Public Policy Forum
The Freeze ... To Be Continued
by Joe Murray
On Tuesday, August 12, the Wisconsin State Senate failed to
override Governor Jim Doyle's veto of the property tax levy "freeze"
by one vote.
Majority Republicans needed 22 votes to override Doyle's veto, a
two-thirds vote of the 33-member Senate. Eighteen Senate Republicans
were joined by three Democrats: Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee), Gary
George (D-Milwaukee), and Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay). The override
failed on a 21-12 vote.
Only hours after the State Senate failed to override Doyle's veto,
Assembly Republicans passed their version of the freeze on a 62-31
vote. The GOP Assembly majority wanted to make sure Assembly Democrats
had to cast a vote on the popular and controversial freeze proposal.
Issue Will Not Go Away
With the GOP in control of both the Senate and Assembly, the freeze
proposal will very likely come back for a vote this fall or early next
year. After the stunning victory by Republican Mark Honadel (R-South
Milwaukee) in the 21st Assembly district special election, Republicans
believe they may be on the right side of a growing property tax revolt
in Wisconsin.
Assembly Speaker John Gard stated, "Tonight's just another step in
the battle that we're not walking away from."
Majority Leader Mary Panzer also supported the freeze, stating,
"The footsteps of the taxpayers are what we're hearing. The footsteps
are getting louder and louder and louder. They simply have reached
their capacity to pay the taxes."
Senator Alberta Darling, the Joint Finance Committee co-chair,
said, "We are serious about getting out of this tax hell-hole ...
today is the day to respect the taxpayer."
Political Ramifications
With the bitterly partisan vote over the freeze behind them for now,
political strategists on both sides have their sights set on how the
override vote will influence legislative elections in November 2004,
especially State Senate elections.
State Senator Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) may face a recall
election in May 2004 for his vote to sustain the governor's veto.
After Republican Honadel's huge victory in his old South Milwaukee
Assembly seat, Plale suggested he would support the levy freeze. The
day before the Senate vote, however, Plale reversed himself and
instead pledged to support the governor.
This prompted Chris Kliesmet, leader of Citizens for Responsible
Government, a grassroots government reform group based in Milwaukee
County, to suggest a possible recall against Senator Plale. Citizens
for Responsible Government was the organizational focal point in the
recall drive in 2002, which forced the resignation of former Milwaukee
County Executive Tom Ament over the pension scandal. When asked if he
thought he may face a recall in May 2004, Plale said, "I think it's a
very real possibility."
In northern Wisconsin, State Senator Roger Breske could face a
tough re-election due to his support for Doyle's veto of the freeze.
Breske (D-Eland) was one of several undecided senators and pro-freeze
forces spent a lot of money and organizational time trying to convince
the northern Democrat to override the governor's veto.
Republicans always target Breske for defeat, but the veteran
legislator usually maintains a moderate voting record in support of
business and other "northern" concerns. This time, though, Republicans
believe Breske cast a bad vote by supporting Doyle's veto. Polling
indicated strong support for the freeze and Breske represents a
district that leans GOP.
State Senator Bob Wirch (D-Kenosha) may also face a tough re-election
in 2004 for his anti-freeze position. Wirch represents a district that
is trending increasingly Republican, and Senate GOPers feel his
position against the levy freeze might be enough to defeat him next
November.
With fourteen months to go before the November 2004 elections, it
remains to be
seen if the property tax issue will retain its current political
potency.
How Will Doyle Respond?
Legislative Democrats are clearly on the defensive over the freeze, in
large part because they failed to provide a credible alternative plan.
It was not until a few days before the veto override vote that several
Democratic legislators discussed their intentions to offer other tax
relief approaches at some future time. Governor Doyle could help by
introducing a plan of his own that could be embraced by Democrats. In
the past he has said he would offer a significant K-12 school
financing reform package that could provide substantial property tax
relief for homeowners.
Whether the freeze proposal is the beginning or the end of the
property tax debate in this session of the Legislature is unknown.
What is known is that the freeze is a simple concept supported by the
vast majority of voters (64 percent when the WRA and others tested the
issue back in May). What is also certain is that the freeze debate has
once again pushed the issue of property taxes to the front of the
legislative agenda and will, for better or worse, make property taxes
a major issue for the 2004 legislative elections and perhaps the 2006
legislative and gubernatorial elections. Hopefully in the end, this
debate will result in meaningful property tax relief in Wisconsin.
It's long overdue.
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