NEWS
Lautenschlager to pay $600 for use of state car
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Also by Abby Peterson:
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- In-Depth: The students that shape the UW (October 7, 2004)
- In-Depth: Bush, Kerry largely ignore higher-education issue (October 14, 2004)
- In-Depth: Who is the higher-education candidate? (October 14, 2004)
- In-Depth: Higher tuition threatens public education (September 9, 2004)
Related Stories:
- Lautenschlager, ethics board reach settlement (March 30, 2004)
- Ethics board to determine action for Lautenschlager (March 25, 2004)
- Lautenschlager to forego pay (March 3, 2004)
- State Ethics Board rules AG owes nothing for car use (September 28, 2004)
- Inquiry arises into Attorney General Lautenschlager's use of state vehicle (April 15, 2004)
by Abby Peterson
Monday, March 29, 2004
Despite a pending announcement from the state Ethics Board on its findings concerning Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager’s use of a state-owned vehicle, Lautenschlager said Friday she will pay the state $600 for trips from Madison to her home in Fond du Lac using the car.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the state’s AG indicated she was reimbursing 1,900 miles used on the car out of 20,000 miles driven since January 2003, when she took office. Lautenschlager indicated the $600 amount was the penalty the Board was seeking, although the state committee has not publicly revealed its decision on the matter.
Lautenschlager has been criticized for allegedly using a state vehicle for reasons other than state business.
“[I]t appears the attorney general’s use of this vehicle may rise to the level of felony misconduct in office,” read a letter from Darrin Schmitz, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, to the State Ethics Board.
After her arrest for drunk driving Feb. 23, Lautenschlager came under fire for using a state car while intoxicated. She has since paid $3,250, or 10 days’ worth in salary, to the state as a self-imposed penalty for using the car while drunk. In addition, the Attorney General paid $784 to Dodge County after pleading guilty to charges of driving while intoxicated and has also agreed to spend the approximate $800 required for towing and car repairs.
Since her arrest, Lautenschlager has refused to speak openly about the incident except for publicly apologizing in a press conference where she declined any questions. Beginning Friday, however, Lautenschlager began a number of interviews concerning the DWI incident.
Lautenschlager told members of the press she had only two glasses of wine the night of her arrest, despite a breathalyzer test revealing her blood alcohol content was .12 percent, well above the .08 legal limit. She has declined to publicly state the results of a court ordered alcohol assessment, but has said she does not suffer from alcoholism.
Kari Kinnard, executive director of MADD Wisconsin, said although she understands Lautenschlager’s need for privacy, she believes there are many unresolved questions concerning how much the AG drank before driving.
“It is her right to privacy,” Kinnard said. “However, there are still questions surrounding how many drinks she had. Two glasses of wine doesn’t even get you to .08.”
Kinnard also said Lautenschlager’s attempts to deal with the DWI arrest publicly have been unsatisfactory.
“It’s been disappointing,” she said. “We feel there has not been the accountability and responsibility we would like to see with this situation. It doesn’t seem as though she has been forthcoming in the whole ordeal.”
