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MADISON - Unlike her predecessor, Gov. Jim Doyle's new chief legal counsel is
licensed to practice law in Wisconsin.
Doyle on Monday announced that Susan
Crawford had been hired as his chief legal counsel. The appointment
came after his former chief, Chandra Miller Fienen, abruptly resigned
on Aug. 7 after it was reported she did not have a license to practice
law in the state.
Crawford has been licensed in Wisconsin
since 1997, according to the state Bar Association, and is also a
frequent Doyle donor. She donated to Doyle six times between 2004 and
2007 for a total of $1,000, according to an online database maintained
by the government watchdog group the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
"We are delighted that Governor
Doyle was able to find an actual licensed attorney to serve as his
chief legal counsel, and not surprised to find that she is a donor to
his campaign," said Wisconsin Republican Party executive director
Mark Jefferson.
Miller Fienen gave to Doyle three times
for a total of $500, according to the Democracy Campaign database.
A complaint filed with the Office of
Lawyer Regulation by the Republican Party alleges Miller Fienen
violated rules of professional conduct barring people from describing
themselves as an "attorney" or "counselor" if they
do not have licenses.
Miller Fienen was hired to be Doyle's
senior adviser, but she identified herself as his chief legal counsel
on the governor's letterhead. Internal e-mails released to The
Associated Press also showed that she was referred to as chief legal
counsel within the governor's office.
An internal review of her actions while
serving in the governor's office has been completed and "we
haven't found any work that has been affected by her legal
status," said Doyle spokeswoman Carol Andrews.
Miller Fienen had been licensed in
California and Doyle's spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner said she passed the
bar in Wisconsin but for an unknown reason never became licensed here.
Crawford, who will go by the title
chief legal counsel, has held a series of posts in the Doyle
administration. She's been working since May overseeing government
accountability and compliance with the federal stimulus law. She will
keep those duties in addition to being the governor's legal counsel.
She also previously worked for the
Department of Natural Resources, Department of Corrections and the
Office of State Employment Relations. She was an assistant attorney
general between 1997 and 2003.
Crawford graduated from University of
Iowa law school in 1994 and worked as an assistant attorney general at
the Iowa Department of Justice before coming to Wisconsin.
MADISON -
Don't count out Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle just yet.
Sure he's a lame duck after Monday's
announcement that he will not seek a third term next year. But the
super-competitive governor and some allies say he still has time for
achievements that could bolster his legacy during his remaining months
in office.
Among them: bringing high-speed
passenger rail to the state, overhauling Milwaukee's troubled public
schools, approving measures to combat global warming, and helping turn
around the state's tanking economy.
While the governor is losing some power
to force specifics of his agenda, he and Democratic lawmakers — who
run both houses — already tend to agree on many proposals. And in
many other cases, he can take executive action to implement his
priorities without legislative approval.
Doyle said Tuesday he could be more
successful pursuing his agenda on education, health care, energy and
the economy without the distraction of a statewide political campaign.
"I'm not letting up at all,"
he told reporters in Sun Prairie, after announcing the federal
government had approved the extension of Wisconsin's popular
prescription drug program for seniors. "We've got a
year-and-a-half where I'm a governor and I'm not a candidate, and
there are a lot of things we can do."
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
professor Mordecai Lee, a former state senator, served under two lame
duck governors in the 1970s and 1980s. After they announced they were
leaving office, he said the sudden loss of power to force their will
on lawmakers "was just startling."
But he said Doyle and lawmakers could
still pass important legislation because "ideologically they are
already in harmony."
Doyle agreed: "Our basic
priorities and values are very much aligned and I think there's a lot
of good work we can do together," he said Tuesday.
While agreeing on priorities, the
governor's relationship with lawmakers has taken a somewhat sour turn
in recent months. Some were angry with vetoes he made in the state
budget, including a plan to raise the sales tax to pay for
transportation and police services in Milwaukee County.
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, recently
lashed out at the governor for scheduling a news conference to
announce stimulus spending that had not been approved by legislators.
He also berated Doyle aides for failing to timely notify lawmakers of
a $47 million no-bid contract with a Spanish firm for two passenger
train sets.
Pocan, a longtime ally of the governor,
said lawmakers would not be "a rubber stamp" but would work
with Doyle during the remainder of his term.
"It's going to be a little harder
to do something if it's his initiative exclusively, but a lot more of
what we have is shared agenda work," Pocan said. "Those
areas are job creation and working to help the economy, the global
warming agenda and a number of other provisions."
An early test of the governor's power
could come in September, when he is expected to ask lawmakers to
approve a package of reforms for Milwaukee public schools. The plan is
expected to give the city control of the troubled school district,
which has high dropout rates and low test scores, and take it away
from the school board.
The governor also wants lawmakers to
approve state incentives for the school districts that work together
to cut costs, spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner said.
The Legislature is also expected to
consider measures to fight drunken driving such as requiring repeat
offenders to install devices requiring them to be sober before
driving. Tackling that issue alone would be a signature achievement in
this beer-loving state.
Doyle also can act on his own.
Sensenbrenner said the governor plans to use a package of economic
development incentives approved in the state budget to recruit and
retain businesses and maintain the state's manufacturing base.
After lawmakers eventually approved the
train contract, Doyle's administration is expected to ask for up to
$550 million from the federal government to improve passenger rail
service between Chicago and Milwaukee and expand it to Madison.
Eventually, the line could extend through western Wisconsin to the
Twin Cities.
Doyle will also see through some of his
biggest accomplishments, including groundbreaking research labs being
built at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the expansion of state
health care programs, and a program that promises higher education to
high school graduates who meet certain requirements.
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