Legalectric

Back to Wisconsin’s Ed Garvey:

This is the Ed Garvey who ran in 1998 for Governor of Wisconsin, who over the years took around $500,000 in Wisconsin’s Intervenor Compensation to represent SOUL on the Arrowhead Transmission Line (and put a first year attorney on the case), and recently in his blog seemed upset that WI’s Democratic Gov. Doyle signed the legislation that gave utilities power to take county land for the Arrowhead Transmission Line… Huh? Can it be that Garvey, the 1998 Democratic gubernatorial candidate, doesn’t know what the Democratic gubernatorial candidates before and after him have done? Does he not know of Chuch Chvala’s impending trial? Does he not know of Doyle’s acceptance of campaign money from utility PACs and employees?

Funny how it works — I got this article from a “little birdie” in Wisconsin moments ago…

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal (click on headline for full story):

Utilities gave Doyle cash as projects OK’d

Political action committees for and employees of Wisconsin Energy Corp., Wisconsin Public Service Corp. and American Transmission Co. gave Doyle $50,660 just before or after their projects received key approvals, according to figures collected by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a non-partisan group pushing for campaign finance reform.

And it’s an ongoing thing:

Between 2002 and June 30, 2004, people affiliated with the state’s gas and electric utilities gave Doyle $133,323, a 17-fold increase over the $7,911 such individuals gave Doyle from 1995 to 2001 when he was attorney general, the report found.

Here’s an itemization of Doyle’s “Energy” contributors.

Why is Garvey having so much trouble accepting that Chvala and Doyle are utility toadies? Is it because the straight line between the 1994 and 2002 races runs right through Garvey’s 1998 race?