Why recall?

Some people point to Scott Fitzgerald’s long service in the Wisconsin legislature and wonder why we want to recall him.

The answer is simple: We feel that he has abused his power and betrayed our trust.

BETRAYAL OF TRUST
Scott Fitzgerald seems to be more interested in lining up behind Governor Walker than standing up for the working-class families he’s supposed to represent.

When he was on the campaign trail, he didn’t say he would de-fund our schools and local governments. He didn’t say he would take up such controversial policies that our state government would become hateful and polarized. He didn’t say he would break the open meetings law in his rush to pass controversial legislation.

ABUSE OF POWER
While acting in his official capacity and wielding considerable power as our state’s Senate Majority Leader, Scott Fitzgerald abused his power at the expense of fairness, time-honored procedure, and his constituents’ best interests.

• Open Meetings Law

On March 9, 2011, Scott Fitzgerald convened a meeting that was in violation of the Open Meetings Law. To comply with the law, all he had to do was post a sign 24 hours — or even two hours — in advance, announcing his intention to hold a meeting. He didn’t do that.

Fitzgerald’s actions have put Wisconsin taxpayers in the odd position of having to pay for both his prosecution and defense. We’re working to determine how much this has cost taxpayers, but since the case went all the way to the state’s Supreme Court we’re reasonably sure it cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

• Redistricting

Scott Fitzgerald and his brother, Jeff Fitzgerald, coordinated an expensive redistricting effort over the past year. They bypassed the bid process and paid attorneys up to $395 an hour. They paid $50,000 per month — $25,000 each from the Senate and Assembly — and the final bill was $400,000 in taxpayer money.

And we taxpayers didn’t even get a good value. The process was so flawed that the state is now having to defend the Fitzgeralds’ actions in court. It’s uncertain how much that final bill will end up costing taxpayers, but one thing is certain: Scott Fitzgerald used our money to enhance his power.

WE CAN’T AFFORD MORE MISTAKES LIKE THESE
Something has changed in Scott Fitzgerald over the past year. He’s no longer acting in our best interests, nor is he upholding the honorable traditions of the Wisconsin State Legislature.

He should be recalled.