WI-Politics as usual... :) (fwd)

----- Forwarded message from brewingnews(a)yahoogroups.com ----- Topics in this digest: 1. News from the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram From: Bob Paolino <nowgohaveabeer(a)brewingnews.com> 2. News from the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram From: "brew_wisconsin" <nowgohaveabeer(a)brewingnews.com> ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 13:04:06 -0500 From: Bob Paolino <nowgohaveabeer(a)brewingnews.com> Subject: News from the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram Making a beer run Brewer among many with sights on governor_s post Barron County brewer Randy Lee has an unconventional idea for forcing legislators to get to work at the state Capitol if he were elected governor. _I think we should install taps at the Legislature,_ Lee said with a laugh. The Ridgeland man, who calls himself the founding member of the Beer Party, is one of two west-central Wisconsin residents making long-shot bids to become the state_s next chief executive this November. Although Lee_s candidacy may be _95 percent joke, 5 percent serious,_ he could wind up on the ballot this fall. Lee and Gary Roper of rural Chippewa Falls are among the 15 people who have filed declarations of candidacy with the State Elections Board. Between June 1 and July 9, candidates like Lee must collect 2,000 to 4,000 signatures and file an economic statement detailing their assets, said Tom Letko, an elections specialist with the elections board. If Lee can gather the signatures, his name would appear alongside Gov. Scott McCallum_s as a candidate. _It_s going to take a pyramid scheme,_ said Lee, owner of the Viking Brewing Co. in Dallas. _I_ll hand (petitions) out to 20 or 30 people and tell them to hand them to more people._ Letko said the ballot would list Lee as an independent, not a member of the so- called Beer Party. _However, he will be allowed a statement of principle,_ Letko said. So if Lee chooses to use that space to list his fermented beverage ideas, he could do so. Letko said it is not uncommon for an independent to complete the requirements to appear on the ballot. A typical gubernatorial election has seven or eight candidates, he said. While Lee_s candidacy is mostly a lark, Roper, of the town of Lafayette, says he is serious about his bid. [snip] Lee, 45, joked that he will ask another fellow brewer to be his running mate as he eyes the big two parties. He has no experience with elected office but does sit on the Barron County Economic Development Board. _The governor_s race is pretty much open,_ Lee said. _Mr. McCallum isn_t exactly in the lead._ While Lee is enjoying the publicity -- which will undoubtedly help his business -- he said there is a point to his campaign. _We want to bring some notoriety to the northern part of the state,_ Lee said. _They ignore us northerners here._ Lee also is critical of McCallum_s plans to cut shared revenue, which he said would hurt rural communities more than larger cities. The Legislature also must bring down its spending, Lee said. _It takes some discipline,_ he said. _We_ve got to stop playing these accounting games._ But while Lee makes serious statements about his political run, he also tells jokes poking fun at his candidacy. _If Minnesota can have a pro wrestler for a governor, Wisconsin can have a professional brewer,_ Lee said. Lee said he will not seek any money during his campaign. _The paperwork involved in that is horrendous,_ Lee said. _I_ll just tell people to go vote._ Lee won_t tour the state to promote his platform, but he will campaign in Eau Claire at the Beer and Deer Festival fund-raiser on May 11. Even if Lee doesn_t get his necessary signatures, he said he still hopes to get a number of write-in votes. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 2 Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 18:08:25 -0000 From: "brew_wisconsin" <nowgohaveabeer(a)brewingnews.com> Subject: News from the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram Making a beer run Brewer among many with sights on governor's post Barron County brewer Randy Lee has an unconventional idea for forcing legislators to get to work at the state Capitol if he were elected governor. "I think we should install taps at the Legislature," Lee said with a laugh. The Ridgeland man, who calls himself the founding member of the Beer Party, is one of two west-central Wisconsin residents making long-shot bids to become the state's next chief executive this November. Although Lee's candidacy may be "95 percent joke, 5 percent serious," he could wind up on the ballot this fall. Lee and Gary Roper of rural Chippewa Falls are among the 15 people who have filed declarations of candidacy with the State Elections Board. Between June 1 and July 9, candidates like Lee must collect 2,000 to 4,000 signatures and file an economic statement detailing their assets, said Tom Letko, an elections specialist with the elections board. If Lee can gather the signatures, his name would appear alongside Gov. Scott McCallum's as a candidate. "It's going to take a pyramid scheme," said Lee, owner of the Viking Brewing Co. in Dallas. "I'll hand (petitions) out to 20 or 30 people and tell them to hand them to more people." Letko said the ballot would list Lee as an independent, not a member of the so-called Beer Party. "However, he will be allowed a statement of principle," Letko said. So if Lee chooses to use that space to list his fermented beverage ideas, he could do so. Letko said it is not uncommon for an independent to complete the requirements to appear on the ballot. A typical gubernatorial election has seven or eight candidates, he said. While Lee's candidacy is mostly a lark, Roper, of the town of Lafayette, says he is serious about his bid. [snip] Lee, 45, joked that he will ask another fellow brewer to be his running mate as he eyes the big two parties. He has no experience with elected office but does sit on the Barron County Economic Development Board. "The governor's race is pretty much open," Lee said. "Mr. McCallum isn't exactly in the lead." While Lee is enjoying the publicity -- which will undoubtedly help his business -- he said there is a point to his campaign. "We want to bring some notoriety to the northern part of the state," Lee said. "They ignore us northerners here." Lee also is critical of McCallum's plans to cut shared revenue, which he said would hurt rural communities more than larger cities. The Legislature also must bring down its spending, Lee said. "It takes some discipline," he said. "We've got to stop playing these accounting games." But while Lee makes serious statements about his political run, he also tells jokes poking fun at his candidacy. "If Minnesota can have a pro wrestler for a governor, Wisconsin can have a professional brewer," Lee said. Lee said he will not seek any money during his campaign. "The paperwork involved in that is horrendous," Lee said. "I'll just tell people to go vote." Lee won't tour the state to promote his platform, but he will campaign in Eau Claire at the Beer and Deer Festival fund-raiser on May 11. Even if Lee doesn't get his necessary signatures, he said he still hopes to get a number of write-in votes. ----- End of forwarded message from brewingnews(a)yahoogroups.com -----