When Republicans approved redistricting plans this summer, there was understandably a bit of a fuss over the maps benefiting GOP legislators. Now, with the recall shitstorm looming on the horizon, at least one Republican is looking to strengthen that advantage by putting the new districts into effect this month.
The new district lines, as per their approval this summer, are supposed to go into effect Nov. 2012. But as mentioned above, that simply will not do with so many Republican seats likely on the line when recall season is projected to roll around in the middle of this month. State Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, has proposed legislation that, if approved, would severely hurt Democrats chances of winning this game of legislative musical chairs that has become so popular.
Lazich is looking to move up the adoption of the new districts for the state Senate by a little bit, more specifically, next week. By doing so, she hopes voters can avoid the “quagmire of confusion” caused by the combination of recalls and redistricting. But beside providing a great name for my new experimental free jazz-bossa nova combo, Lazich makes a good point: Someone needs to stand up for voters and say ‘Stop fucking around’.
Unfortunately for Lazich however, that someone happens to be a fellow legislator greatly empowered by the recall elections of the summer: Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center.
The summer’s recall elections unseated two Republican legislators, narrowing their majority in the state Senate to a single vote. Much to the chagrin of Republicans, Schultz, the new tipping point in the Senate, voted against Walker’s collective bargaining proposals and has recently thrown his hat in the ring in opposing Lazich’s legislation.
“I’m not going to vote for it because the people who sent me to Madison are the ones who should decide whether I ought to be recalled or not,” Schultz said to The Associated Press. It’s this kind of cavalier attitude, the kind that smacks of integrity, that we should be valuing in our elected officials, not some feigned concern of disenfranchisement. Keep in mind that Lazich’s proposal to combat the “quagmire of confusion” only applies to the Senate; the Assembly would follow the law as it currently stands and adopt the redistricted maps in November of next year.
On top of her plan to push forward the adoption of the new district maps, Lazich is also pushing legislation to require affidavits for recall petitions, putting yet another hurdle in place. Though it’s hard to imagine that there aren’t quite a few notary publics somewhat displeased with the current state of affairs in Wisconsin.
But as luck would have it, Wednesday, the earliest either bill would go before the Senate, happens to be the final planned day of the session and the year, so Schultz’s planned upset of the proposal may be for naught. But at least Schultz has the intelligence and decency to recognize an affront to Wisconsin voters’ rights where other Republicans, like Lazich, see only an opportunity for self-preservation.
Jake Begun ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in history and journalism.
