More evidence of error in dumping GAB

It is looking more and more like a big mistake. Wisconsin lawmakers disbanded the former Government Accountability Board two years ago in favor of separate ethics and elections commissions. They claimed the GAB had become partisan. So they dumped the board made up entirely of retired judges in favor of partisan appointees. It hasn’t been a smooth ride so far. Last December, Ethics Commission member Robert Kinney resigned from the newly created board, calling the commission ineffective and paralyzed by gridlocks. Some may suggest that is what happens when you appoint partisan members. Now, the chairwoman of the Ethics Commission, former Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager has abruptly submitted her resignation. She didn’t elaborate on her decision to step down, but did call on the Governor and lawmakers to “recognize the importance of the work of the commission.” The commission was created to oversee and enforce ethics requirements for public officials. But clearly it isn’t working. Wisconsin should return to the days when Wisconsin was a leader in ethics requirements for its public officials, and allow those who are truly independent, not partisan appointees, to decide when our lawmakers are behaving badly.