It's another example of Wisconsin's "Imperial Governship". You know, the attitude of the Doyle Administration that the rules which apply to "the little people" don't apply to them.
The "little people" have to fly coach and submit travel receipts. Not King Jim.
King Jim sets up a merit selection process to fill judicial vacancies. However, when a crony and large contributor to the King fails to make it through the process, no problem. King Jim simply ignores the very process he established.
Now, it turns out that the Governor's Chief legal counsel, Chandra Miller Fienen, is not licensed to practice law in the State of Wisconsin!
Miller Fienen, the daughter of Democratic State Senator Mark Miller and the granddaughter of former state representative (and Democrat icon) Midge Miller , was hired by Doyle as his chief legal counsel in the summer of 2008. Her salary (which I would guess to be high five figures) is paid by the taxpayers. After working on the Doyle re-election campaign in 2006, Miller Fienen began her career in state government with a job in Doyle's Department of Commerce.
In Wisconsin, it is illegal to practice law without being licensed in Wisconsin. Ms. Miller Fienen has no such license. Although the Doyle Administration describes her as a "senior advisor", published reports seem to suggest that she has walked a very fine line between giving merely advice and giving legal advice.
The larger issue though is: what is she doing on the payroll in the first place? If Doyle wants to dump the daughter of a legislator on the public payroll - well, I guess nepotism rules under King Jim. Still, what's the point of having a legal counsel who can't give legal advice?
Don't ever tell me that there isn't "fat" in the State budget that can't be cut!
Miller Fienen may very well be an outstanding person, a loyal Doyle supporter and a very fine attorney. What she is not however is licensed to practice law in Wisconsin. As such, we taxpayers are paying her for something that she can't legally do - operate as legal counsel to the Governor.
Seriously, is there not a single attorney out there who really is licensed to practice law in Wisconsin that Doyle could have hired?
Every taxpayer should be outraged by this latest example of the arrogance and wastefulness of the Doyle Administration. However for all the State public employees who are being laid off or asked to take salary reductions, this has to be especially aggravating. At least those who aren't part of a prominent Democratic family that is.
King Jim strikes again!
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