Walker gets his whitewash

Milwaukee County's Election Commission, predictably, says Exec Scott Walker did nothing wrong when he used taxpayer money to urge people to vote "yes" on a risky bonding scheme voters rejected in April.

Predictably because the commission chair, a Republican leader and Walker appointee, had announced that Walker was innocent even before he had any of the facts.

Douglas Haag, the chair in question, said elected officials are expected to provide constituents with information on important issues. Apparently in Haag's view that includes telling them how to vote, at taxpayer expense.

The memo was e-mailed by a county employee, Fran Rudig, who works in Walker's county executive office. It urged a "yes" vote in both the first and last paragraphs. Story.

One election commissioner, Judith Mount, correctly said that she didn't think the commission had jurisdiction to act on the issue. The proper place for the issue is the district attorney's office, where several county supervisors filed a complaint this week.

See earlier posts on April 20 and 21 for background.