Former Milwaukee police union bossconsidering run for State Assembly

I have not heard this from the horse's mouth (or any other part of the horse), but I've heard it enough that I believe it.

Bradley DeBraska, retired president of the Milwaukee Police Association, is planning to run for the State Assembly next year against State Rep. Chris Sinicki, a South Side Democrat.

The brash DeBraska was a thorn in City Hall's side during his 16 years as MPA president. His union would sue at the drop of a hat, and won some amazing legal victories. One allowed police officers who were disabled enough to prevent them from doing their regular jobs to collect 100% disability instead of being reassigned to desk jobs. That caused havoc in the police department.

More recently, a series of lawsuits by the MPA forced the city to pay millions of dollars in pension benefits to retirees even though their unions had agreed, in bargaining, to take smaller pensions in return for other, higher benefits. (They got to keep the other benefits, too, of course.)

As one of the few unions willing to endorse Republicans, the MPA had a special place in Tommy Thompson's heart, and got all sorts of special legislation through -- including a law that required city taxpayers to pay the salaries of DeBraska and other union officials. It was one of those "stick it to Milwaukee" laws that doesn't apply to any other city. Likewise, the law now making the news, requiring the city to pay full salaries of fired cops until they have exhausted all of their appeals, which can take years. (If the cops lose their appeals and it turns out they lose their jobs, they still keep the loot.)

DeBraska also took care of himself on the way out the door, as Spivak and Bice reported in May, getting a retroactive $4,000 pay raise that also bumped up his pension to about $45,000 a year. That's just one of many things he'll have a chance to explain to voters if he actually runs.

Sinicki was elected to the seat in 1998. She was reelected in 2004 with 61% of the vote. In fact, the MPA endorsed her in a letter signed by DeBraska.

The district includes part of southeast Milwaukee, St. Francis and Cudahy. The Milwaukee part of the district most likely includes a fair number of police officers, who are required to live in the city but are concentrated on the fringes.

DeBraska presumably would run as a Republican, although he could take the Sheriff David Clarke route and pretend to be a Democrat. That probably wouldn't fly, though, especially with a hot Republican primary for governor that would discourage Repubs from crossover voting to help DeBraska in a Dem primary.

Why would he run? Maybe he misses the media attention. Maybe he really wants to affect public policy. Maybe he wants to double his income. Maybe he's just bored. Or maybe he's just talking and won't run after all. We'll see.