Severity of Chvala charges stuns many
10:51 PM 10/17/02
Scott Milfred and Anita Clark Wisconsin State Journal

The 20 felony charges slapped Thursday on the most powerful Democrat in state government made jaws drop around the Capitol.

"Holy smokes!" said Steve Baas, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, R-Waukesha, upon hearing the severity of the charges against Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala, D-Madison.

"Wow," said Rep. Steve Freese, R-Dodgeville. "This is clearly a sad day for the Legislature. These are damaging and serious charges that will shake the very institution."

Rep. Marlin Schneider, D-Wisconsin Rapids, called the charges and caucus investigation the worst scandal in his 32 years as a legislator.

"It's like Illinois or Louisiana, as someone described it to me," Schneider said. "It's a shame. It's an embarrassment."

Chvala is innocent until proven guilty of the charges including extortion and misconduct in public office, the politicians and others stressed. But that didn't diminish their reactions.

"This is another bright and able legislator being brought down by the corrupting influence of political money," said Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, a group pushing for campaign finance reform.

Sen. Brian Burke, D-Milwaukee, was previously charged with 18 felonies including soliciting lobbyists for donations, using state employees to run his campaign and altering or destroying incriminating documents.

When Chvala was first elected to the Senate, in 1984, it was as a reformer, and he even refused political action committee money for a while, Heck said.

"He was obviously very bright, able, capable," Heck said. "So there's no happiness or gloating on the part of people who have been following this."

UW-Madison political scientist Dennis Dresang said the accusations against Chvala will hurt Wisconsin's national image.

"The good news is that charges are being brought and we aren't just accepting this as 'this is politics,'