Battle Continues over Elected Officials Buying Ads with County Money

Following a vote referring the measure back to committee, Milwaukee County Supervisor Steve Taylor Thursday blasted the resolution, which would ban elected county officials from using county funds to purchase ad time, or space, in which they are featured. 

On an 11-7 vote, the Milwaukee County Board voted Thursday afternoon to refer the measure back to the Finance and Audit Committee.

The bill, authored by Supervisor Patricia Jursik, has been labeled by some as a gag order aimed at silencing Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, whose recent ads have sparked controversy. 

In ads first airing in late January, Clarke urges residents to arm themselves in self-defense, saying public safety is no longer a spectator sport and 911 may not be your best option.

On Thursday, Taylor sharply criticized Jursik — both of which represent portions of Oak Creek — labeling the measure part of an “ongoing personal vendetta” she has with Clarke.

“It is standard nationwide practice that elected officials send mailings featuring their image and often include personalized letterhead as part of communicating with their constituents," Taylor said in a press release Thursday. "Therefore, I do not see how one can argue that this has lesser impact then a public service announcement.”  

In her monthly newsletter, Jursik said it is a matter of preventing the use of county dollars to advance an incumbent’s position.

“This proposal would apply to all elected officials — including County Supervisors and the County Executive — and does not single out any one individual.”

Clarke's office has spent nearly $19,000 so far this year on paid radio announcements, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In late May, records show that $6,175 of $11,000 in local radio advertising bills paid from March through May were for the gun and self-defense ads.