Janet Evans does a good job with her informative blog that Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor has been charged with ………………election violations.
I repeat.
Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor has been charged with (not found guilty of) election violations.
Who complained about Taylor? Former disgraced Franklin alderman Basil Ryan, the same Basil Ryan who was recalled by his own constituents, the same Basil Ryan who had his hat handed to him by Taylor in the April 2008 mayoral election.
It appears that there were four violations, all on March 11, 2008, all within a few hours of each other or less.
I spoke with Assistant DA Bruce Landgraf a few weeks ago. We agreed that I wouldn’t publicize our conversation, but I gathered from our chat that no charges would be filed because of the nature and source of the complaint: Basil Ryan was setting the stage for an embarrassing defeat, and that is, indeed, what happened. Ryan was trounced by Taylor. I guess my read of the tea leaves about the complaint was wrong.
We need to get a grip everyone. I will say from the outset I supported Tom Taylor for mayor. I like him. I respect him. In my view, he was head and shoulders the far better candidate. And I say that even after today’s news.
Mayor Taylor has been charged. He has not been found guilty.
He’s been charged with .........election violations. I don’t dismiss the allegations, but state officials (none that I’ve been associated with) often put the comma in the wrong place (and I’m not exaggerating) on a campaign finance report, and are charged with election violations. You know what happens to them? A small forfeiture, a page 20 story, and it's over with.
Mayor Taylor isn’t guilty of graft or any incredibly serious offense. If, and I emphasize the word, “IF” he’s guilty of anything, it’s this:
HE’S A POLITICIAN ENGAGED IN POLITICS!
Maybe he even wrote a press release in his office. For shame!
I submit that these allegations were made before the April elections. Tom Taylor still won by a hefty margin and I believe would have won even if these charges had been officially issued prior to April 1, 2008. Why? Because the vast majority of Franklin residents remembers Basil Ryan and rejected his brand of politics and political behavior.
When you boil it all down, Mayor Taylor has been hit with…….a fine.
Major political scandal? No way.
Taylor's detractors might say otherwise, but like Basil Ryan, all they’re tossing out is sour grapes.
UPDATE on 9/16/08:
The Journal Sentinel reports, “According to the claim, Taylor asked finance director Calvin Patterson ‘to provide information that would be useful in responding to’ a flier by his opponent in this past April’s election, former Franklin Ald. Basil Ryan. The flier stated that during the ‘Taylor Years’ — 2005 to 2008 — city property tax levies and expenditures 'rose significantly.'
The claim further alleges that Patterson provided Taylor with information on city tax levies and expenditures during Ryan’s term on the City Council.
It also noted that Patterson provided Taylor a copy of council minutes that indicated Ryan was absent for the vote on the 2004 city budget.Taylor used the information on his campaign Web site to respond to Ryan’s flier, according to the claim.”
So let me get this straight. A mayor cannot ask his very own budget director to do research, essentially looking up numbers, on budgets the mayor prepared and actually worked on? Wow.
