Curmudgeon's Corner

Political Undercurrent Is Strong...

Posted by Al Campbell on March 30, 2008

Germantown, Political, Quality of Life, Village Board

I must confess something here and now:  I never would've believed I could be so naive as to think that politics in Germantown was different than politics everywhere else.  How wrong it appears that I was.

Earlier this year I heard rumors of a recall plan that would see Charlie Hargan again running for the President's seat that he lost to Tom Kempinski.  I pooh-poohed that since it sounded like the fairly typical sour grapes after a significant election change.  Now I read comments to my last Blog that use the "sour grapes" term, and I see Charlie Hargan responding that "what goes around comes around".  Charlie does not appear to be as mild-mannered as I thought.

I wrote of the postcard I received, and yesterday I received a telephone 'robo-call' telling me very much the same thing the postcard told me.  This takes a lot more money than simply having some brochures printed and folded, and having some signs made that can be stuck in the ground.  We're talking some 'serious' money for a village the size of Germantown with its former reputation as the quiet little community just north of Menomonee Falls.

And then, a look at the Campaign Finance Reports for the Committee to Elect Peter Sorce began to shed more light.  The Treasurer of that Committee is Charlie Hargan.  The reports he prepared and signed show campaign contributions totaling over $2,500 through March 27th.  And, it shows the sources of those contributions.  It shows what some of the other commenters wrote after my last Blog.  There are people associated in one way or another with the Asset Development organization.  That is, of course, the organization that prevailed 5-4 in its effort to have the Village of Germantown use its borrowing abilities to secure favorable rates on some $2.6 million of bond money.  There are law firms and individuals with some from the following locations: Rosenberg, WI; Milwaukee, WI; Delafield, WI; Mequon, WI; Franklin, WI; West Bend, WI; Waukesha, WI; Nashotah, WI.

It is difficult to comprehend that someone from Rosenberg would make contributions to a trustee running for re-election in Germantown without some reason.  The same, in my opinion, goes for the rest of the folks with the exception of one or two who have business interests in our community.

What goes around comes around.  This smacks of the kind of politics I thought would bypass Germantown for a long time to come.  That shows my naiveté', I guess.

Will this spur more good citizens to run for various community seats or will it have a chilling effect?  I suspect it will have a chilling effect to the detriment of our community. 

Will this kind of thing escalate election after election as it seems to elsewhere?  I suspect the answer is yes, it will...again to the detriment of our community.

By the way, if I have any of my suppositions incorrect as I was accused of following my last Blog, I certainly welcome the facts that will correct my erroneous supposition(s).