Key Takeaways From This Post
Madison's growing structural deficit appears to be exacerbated by weak lobbying efforts under Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's administration, particularly during the critical period in 2023 when the longstanding state aid law was rewritten. Additionally, the Wisconsin State Journal’s coverage lacks depth, balance, and objectivity.
The administration's claim of aggressive lobbying in 2023 is not supported by the lobbying reports filed with the state.
State records show that Madison’s lobbying effort during the six-month period when Act 12 was created is among the weakest in 20 years.
The Wisconsin State Journal’s reporting fails to fact-check claims made by city staff, lacks necessary context for readers, and is not balanced.
Milwaukee received significantly higher state aid well before Act 12, disproving critics' claims that Milwaukee received a favorable deal on state aid in 2023 due to impending bankruptcy.
Let's Unpack Madison's Fiscal and Lobbying Challenges and the WSJ's Kid Glove Treatment of the Administration
Madison is at a financial crossroads. As the city grapples with growing budget deficits and searches for sustainable solutions, effective lobbying at the state level has never been more crucial. The Wisconsin State Journal’s recent article, “The state Legislature can ease Madison's budget woes, but a win hinges on a fresh lobbying push,” presents a hopeful narrative about future efforts under Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. While optimism is valuable, the article fails to provide readers with a fair and accurate picture of the city’s lobbying history and overlooks critical accountability issues regarding the mayor's handling of Madison’s fiscal challenges.
In this post, I will delve into the gaps and oversights in the article’s reporting. Specifically, I’ll examine how it neglects to critically assess the city’s reduced lobbying efforts during the enactment of Act 12 in 2023. Also, I’ll contrast Madison’s approach with Milwaukee’s sustained and strategic lobbying—which has yielded significant financial benefits for Milwaukee well before Act 12—to highlight missed opportunities that have had tangible negative impacts on Madison’s budget. This analysis underscores the need for transparent governance and in-depth, objective, and balanced journalism that holds public officials accountable, ensuring voters and taxpayers are well-informed about the actions of their elected leaders.
A Superficial Analysis of Madison's Lobbying Efforts
The article suggests that Madison has been a victim of state-level politics, constrained by legislative decisions that have limited the city’s revenue streams. It mentions the historic legislation in 2023 that updated the state law on aid to municipalities, resulting in Madison receiving among the least per resident among Wisconsin's 1,800-plus municipalities. However, it stops short of critically examining the city’s own lobbying efforts during this crucial period.
Incomplete Reporting on Lobbying Activities
The article states:
“City leaders insist that they lobbied aggressively last year and that the comparison with Milwaukee is not apt.”
Yet, it provides no data or analysis to verify this claim. According to lobbying records from the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, Madison's lobbying under Mayor Rhodes-Conway was significantly cut when she took office in 2019, and arguably at a low point during the first six months of 2023 when Act 12 was created, especially when compared to Milwaukee's sustained efforts:
Under Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway’s administration (2019-2024), lobbying hours were dramatically cut to an average of 247 hours per year—a 67% decrease from the previous administration.
Under the previous administration (2011-2018), Madison's registered lobbyists spent an average of 757 hours per year lobbying state officials.
During the first half of 2023, the critical period when Act 12 was created, Madison's lobbyist spent just 116 hours lobbying state officials, with a mere four hours in direct communication with state officials.
Madison's Lobbying Hours 2004 to 2024: Direct Communication With State Officials
Reports the city has filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission appear to contradict the claims of city leaders that, "they lobbied aggressively last year." This graph shows the number of hours Madison's lobbyists have spent in direct communication with state officials from January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2024. Each bar represents a six-month reporting period, and the red bar on the far right is the six-month period when Act 12, which rewrote the formula for state aid, was created. Madison's lobbyist spent just four hours in direct communication with state officials during this period.
In stark contrast, Milwaukee invested an average of 2,623 hours per year over the last 20 years in lobbying efforts. During the same critical period when Act 12 was being created, Milwaukee's lobbyists spent 314 hours in direct communication with state officials.
Failure to Hold Leadership Accountable
The article gives Mayor Rhodes-Conway a platform to express future intentions without holding her accountable for past shortcomings. It quotes her saying:
“We are obviously aware of the political landscape and want to make sure that the way we engage is productive and not harmful.”
However, given the significant reduction in lobbying under Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway’s administration, and the weak effort while Act 12 was created, the evidence shows this administration’s lobbying efforts were ineffective and not aggressive as claimed. In fact, the city’s lobbying efforts were at a low point during the critical time when the law on state aid was rewritten—a juncture that demanded vigorous advocacy.
Missed Opportunities During Act 12 Negotiations
Act 12 was a significant overhaul of Wisconsin's law on state aid, signed into law on June 20, 2023. Despite its importance, Madison's lobbying efforts during the first half of 2023 were minimal:
Madison’s lobbyist spent more time lobbying state officials in the six months following the passage of Act 12 than in the six months when the legislation was being developed.
66.4% of Madison’s lobbying hours in 2023 occurred after the enactment of Act 12.
Moreover, when the Assembly Committee on Local Government held a hearing on the bill that would become Act 12, mayors and administrators from 17 cities across Wisconsin appeared to testify. Mayor Rhodes-Conway, whose office is just one block away from the State Capitol, did not attend the hearing.
Critics claim that the state legislature bailed out Milwaukee in 2023 with Act 12 and the authorization for a local sales tax in Milwaukee. Not so with state aid. The reality is that Milwaukee's state aid was significantly higher than the average of all Wisconsin municipalities—and exponentially higher than Madison’s—prior to Act 12.
Milwaukee's State Aid Was More Than Double the Average Wisconsin Municipalities Received Prior to Act 12
Source: Wisconsin Policy Forum, Municipal DataTool.
Key Observations and Implications
The data clearly illustrates a longstanding disparity in state aid between Madison and Milwaukee. Milwaukee has consistently received state aid exceeding $380 per capita, peaking at $407 per capita in both 2020 and 2021. In stark contrast, Madison's state aid per capita remained relatively stagnant, averaging around $57 over the nine-year period and peaking at $76 per capita in 2021. This means that even in its highest year, Madison received more than seven times less state aid per capita compared to Milwaukee.
When compared to the average state aid of $165 per capita for all 604 cities and villages in Wisconsin prior to Act 12, Madison's funding consistently fell below half the average. This persistent gap underscores the effectiveness of Milwaukee's sustained and strategic lobbying efforts. Over the past two decades, Milwaukee has invested an average of 2,623 hours annually in lobbying, building robust relationships with state officials, and advocating for the city's needs. This long-term commitment has secured significant financial benefits well before the enactment of Act 12 in 2023.
Conversely, Madison's reduced lobbying efforts under Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway's administration have left the city at a considerable disadvantage. Despite being the state capital and sharing similar political leanings with Milwaukee, Madison's limited advocacy has resulted in substantially lower state aid. This disparity challenges the notion that Madison is penalized due to its political stance, instead highlighting that effective lobbying, rather than political alignment, can play a pivotal role in securing state funds.
Challenging the Notion of Political Bias
While both Madison and Milwaukee are liberal cities, Milwaukee's consistent receipt of higher-than-average state aid undermines claims that Madison is being treated unfavorably by the state legislature because of its political leanings. Instead, the evidence points to the critical importance of proactive and sustained lobbying efforts. Milwaukee's success serves as a testament to the effectiveness of dedicated advocacy, suggesting that Madison's fiscal challenges are more a result of inadequate lobbying than political bias.
A Rosy Outlook Without Substance
The article paints an optimistic picture of future lobbying efforts and potential legislative changes that could benefit Madison. While forward-looking strategies are essential, they must be grounded in reality and past performance. The administration's track record raises questions about the feasibility of these plans:
City leaders claim that comparing Madison's lobbying efforts with Milwaukee's is inappropriate. Yet, Milwaukee's success in securing significant state aid prior to the enactment of Act 12 in 2023 demonstrates the tangible benefits of sustained lobbying.
Over the past 20 years, Milwaukee has consistently invested over 2,600 hours annually in lobbying, building relationships, and advocating for their city's needs.
Madison’s reduced efforts for the last five and a half years under the current administration demonstrate a lack of commitment.
The Importance of Transparency and Accountability
Voters and taxpayers deserve a transparent account of how their city is advocating for their interests at the state level. The article misses an opportunity to inform the public about the administration's cuts to the city’s lobbying efforts and the potential negative impact on Madison's financial health. By not investigating the city’s lobbying activities and providing readers with the necessary information to evaluate the city's performance, the article prevents them from making informed judgments about the city's strategies and leadership effectiveness.
Efforts to Obtain the Administration's Perspective
In preparing this report, I contacted Dylan Brogan, Communications Director for Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, on Monday, October 21 about 1:30 PM via email. I inquired about the city's lobbying efforts and future plans, requesting a response by the end of the day on Tuesday, October 22, to ensure their input could be included in this post. Here are the questions I asked:
Why did the city's lobbying hours decrease significantly starting in 2019 when Mayor Rhodes-Conway took office?
Has anyone at city hall talked to Milwaukee about their lobbying effort and why they've been successful? If so, who at city hall has talked to officials from Milwaukee, who are the officials they talked to, and what did they say?
Since Nick Davos [the city's contract lobbyist] has left and we need a stronger lobbying effort, what are the administration's plans to lobby state officials going forward? Specific details on the plans vs. "We plan to lobby the state more aggressively," is what I'm looking for.
Will the city hire another contract lobbyist, or is the approach Milwaukee uses being considered? If not, why?
What does the mayor plan to spend on lobbying state officials in 2025 through 2030? A range or an approximate amount is fine.
After the post was published, Dylan Brogan responded to my inquiries on Wednesday, October 23, at approximately 5:30 PM, stating: "The Mayor’s Office politely declines to comment. Good luck with your work, it’s important to have robust commentary on local issues."
Enabling Deflection
Furthermore, the article allows the mayor's chief of staff to deflect criticism without addressing the critics' key concerns. It quotes the chief of staff saying:
“There’s no way that Legislature was ever going to give Madison any money... The idea that (Soglin) would just say: ‘It’s so simple. Go talk to Robin Vos and he’d give you money.’ It’s a laugh line.”
Soglin never said anything like this that I'm aware of. This dismissive response sidesteps the substantive critique that Madison's lobbying efforts have been insufficient, particularly when compared to Milwaukee's sustained and strategic advocacy. The article does not challenge this deflection or provide readers with the facts needed to assess the city's lobbying efforts objectively. The chief of staff's comments are also a red herring, mischaracterizing what Soglin has said about the lobbying that needs to be done.
A Missed Opportunity for Balanced Reporting
This lack of critical examination is particularly notable given the Wisconsin State Journal's professed commitment to balanced and objective journalism. In her recent article, "Balance is important on the front page during elections," Executive Editor Kelly Lecker emphasizes the importance of fair coverage and invites feedback from readers. She writes:
"Balance is something the editors here talk about every day, and never more than in the months ahead of an election... We cover issues and candidates, call out misinformation with fact checks and trust readers to use all that information to make their decisions."
Despite this stated commitment, the article on Madison's budget fails to provide an in-depth and objective examination of the city's lobbying efforts. By not critically assessing the administration's actions and omitting essential data, the piece does not align with the journalistic standards that Lecker describes.
Conclusion: A Call for In-Depth Journalism
The Wisconsin State Journal's article presents valuable information but misses an opportunity to provide an in-depth and objective analysis of the city's lobbying efforts, which is essential for readers to fully understand the challenges Madison faces. By not critically examining the administration's actions and the tangible impact of reduced lobbying, the piece does a disservice to readers seeking to grasp the complexities of the situation.
For Madison to navigate its financial challenges effectively, it requires not just hopeful plans but concrete actions and accountability from its leaders. Likewise, the media has a responsibility to provide in-depth and balanced reporting that empowers citizens with the information they need to make informed decisions.
Voters and taxpayers deserve better—from both their elected officials and the press.
An Invitation to Engage
Given the Wisconsin State Journal's stated dedication to balanced reporting, it's important for readers to engage in the conversation. Executive Editor Kelly Lecker has explicitly invited feedback to ensure their coverage meets the community's needs. By sharing your concerns, we can encourage more thorough and accountable journalism that truly serves the public interest.
Take Action: Share Your Thoughts with the Wisconsin State Journal
If you share these concerns about the Journal’s coverage of Madison's lobbying efforts and the need for greater accountability from city leadership, I encourage you to share your thoughts with Kelly Lecker, the executive editor of the Wisconsin State Journal. In her recent article, "Balance is important on the front page during elections," she emphasizes the importance of balanced and objective journalism and invites feedback from readers.
Your input can help ensure that critical issues like this receive the thorough and fair reporting they deserve. Let's work together to promote transparency and accountability in our local media.
You can reach Kelly Lecker directly at klecker@madison.com.
If you enjoy this content, please like and share. For questions and media inquiries, email asaloutos@tds.net or call (608) 345-9009. Editor's Note (October 23, 2024): This blog post has been updated to include a response from Dylan Brogan, Communications Director for Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, who declined to comment on the city's lobbying efforts.
© Alex Saloutos 2024.
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