BETRAYED: Mahlon Mitchell Supports Scott Walker on Residency Requirement
“Mahlon Mitchell, the president of the Professional Fire Fighters Association of Wisconsin who ran unsuccessfully against Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch in last June’s recall, says he’s backing Gov. Scott Walker in his effort to end residency rules statewide.”
As the old cliché goes “politics makes for interesting bed fellows.” So is the case of Scott Walker and once rival challenger Lt. Governor Mahlon Mitchell. Mitchell has left the reservation of the Democratic stable to support the Republicans and Governor Walker in lifting the residency requirements statewide. (Residency Requirement-city employees must live where they work.)
I am not for lifting the residency requirement. We are barely maintaining now in the inner city. We need the economic stimulus that is generated from our city employed neighbors to sustain the community until we get this mayor and this governor to create a sustainable economic base.
Lifting the residency would cripple our already strained inner city economics especially. The mayor and his minions are stuck on a damn trolley and not so keen on the inner city. Yes it is purely about preserving our community for me regarding the residency requirement. Mr. Mitchell ran to every Black radio show, every Black town hall, meeting and etc… during the recall elections selling a pack of lies about the importance of Black economic growth and Black job creation as priority #1 that he would initiate personally. How would you have done that when you are now advocating for your EMPLOYEED FIREFIGHERTER BRETHEREN who want to move? They knew the requirement when they applied for the job. And one other tidbit they have many don’t have in the inner city, A WELL PAYING JOB! So where are your priorities Mr. Mitchell? Did you lie to us all that time? You cannot serve two masters, sound familiar? As an aside I do know there are some good white folks who want to stay. I am not directing this at them. However…
Sure some white folks will sneak in for the occasional Jake’s Corn beef fix or a dash to Speed Queen but that is about it. Those who are “forced to work/live here” actually have to mingle with us and help us fix Milwaukee. Damn shame! They also realize Milwaukee is not as bad as some would have us to believe. It sure ain’t Chicago!! Those so quick to leave, well I am sure they have their reasons but you took the job knowing the requirement in the first place. And hey Milwaukee is a great place on a great lake right!!??
Secondly, pure and simple people tend not to take an interest in things they do not see or have to deal with. Out of sight out of mind! We will no longer be an issue they HAVE to care about.
If the residency requirement is lifted we all know what it means, many whites will get the hell out of dodge and the only thing they will leave behind are scummy landlords who collect on the first of the month and do little else.
It is no surprise to me that the onetime side kick of Tom Barrett revealed his true color now and sides with the Republicans on something so vital to the Black community. This is not Mahlon Mitchell’s first time being exposed as a fraud. Another such time, Media Trackers showed he had never even voted before 2010 despite his big sermons to Blacks that WE needed to be responsible. Come again? He had not been civically responsible himself. How the Democrats even came to choosing him I will never understand and why he continues to come up as a relevant political figure is even more mystifying. About a month ago he mentioned motherhood as not a real job. Now this? What next for Mr. Mitchell?
At least we now know it was politricks as usual. However many did give him their precious vote. If he has his way, working with his new pal Scott Walker he will help shut us down. I hope he knows he is not welcome around these parts again. We need to vet our candidates better before we give them our blessing. There are many good leaders out there we must do better recruiting, training, and mentoring. Peace Family, WW
Statement by Mahlon Mitchell, PFFW State President Regarding the Budget Repair Bill Introduced Today by Gov. Scott Walker
“We are pleased that Gov. Walker recognizes the critical work that we do protecting the residents of our communities. We are there 24 hours every day, 7 days every week. We do our jobs regardless of conditions that we face.
We also know that all public employees across this great state are hardworking, dedicated individuals. We all make sacrifices every day but the Governor recognizes that what we do is unique and we applaud him for recognizing that.
Governor Walker from the time he was a State Representative has demonstrated that he understands what we do and why we do it and why it is so important to our communities.
We know that state and local governments are facing tough economic times. We look forward to working with Gov. Walker, state legislators of both political parties, local officials, and other public sector unions in an effort to help solve the severe economic problems that our state is facing.”
Some may have seen the discussion between Rebecca Kleefisch and Mahlon Mitchell a couple of weeks ago. Mr. Mitchell denied signing boycott letters that kept some businesses leery of doing business with Wisconsin. The letters were found with his John Hancock on them. Why he chose to lie, he never did explain, nor apologize.
Now we find he went on national TV and again said some things that were uninformed and disingenuous.
On last Thursday’s ON THE RECORD at 10pm/ET, Wisconsin lieutenant governor candidate Mahlon Mitchell made the following comment about ABC Supply Co. owner Diane Hendricks: “Well, I think you got to look at people like Diane Hendricks, who’s one of Scott Walker’s buddy billionaires, who paid no corporate tax last year and is worth over $2.8 billion. So I think if you look at the tax breaks and loopholes that we have in our state, if we were to fill some of those loopholes, I would imagine you’d find more than $3.6 billion to balance the budget.”
ABC Supply’s tax director Scott Bianchini sent us this statement in response to Mitchell’s remarks:
Statement regarding Diane Hendricks and ABC Supply’s Income Taxes:
Mahlon Mitchell recently said the following: “Well, I think you got to look at people like Diane Hendricks, who’s one of Scott Walker’s buddy billionaires, who paid no corporate tax last year and is worth over $2.8 billion.”
ABC Supply has paid $1,078,000 in estimated corporate income taxes to Wisconsin for 2011. ABC operates nationwide and pays income taxes to many other states where ABC has a larger business presence such as California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois. ABC has paid many millions of dollars in corporate income taxes to these states and others as well as federal corporate income taxes. In support of the Wisconsin taxes, I have attached substantiation for ABC Supply’s estimated payments for 2011 Wisconsin corporate income taxes. These payments total $1,078,000.
ABC Supply’s 2011 Wisconsin corporate income tax return has yet to be filed. Like many other taxpayers, ABC extended the filing date of their 2011 Wisconsin tax return from March 15, 2012 to September 17, 2012. Therefore, neither the State of Wisconsin nor Mahlon Mitchell has any data yet regarding ABC Supply’s 2011 corporate income tax return as it has yet to be filed. However, once it’s filed, it will become a matter of public record that for 2011 ABC Supply paid over $1 million of corporate Wisconsin income taxes.
Finally, Mr. Mitchell refers to Diane Hendricks paying corporate income taxes. Individuals don’t pay corporate taxes, only corporations pay corporate taxes.
Mr. Mitchell’s statements are inaccurate and uninformed in every respect.
Black elected and top Black officials sell out the Black community in Wisconsin Recalls.
Aka …What Have You Done For Me Lately Tom Barrett?
Warning this is rated “T” for truth talk! You been warned.
Screw ideology, party politicking, Scott Walker love, and anything else people pin on me. This is about me “Citizen WW” of Milwaukee’s inner city and my disappointment with my mayor and some of my Black elected in which I entrusted to make ALL of Milwaukee a better place. I’m still waitin’!!
And now you want me to vote for you for governor so you can screw us statewide. Ah thanks, but no thanks!
My beloved Black community, no matter what, you must admit at one time or another you question, or have questioned where on the list of Tom Barrett’s priorities are we? We seem to be so loyal to the Democratic Party to the point we often forget that in these times when every vote counts, we need to put ourselves out there loudly and demand a little something, something for our vote!
FRUSTRATION
We have waited 8 years for Tom Barrett to do something together with us and for us to move this inner city out of the doomed, desolate independent island it has become. If it were not for Milele Coggs, Willie Hines, the new youth movements, and others (whether you agree with them or not) have been the only ones to recognize our existence. To my disappointment Mr. Barrett you have not formed successfully any segregation task force, an inner city business coalition, an independent task force to study urban blight in Milwaukee as it is uniquely different from anything in any other state in the union despite the painstaking work put out there for you to use in the war against racism and segregation.
Selling Out
Tom Barrett has been all over the state in the last months meeting with labor unions, residents, business officials, all to secure their vote. He is now engaged in “Neighbor to Neighbor” campaigning all around the state but noticeably absent from his list of “neighbors” is the Black population of the entire state. Yes thanks to our eagerness to support continued failure, we are not on Tom Barrett’s “to do” list AT ALL.
Before even becoming the Democratic candidate in the recall race, some Black s bucked with unions supporting Kathleen Falk in favor of the more appeasing Barrett. They also bucked union loyalty and the very reasons for the recalls, but that’s for another blog! Before the primary elections, before Tom Barrett even dropped his name officially, many Blacks signed off on his candidacy without any promises to the Wisconsin Negro. NONE! WE just gave it up. Barrett didn’t even have to ask. Lena Taylor appeared on Ed Schultz’s MSNBC show the very next night putting it out there for free (“it” meaning our support).
Barrett checked us off the “to do” list before we even had a chance to gather or list our demands without a care in the world. He sent Maholn Mitchell and other Black elected to gather the “loose sheep” and kept it moving. Like the soulless people some of our Black elected have become they bowed down and kissed the ring. “All good here my Lord!!” “No problem here masa, we got your back!”
Hold the hell on one damn minute. Let’s take a look at what Tom Barrett has done, or rather not done for the Milwaukee Negro and his role in the lack of advancement of our people!
Barrett is a non factor, non presence in this community. A couple of appearances in safe houses like Black churches or in Black media don’t count as being activelypresent in our community. We have allowed him to use these comfort zones tirelessly. We never demand he be at the countless homicide vigils, on the porches of those who have nothing to do all day because they have no jobs, or at the homeless shelters filled to the brink with our people standing in never ending lines that seem to grow each day. He is not in the schools reading books or sponsoring drives to collect needed items for those desperately in need of saving. A good mayor would be on the front lines, boots on the ground…like Cory Booker of New Jersey. It ain’t that hard, it’s your city. Let me see you walk down all North Avenue without a camera crew and talk to real rock from the rock about what’s really hood out here.
Barrett has presided over 8 years of hyper segregation without saying a word about it. Milwaukee was in a measly third place pre-Barrett and now comfortably occupies the #1 spot under his regime. Makes you wonder if it was not his problem from jump as many claim, then why won’t he solve it or even address it? What does he have to loose? He didn’t create it. Agreed but he certainly has condoned its existence and growth by his consistent silence about it.
Instead of creating jobs and attending to the most pressing issues of the day, Barrett has been chasing Mr. Roger’s trolley dreams, with no promising interests for us. The trolley, a federal funded program that was designed to support transit in the city that links to the central train system has been sitting around for years until now. See my blogs “Streetcar Named Segregation” or “Streetcar Named Debt” for the run down. The plan has no inclusion of Negro interaction until its last stages only if it is successful. Even now we see alder people arguing, almost fighting on this issue and its importance on Milwaukee’s list of priorities. Those for it refuse a referendum because they don’t want the truth to come out about its “lack of steam.” Not to mention the utility concerns, outrageous costs, and local business concerns about how the trolley plan will hurt businesses by clogging up streets and blocking access.
One must in good concious wonder exactly where on the “Barrett list” are Black Milwaukeeans? More importantly why did our Black pols sell out our most precious vote without a request, list of demands, any programming, a meeting, or attention to what matters most to us-JOBS!
Like a cheap —– we gave it up, our vote, our voice, without getting our cut off the top! Like the unions are doing, they are getting something for their partnership with Barrett. Believe that!
Adding Insult to Injury
Sending Mahlon Mitchell to the hood was another insult and slap in the face. He is not from our hood and does not understand our struggle to survive. Not even sure who he is, hard to get some background on the brother. All I know is he is a union boy with no ties to Milwaukee’s inner city. He came with no plans, no promises, no prosperity for Milwaukee Negros, just more party rhetoric which means nothing to us. We heard it all before brother! We still looking to get fed and words ain’t fillin’ the empty plates. Bring us something we can get behind, some numbers, some benefits, or some programs and tell me what you will do if you had access to state coiffeurs. Unlike some of my Black elected and despite what ya heard, I like steak and lobster not hope and change. I can’t feed my family on promises anymore. Do some damage and show me what ya got! Unveil the plan, lead the new revolution, and give us the same thing you give to unions and those whose votes you all are working so hard to get. Don’t tell me about debates, investigations, and what the other guy didn’t do, tell me what you will do FOR ME!
So I ask as I hope all Blacks will demand of their Black elected, leaders, and media outlets:
What Black pol is going to dare tell Barrett to hold up a second and tell him we got some demands or we taking our ish back. No vote until we get some concessions!
What Black pol is willing to shed the “D” burned on their chest and tell these people we hurtin’ and until we see some hope and change coming our way we won’t be givin’ it up like expected?
What Black leader elected or otherwise is going to tell Barrett and the like that we dying out here and now the police are on us too? Come on somebody feel me out here!
What media outlet will ask the hard questions, buck the Democratic rhetoric and go off script to have some real grown up discussion? Hello anybody? I know somebody other than me is sick of taking the same old ish every single election cycle.
I’m just sayin’ we can do better, go further, move FORWARD if we weren’t so damn cheap with our vote. Want to know why so much apathy? We sell out every chance we get! Stand in solidarity and demand our 40 acres and a mule before we give our vote!
Tom Barrett win or lose we still got him one way or another so if not now when things are tight and votes matter, when do we put us first? I know in these next few weeks if we make a concentrated effort we can gain his attention and make our vote worth more than it has ever been. Lord knows we been carrying him all the way to the unemployment lines and back faithfully. It is time for Tom Barrett to do some heavy lifting and court us in the Black community like the rest of this state. It is also past time to demand that our Black pols do us a solid and stop selling us out without getting something off the top like every other group. Stop jumping the gun and being a “yes” person and make some demands.
SMH!!!
“You’re quite hostile,
I got a right to be hostile, man my people being persecuted!”
Wisconsin Democrats turn out to support anything but Collective Bargaining & Unions.
Last night MilwaukeeMayor Tom Barrett defeated union backed Kathleen Falk, publically admitting the Democratic fight was not really a fight about union solidarity and Collective Bargaining after all.
For over a year now Wisconsin has been plagued with red shirts and blue fists, protests for union solidarity, and for collective bargaining. However the person who steered way far away from unions came out victorious. While Barrett made a very passionate speech last night, Dem blogs were lit up about the fact that he bucked the union solidarity day march and rally because he did not want to be seen with unions standing with him. Yet they voted for him anyway. So what was all that marching and protesting about if you voted for the very person who did to you what he has been doing to Blacks for over 8 years? Ignoring you!
In his speech, Barrett talked about out of state contributors, when in fact last week he welcomed Rahm Emmanuel and others to stand with him. He spoke about civility when his record shows a clear pattern of divisiveness in his own backyard. Some will remember when Barrett became mayor of Milwaukee; the city was #3 in most segregated cities in the nation. Milwaukee now under Barrett has enjoyed the #1 most segregated city in the union for most of his mayorship. Yet we look at the Milwaukee Community Journal and see most of our Black elected supporting him. An inconvenient truth Black Milwaukee does not want to discuss, but it is so disturbing.
Many politicians ask are you better now than you where after my term? Well Black Milwaukee can unequivocally say hell no! Yet and still we support this man simply because he is a Democrat and the one thing we dare not upset is the Democratic Party. The Milwaukee Black has yet to learn this party has been no friend to us. Now don’t get me wrong I am not saying Republicans are better, but a blind vote for the Dems is a sign of agreement to the treatment we have been given. It is a clear overlooking of how our people have been ignored by this mayor and his party and thumbs up to continually being treated this way. Much like the battered wife, this abusive mayor keeps ignoring us except when the sheep need to be herded back into the fold. He uses our own people to do it, which is even worse. I will never understand our blind lust for this man or any party really, but particularly the Democratic Party, which is like a growing fungus in our community. What I do understand is that he is not the person to lead the Democrats and unions against a fight with this governor for the third time. REALLY??
Last Night’s Numbers:
Last night’s numbers do not have any real revelations for us other than Governor Scott Walker has a little more breathing room and Barrett’s climb is more uphill than predicted. Remember some Repubs played chess thinking a vote for Falk would be the best bet. Some Dems thought a vote for the fake Republican could catch Walker in a sneak attack and oust him right from jump. Neither move worked. The masses decided to send messages of support rather than play chicken. However the message was not well received and as the numbers came in, commercials for both candidates blitzed the media outlets in full force well before the AP declared anything.
Barrett vs. Walker
As mayor, Barrett will be hard pressed to speak to job creation, unifying the state, or education. He is 10% above the national average in unemployment, of course with Blacks highest in this category. Again #1 in segregation, and when he tried to take over MPS he was shouted down off the ledge. I really cannot think of the last time that idea crossed his lips again. He has proceeded over watching businesses leave Milwaukee, conventions and annual events never come back, leaving the Midwest Convention Center all but destitute. He has now watched condos go up only to be possibly half-filled. His trolley idea is a bust and he is pretty much left with attacks which will not create any civility. His campaign will have to be based on smearing and attacking. What else is there for him to speak positively about? Does anyone remember when Milwaukee hosted the biggest science fiction convention in the nation? They all but begged him to find a way to work with them to stay, but he had other things to do. They left and took millions in revenue and jobs with them. Not to mention gone are the Hollywood stars, TMZ, and all that comes with a international thriving industry. Aduh, where did they go?
There is the new hospitality industry and the new hotels being built but if you cannot keep conventions coming back how long will those hotels last? Summerfest is only for a few weeks and then what? Wait around for another Harley reunion? We have all been waiting for the “big plan” to accompany these new hotels but so far nada!
He cannot run on taxes because his have gone up every year except one and this year all Wisconsin homeowners saw monetary relief by April 15th courtesy of Governor Walker. Meanwhile this mayor had the nerve to get on TV and happily tell his constituents that foreclosed homes were theirs for the taking. Did he not forget that some of the people who saw that commercial were the very people evicted from their homes and foreclosure victims? Did he not think of the hurt and pain they faced as they watched their dreams being sold away as they watched him laughing it up on TV? They remember.
Barrett made the promise to young people that he would initiate a jobs program but with him being gone so much the program is sitting around with little movement and hundreds of applications waiting to be addressed. Another failed program that needed Barrett “all in” to get it moving. We now hold out hope the City Council led by Willie Hines will move it forward.
There are a host of other things that could be listed (after all, in 8 years of failed leadership there is a lot of time and damage to recount) but like the Teflon Don, this mayor will disavow these things like he does many of his failed ideas and programs. We have police brutality on the rise, crimes of armed robbery, car theft, property damage, sex trafficking all rising with little to no response by this mayor. It is as if he knows nothing about his own city. How can we expect him to deal with state issues? Will he bring his segregation to the state? Will he takeover state education as he attempted with MPS? Scary thoughts indeed.
And then there is Act 10. You cannot bash a governor and ride his coattails! His tools were implemented by you and now you are going to bash them? It won’t sit well outside Milwaukee.
Walker has going for him that he has not served a full term as a Governor, whereas Barrett has been allowed to ruin Milwaukee for 8 disastrous years. Walker however has some work to do. Many wonder if he had not had to address a statewide hissy fit, how far could we be? As far as the Jon Doe investigation, he can honestly say HE INITIATED IT! So if anything comes of it, short of him on the phone making an illegal transaction, that ship has sailed and he did what he was supposed to do. He reported it and yes in Wisconsin if I was a Republican I would lawyer up too! It is just par for the course. Dane county and Milwaukee County are liberal to the core and he has to protect himself. Most will understand this especially after looking at the recall signature sheets.
I would suggest to Walker that he be more vigilant about his dealings with Black media.He is going to have to take the fight to Barrett and that means dealing with the people who hate him the most, the black media in Milwaukee. This means buying whole pages of the Milwaukee Community Journal and Milwaukee Courier, with a simple message of what he has done. He will need to explain “Transforming Milwaukee.” He will have to sit in the hot seat and get away from the comfort of Mark, Charlie, and Jay. He will have to sit with Eric and Earl and bring it. He may also want to seek out the Black Conservative Media which is growing in the state. After hearing the Koch chants and big businesses mantra and all the rhetoric he can stomach, he will have his turn to speak. When all Dem talking points have been exhausted people tire of them and they will listen. He will have to get out and walk up and down North Avenue, something this mayor refuses to do, get back on busses and meet people where they are in the streets.
This fight does not have to get ugly; all he need do is what he should have been doing all along, connecting with us. No need to even mention Barrett because he is not present to us either! So why spend a single minute talking about him? We in the Black community know very well our plight (even though we ignore it so). Walker must show and tell what he is doing different to circumvent this mayor to get Black Milwaukee back on track. He must showcase his committee of bipartisan representation. This mayor does not have that type of committee; this governor has for well over a year.
June 5th
The next four weeks will be telling indeed. Barrett has already lied last night about civility. I have been subscribed to his tweets for some time and what he does not say in public, he and staff say via twitter. It is ugly and nasty and it will come to light. His calling for a state of healing was only a Kodak moment comment. His tweets show a very ugly side to his campaign.
How much will the unions conform and sell out? Given Barrett turned down their big union love day, he has some fence mending and kissing to do. Some of them are very upset and rightfully so. He is going away from everything they marched and protested for.
The flight of the 14 was a stuntand now it is confirmed as they sold out as soon as Barrett dropped his name. This race is not about unions or Collective Bargaining. It is about power and the lengths Dems will go not to part from it.
This race when all is said and done will not bring resolution or compromise people wish for. It will not end peacefully, nor will either side come together to sing Kumbaya!
At the end of the day this race will hopefully be about two men standing on their convictions and records allowing voters to judge those two things alone.
