One of my high school history teacher’s favorite stories was about the corrupt favoritism of President Zachary Taylor and other early presidents. According to him, presidents gave out cushy government jobs to their supporters and members of their political parties, something fine with the populace until there were so many government officials that taxes were raised to pay them all. Of course, that was at a time when political segregation between parties was just starting to emerge and people were not as outraged by favoritism.
Although curly mustaches and Oliver Twist boots are starting to return, it’s not 1812 anymore, and we find ourselves deeply entrenched in political partisanship…except that Gov. Scott Walker is still playing favorites. As reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Walker has recently promoted the son of a long-time lobbyist to an $81,000 a year ecology position despite his having both drunken driving convictions and no college degree, managerial experience or work experience relating to the subject matter. This isn’t the horse and buggy days where favoritism is acceptable, and we should let Scott Walker know.
The young man who recently got this cushy job is 29-year-old Brian Deschane, son of Jerry Deschane, a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Builders Association Jerry Deschane. Previously, Brian attended UW-Madison for two years before bouncing around in various jobs with Republican lawmakers, the Wisconsin Builders Association and the Wisconsin Business Council.
State Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, said, “It doesn’t look like he’s ever had a real job,” not to mention the DUI convictions as recent as 2008.
Indeed, many might notice that someone with this resume is better suited to work at Family Video than in a high-paid governmental job, but Walker seems to think differently. And it’s no surprise why: His father and the WBA donated $29,000 dollars to Walker’s campaign, making them one of the top contributors. The Associated Press reported that the group funneled around $92,000 over the past two years and figures that Jerry Deschane’s group has given about than $121,652 to Walker’s campaign.
Jerry Deschane told the AP that during the gubernatorial campaign he told Walker and his campaign manager (now his chief of staff) Keith Gilkes that his son Brian was “out there and available.” However, he also said, “I put in good words for every one of my children in their jobs…But that would be the extent of it.”
I’m not sure why knowing that he’s plugged away for all of his children is supposed to be comforting to us, and how, with Brian’s resume, we are to believe that “He got the position himself” as his father asserted. What’s even more concerning is that the paper trail traces right back to Walker. David Carlson, spokesman for the Department of Regulation and Licensing where Brian now works, confirmed that Gilkes recommended him for an interview. Within the month, department Secretary David Ross, who is also a member of Walker’s cabinet, named Brian the bureau director of board services, a $64,728 a year position. What’s more, Walker’s government is now incorporating this public job into the private sector, which means that after only a few months on the job, Brian will get a $16,000 pay raise.
Above all, I find it nice that Walker never confuses me. I never think to myself, “Whoa, why did he do that”? He’s slashing the budget because he wants to be the money-saving hero he was in Milwaukee. He’s dissolving union bargaining rights because he doesn’t respect their autonomy. He’s going to stop the train because he said he was going to stop the train. This situation follows the same 2 + 2 = 4 model.
Jerry Deschane gave Walker money. He told Gilkes that his son needed a job. As a reward, Brian Deschane is now the bureau director of board services for the Department of Regulation and Licensing and may be taking baths in champagne and caviar, or whatever one does with $81,000 a year. This power play was never more transparent than when Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said Walker knew about Brian’s drunken-driving convictions but “felt he had changed his habits and that these past incidents would in no way affect his performance at this job.”
Although Wisconsin doesn’t take DUI convictions nearly as seriously as it should, Walker should take it very seriously that one of his employees has not only more than one, but fairly recent convictions of any kind. If Walker won’t take a serious look at what qualifications his new hires are bringing to his department or the heavy-handed implications of his appointments, citizens absolutely should. This isn’t the olden days where nepotism and favoritism run rampant, and if Walker can’t realize that, we need to help him out.
Taylor Nye ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in biological anthropology.
