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Foes, allies empathize with Burke
10:31 AM
6/27/02
Phil Brinkman State government reporter
indentPolitical allies and adversaries mourned the blow to state Sen. Brian Burke's reputation Thursday, a day after criminal misconduct charges were filed against him.
indent"I'm deeply concerned for Brian and his family," said state Rep. John Gard, R-Peshtigo, who has sparred with Burke on the Legislature's budget committee, which both men co-chair.
indent"He's got some wonderful young daughters. And I can't imagine the sadness in the house right now," Gard said. "My hope is that he can clear his name and refute the allegations."
indentDane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard charged Burke, D-Milwaukee, with 18 felonies, alleging he solicited lobbyists inside the Capitol for donations to his campaign for attorney general, used state employees to run his campaign and then destroyed or altered state records to hide the activity.
indentBurke has denied the allegations, and Blanchard has emphasized the senator is - like any person charged with a crime - innocent until proven guilty.
indentBut at the state Capitol, where Burke has established a reputation over the past 14 years as a sincere and dogged advocate for Milwaukee and environmental causes, the damage may have already been done.
indent"I think the air has been let out of the building. People are sort of breathless by the gravity of it all," said state Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar. "Most people aren't remembered very long after they're here. ... (But) you want to leave with your integrity intact, a good reputation. That's everything."
indentBurke, 44, a former Milwaukee County assistant district attorney, dropped out of the race for attorney general last month after it was learned investigators seized computers and other records from his state office as part of a larger investigation into campaign corruption at the Capitol.
indentCiting complications from an old neck injury, he also said he wouldn't run for re-election.
indentIf he's convicted, he could lose his law license, even go to prison.
indentIt's a jarring prospect for someone whose accomplishments include pushing for stronger enforcement of state consumer protection laws and writing the state's landmark "Smart Growth" legislation, which provides economic incentives for communities to work together in land-use planning.
indent"He's a white knight. He's the best of the best," said Brett Hulsey, senior Midwest representative of the Sierra Club, which has consistently named Burke among its "Clean Sixteen" list of pro-environment state legislators. "I was really sad to see this happen."
indentHulsey said Burke was a "tremendous leader" who took on the highway lobby, defended state money for recycling and supported clean air and clean water legislation.
indentThe criminal complaint portrays a different Brian Burke, so driven by his desire to win he was willing to break the law.
indentAt one point, the complaint said, Burke expressed exasperation to an aide that another staffer had been subpoenaed to turn over incriminating documents. "Why didn't he burn those in the fireplace or flush them down the toilet?" the complaint says he asked the aide.
indentEd Lump, president of the Association of Wisconsin Lobbyists, said he had heard rumors of legislators shaking down lobbyists for contributions but until the charges were filed knew of no specific instances.
indent"I'm alarmed by this, and for the good of my profession and the good of the democratic process, this stuff needs to be cleaned up," Lump said.
indentSome expressed surprise that Burke, until recently not considered central to the investigation, was charged first.
indent"If this is the first one they're going after, there are a lot bigger scoundrels out there," Hulsey said.
indentBlanchard has declined to comment on the scope of his yearlong investigation or to say whether others might be charged.
indentBut he said the fact that Burke was running for the top law enforcement job in the state "certainly was relevant" to the decision to charge him when he did. The primary is Sept. 10.
indentRegardless of who else is charged, Hulsey said, the fact that Burke fell into the net is an argument for public financing of elections.
indent"Elections have become so expensive that politicians worry way too much about where the money's coming from and not where the state is going," Hulsey said.
indent"When it drives people like Brian to do what he is alleged to have done, it creates a whole environment of a money chase."
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