Gov. Scott Walker today said an Internet report suggesting he is preparing a plan to impose a “financial martial law” in Wisconsin is “absolutely false.”
A blogger at Forbes.com wrote over the weekend that Walker is seeking a new law that would allow him to take over control of local municipal and county governments and school districts and replace their duly elected leaders with appointees of his liking.
According to the Forbes blog, Walker’s plan would enable him to submit local governments to a financial stress test. Should a local government’s financial position come up short, the legislation would empower the governor to insert a financial manager of his own choosing into local government with the ability to cancel union contracts, push aside duly elected local government officials and school board members and take control of Wisconsin cities and towns whenever he sees fit to do so.
Such a law also would give Walker unchallenged power to end municipal services of which he disapproves, including safety net assistance to those in need.
According to Forbes, the plan was being written by the legal offices of the Milwaukee law firm Foley & Lardner and would be introduced in the legislature in May of this year.
However, when asked about the report today during an interview on AM 620-WTMJ, Walker said, “The premise of he article is wrong … No truth whatsoever. A bogus story.”
Later this morning, Walker wrote on his Twitter feed: "This story is 100% wrong."
Three Republican state legislators also told BizTimes Sunday that the report was false.
However, the Forbes report was picked up by several online news sources and liberal web sites.
“Craziness,” said a staffer of one GOP legislator.
The Forbes report circulated after a new state law in Michigan gave Gov. Rick Snyder extraordinary powers to take over municipalities when he determines them to be in financial trouble, further permitting him to actually fire locally elected public officials when he deems it desirable.
Steve Jagler is executive editor of BizTimes Milwaukee.
