The Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had a top-of-the-fold story with the headline “Doyle’s travel reports deficient.” It is, at the very least, an odd story, but given the paper’s history of overdone crusades against Gov. Jim Doyle on such matters as “Travelgate” (in which no wrongdoing was ever proven), its oddness seems to betray a familiar slant.
Frankly, the story seems like small potatoes. The big news is that Doyle only provided credit card statements for many expenses and not the actual receipts to back up the statements. Doyle once took a business class ticket to Ireland rather than flying as coach fare. And Doyle and his staff once took a chauffeured minivan and a chauffeured SUV, when they could have spent half that amount if they rented two vehicles.
That’s certainly worth covering, but as the most important story of the week? And don’t the findings deserve a little more context?
For starters, does anyone believe longtime Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson traveled coach fare every time he traveled? I’m dubious. For that matter, is it really so bad for the state’s chief executive to travel business class in his efforts to promote the state?
Doyle’s chief of staff, Susan Goodwin, was quoted in the story saying Doyle spends much less on travel expenses than other governors. That certainly got me wondering, as I recall Thompson as the ultimate globetrotter, who did all sorts of travel junkets. So how much has Doyle spent compared to Thompson?
I asked the Doyle administration for this information, and the figures – which use real dollars (adjusted for inflation) and only go back as far as 1994 – show Doyle spent just over $58,000 a year from 2003-2008, compared to just over $103,000 a year for Republican Gov. Scott McCallum in 2001 and 2002 and just under $179,000 annually for Thompson from 1994 through 2000.
It’s possible there’s something suspect about these figures. They were, after all, provided by Doyle’s people. But doesn’t it seem strange that the JS, which spent months on this story, didn’t feel it was worth asking for these figures and analyzing how much Doyle spent on travel versus his predecessors? I can’t help thinking the taxpayers are more concerned about how much governors actually spend on travel junkets than how detailed their expense reports are.
My recollection is that Thompson got nothing but praise for all this travel, for his efforts to cheerlead for Wisconsin. But when Doyle does it, the JS checks if he traveled by coach fare.
Another unusual thing about the story is that much of the research was done by UW-Madison journalism students working with UW professor Deborah Blum, and with the new Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, a nonprofit group that was launched in January of this year. The Center is run by Andy Hall, a longtime Wisconsin State Journal reporter. Hall says the Journal Sentinel called the shots as to what appeared in the story. He also says the student reporters made some attempt to check how governors of other states handle travel expenses, but the reporting wasn’t comprehensive, so it was left out. He says the research project made no attempt to compare Doyle’s spending to Thompson’s. “We’re proud of the story,” Hall says, referring to the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.
Mark Katches, the departing JS editor who oversaw investigative projects like this, says “this story is about a failure to properly document travel, which all state employees, including elected officials, are required to do. There is no clause or provision that we know of that exempts the governor from following the same rules as everyone else.”
I’d certainly agree it deserves coverage. But the story seems badly lacking in context.
Film Festival Financial Problem?
Last October, Diane Bacha was hired as the executive director of Milwaukee Film. She has just announced her resignation. She will not be replaced, says Chris Abele, a key donor to and board member of Milwaukee Film. The group will put on a high-profile film festival this fall, from Sept. 24-Oct. 4.
I’ve heard rumblings for a couple months that the festival was having some financial problems. The fact that Bacha will not be replaced suggests the festival had to cut back on expenses. Abele says that artistic director Jonathan Jackson will now wear a second hat, as acting executive director.
Last year, Abele’s Argosy Foundation, along with the Herzfeld Foundation, pulled their funding from the Milwaukee International Film Festival, which had essentially been run by the Shepherd Express weekly. I wrote about that in past columns like this one.
Abele was able to pick up the key staff of the old film festival, who had been laid off. But he had more ambitious plans, and added the position of executive director. Abele and Herzfeld both doubled their funding (from $50,000 to $100,000 apiece), which was now going to the new group.
Abele’s Argosy Foundation hit tough times last fall and withdrew all support from the Milwaukee Shakespeare company he created, which then went out of business. But Abele says he has paid the full $100,000 he promised to Milwaukee Film.
The group seemed thrilled to get Bacha, and in March, she secured a presenting sponsor deal with the Journal Sentinel. It will help the festival showcase more than 100 films this fall. Abele says Milwaukee Film has also secured a $50,000 grant from David Uihlein, but suggested this was secured by members of its fairly high-powered board.
Bacha e mailed me to say her departure was amicable. One Milwaukee Film insider tells me “they were expecting a well-oiled take-charge person who would be successful at fundraising,” implying that Bacha didn’t fit the bill. But Bacha had the job only nine months, which is a very short window of opportunity to try to write grants and secure funding.
Abele says, “I have enormous respect for Diane. She helped establish a foundation we can build on.”
Somehow, Milwaukee’s attempt to create a world-class film festival continues to run into obstacles. My guess is the group will get over this bump and put on a good festival this fall. But it will be good news for film lovers when the big news is on, rather than off, the screen.
The Buzz
–Milwaukee Magazine Pressroom columnist Erik Gunn is now doing a column on Facebook with updates every week or so. Last week, he was the first to report the Journal Sentinel’s announcement of yet more layoffs: The paper is looking for at least 25 more newsroom employees to take a buyout. Gunn has also reported that the paper will replace its well-regarded investigative projects editor, Mark Katches (who has resigned), from within rather than through a national search. If you are registered with Facebook, you can sign up for updates from Gunn’s blog, which is indispensible for anyone who cares about the local press.
-The rumblings I’ve heard suggest JS classical music and dance critic Tom Strini and theater critic Damien Jacques could take a buyout. If that happens, I suspect the newspaper will rely on freelancers. That will be a major loss for the Milwaukee arts scene.
-Channel 12 got hold of the e-mail correspondence between reporter Jessica McBride and Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn. Reporter Colleen Henry, who reviewed the e-mail, concluded the affair began in May, long after McBride completed her profile of Flynn for Milwaukee Magazine. Her report also includes some insights into Flynn’s style as police chief.
-Why has Brewer Ryan Braun suddenly become a malcontent? The Sports Nut knows all.
-And if you are looking for the quickest, yet most informative, reviews of current movies, check out the Moviegoer.
