Local Politics

[47of74]

Thought I'd get something going for the more local political stuff.

Our county treasurer is retiring next January.

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Longtime Dubuque County Treasurer Eric Stierman will retire in January.

The Democrat has been elected seven times straight and has served 27 years to date, taking office in 1994. He chalked up his decision to retirement, rather than any inciting reason.

“I’ll be 67 years old,” he said. “I’ve been working in this field for 40 years. I keep bee hives and have a lot of other interests. You have to fit everything in. I’m looking forward to doing more of that.”

The county treasurer’s office is responsible for collecting property taxes and issuing driver’s licenses and registrations, among numerous other financial duties of the county government.

He was up for election again next year and most likely would have won again if he had decided to run.  County Supervisors asked why he wanted to leave a year early and his reply was that he was just done.

I do wonder though, if one reads in between the lines he just ran headfirst into some GQP male bovine excrement from a Branch Trumpvidian - elected or otherwise - one time too many and said fornicate it, I'm done?

Edited October 1, 2021 by Coconut Flan

[47of74]

And now the Linn County attorney is retiring a year early as well. 

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Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden announced on Tuesday he plans to retire on December 31, before his term ends.

In a statement confirming the decision, Vander Sanden said he’ll be 65-years-old by then, and it seems like a fitting target date for retirement.

“When you reach 65, you start to think differently about what you want to do with the rest of your life and I’d like to spend more time with my family,” he said. “I became a grandfather almost a year ago and anyone who is a grandparent knows what a joy that is. I’ve been a part of this office for over 38 years; 19 of which I was either First Assistant or County Attorney. I’ll always be grateful to the people of Linn County for electing me to be their county attorney but now is a good time to let someone else carry the torch.”

I again wonder if there was some BT that he had to deal with one time too many and then said fuck it I’m done. 

[fraurosena]

19 hours ago, 47of74 said:

I again wonder if there was some BT that he had to deal with one time too many and then said fuck it I’m done

It sure seems that there was pressure to retire early. Not sure it was a lone wolf magat. It's more plausible to me that some sort of (lobbyist?) group did. Does make you wonder what they used as leverage...

[GreyhoundFan]

Sigh. "A Virginia town official dressed in blackface. He called it ‘freedom of expression.’"

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When a Warsaw, Va., councilman wore blackface to look more like an Eddie Murphy character, he did so only out of “love” and “respect,” he wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post.

Faron Hamblin, one of seven members on the Warsaw town council, posted a photo of himself dressed up as a singer in a fictional band called Sexual Chocolate from the 1988 film “Coming to America.” The character, Randy Watson, is played by Murphy.

“I went out as the legendary Randy Watson tonight. Give it up for my band Sexual Chocolate,” Hamblin, who is White, wrote in the Facebook caption of a photo of himself in a blue suit, curly wig and dark makeup, according to a screenshot captured by WWBT.

The post quickly prompted backlash from observers who accused Hamblin of racism, the news station reported. The councilman took down the photo and later wrote another Facebook post, explaining that “I never intended for this to be a racist issue,” according to a screenshot of the post.

“Many saw it degrading, which I did not. I did it to show my love for the character and the movie,” Hamblin wrote. “But since I’m white it’s considered by some as offensive to dress as a black person … I think that’s ridiculous! Especially when it’s done to be a tribute to the character.”

Hamblin added that Murphy portrayed a Jewish person in “Coming to America,” and while it may have offended some people, Murphy did not mean any harm and the portrayal “showed his freedom of expression.”

“Like Eddie, or Dave Chappelle I don’t go around walking on eggshells,” Hamblin wrote, adding that he posted the photo because “everyone should have freedom of expression.”

Chappelle, a comedian, has faced ongoing criticism for his newest special, “The Closer.” One of his jokes compares being transgender to wearing blackface.

Hamblin did not immediately respond to questions from The Washington Post late Sunday. In a letter to the Richmond County NAACP shared with Insider, Hamblin apologized, explaining that he took down his Facebook statement because “it was in my personal best interest and the community’s best interest to remove the post in order for all parties involved to move forward and to learn from this incident.”

“In both my personal and professional life, I have always been a friend and ally to the black community and will use this as a learning opportunity to move forward a better and more knowledgeable person,” he added.

Blackface began in the mid-19th century as a way to lampoon enslaved Black people. White performers would paint their faces with shoe polish, dress in ragged clothing and perform in minstrel shows that portrayed Black people disparagingly. Although minstrel shows faded from the mainstream, some White people have continued darkening their skin to dress up as Black people.

Hamblin is only the latest Virginia official to be criticized for wearing blackface. In February 2019, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) faced calls for his resignation after a photo surfaced from his page in a 1984 medical school yearbook. It showed a person wearing blackface, standing alongside another person wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe. Northam first admitted to being in the photo, and then denied it. But he confessed to having worn blackface to dress up as Michael Jackson in a 1984 dance contest.

Also in 2019, Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring admitted to wearing blackface when he dressed up as rapper Kurtis Blow during a party in 1980.

Numerous celebrities — including Jimmy Kimmel, Ted Danson and Robert Downey Jr. — have been criticized for wearing blackface during shows and in movies. In 2019, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came under fire for a 2001 photo that showed him wearing dark makeup at an “Arabian Nights”-themed party.

Reacting to Hamblin’s costume and subsequent remarks, Andrea Simpson, a political science professor at the University of Richmond, told WWBT that people do not need to change their skin color to dress up like their favorite characters or celebrities.

If people do not know the history of blackface and minstrelsy, wearing blackface may seem “fun” and “harmless,” she said. “But in doing that, we’re actually hurting people.”

Warsaw, Virginia is a very small town in a conservative area. Still, the fact that an official did this in public in 2021 is beyond awful.

[47of74]

One city council member in Asbury, Iowa is almost literally phoning it in

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Virtual meeting attendance recently became a source of contention for Asbury City Council members.

Council Member Karen Klinkhammer has attended the past two council meetings virtually and plans to do so for the remainder of the winter, which she is spending in Texas.

At a recent meeting, Council Member Curt Kiessling questioned whether a member should be allowed to leave the city for an extended period of time.

“It is my understanding, or my belief I suppose, that City Council members need to be present in order to understand what’s going on in the city,” he said.

Some people likened what Ms. Klinkhammer is doing to working from home.  My feeling is if people have to attend virtually due to health or even for short term absences that's one thing.  A local official who was snowbirding it part of the year in a warmer location like Texas or Florida is something else entirely, and I probably wouldn't vote for someone who was doing that regardless of their politics.  (Now of course if it's a liberal or even centrist democrat running against a hardcore Branch Trumpvidian I would probably make an exception).

A lot of things can be done 100% remote.  A government position like city council is not one of them.  I think a person needs to be readily available in the event of a crisis situation which is not guaranteed for someone snowbirding it.  Especially if there's a disaster and a continuity of government plan needs to be activated.  It also reduces their availability and disconnects them from the area they represent. 

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by 47of74

[fraurosena]

9 hours ago, 47of74 said:

One city council member in Asbury, Iowa is almost literally phoning it in

Some people likened what Ms. Klinkhammer is doing to working from home.  My feeling is if people have to attend virtually due to health or even for short term absences that's one thing.  A local official who was snowbirding it part of the year in a warmer location like Texas or Florida is something else entirely, and I probably wouldn't vote for someone who was doing that regardless of their politics.  (Now of course if it's a liberal or even centrist democrat running against a hardcore Branch Trumpvidian I would probably make an exception).

A lot of things can be done 100% remote.  A government position like city council is not one of them.  I think a person needs to be readily available in the event of a crisis situation which is not guaranteed for someone snowbirding it.  Especially if there's a disaster and a continuity of government plan needs to be activated.  It also reduces their availability and disconnects them from the area they represent. 

 

Typical Karen...

[47of74]

This ought to be interesting if the two branch trumpvidian candidates show up for this forum. 

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An upcoming forum will feature candidates running for a vacant seat on the Dubuque City Council.

Dubuque League of Women Voters will host the forum from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15. A press release states that an audience will not be present at the event, but it will be broadcast on live on Mediacom channels 117.2 and 8, at cityofdubuque.org/media and at facebook.com/CityOfDubuque.

The forum will feature candidates running for the council's Ward 4 seat in the March 1 primary election. The seat previously was held by Mayor Brad Cavanagh. The top two vote-getters will advance to the March 29 special election.

There are seven people running for that seat. 

[47of74]

Dubuque County’s longtime county treasurer retired a few months ago.  I doubt his successor will serve as long as he did.

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As part of a two-day sting operation targeting human trafficking through prostitution, officials have arrested 11 men including the Dubuque County Treasurer.

60-year-old Randy Wedewer, Dubuque’s County Treasurer, was arrested during the Dubuque Police, Dubuque County Sheriff, and Iowa State Patrol joint operation.

Court documents state that the operation consisted of undercover agents posting ads on social media sites offering sexual services for money and provided a location to the individuals that answered the ad.

Reports also indicate that at least one of the men were also charged with possession of drugs.

I hope this guy does the right thing and leaves office sooner rather than later. And if not I hope someone primaries his ass. 

[CTRLZero]

Lively dinner table conversations in this household, I’d bet.  Excerpted from Seattle Times.

By Mike Carter.  [bolding mine]

Spokane County Prosecutor Larry Haskell has officially apologized and attempted to distance himself from his wife’s racist rants on social media, but defense attorneys, experts in legal ethics and civil libertarians think his office and reputation are damaged, maybe beyond repair.

Lesley Haskell, 57, has found herself in the eye of a hurricane-force storm of controversy after the Inlander alternative newspaper in Spokane published a story on Jan. 27excerpting a string of posts on the conservative social media site Gab.com in which she freely used slurs referring to Blacks, Jews, Latinos and other ethnic groups — defending those statements as “free speech.” She had declared herself a “proud white nationalist” and held up the Ku Klux Klan as a beacon of “white culture.” 

In those posts, she appears to embrace the QAnon theory that Donald Trump remains the U.S. president, has posted photographs of herself with members of the far-right Proud Boys and, in one, declared that “white people need to start having more babies.”

Larry Haskell, who has served two terms as Spokane County’s elected prosecutor and has announced his intentions to seek a third this year, has rejected any notion that he holds similar views. Haskell, a former B-1 bomber pilot and graduate of Seattle University School of Law, met his wife while both were serving in the Air Force.

“I do not and will not tolerate racial bias or discrimination in any form,” he wrote in a letter posted on the prosecutor’s web page last week. “People that know me fully understand those are not my views. I do not tolerate racial bias or disparate treatment of any kind as proven by my words, deeds, and treatment of others during my tenure as prosecutor.

“I want to strongly reassure everyone that what was expressed in the Inlander, as my wife’s comments, are not my views nor the views of the prosecutor’s office — nor should they ever be,” Haskell wrote. “I have never and will never use such language. I apologize for the language and content as contained in the article.”

In a private memorandum shared with attorneys in his office and obtained by The Seattle Times, Haskell said, “I very much love my wife and want her to freely express herself; however, at times, we do not share or express the same thoughts.”

William S. Bailey, a professor from practice at the University of Washington Law School, notes that while Haskell’s statement appears “thoughtful, honest and sincere,” it does little to lift the taint of his wife’s words.

“This is a very interesting situation, somewhat unprecedented,” said Bailey. “There is no question that, at a minimum, this creates a fundamental appearance of fairness issue.

“I do know that if I was a member of a minority group, his wife’s comments would be transferred to Mr. Haskell, notwithstanding his comments to the contrary,” he said. “There is just too much bad history to ignore.

“There is no doubt in my mind that if Larry Haskell was a judge and this information about his wife came out, he would have to recuse himself from any case if asked to do so by an attorney for a party,” Bailey said. 

Kendrick Washington, the director of policy advocacy groups at the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, said “it would be reasonable that the public would question the integrity of that statement,” adding that a number of Spokane-area community groups have reached out to the ACLU in recent days for guidance….

The legal ability to do something should never be confused with a moral ability to do something,” Kuhlman added, stating that Haskell’s internal statement about wanting his wife to be able to “freely express herself” amounts to “tacit approval of her statements at best.” Haskell should condemn them, unequivocally, he believes.

“I’ll help; Nazis are bad. Bigotry is bad. ‘I am married to a racist; and this is beyond wrong,'” he said. “It is a simple statement to assert.”

Kuhlman said his firm, in conjunction with other lawyers and civil rights groups in the county, are “examining the legal options and ramifications now involved with the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office and all cases where the defendant is a minority,” he said.

 

[47of74]

At least the Dubuque County Treasurer had the common sense to resign after he was busted in a prostitution sting 

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Dubuque County’s treasurer resigned Friday, two days after he was arrested in a prostitution sting.

County Auditor Kevin Dragotto announced at about 9 p.m. Friday that he accepted the resignation of County Treasurer Randy L. Wedewer, 60, of Epworth, Iowa, that afternoon.

In accordance with state code, Dragotto assumed the office upon receipt of Wedewer’s resignation, a press release states.

“The Dubuque County Board of Supervisors will meet in the coming weeks to determine next steps,” it states.

Makes me wonder if the previous treasurer had known about Wedewer’s propensity to do stuff like this if he would’ve toughed it out and stayed until the next election then just not run again. 

[47of74]

Five of the seven candidates vying for the ward 4 seat in Dubuque participated in a League of Women Voters forum

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Five candidates vying for a vacant Dubuque City Council seat on Tuesday night discussed issues facing the city.

Carla Anderson, Hilary Dalton, Erik Kronstedt, R.R.S. Stewart and Katy Wethal answered questions during a forum hosted by the Dubuque League of Women Voters at the Historic Federal Building. Two other candidates for the seat did not participate.

Two other candidates also seek the Ward 4 seat but did not participate in Tuesday night’s event. Paul Kern did not attend, while Tim Flynn initially appeared at the event but refused to wear a face mask, despite a city ordinance requiring masks be worn in city buildings, and was asked by League of Women Voters members to leave.

Speaking with the Telegraph Herald, Flynn said he felt the requirement to wear a mask was a violation of his civil rights.

Dude, if I lived in ward 4 if I wasn't gonna vote for you before I sure as FUCK wouldn't vote for you after last night.  The last thing Dubuque needs are Branch Trumpvidian sticks of fuck like this who think only of themselves.

[47of74]

 

Dubuque County is planning to appoint its former auditor to the position instead;

 

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Members of the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors plan to tap the former longtime county auditor to serve as county treasurer until a new one is elected.

Supervisors at their meeting on Tuesday agreed to start the process to appoint Denise Dolan, who recently retired as county auditor after more than 30 years in the role, to serve as the county’s treasurer.

The move comes a little more than a week after former County Treasurer Randy Wedewer — who was appointed to the role in January — resigned after being arrested on a prostitution charge during a sting operation conducted by local and state law enforcement.

Dragotto said he had not reached out to Eric Stierman, who served as county treasurer for 27 years before retiring late last year, as he believed Stierman was not currently in the state. Dragotto also said he and supervisors initially considered appointing someone from inside the treasurer’s office, as they did with Wedewer when Stierman retired, but they thought that would not be a good course in light of Wedewer’s resignation.

I think that's the best move possible given the circumstances.  I don't see her getting busted for anything like what Wedewer did, and Dolan made it pretty clear she's not going to run for reelection. 

[47of74]

Some good news out of Dubuque.  The Branch Trumpvidian in ward 4 only got 25 votes in the special primary election.  So he's not advancing to the final election.  Two two candidates that are going on to the general - either would be a good choice. 

[47of74]

Down in Dubuque someone is in the process of getting kicked off the Equity and Human Rights Commission.

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The Dubuque City Council is taking a rare step next week to kick a member off the city’s Equity and Human Rights Commission. Dereka Williams-Robinson was appointed to the commission in February of last year. But meeting minutes show she hasn’t attended a meeting in 15 months.

“Dereka has been absent since May of last year, and she has been receiving communication through different formats and the chairperson has tried numerous times to do so. She has only shown up for three meetings,” said Chief of Equity and Human Rights Gisella Aitken-Shadle.

”With her gone, they didn’t have quorum for a while, because we had other members that weren’t there as well. So basically, what it did, was it held open a spot to get somebody in there for about a year now.” said Carla Anderson, the Chair of the Human Rights Commission.

After several messages went unanswered, KCRG-TV9 was able to get a hold of Dereka Williams-Robinson by phone. She said she is now running a daycare and was simply too busy to attend once-a-month commission meetings. She was aware she was about to be removed and seemed ok with it but claimed to have not received messages from the commission about it. She did say she hoped she could serve on another commission or board in the future.

This makes me fucking mad.  I hope Dereka is never allowed to serve on another commission or board ever again.  She's such as selfish back end of a horse.  If her business was interfering with her ability to fullffill her board obligations (which I doubt at this fucking point) she should have resigned so a new member could be either appointed or elected.  She hurt people with legitimate human rights concerns because the commission did not not have a quorum to act.  Up to me she'd be facing some goddamn criminal charges for her behavior.

Edited August 6, 2023 by 47of74

[47of74]

Liberal advocacy groups are having to be a lot more active in school board elections given how groups like Branch Trumpvidians for Liberty are these days;

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School board elections are set to be held on November 7th, 2023 across Iowa. Usually, they’re held without much fanfare, but that’s not the case this year. Some major advocacy groups are endorsing school board candidates and even spending thousands of dollars to back them.

“One thing that I used to tell people when they were looking to run for office and they didn’t want a race that was gonna have a lot of money or vitriol in it was go run for school board, right, and I would not - would not tell anybody that anymore,” says Keenan Crow.

Crow is with One Iowa Action, an LGBTQ advocacy organization. Crow says they’ve never endorsed or spent money in support of school board candidates before, but felt they didn’t have a choice due to recent changes in state law.

“This is a totally reactive position on our end. This is not something we wanted to do. We were forced into it by the legislature, by Moms for Liberty, by a number of these other national actors that are trying to involve themselves in these hyper-local elections,” Crow said.

 

[47of74]

After this happened I delivered a righteous dose of 47 indignation to both the Dubuque and Chicago city councils. 

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It took a Dubuque County jury just over an hour this afternoon to convict a man of first-degree murder for a fatal February shooting.


Aaron C. Johnson, 25, of Chicago, was charged in Iowa District Court of Dubuque County with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the death of Lonnie E. Burns, 31, of Dubuque.


The jury this afternoon found Johnson guilty on both counts after roughly 75 minutes of deliberation.


The verdict came after four days of testimony from over a dozen witnesses, including several co-defendants in the case.


I'm trying to be understanding and everything and not sink to the levels of the Dubuque's Kluxers but at the same time I am just so disappointed to see Dubuque's North End being destroyed since my mom's side of the family grew up there.  With one of my uncles (not the one who just died) he had to move into assisted living and they just listed his North End house for sale.  There's no way I would have bought the place and moved there with the amount of crime going on there and the Dubuque council's unwillingness to deal with the problem.

I also emailed the Chicago email and told him off about the ongoing exportation of. criminals from Chicago to Dubuque.  Of course since most Chicago mayors - especially the Daleys and Lightfoot - seem to exist to only preen to the cameras to seek  higher office I'm not expecting much.