Madison Wisconsin -- Today the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel released this story that outlined how Wisconsin Republican Senators took a secret oath about how they developed new election maps last year, to strengthen their majority. What is even more disgusting is that they were also told to ignore public comments on the matter and to fixate on what they were being told behind closed doors.

These revelations show republicans are hell-bent on destroying the foundation of Democracy by eliminating transparency & accountability for their own political gain. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Reports:

Other newly released documents also show almost all Republican lawmakers signed legal agreements promising not to discuss the new maps while they were being developed. GOP lawmakers fought releasing these new documents and testifying about the maps in a pending court case, but relented after a panel of three federal judges, based in Milwaukee, last month found they had filed frivolous motions in trying to shield the information from the public.

It appears that the non-disclosure agreements were signed by Eric McLeod of Michael Best & Friedrich, who is one of many attorneys advising Republican lawmakers on these secretive maps. Furthermore, the taxpayers of Wisconsin are on the hook to the amount of some $400,000 to draw these maps and secret oath documents.

As these new maps were being drawn, Wisconsinites heard the same spin from Republicans about how maps were redrawn every ten years to account for population changes recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau, among others. But who was responsible for the spin design? As it turns out, that would be none other than Jeff Fitzgerald and his legislative aid, Adam Foltz.

Senate President Mike "Sewer" Ellis told reporters he had never before been asked to sign a confidentiality agreement during his four decades in office. But the question remains, did he? And if he didn't, why did he not step out and condemn the documents? If you ask me, if he didn't sign the documents and said nothing, it was just an unwritten agreement.

The can of worms may have just opened for Wisconsin Republicans as to how many of these agreements have they participated in? Was the meeting with Scott Walker just before dropping the "Bomb" a backdoor session to sign confidentiality agreements? How dare any legislature enter into an agreement to hide something that the public has a genuine and fiscal interest in. How dare they agree to ignore their constituents on the matter.

This afternoon, Senator Jon Erpenbach sent a letter to the Michael Best and Friedrich law firm.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Eric McLeod
Michael, Best and Friedrich
One South Pinckney St.
Suite 700
Madison, WI 53707

Dear Mr. McLeod,

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) has insisted from the start of the redistricting process that the process has not been political in nature. He even went so far as to deny Senate Democrats legal representation in this process, saying that the Senate already had a law firm: yours. That fact was restated by his staff, when ask by myself, as a member of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities and Government Operations during a recent hearing. During that hearing, I asked Sen. Fitzgerald’s staff on more than one occasion, and more than one way, if politics were involved with redistricting. His answer was always the same, “no.”

Therefore, it is my understanding, as the elected State Senator of the 27th Senate District, I am your client. As your client I would like to review the file regarding your firm’s work on redistricting.

Attorney client privilege should not be an issue here because I am one of the 33 clients you represent.

If it’s not your understanding that your firm represents all 33 Wisconsin State Senators, then perhaps we need further clarification from Sen. Fitzgerald. Otherwise, please provide me with a copy of the entire redistricting file.

To be very clear, I really have a disdain for reading about a case that involves me and the entire Wisconsin State Senate in the newspaper.

Sincerely,

Jon Erpenbach
State Senator
27th Senate District