Milwaukee mayoral race; Pocan vs. Johnson; more on Michael Gableman

Milwaukee mayoral race

Milwaukee Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson and challenger Bob Donovan are in the midst of a string of debates and forums heading to the April 5 election.

Tonight, at 7 o'clock they'll be at Turner Hall Ballroom for an event that will be live-streamed on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Facebook page.

It will also be live-streamed on the Journal Sentinel's You Tube page.

The forum is co-hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club, WisPolitics.com, the Pabst Theater Group and Listen MKE, which is a collaboration among the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WUWM 89.7, and Milwaukee PBS.

During a forum Monday, Johnson indicated that he was open to a dramatic change to help the city avoid a looming crisis in its pension system.

The pension issue was raised as the city faces an anticipated spike in its annual contribution, which is set to double in 2023 and could cripple city services.

The candidates were asked if they would support a proposal to shift new city employees to the Wisconsin Retirement System.

"Yes, I would work with the state to transition new employees into the Wisconsin Retirement System and have us slowly close the City of Milwaukee pension system," Johnson said.

Donovan said "all options need to be on the table."

Late last week, Donovan got an endorsement from Ald. Ashanti Hamilton.

It was the kind of move that served as a reminder that politics can get pretty personal.

After all, Donovan helped Hamilton claim the Common Council presidency in 2016. And in 2020, Johnson challenged Hamilton for the post and eventually won the job.

Alison Dirr has a story comparing the political records of Johnson and Donovan, who served on the Common Council for 20 years.

And here's a piece on the candidates' views on crime, climate and segregation.

And one more, an article from Vanessa Swales on the Milwaukee Elections Commission offering a work-around for a court ban on drop boxes.

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Pocan vs. Johnson

It looks like the professional relationship is now broken between Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.

Last week, Pocan accused Johnson of being homophobic after he couldn't get him on the phone to discuss funding for a University of Wisconsin-Madison research facility, as well as his brother's stalled court nomination.

Mark Pocan tweeted that he couldn't understand why "a U.S. Senator wouldn't return a call from a Member of Congress from his own state — unless it’s because of the increasingly homophobic behavior of @SenRonJohnson."

In February, Johnson blocked the nomination of Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge William Pocan to a U.S. District Court seat in Green Bay.

The Pocan brothers are gay.

Johnson's office vehemently denied Mark Pocan's accusation and reiterated the senator's reasons for blocking the court nomination.

Johnson's office said "the Senator has always treated the Congressman with respect. Unfortunately, that respect has not been reciprocated as evidenced by a long string of vile social media attacks against the Senator that the Congressman has posted over the last year. The Senator simply does not wish to interact with a person that spreads such malicious poison over a public forum.”

More on Michael Gableman

Here's the latest on Michael Gableman, the ex-Supreme Court justice overseeing the partisan review of the 2020 election.

It turns out Assembly leaders plan to claw back taxpayer-funded reimbursements paid to him for trips he made to partisan events.

Molly Beck writes:

"A spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Friday the reimbursements that were improperly approved by Assembly officials will be deducted from future payments to former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who is paid $11,000 per month by taxpayers.

"Vos' spokeswoman Angela Joyce also said taxpayers won't cover a trip Gableman is scheduled to make later this month, if he ends up going.

"Gableman is listed as a featured speaker at events in Utah on March 25 and March 26, advertised as "exposing Utah elections," according to a Facebook post about one of the events. He plans to discuss the impossible and illegal idea of decertifying the 2020 election, according to the post and a separate event invitation.

Gableman did not respond to questions about the events.

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonnell had some harsh words for Gableman, declaring: "He's joining the nut-job rodeo."

Elections commission won't sanction 'fake' electors

From Patrick Marley:

"The state Elections Commission unanimously decided not to sanction 10 Republicans — including one of the commissioners — for falsely claiming to be presidential electors in 2020, according to a letter released Tuesday.

"The decision comes as scrutiny falls on Republicans around the country who sent paperwork to the National Archives purporting to be members of the Electoral College even though Donald Trump had lost the election in their states.

"Among the six commissioners who concluded there was no evidence of election violations was Bob Spindell, who is also one of the 10 Republicans who posed as an elector in December 2020."

RIP Jim Klauser

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson announced the death Tuesday of his former longtime political adviser, James R. Klauser, who was 83.

Thompson wrote:

“For a decade, he served as my Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration in our administration. He was the foundation of our administration, and I could not have accomplished what I did without the strong ally and dedicated servant Jim proved to be. He was brilliant and thoughtful, whose steady presence earned the respect of everyone that served with him. Jim was not a man who sought attention or spoke without purpose, and when he did speak, everybody listened.

“Jim was not only my most trusted advisor, he was also my best friend, lifelong partner, and a man who loved his family and adored his children and grandchildren. My heart is with his lovely wife, Shirley, two children, David (D.J.) and James W. (Jamie), and two grandchildren, Katherine and David.

“Those who knew Jim best knew that besides all he contributed to his personal and professional life, his true passion was sailing. Like the life he lived, he could navigate through serene seas and strong winds with equal ease, seemingly bending the will of nature around his purpose. Today, he is sailing off to heaven under strong winds and calm seas.”

Around the horn

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Sarah Godlewski released her first TV campaign ad.

Tom Nelson, another Democrat running for U.S. Senate, released an economic policy paper.

The State Supreme Court heard arguments over Natural Resources Board member Frederick Prehn's refusal to give up his seat.

The Milwaukee County Board approves $45 million for the new Milwaukee Public Museum building.

Tony Evers announces spending of $50 million in federal funds to boost police forces, clear court backlogs.

Daniel Bice is out with a column on a Milwaukee County Board candidate who labels police officers 'pigs' and 'racists' and vows to cut sheriff's office budget if elected.

More turnover at the Milwaukee City Attorney's office.

Tweet of the week

U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald cranks up the volume on inflation: "Inflation catapulted to 7.9% in February—a new 40-year high. Predictably, President Biden is pointing fingers at everything and everyone but himself. This is what failed leadership looks like."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee mayoral race; Pocan vs. Johnson; more on Michael Gableman