Journal Sentinel

What in the world is going on at the Journal Sentinel?

Last week the Republican Party held a news conference where it claimed that
nine people voted twice, voting in Milwaukee and one other city. The party,
however, would not release the names of these people, leaving no way to
prove or disprove the claim. Yet somehow this non-news story made the front
page of the Journal Sentinel metro section.

But it gets worse. The story by reporter Greg Borowski waited until the
27th paragraph to quote Sue Edman, executive director of the city Election
Commission, who said a duplicate vote cannot be proven without the name and
address of the alleged perpetrator. Without this documentation, in short,
the Journal Sentinel simply had an unproven partisan claim that it
headlined and treated like real news.

But it gets still worse. The press conference was held outside the home of
Stuart Schenk and Gayle Schenk, where Republican state chairman Rick Graber
and other GOP leaders accused someone there of voting twice. No name was
apparently suggested by Graber, but the obvious suspect was the Schenks'
son Joseph, who is now in Chicago studying to join the Franciscan Order of
the Catholic Church. Joseph is likely on the voting rolls in both cities,
but his parents said Joseph did not vote in Milwaukee or request an
absentee ballot.

As countless stories in the Journal Sentinel have made clear, clerical
mistakes are occasionally made by the city Election Commission, so it is
quite possible that Joseph Schenk was recorded as voting when he did not.
But Schenk, a man studying to join a religious order, has now had his
reputation besmirched as a possible criminal who voted twice illegally.

The whole thing smacks of McCarthyism, of making reckless and unproven
accusations against an innocent party. I suspect Graber may already regret
having handled the news conference this way. Partisanship often leads to
overreaching. But the media is supposed to be our bulwark against such
manipulation. How could the Journal Sentinel treat this trumped-up
non-event as a news story?