New tourism chair hit over 2011 email
Baas wanted to claim fraud before possible recount
What’s old is new at City Hall. Ald. Michael Murphy is objecting to the appointment of Steve Baas as the next chairman of the Board of Directors for Visit Milwaukee, the region’s convention and visitors bureau.
Murphy, chairman of the Finance and Personnel Committee, is calling the selection “outrageous” for those in the city who believe in “the sacred nature of our right to vote.” Baas was a longtime Republican aide who is now a top official with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
What’s Murphy basing his complaint on? The veteran alderman is citing a column I wrote in 2016 on a leak of documents from the now-defunct John Doe investigation into the political activities of former Gov. Scott Walker and his allies. Walker was never charged with wrongdoing, though several of his former aides were.
Among the documents was one showing Republican insiders discussed ginning up concerns over voter fraud in the days after then-Supreme Court Justice David Prosser narrowly defeated challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg in April 2011.
“Do we need to start messaging ‘widespread reports of election fraud’ so we are positively set up for the recount regardless of the final number? I obviously think we should,” Baas wrote to a group of conservative operatives on April 6, 2011, a day after the ProsserKloppenburg contest.
“Yes. Anything fishy should be highlighted,” wrote former Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, who was Baas’ boss in the Legislature. “Stories should be solicited by talk show hosts.”
At the time of the email exchange, it was in doubt who would win the contest. Prosser, the Republicans’ pick, eventually came out on top.
Murphy said Tuesday that the email exchange represents a “sad and cynical” effort by Baas and other Republicans to manipulate the public by making up concerns about voter fraud.
“It is outrageous, and his appointment should be immediately reconsidered by the VISIT Milwaukee board of directors,” Murphy said in a statement.
Baas doesn’t want to be drawn into the debate.
Asked Tuesday about the criticism, Baas demurred, saying he wasn’t
interested in responding.
“Just seems like there are a few more important things to do right now than to re-hash a decade-old statewide political campaign,” said Baas, a Brookfield resident.
As you might expect, Murphy — who is not generally prone to outbursts — was none to happy with Baas’ refusal to engage.
“I can imagine why he doesn’t want to talk,” Murphy said in a Tuesday interview. “It’s not a legacy he should be proud of.”
The liberal alderman said the email exchange from 2011 represents the state GOP’s agenda toward Milwaukee over the years. He accused Republicans of requiring to show identification before voting at the polls based on “non-existent” claims of voter fraud.
He said the requiring of voter ID has cost the taxpayers an estimated $5.7 million and has made it more difficult for minorities, seniors and students to cast their ballots in Wisconsin.
“In a time of potentially significant change and awakening in terms of correcting injustices perpetrated against African Americans and people of color for decades,” Murphy asked, “why in the world are we putting Steve Baas in charge of the board of directors of our top tourism entity?”
Baas’ promotion takes effect in January.