- IN OUR FIRST LOOK TONIGHT, MILWAUKEE STATE SENATOR LENA
TAYLOR DESCRIBES HER REMOVAL FROM THE POWERFUL LEGISLATIVE
JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE AS A "POLITICAL LYNCHING."
THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE MINORITY LEADER REMOVED TAYLOR FOLLOWING
A LEGISLATIVE HUMAN RESOURCES INVESTIGATION THAT FOUND TAYLOR
VIOLATED POLICIES ON RETALIATING AGAINST AN EMPLOYEE FOR USE OF
FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE AND VIOLATED ANTIBULLYING PROVISIONS
WITH HER BEHAVIOR TOWARD HER OFFICE STAFF.
TAYLOR IS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE ANTIHARASSMENT AND INTERPERSONAL
COMMUNICATION TRAINING.
HER REMOVAL FROM JOINT FINANCE ALSO COINCIDES WITH AN INCIDENT
AT A MILWAUKEE BANK, WHICH RESULTED IN TAYLOR BEING
TICKETED FOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT.
SENATOR TAYLOR JOINS US NOW FROM MILWAUKEE.
AND, SENATOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
- THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
- WHY DO YOU REFER TO YOUR REMOVAL FROM JOINT FINANCE
AS A POLITICAL LYNCHING?
- FOR CLARITY, I SAID SEVERAL THINGS IN THE WAY THAT
THE MATTER HAS BEEN HANDLED.
I BELIEVE REALLY HAS A LOT OF POLITICAL SHENANIGANS THAT ARE
GOING ON, AND IT REALLY IS NOT ANYTHING TO DO WITH MY
PERFORMANCE ON THE COMMITTEE.
THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION TO REMOVE ME FROM THE COMMITTEE.
NOTHING HAS CHANGED MY WORK, MY OUTCOME
AND MY SERVICE TO MY CONSTITUENTS.
AND I DISAGREE WITH THE FINDINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE REPORT.
AND I BELIEVE THAT, VERY CANDIDLY,
THAT THAT INVESTIGATION AND THE PROCESS IS A KANGAROO PROCESS
THAT NEEDS TO HAVE CHANGES.
- I WANT TO GET TO THAT REPORT IN A MOMENT BUT GIVEN THE HUMAN
RESOURCES FINDINGS ABOUT RETALIATION AND BULLYING,
SENATOR MINORITY LEADER JENNIFER SHILLING SAID THIS,
"NO MATTER THE WORKPLACE WE NEED TO PROTECT AN EMPLOYEE'S RIGHT
TO BRING FORWARD CONCERNS AND ENSURE EVERYONE IS ABLE TO WORK
IN A SAFE, PRODUCTIVE AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT." THAT
SEEMS REASONABLE, DOESN'T IT?
- IT DOES.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT I DID.
I DISAGREE WITH THE REPORT.
I THINK IT WAS A DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEE WHO, VERY CANDIDLY,
COULD NOT DO THE WORK AND IN SOME SITUATIONS WAS UNWILLING
AND REFUSED TO DO WHAT WAS NEEDED, INCLUDING,
VERY CANDIDLY, YOU GOT TO SHOW UP TO GET PAID.
AND I THINK MOST PEOPLE FEEL THAT.
AND I THINK VERY CANDIDLY THAT THAT'S WHAT MY ISSUE WAS.
- AND SO THAT'S YOUR VERSION
OF THE EMPLOYEE WHO TOOK MEDICAL LEAVE?
- VERY CANDIDLY, WHEN AN EMPLOYEE-- YOU KNOW,
WITHOUT GETTING INTO ALL THE HR COMPONENTS,
BECAUSE I'M NOT REALLY CERTAIN HOW FAR I CAN GO WITH THAT,
YOU KNOW, AND DEALING WITH THE ISSUES OF REQUESTING AN INCREASE
AND THEY DIDN'T GET IT AND THEN WENT OUT ON MEDICAL LEAVE
AND DIDN'T WHAT TO DO WHAT THEY NEEDED TO DO.
THERE ARE JUST A NUMBER OF ISSUES TO THIS.
I BELIEVE IT'S A DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEE
THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED.
- WHAT ABOUT-- GO AHEAD.
- I'M SORRY, FREDERICA.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT A-- THAT WHAT THE SENATE AND THE HR
DEPARTMENT DECIDED TO DO WITH THE NO-SHOW/NO-WORK POLICY FOR
THE INDIVIDUAL THAT MAKES MORE THAN $80,000 A YEAR,
I DIDN'T AGREE WITH THAT.
- SO YOU DIDN'T AGREE WITH PAYING THAT INDIVIDUAL $80,000?
- I DIDN'T AGREE WITH GIVING THAT-- I DID NOT AGREE WITH THE
PROCESS THAT HAPPENED.
I DID NOT AGREE WITH THE CONCEPT OF GIVING AN EMPLOYEE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO WORK AND TO NOT HAVE TO DO WORK AND NOT HAVE TO
SHOW UP FOR WORK AND THAT ON TAXPAYERS' DOLLARS.
AND I DISAGREED WITH THEM IN THAT REGARD.
AND I DISAGREE THAT THE EMPLOYEE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN LET GO.
I DISAGREE WITH THE REPORTS.
AND I RESPECT WHAT HAS BEEN STATED.
AND I THINK THOSE INFLAMMATORY WORDS THAT WERE USED IS NOT A
REFLECTION OF MY OFFICE AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
WE'VE HELPED A LOT OF PEOPLE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE WORKED IN MY OFFICE.
PEOPLE HAVE EVEN COME BACK, FREDERICA,
ON MULTIPLE TIMES TO WORK WITH ME.
AND WE'VE DONE GREAT WORK AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT GREAT
WORK.
- AS FOR THE BANK INCIDENT, WHERE YOU REFERRED TO A TELLER
AS A "HOUSE N-WORD" WHEN IS THAT APPROPRIATE?
- SO THREE THINGS.
FIRST, I DID NOT USE "N-WORD," WHICH EVERYONE KEEPS SAYING,
NUMBER ONE.
NUMBER TWO, THE ISSUE AND THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE BANK TELLER,
VERY CANDIDLY, WAS-- MY TRANSACTION WAS DONE.
I THEN ASKED FOR THE SUPERIOR'S NAME THAT I SPOKE WITH.
AND I WAS DENIED THAT.
AND MY PARTING COMMENT TO THE TELLER,
I DO NOT BELIEVE RISES TO A DISORDERLY CONDUCT.
AND I BELIEVE THAT THE PERSON WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF THE BRANCH
WAS DISHONEST WITH THE OFFICER AND I BELIEVE THE OFFICER HAD
BIAS IN HIS REPORT SHOWS THAT BIAS AND CONFLICT.
AND SO DOES THE BODY CAMS.
- SO YOU DID NOT SAY "HOUSE N-WORD."
- I DID NOT SAY "HOUSE N-WORD" AND I'VE SAID IN SEVERAL
OCCASIONS WHAT WAS SAID AND I RESPECT WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE,
BUT WHEN YOU GET DONE, THAT'S NOT WHAT WAS SAID.
AND IF YOU LOOK IN THE POLICE REPORT,
THERE ARE MULTIPLE WORDS THAT HAVE BEEN STATED THAT WERE SAID.
AND SO IN THE END, I THINK WHAT I'M SAYING TO YOU FREDERICA IS
WHETHER OR NOT IN THE TRANSACTION
AS THE WAY IT WAS SUGGESTED.
IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I CAME IN THE BANK AND I WAS FLAILING MY
ARMS AND POINTING AT PEOPLE AND BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
AND THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED.
AND IT ALSO IS SAYING THAT I USED WORDS, FREDERICA,
THAT I DID NOT USE.
BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IS THE
ENTIRE THING WAS NOT DEESCALATED.
THERE WAS NO COMMUNITY POLICING.
AND THERE WAS JUST FLAT OUT MISINFORMATION.
AND I ASKED THE OFFICER, "ARE YOU GOING TO TALK TO ME IN PART
OF THIS INVESTIGATION?"
HOW DO YOU MAKE A DECISION OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO WITHOUT
EVER INTERVIEWING ME PERSONALLY, WITHOUT ASKING ME MY NAME OR MY
ID.? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WITHOUT VIEWING THE VIDEO?
AND I THINK IF YOU DO, YOU SEE MAYBE THERE'S SOME DISCREPANCY
IN WHAT WAS SAID.
- UNFORTUNATELY, WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
WE MAY LIKE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU GOING FORWARD.
BUT SENATOR TAYLOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME.
- THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
I WANT TO SAY, LISTEN, I RESPECT THAT THE BANK TELLER WAS,
YOU KNOW, UPSET.
CLEARLY I TOO WAS OFFENDED BY THE DISRESPECT
THAT HAPPENED IN THE BANK.
BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT.
AND I RECEIVE THAT.
BUT IN THE END, I HOPE THAT WHEN SOMEONE AFRICAN-AMERICAN GOES
INTO A PLACE AND ASKS FOR A SUPERIOR,
THAT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THAT AND NOT BE MADE INTO
SOMETHING THAT IT IS NOT.
- ALL RIGHT. SENATOR TAYLOR, THANK YOU.
- THANK YOU.