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Hello and welcome to In Wisconsin.
I'm Patty Low.
This week another state lawmaker is in court.
The trial is underway for former
assembly speaker Scott Jensen, charged with felony
misconduct in office.
We'll tell you why this matters to you.
Also, weigh in on the battle over
how the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife Refuge
should and should not be used.
And don't make the mistake of taking this
instrument for an accordion, grab a seat and listen to a
song or two at the only concertina bar in the US.
All that plus a walk through a
northern state natural area where it's not unusual to
see an eagle in mid-flight in Wisconsin.
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Wisconsin's technical colleges communities first.
It's become painfully familiar.
A Wisconsin lawmaker, a person
we elected as a leader on trial.
This time its former assembly speaker Scott
Jensen appearing in Dane County Circuit Court.
Representative Jensen faces three felonies and one
misdemeanor charge relating to misconduct in office.
We'll have more on that trial in just a few minutes.
But first the charges against Representative
Jensen came out of what's become known as the
legislative caucus scandal and several lawmakers
have been charged along the way.
Just how do we get to this point?
Reporter Frederica Freiberg takes us
through what's been described as the biggest capital
corruption case in state history.
Wisconsin's grand capital used to have a
reputation as a seat of good government.
We're now on the map for capital
corruption. In 2002 prosecutors charged state legislative
leaders of both parties with felony misconduct in
office. Charges of conducting campaign business on
state time using state offices and state workers
paid for by state tax dollars to work on campaigns.
Prosecutors say that's illegal.
Anybody who works in the capital knows what's
legitimate state business and what's campaign business.
J. Heck worked in the Democratic caucus in the
late 80s.
He says rules clearly mark a distinct line
between legislative and campaign work.
He says that all changed by the mid-90s.
The line blurred and then finally no one cared about
the line.
Heck believes a new era in Wisconsin politics
began with Democrat Chuck Kuala as Senate leader
and Republican Scott Jensen as assembly speaker.
These are two people who are
very partisan, very aggressive and really both have the
mentality of we're going to win it all costs.
So far the cost has been high.
Former Senate leader Chuck Kuala
reported to jail last week to begin serving a nine-month
sentence. Kuala pleaded guilty last fall to two
felony counts.
He was hardly alone.
Even Brian Burke, the former Democratic senator
running to be the top law enforcement officer in the
state, ran a foul of the statute books.
Burke dropped out of the race for attorney
general when charged with soliciting campaign
contributions from his capital office.
He too pleaded guilty and is
serving a six-month sentence.
Prosecutors also through the book at Republican
assembly leaders including former assembly speaker
Scott Jensen, former majority leader Steve Foti and
former assistant majority leader Bonnie Ledwig.
All three were accused of campaigning on state
time. Foti admitted to employing legislative aid
Sherry Schultz for the sole purpose of raising campaign
cash for Republicans.
Foti and Ledwig pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.
Schultz and Jensen are co-defendants in the only
felony case that's gone to trial.
What does it take to alert the citizenry that
there are serious problems in government, state
government right now?
E. Michael McCann's office prosecuted
Chuck Kuala.
McCann says capital corruption can
be traced to the pursuit of one simple thing.
Money. Big money because that's what it now takes to
get elected in Wisconsin.
When Tommy Thompson beat Tony Earl in the 1986 governor's
race, they spent three million dollars combined.
The current race for governor is expected to reach
40 million.
Even legislative seats now run in the
millions. McCann says the big money flows from special
interests whose interests are not necessarily those
of the people.
Anyone that thinks there's no
connection between campaign contributions and what
happens in government I hate to tell you is a bit naive.
McCann and others believe big money in campaigns
leaves average citizens without any say and
leaves legislators on a 24/7 pursuit of it.
Yes, some people have been sent to jail and some more
may be sent to jail.
That isn't going to solve it
because the structures that gave rise to the problem have
not been changed.
McCann says he fears that more capital corruption
will happen unless campaign spending gets cut down to
size under new campaign finance reform measures.
There have been reactive fixes to the specifics of
the current capital scandal like the charges and
convictions and the abolishment of the caucus set up.
But to truly clean up the mess at the capital, it's
believed much more will have to happen or it's likely we'll
see more elected officials in court and on trial.
"Fretta Rica-Friberg reporting.
We now go to reporter Art Hackett who's been
following the court proceedings this week."
The only case resulting from the caucus scandal to actually
go before a jury got underway on Tuesday.
Republican state representative Scott Jensen is charged
with three felony counts of misconduct in public office.
The former director of the Assembly Republican caucus,
Sherry Schultz, is charged with one felony count of
the same offense.
Jensen is also charged with a misdemeanor count of using
his public office for private gains.
The charges sound complicated, but assistant attorney general
Roy Cordy tried to boil it down to one simple sentence.
Cordy says the duty was to not use state paid
staff and resources to run political campaigns.
Scott Jensen's attorney, Stephen Myers, said the case
against Jensen is anything but simple.
The legislature's work is complicated because
legislators get there by means of a political
process. The distinction between
political work and campaign work confused even the Assembly's
chief clerk, Patrick Fuller.
Fuller was asked to read from an assembly employee manual.
Roy should not engage in campaign activity
with the use of state supply service facilities
not available to all citizens.
But during cross examination, Sherry Schultz's attorney,
Stephen Morgan noted the duties of the caucus directors were
to conduct political activity.
We have two different parties here and that's the political
activity working toward the end goal of what that caucus wants
to do or the leaders want to do.
And that's political activity.
What are we doing with the assembly's political?
And that's permitted.
Correct? I guess it is.
And therefore the manual on political activity
is confusing at best.
Is it not?
Well, I'm confused, yeah.
The defendant's fate will likely hinge on how the jury
interprets the testimony of witnesses like Eric Grant.
Grant was the graphic artist for the caucus until April of 2000.
He testified about his work during election years.
Very little of my time was spent not doing campaign material.
So I've virtually 100% of the time was spent doing
campaign related activities.
Grant later testified that his campaign work as a caucus
employee was paid for entirely by the taxpayers.
He said former assembly speaker Scott Jensen was aware of
and personally ordered some of that campaign related
work to be done.
And Grant said that caucus staff were told to hide campaign
materials whenever reporters or ethics board staff came
to the caucus offices.
The trial was expected to last for three weeks.
Former speaker Scott Jensen is expected to take the
stand in his own defense.
You can learn more about this week's court proceedings
by tuning into here and now.
Here is Friday night sun Wisconsin Public Television at
7th and Sunday mornings at 1030.
We pause now from the seriousness of politics for
a musical interlude of sorts.
There is only one concertina bar in the entire United States.
And it might not surprise you to learn that it happens
to be located in Milwaukee.
Art Altonberg's bar has been part of the Milwaukee cultural
scene for the last 25 years.
And an instrument called the concertina takes center stage.
Producer Joanne Garrett traveled to Milwaukee for
open mic nights at ArtSparr.
What do you think?
Wonderful. It's just the
essence of Milwaukee.
I've wanted a man in 1980.
I just started it nice to have a look at the music.
I only have concertina music here.
The concertina is the main instrument.
I've got music here.
It makes the story short.
Finally I got the papers with the only concertina
bar in the United States with the verification
of the U.S.
patent office.
We're all my girlfriends, you know what I mean?
I have 36 out of the bag bar and I have 70 all together.
I like a lot of squeezing.
Well it's a panorama square instrument with
keys on each side.
You have two notes on each key.
I don't know much about accordions but the
only thing I do know is that when you're pushing
a pull out on the key you have the same note.
It no matter how many you have they all sound the same.
Is your cousin plays accordion?
She's played with Lawrence Walker.
When I opened up here she came in from South Bend, Indiana.
I said, "Yeah, what are you getting at?"
"My accordion?"
"You can't play that in here."
"Well, you're my cousin, she says, I can't see why I can't."
She said, "G&M, this is only a concertina
bar, I can't have it."
And then she still talks to me today about that yet.
Just like the song of it and everywhere you go in the hear
that kind of music, the people be stopping her feet
and ready to get going.
Everybody just gets together and it's just like a big party.
Can you play sad music on a concertina?
No, it's for good music.
No sad music on a concertina?
No, I played for some funerals and the people
dance at the funerals.
I had a young man, he was 97 years old and he had
all women, all barriers.
And he wanted me to play for the funeral, time they get.
And they requested I play Booster Waltz in
the Beer Barrel poker.
It was in one tear shed at that funeral.
That's the way it should be.
Check this one, do it before.
My name is Siljantra, I've only been playing about 15 months.
So I'm probably least experienced one over
here in the jury.
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Got the right phone?
Yeah, now let him record a little odd.
Just because, and you can sing just because you're going to.
Oh, try it.
I try it, I don't think I want to.
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Why would they come here if it wasn't for the concertina music?
It's happy music, good entertainment.
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Oh, it's a nice feeling.
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Here's one from Holland, here's France, Hong Kong, Canada.
Just keep right on the ground, and pay for future.
This goes to show that the concertina music is more
and popular all the time.
My mom passed away in August of '01, and she
had played the concertina.
I'd never heard her play, but I got all of her instruments,
so I thought, well, I guess they did her figure out what
I'm supposed to do with these.
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The best music, the best instrument I've ever made.
[Music]
Art Altonberg tells us the concertina bar
may soon change hands.
Altonberg says he needs to sell due to family reasons.
In the meantime, if you should find yourself in
Milwaukee, and with the end for playing a concertina,
every Thursday night is still open mic night, otherwise known
as the concertina jamboree, a little slice of
life in Wisconsin.
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While polka music is something that says
Wisconsin to many people, our state is nearly
as well known for its beautiful natural areas,
and how we use our wild spaces touches very close to the heart.
That's why proposed changes in the Upper Mississippi
River Wildlife Refuge have stirred heated debate.
In March, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service will finalize
a new plan that will guide the use and development of the
refuge for the next 15 years, uses such as hunting, fishing,
trapping, and bird watching.
Art Hackett reports that the plan has been reworked and
debated for nearly four years, and the debate is far from over.
The Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge is 240,000
acres large by 261 miles long.
It runs from Savannah, Illinois to Wabasham, Minnesota.
The Refuge's size tests the limits of coexistence.
In backwater's known by names such as Rick's Lake,
the refuge shelters these trumpeter swans.
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The refuge also has railroad tracks running
along its sides, major highways across the refuge.
During summer, barges run through it.
And this refuge is unique from the standpoint
that it touches a lot of people in their backyards.
Earlier this year, people gathered to review what is
expected to be the final draft of a comprehensive plan,
which will guide the operation of the refuge
over the next 15 years.
It's having practice now and to look at things, all things,
both haven't had fish, wildlife, plants, and public use.
That last item, public use is the one that
is generating debate.
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The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service has to accommodate
people like Bob Kiesaw, who walks his dog in a
part of the refuge near his French island home.
These things out here are the plants and the animals
and the water and the sky and the weather has
value for its own sake, regardless of our uses.
Kiesaw argues some people who use the refuge don't follow
even the existing rules.
People like to walk their dogs out here, we're
close to a residential area, but some people have
trouble jumping a little, revel it like this.
Or they're worried about these roots, so they come
out with their chainsaws and they start building bridges,
cutting live trees, raking the paths behind you,
bringing in painted boards.
It's a bunch of crap.
Others argue the proposed new rules cut people off
from what they consider prime hunting ground.
Once such area is big lake, that's near Alma, just north
of where the trumpeter swans pause during their migrations.
Back in the 1950s when this system was closed area
system was established, it functioned nicely, but
the river has changed, so the bird distribution has
changed as a result of it.
Under the plan, big lake would be placed off limits to hunting.
An adjacent area where hunting is now forbidden
would be offered in exchange.
Lafhtalikun of French Island argued hunters
are getting a poor trade.
Now you're taking the best or some of the best parts
of all water falling and removing it from hunting and
giving them a bunch of trees.
Well, yeah, that's one way to look at it.
Looking at is providing some excellent habitat for ducks.
But the argument over big lake is nothing compared
to the battle over access limits to areas the fissioned
wildlife service wants to make more conducive to
so-called quiet recreation.
The black river bottoms are actually behind us and
stretches maybe a mile down.
That's one of the areas in debate.
The other right here is the Browns Marsh area.
The area's David Mike Root is talking about are in
the town of Onalaska at the tip of a spit of farmland
called Bryce Prairie.
The Browns Marsh area they want to have be just electric
motors or hand-powered craft.
The black river bottoms area they want to have that be a
slow no-wake from March 16th until the 31st of October.
Out of the entire 240,000 acres of the refuge there are
currently only about 200 acres designated as quiet areas.
The proposed rules would expand these quiet areas to a
total of about 12,500 acres.
Mike Root says he's looking forward to this since he sees
them as a place where he can fish away from the noise
of jet skis and earboats.
But leaf-tallocans says quiet areas are more
significant than the acreage would lead one to believe.
Yeah, there's 200,000 acres of refuge, let's say.
A lot of that's just water and a lot of it's big wooded areas.
So when you get down to the huntable, the trappable, the
fishable, the canoeable areas, it shrinks down pretty good.
They can still hunt, they can still fish, they can still trap.
And see that's the beauty of the way the timeline is, is that
trappers will never miss a beat.
Duck hunters, if they can just get over their
selfishness for two weeks of the season, the rest of the
season they can run earboats.
There's no restriction on that.
They just don't want to give up anything.
And this accounts for about 5% of the total refuge.
You know, why not just keep it the way it is?
The way it is now there isn't hardly any
conflicts. They're just trying to create conflicts, I believe.
We had a scoping, a series of 12 scoping meetings up and
down the length of the refuge, back in 2002, fall of 2002.
During those scoping meetings, we asked the question, what
concerns you about the future of the uppermost refuge?
And what we heard, people ask, can't we do something
about all this technology?
Can we designate areas where people can get away
from the technology, either canoe, kayak and so forth?
As technology has increased, you know, the mud motors, air
boats, what have you, people have taken advantage of that
and you can't blame them.
But nobody wants to give up anything.
As two different groups of sportsmen argue over the
merits of air boats versus electric crawling motors,
there are others on the sidelines who fail to see the
interest in either mode of recreational transportation.
I mean, what is a refuge?
Well, in this case, I mean, even
a church can be a refuge if you're a political prisoner,
but here it's a wildlife refuge.
Well, a refuge is where wildlife can have a habitat that's
free of being pursued, of being disrupted, of being killed.
And we don't mean being for a fish to be pursued by
a hawk, we're not talking about natural predation
here. We're talking about a refuge from human beings.
We'll get the humans out.
Some federal planning efforts have to struggle to get people
involved. That hasn't been the case with the plan for the
uppermost-acipy wildlife refuge.
These huge trails get in and guys like to go in here and
have a nice hunt, but when the air boats come through at 5am,
they're disturbing everything.
Lots of people have been willing to say what they want.
The refuge should be equal access to everybody, and
by cutting out the air boats, it's not giving them
access to the refuge at all.
Unfortunately, you don't always get what you want.
The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service is taking comments on
the proposed plan through March 6th.
After that point, the plan goes to regional officials
for review and comment.
You can find more information on plans for the upper Mississippi
River Wildlife Refuge by logging on to our website
at www.wpt.org/inwisconsin.
That's our program for this week.
We leave you with a walk through Frog Lake and Pine State
Natural Area in Iron County.
For In Wisconsin, I'm Patty Low.
Thanks for joining us.
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all ages throughout Wisconsin.
Information on UW Health Physicians and Clinics and on
University of Wisconsin Hospital is available on the web.
Wisconsin's Technical Colleges, providing the people of
Wisconsin with the knowledge and skills they'll need
for the economy of tomorrow.
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