UW-Parkside Welcomes New Chancellor

On Friday, November 6th I attended the inauguration ceremony held in honor of the new chancellor of the University of Wisconsin - Parkside, Dr. Deborah Ford.  The ceremony was well-attended and a great way to welcome Chancellor Ford to Wisconsin.  I must say that I already admire her for making the move to Wisconsin from sunny Florida in accepting her new position at UW-Parkside.

Chancellor Ford brings with her a wealth of experience in education and working with college students.  She previously served as Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of West Florida in Pensacola since 2003.  Prior to her arrival in Pensacola, she had served as both Vice President for Students Affairs and Dean of Students for 13 years at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Off campus, Chancellor Ford was very active in her communities.  She was a board member of the West Louisville Boys' Choir, a mentor for the Society for the Prevention of Violence and Aggression, and Chair of the Child Watch Coalition of Greater Louisville.  Additionally, she served on the Board of Directors for the Rotary Club of Pensacola, Vice Chair of the Lakeview Center, and was a Board Member of the Florida State University College of Medicine's Pensacola campus. 

Overall, I was left with a very positive impression of Chancellor Ford.  She is a proven leader, and I am confident that she will do an exceptional job in serving UW-Parkside.

Rep. Samantha Kerkman with UW-Parkside Chancellor Deborah Ford and Rep. Peter Barca at Chancellor Ford's inauguration ceremony on campus.

Political Games Result in Dismissal of Secretary Scocos

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the Veterans Affairs Board met to decide the professional future of Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary John Scocos.  The board voted 5-0 to fire Secretary Scocos, who returned just two months ago from a year-long tour of duty in Iraq.  To say that I was disappointed with this decision would be an understatement.  The board's decision to dismiss a dedicated veteran as soon as he returned from serving his country in Iraq is an absolute disgrace and a slap in the face to all of Wisconsin's veterans.

I firmly believe the motivation behind the Veterans Affairs Board's decision was purely political.  The board consists of members appointed by Governor Jim Doyle while Secretary Scocos had been appointed by former Governor Tommy Thompson.  Members of the Veterans Affairs Board claim that they were unhappy with Secretary Scocos' "failure to update them" on their inquiries into questionable spending by the Department of Veterans Affairs, particularly at the Wisconsin Veterans Homes in King and Union Grove.  The reason for this "failure," however, is that Secretary Scocos was on the other side of the world fighting in a war.  In the meantime, former Deputy Secretary Ken Black, served as the interim secretary in Secretary Scocos' absence.  Black had been demoted by Scocos just prior to his deployment.

I mentioned in the November 6th issue of Capitol Insight that the Legislative Audit Bureau is currently conducting an audit into the questionable spending practices of the Department of Veterans Affairs.  More than $743,000 in suspicious payments for vehicles such as a fire truck, and a prescription drug dispenser were made on behalf of the veterans homes over the past year.  The audit is expected to be completed sometime in mid-2010.

Additionally, the Department of Justice recently completed an investigation into excessive spending by the veterans home in King.  The department's final report concluded that there were no criminal violations with these expenditures; however, concerns were cited about miscommunication within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Yet, rather than taking into consideration the Department of Justice report and waiting until the final results of the audit have been released to make any decisions, the Veterans Affairs Board took the deliberate and outrageous action of firing Secretary Scocos as soon as he returned from Iraq (just as the audit was getting underway).  Secretary Scocos has said he will pursue legal action against the board, which I hope results in a positive outcome for him.  In the meantime, the hard lesson he said he has learned is "that's what I get for serving my country."

UPDATE:

Just as this issue of Capitol Insight was about to be submitted for release, my office learned that the Department of Veterans Affairs removed J.W. (Bill) Crowley from his position as Commandant of the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King.  Furthermore, newly-appointed Secretary Ken Black said more changes are to be expected as he looks to restructure the department and its facilities to meet "new goals" he will outline at an upcoming meeting of the Veterans Affairs Board in Union Grove.

Rex Con expands into Burlington

On November 17th, I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new 130,000 square foot facility of Rex Con in Burlington.  A well-respected company, Rex Con is comprised of batch plants that mix concrete used for paving and other construction-related projects.  Whether the project is an airport runway or two-lane highway, Rex Con has a variety of different models of batch plants designed to meet the unique needs of its customers.  In addition to its manufacturing and construction services, however, Rex Con also provides quality used equipment for projects.

I believe Rex Con is a welcome addition to the Burlington community.  As we continue to work on getting our economy back on track, Rex Con will certainly help revitalize the economy by creating jobs and generating much-needed growth and development in the area.

Rep. Samantha Kerkman helps cut the ribbon at the new Rex Con facility in Burlington.

Area Food Pantries taking Donations

With the holiday season in full swing, many of us are busy preparing for Christmas parties, family get-togethers, and, of course, shopping for gifts.  Yet at this time of year, we must also remember those in need - particularly after a rough year that saw the economy shed thousands of jobs throughout Wisconsin.  If you're looking to help area families in need, you may wish to contact the local food banks which are taking donations at this time: Love Incorporated in Burlington and the Sharing Center in Paddock Lake.  Love, Incorporated can be contacted by phone at 262-763-6226, by e-mail at director@love-inc.net, or you may visit their website at www.love-inc.net.  The Sharing Center can be reached by phone at 262-997-0783 and their website address is www.thesharingcenter.net.