Mark Neumann scores again, revealing that his primary opponent, Scott Walker, is scheduled for "personal time" an average of 17 hours a week on his official Milwaukee County schedule. Best line in the release:
"Scott Walker is earning a six-figure salary to serve as county executive while actually working part-time hours as he runs around the state campaigning for Governor,” Neumann for Governor Campaign Manager Chip Englander said. “In Walker’s quest to move up the career politician ladder, the taxpayers of Milwaukee County are left holding the brown bag. At these hours he doesn’t even need to pack a lunch.
The Journal Sentinel, as usual, handles Walker with kid gloves and gives him more space for his response than Neumann gets for his claim. It also mostly buries at the bottom of the story an AP report about Walker doing a 180-degree change on immigration.
Anyone who's familiar with schedules of political officerholders and candidates can tell you that "personal time" on a candidate's schedule usually means one thing: He/she is on the telephone, dialing for dollars and asking for campaign contributions.
People in elective office don't have to punch the clock, of course. They can spend their time however they wish, and never come to work if they don't feel like it. The voters will decide whether that's acceptable behavior. But putting "campaign time" or "fundraising calls" on an official schedule would set offr too many alarms. Hence the euphemism.
The real news, of course, is that Neumann and Walker seem to be getting more willing to mix is up, and it's still three and a half months to the primary. This could be a fun summer.