Inside the Dome Deals Are Common

Wisconsin State Capitol. Photo by Mariiana Tzotcheva.

It was a done deal before it was announced, and a surprise that delighted some and angered others. But inside-the-Capitol deals have been around since Wisconsin became a state in 1848.

Doug La Follette was re-elected last November to a new four-year term as secretary of state. The Democrat served only about eight weeks of that new term when he quietly resigned on March 17.

Gov. Tony Evers seamlessly appointed a fellow Democrat, former State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, to replace La Follette in a move Republicans who control the Legislature couldn’t block. Godlewski, who withdrew as a U.S. Senate candidate days before the August primary, got a new $72,500 state job after being out of work for only weeks.

The Democrats’ La Follette-Evers-Godlewski insiders play means nothing in terms of Capitol power. Although the secretary of state and treasurer jobs are mandated by the state Constitution, both have been stripped of all meaningful functions and are basically one-person offices.

La Folllette, 82, whose pension will be based on holding that job for 48 years, said in his resignation letter that he had grown weary of losing fights to restore the Office of Secretary of State to its old importance..

The appointment gives Godlewski a new Capitol portfolio that allows her to watch for the next elective office she will seek, while she caretakes the official state seal and serves on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. She told an Associated Press reporter she was surprised at her appointment.

The power play by Democratic insiders angered Republicans. Amy Loudenbeck, the Republican who narrowly lost to La Follette in a race that saw a record $1.1 million spent by candidates and third-party groups, criticized the appointment. “This move coming so soon after the election raises questions once again about the tactics used by those in power who will do anything to keep that power,” Loudenbeck said.

The top four Republican legislative leaders — Senate President Chris Kapenga, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August — sponsored a resolution calling on Evers to schedule a special election to elect a secretary of state, since there are 45 months remaining on La Follette’s term.

“Evers and legislative Democrats are opposed to allowing the peoples’ voice to be heard in the form of a statewide election,” August said. “It is shameful that Evers and Democrats chose to cut backroom deals rather than allow democracy to prevail.”

The resolution is Republicans’ crying foul. It’s just words – just like the critical words Evers had for Republican legislators and former Republican Gov. Scott Walker who, after Evers beat Walker but before the Democrat took office, passed laws limiting the powers of both the new governor and new Democratic attorney general, Josh Kaul.

It’s just like the critical words Evers had during his first term for Republican senators who refused to confirm the Democrat’s cabinet secretaries and appointees for boards and commissions, allowing Walker holdovers to remain in those roles. Democrats called those Republican insider deals.

But inside-the-Dome deals often happen.

Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson gave Democratic Sen. Marvin Roshell a better-paying administrative state government job in 1992, clearing the way for Republican Dave Zien to win that Eau Claire-area seat. And Thompson named Republican Rep. Joe Wimmer a Circuit Court judge in 1991, giving the governor’s chief of staff, Scott Jensen, a chance to run – and win – the special election to fill that vacancy from Waukesha County.

Democratic Sen. Jeff Plale lost a September 2010 primary to Democratic Sen. Chris Larson. Weeks later, Plale voted against union contracts negotiated by aides to outgoing Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, blocking their ratification. Walker, who introduced the anti-union Act 10 bill, named Plale state railroad commissioner.

In 2008, Doyle appointed Democratic Sen. Roger Breske, a former bar owner and Tavern League of Wisconsin president who opposed a Doyle priority – the indoor smoking ban – railroad commissioner. The smoking ban passed one year later.

Historical accounts hint at inside deals cut before Wisconsin became a state.

Why was Madison chosen as the site of the Capitol? In 1837, leaders were fighting over where the Capitol should be built. “Finally Madison, then merely a town on paper, is chosen through the influence of James Duane Doty, a former federal circuit judge,” according to a state historical website.

Doty was also a downtown Madison land owner and developer. Hmmm.

Steven Walters started covering the Capitol in 1988. Contact him at stevenscotwalters@gmail.com