VRAKAS CONFRONTS 1984 COCAINE CASE

Leaders Say Conviction Shouldn't Hurt Campaign

Waukesha - Political supporters and opponents said Tuesday that
Waukesha County executive hopeful Dan Vrakas should not be penalized
for a 1984 conviction for cocaine possession.

The incident, a civil violation in Walworth County before Vrakas got
involved in politics, was highlighted Tuesday on a local Web site and
became a topic on talk radio.

Vrakas, who has been a state legislator since 1991, announced two
weeks ago that he would run for county executive in a special election.

County Board Chairman James Dwyer, who is running against Vrakas,
called the old conviction "an absolute non-issue," saying he had no
idea why the story resurfaced.

Dwyer, 61, said Tuesday that he also was once arrested, 40 years ago
in Milwaukee when he was charged with disorderly conduct - a case that
he said was later dropped.

"This isn't what the campaign's about, that's for sure," he
said.

Vrakas, 49, who acknowledges he used cocaine in the Walworth County
incident, said it was a mistake that has nothing to do with his
qualifications to become county executive.

He said he has never used illegal drugs since that
time.

"I've never tried to hide from it," he said of the 1984 arrest. "I'm a
forthright individual, and I hope that we can put this behind us."

Dwyer and Vrakas are the only two declared candidates so far in a race
to succeed County Executive Dan Finley, who resigned in midterm to
become president of the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Another potential candidate, Town of Delafield Chairman Paul Kanter,
announced Tuesday he would not enter the race. Kanter, a federal
prosecutor in Milwaukee, said becoming a county executive would
disrupt his career and family life too much at this point.

Candidates have until Tuesday to file nomination papers for an Oct. 18
special election to fill the vacancy left by Finley's
resignation.

Vrakas, a Republican from Delafield, said he was at a wedding
reception in Lake Geneva in 1984, and that a group of party-goers was
using cocaine in a nearby park when police approached and arrested
him. He was 28 at the time.

He said he agreed to a municipal code violation for possession of a
controlled substance and paid a forfeiture of about $170.

With the county executive field still taking shape, Milwaukee Magazine
mentioned Vrakas' old drug conviction in an item on the magazine's Web
site. The Journal Sentinel and others in the news media have reported
about Vrakas' conviction in the past.

Vrakas campaign manager Jenifer Finley said Tuesday that campaign
officials expected the 1984 arrest to come up at some point during the
campaign.

"He's always been prepared for this," she said of Vrakas.

Several supporters of Vrakas' campaign for county executive called
talk radio shows Tuesday to say the 21-year-old case was not relevant.

Others backing Dwyer agreed, including county Supervisor David Swan of
the City of Pewaukee.

"Twenty years is a long time ago," Swan said. "It's water over the dam
as far as I'm concerned."