10/30/2009
Lt. Governor Lawton calls for the elimination of special interest money in
Left) Lt. Governor Lawton calls for passage of the Impartial Justice Bill in
Joined by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske and long-time Republican campaign operative and clean elections advocate Bill Kraus, Lt. Governor Lawton began her tour at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, urging the Senate and Assembly to take immediate action on the bill.
The bill would fund qualifying candidates for both the primary election and the general election, and it would reduce the donations a non-publicly financed candidate could accept from any single campaign contributor from the current $10,000 to $1,000.
In her remarks, Lt. Governor Lawton said elections funded by special interests undermine the public confidence in
“A fair and impartial judicial system is the foundation of a democracy, essential to upholding the protection of constitutional rights for all of us. Every Wisconsin citizen must have complete confidence that decisions interpreting the laws of our state are made by justices who are accountable to the facts of the case, not the well-heeled special interest groups who contributed to their campaigns,”
Left) Lead Assembly author Gordon Hintz, Lt. Governor Lawton, Former Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske, Tom Vandervest and Bill Kraus in front of the Supreme Court Chambers.
At her second of four events, Lt. Governor Lawton stood in front of the Supreme Court Chambers in the State Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 22. Lead Assembly author Gordon Hintz and clean government advocate and former Middleton High School Principal Tom Vandervest joined Lt. Governor Lawton, Geske and Kraus in promoting the bill.
Janine Geske served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1993 to 1998 and now works as a Distinguished Professor of Law at the
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Lt. Governor Lawton traveled to
Joining
Lt. Governor Lawton has long advocated for comprehensive campaign finance reform that starts with full public financing of Supreme Court elections. She sits on the National Advisory Committee of Americans for Campaign Reform and formerly served on Chief Justice Nathan Heffernan’s Commission on Clean Elections.
Legislators first introduced the Impartial Justice Bill ten years ago and have reintroduced it each subsequent session. Following Lt. Governor Lawton’s events in
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Lt. Governor Lawton presents 2009 Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence
Lt. Governor Lawton presented the 2009 Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence to three
Left) FET President Robert Sherman, Executive Director Barbara Hurula, Lt. Governor Lawton, and Conference Chair Tony Montemurro.
Receiving awards for innovative environmental practices were the 3M Company of Menomonie, Frito-Lay of
The awards ceremony came during FET’s Annual Conference and Exhibition for Environmental Professionals. FEC is a regional organization of environmental professionals who volunteer to help people in industry, education, and consulting comply with federal and state environmental regulations.
Thursday, October 22, 2009 Lt. Governor attends the 2009 Governor’s Awards in Support of the Arts
Lt. Governor Lawton attended the 2009 Governor’s Awards in Support of the Arts on Thursday evening at the Executive Residence in
The Governor’s Awards for the Arts, hosted by Governor Jim Doyle, First Lady Jessica Doyle, the Wisconsin Arts Board and the Wisconsin Foundation for the Arts, honored four award recipients who have demonstrated exemplary commitments to supporting the arts in
The Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation received the “Arts Organization” award for its prolific philanthropy in the
In the “Corporate/Business” category, Hudson Hospital was honored for its Healing Arts Program, a partnership with The Phipps Center for Arts which places art exhibits throughout the hospital to create a stress-free environment for patients and staff.
A fourth award was presented to UW-Madison First Wave Spoken Word Learning Community for its groundbreaking spoken word and hip-hop programs through the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives.
Saturday, October 24, 2009 Lt. Governor Lawton keynotes James Baker Award Ceremony at the Milwaukee Community Brainstorming Forum
Lt. Governor Lawton shared her vision for tackling
In her keynote address, Lt. Governor Lawton described how our economic structure appears to have become a closed system for too many citizens, and how a widening income gap and inequality threatens our state’s economy. She laid out a vision to change the statistics that make race dominate that equation.
Left) Event moderator Vel Phillips, MPS Board President Michael Bonds and Lt. Governor Lawton.
At the event, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Board President Michael Bonds received the annual James Baker award for his work to reform MPS.
The Community Brainstorming Conference convenes policymakers and community members every Saturday morning to discuss issues, problems and solutions that are germane to the well-being of the African American community in
