Once upon a time in Kenosha County, the union and other special interest endorsements mattered. The UAW was once very powerful and had great influence. Not anymore.
When I ran for Alderman in 2012, I got all of the local endorsements – the Police Union, the Fire Union, the AFL-CIO, etc. I won. In 2014, I got all of the same endorsements. I Lost. In my 2016 “rematch,” all of those endorsements went to my opponent. I beat him hugely. Was it the endorsements that mattered? Clearly not. It came down to the issues and the door-knocking.
Let’s take a more recent election to analyze – Kenosha County District Attorney’s Race. Here were the endorsements:
Carli McNeill (D)
Democratic Party of Wisconsin
Democratic Party of Kenosha County
Kenosha County Deputy Sheriff’s Association
Kenosha Professional Firefighters, Local 414
Kenosha Professional Police Association Board
Kenosha AFL-CIO
UAW SE WI CAP Council
Mayor David Bogdala (R)
Former Congressman Peter Barca (D)
State Representative Tip McGuire (D)
Twin Lake Police Chief Katie Hall
Many High-Ranking Police Officer With KPD
Some Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputies
“All Current Employees of the District Attorney’s Office”
Many others
Xavier Solis (R)
[None]
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Notably missing from the above list? Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner and Kenosha Chief of Police Patrick Patton. Seemingly the two didn’t think it was appropriate to “pick a side.”
Solis handedly defeated McNeill, even with all of her endorsements. Now, how does McNeill return the support? She leaves town. Apparently her “commitment to Kenosha County” ended when it elected someone else.
The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Association called for a full vote of its membership. The majority of deputies elected not to endorse either candidate. Still, the board of the union endorsed McNeill, defying the membership.
McNeill indicated many times throughout the election that “All Current Employees of the District Attorney’s Office” endorsed her. KCE knows this to be untrue. It was a lie. How did that look, anyway? Did she walk around the office to her subordinates while all on the clock and ask each employee, one by one, “Hey! Do you endorse me?” What the hell are they supposed to say to their boss? “No?” That wasn’t an ethical move on McNeill’s part. But enough about her. She abandoned Kenosha County and is no longer relevant, she’s now working for a former defense attorney turned District Attorney – ya know, the type of lawyer she said was not qualified to run such an office? The irony is thick. Bye Felicia!
The Kenosha County voters are shifting from purple to red. Red people don’t usually like being told who to vote for. I know I don’t. The power the unions once wielded is D.O.A. – Dead on Arrival. That’s a good thing. This means that the better candidate will win, regardless of who endorses them. When special interests lose, we win.
7 Responses
Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner and Kenosha Chief of Police Patrick Patton – good on you for keeping your positions apolitical. Just like every public (including teachers) figure should be.
Absolutely
Mayor David Bogdala (D)** fixed it!
F him
I hear Carli and Gravely have been MIA at the office since the election.
Are they still collecting a paycheck at taxpayer expense for not showing up and doing any work?
Someone should look into this.
Good points — union endorsements aren’t what they used to be, that’s for sure.
As for McNeill’s commitment to Kenosha County, doubtful Solis would have kept her so she did the right thing to move on.
Corruption on display. Back the badge? Nope. Back the individual.
Pay back time