A dark money group is attacking members of the Milwaukee County Board — again.
A new mailer from Milwaukee Works Inc. ties Chairman Theodore Lipscomb Sr. and other supervisors to four deaths in the Milwaukee County Jail last year and to Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr.
The postcard claims that “instead of paying attention to what was happening in the jail, supervisors were praising Sheriff Clarke.” It then quotes Supervisor Peggy West: "I will tell you that the Sheriff has been phenomenal…"
"It's time for supervisors like Theo Lipscomb to start serving the people of Milwaukee County, not just political interests," the two-sided mailer says. "People shouldn't have to die for Theo Lipscomb to do his job."
Ouch.
Obviously, this mailer tries to tie supervisors to Clarke at a time when he has come under fire for his heavy travel schedule on behalf of President Donald Trump, his inflammatory rhetoric and questionable behavior with a 24-year-old Riverwest resident earlier this month.
What's not clear who is paying for the campaign piece.
As a nonprofit, Milwaukee Works doesn't have to disclose who is paying for its activities. Dan Adams, a local attorney who is the registered agent for the group, didn't return emails or calls.
“Exploiting the death of a baby who was born and died in a jail cell for political gain is disgusting.”
Milwaukee County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb Sr.
Lipscomb denounced the mailer.
“Exploiting the death of a baby who was born and died in a jail cell for political gain is disgusting," Lipscomb said.
It's also an odd time for such a flier, which came out weeks after the County Board voted 15-1 to pass a resolution that sets a policy requiring outside investigations of deaths at county jails — a policy that Clarke hasn't said he'll follow.
Lipscomb suggested that Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is somehow behind Milwaukee Works' efforts.
“The public deserves to know who is funding these sleazy mailers," Lipscomb said. "All anyone has to do to answer that question is look at the record — they all promote County Executive Abele’s agenda.”
It's true that Milwaukee Works has sent out mailers to voters urging County Board members to back, for instance, Abele's wheel tax proposal and to vote for reconfirmation of Héctor Colón as Abele's pick to be health and human services secretary.
But Abele has denied being behind these postcards going after county supervisors.
"I didn't fund this, and I didn't direct this," Abele said in November regarding the wheel tax flier.
Abele spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff said last week that Abele "still is not giving to Milwaukee Works or working with them. So same as what he told you in November.
In that November interview, Abele said he hasn't given to Milwaukee Works "in a long time" and that he has been surprised by the mailers. He also said he had to put out a press release to correct the one on Colón.
"I've given to them (Milwaukee Works) in the past. I don't remember exactly how much," Abele said. "It was quite a while ago."
> A dark money group is attacking members of the Milwaukee County Board — again.
>
> A new mailer from Milwaukee Works Inc. ties Chairman Theodore Lipscomb Sr. and other supervisors to four deaths in the Milwaukee County Jail last year and to Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr.
>
> The postcard claims that “instead of paying attention to what was happening in the jail, supervisors were praising Sheriff Clarke.” It then quotes Supervisor Peggy West: "I will tell you that the Sheriff has been phenomenal…"
>
> "It's time for supervisors like Theo Lipscomb to start serving the people of Milwaukee County, not just political interests," the two-sided mailer says. "People shouldn't have to die for Theo Lipscomb to do his job."
>
> Ouch.
>
> Obviously, this mailer tries to tie supervisors to Clarke at a time when he has come under fire for his heavy travel schedule on behalf of President Donald Trump, his inflammatory rhetoric and questionable behavior with a 24-year-old Riverwest resident earlier this month.
>
> What's not clear who is paying for the campaign piece.
> As a nonprofit, Milwaukee Works doesn't have to disclose who is paying for its activities. Dan Adams, a local attorney who is the registered agent for the group, didn't return emails or calls.
>
> “Exploiting the death of a baby who was born and died in a jail cell for political gain is disgusting.”
> Milwaukee County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb Sr.
>
> Lipscomb denounced the mailer.
>
> “Exploiting the death of a baby who was born and died in a jail cell for political gain is disgusting," Lipscomb said.
>
> It's also an odd time for such a flier, which came out weeks after the County Board voted 15-1 to pass a resolution that sets a policy requiring outside investigations of deaths at county jails — a policy that Clarke hasn't said he'll follow.
>
> Lipscomb suggested that Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is somehow behind Milwaukee Works' efforts.
>
> “The public deserves to know who is funding these sleazy mailers," Lipscomb said. "All anyone has to do to answer that question is look at the record — they all promote County Executive Abele’s agenda.”
>
> It's true that Milwaukee Works has sent out mailers to voters urging County Board members to back, for instance, Abele's wheel tax proposal and to vote for reconfirmation of Héctor Colón as Abele's pick to be health and human services secretary.
>
> But Abele has denied being behind these postcards going after county supervisors.
>
> "I didn't fund this, and I didn't direct this," Abele said in November regarding the wheel tax flier.
>
> Abele spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff said last week that Abele "still is not giving to Milwaukee Works or working with them. So same as what he told you in November.
>
> In that November interview, Abele said he hasn't given to Milwaukee Works "in a long time" and that he has been surprised by the mailers. He also said he had to put out a press release to correct the one on Colón.
>
> "I've given to them (Milwaukee Works) in the past. I don't remember exactly how much," Abele said. "It was quite a while ago."
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