Special for Commentary by BY DAN RYLANCE

August 16, 2002

The September 10 Wisconsin Primary is not far away. The Packers are already in their fall pre-season mode while politicians are issuing press releases, crowding yards with colorful signs and pestering voters with computer recorded messages.
There are two main semifinal events in the September primary. Democrats state wide will pick a candidate for governor. Winnebago Republicans will select a District Attorney. The Democratic race for governor except for the removal of State Senator Gary George of Milwaukee from the ballot has been a clean contest. Whoever wins probably will have the support of the losing candidates supporters maybe minus the African American voters in Milwaukee. The same cannot be said for the local District Attorney race. With a Democrat Bill Clinton look alike running as the incumbent, challenged by a Linda Tripp look alike, and a Republican carpetbagger of Reconstruction days long ago, anything could and might happen after the winner is declared.

There are no contests for the 54th Assembly seat in the September primary. Democrat James Genisio and incumbent Representative Gregg Underheim will square off in the November general election. No one gives Genisio much chance to defeat a 15 year Republican incumbent whose district was strengthened by even more Republican voters after the 2000 federal census. In fact, there isn't much hope that any challengers whether they be Democrat or Republican have a shot to defeat an incumbent in the fall.

The statistics for Wisconsin legislative races reveal a sad commentary on the lack of participatory democracy in the state. There are 116 legislative races this fall and 57 of them are uncontested. Of the remaining 59, incumbents on the average have 14 times more campaign funds then their challengers. In short, the professional class of legislators of both parties have already rigged the election in their favor. Genisio, by simply being a challenger, is, at best, a 14-1 shot to beat Underheim in the fall.
Yet, maybe, just maybe, the Genisio affair has legs. Here are some reasons.

1. The Democratic vote.
In the 2000 race for the 54th Assembly seat Underheim easily defeated Greg Belken, a UWO student, by garnering 65% of the votes. Yet, Belken never spent a day campaigning. He got 35% of the vote by doing nothing. He was, if one remembers, torpedoed by District Attorney Joe Paulus, and the Oshkosh Northwestern for a crime he never committed. The political charges and the negative press killed him politically and ruined his reputation as well. Yet, he polled 35% of the votes.

2. The fiscal mismanagement of Wisconsin state government.
The fiscal debacle of Wisconsin is not a post 9/11 event. It's the final hangover of the Tommy Thompson era and all those Republican legislators who gave him everything he asked for and more. The chickens have come home to roost and the eggs were all laid by Republicans like Senator Carol Roessler and Rep. Gregg Underheim of Oshkosh. They screwed up and revealed once and for all to see that Republicans cannot manage the fiscal affairs of the state of Wisconsin. Period. This is an issue that needs to be hit again and again. It's strong medicine and it's factual.
3. Professional Class of Legislators.
Legislators in our form of government are suppose to represent the people. This is no longer true in Wisconsin. They have become a professional class of legislators, who represent themselves, and the corporations they serve. They have passed another budget, which they hope will get them reelected in the fall, so they can spin another tale for the next one. They have participated in a caucus scandal and appropriated thousands of dollars in tax paid legal fees, supported their corrupt party leaderships, and reapportioned themselves to protect their seats. If there is ever a time to throw the hens out of the chicken coop, this is the year whether they be Republican or Democrat. On this issue, the Genisio affair, is a Progressive one, which stands for representative and clean government in Wisconsin.

Why Genisio? This race is less about Genisio than it is about all of us. If Genisio can prevail, it will be a victory for all of the citizens of the 54th District. It will send a clear message that the era of fiscal mismanagement and a professional class of self-serving legislators will no longer be tolerated by the voters of this district.
Far fetched? Maybe. Maybe not.

Rylance is a former editorial writer for Knight Ridder newspapers who now lives in Oshkosh.

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