I don’t think this story is going away

In what will likely provide weeks of fodder for soundoff commenters, letters to the editor, and the Waukesha blogs, Mayor Larry Nelson and newly hired City Administrator Lori Curtis Luther are getting some flack for attending the Obama rally last week Wednesday at the Expo Center. 

I think that the criticism of Larry Nelson being there is unwarranted.  He took a vacation day and he has a right to endorse whatever candidate he prefers and attend whatever political rally he wants to attend.  Everyone who pays attention knows that Larry Nelson is a Democrat, so why are people getting all up in arms about him attending and participating in a rally for the Democratic race leader, Barack Obama?  What he shouldn’t have done was endorse Obama on his blog, which he removed on advice of our City Attorney.  The blog is linked to the City’s web page so there should be no political endorsements on it. What Larry Nelson should do is start a blog wholly independent of the City’s website.  Then he can say whatever he wants.

Now the case of City Administrator Lori Curtis Luther is a little different.  She explains her attendence at the rally by stating “My role as city administrator is 100 percent neutral and nonpartisan. As such, I am not formally or informally affiliated with any party. I am not nor will I ever be active in any local, state or national campaigns. Any time a candidate requiring secret service protection visits the city, I will cooperate with our police department and sheriff’s department to ensure the safety of the candidate while in our jurisdiction. It is my opinion, that regardless of party politics, the national recognition Waukesha receives by hosting presidential candidates is positive for the community.”

I have no reason not to believe her explanation.  However we all know that what your intention is and what it appears your intention is can often be two separate things.  People in right-leaning Waukesha are going to have a field day with this. For a City employee to be at a rally on City time just looks bad even if your intentions were only to coordinate with the Secret Service and Police Department and to welcome Obama to Waukesha.  I personally don’t have a problem with her being there for her stated reasons but I would recommend that she try to stay away from things like this on City time because it gives people the impression that you are endorsing Obama as a representative of the City.  Now if he becomes President and comes to the City its different because you are then welcoming the President of the United States to Waukesha.