I’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? So listen, I got one big honking quandary on my hands these days, I kid you not. As the people’s perennial political candidate for whatever office needs filling, I don’t know if I ought to throw up my hat into the ring for Badgerland governor, mayor of Beertown, or maybe county executive and/or sheriff. All of these gravy trains...

Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Scott Walker both released their 2010 budgets Thursday morning. I�m wading through them now, but at least one of them seems to have been crafted in Fantasy Land. And I�m not talking about Barrett�s budget, although I have questions about it. In his city budget overview, Barrett�s upfront about the challenges facing the city. State aid has flatl...

Now in its eighth year, Fighting Bob Fest draws more than 10,000 progressives and activists to Baraboo to discuss politics and brainstorm solutions. In this Shepherd Q&A, its founder, attorney and former gubernatorial candidate Ed Garvey, previewed this year’s fest and offered his thoughts on some of the biggest political questions of the day. Shepherd: What does it mean to be a ...

MPS Board President Michael Bonds has sent an open letter to Gov. Jim Doyle, Mayor Tom Barrett, and State Superintendent Tony Evers outlining why a mayoral takeover of the district, which would require a change in state law, is a bad idea. Some excerpts: Destroying democracy and disenfranchising thousands of voters: “Your takeover effort...

Mayor Tom Barrett looked and sounded a lot better than I expected in his first public appearance since being attacked Saturday night, considering the extent of his injuries. Speaking to reporters on his front lawn, the mayor sported a gash from the corner of his nose to his lip and a big bandage on his right hand, which is fractured. He�s also missing a few teeth and has stitches in the back of hi...

The snarky celebrity-and-media gossip site Gawker.com is hailing Tom Barrett, post attack, as a �toothless hero mayor.� They kinda-sorta got the story right. Kinda. Sorta. ...

Full disclosure: I haven�t read the entire 103-page study on MPS�s finances, which purports to claim that MPS wastes up to $100 million in taxpayer money per year. But I�m working my way through the beastly document, thinking about JS�s typically overheated reaction to anything related to MPS, and discussing it with people who know MPS�s finances far better than I do. Here�s what�s ...

MPS board member Michael Bonds was elected president of the MPS Board of Directors in a 6-3 vote on Tuesday night. Peter Blewett, who previously headed the board, supported Bonds' election and will now serve as vice president. Bonds is a fiscal policy expert who has introduced a flurry of finance-related budget amendments and resolutions during his first two years on the boa...

Michael Bonds was elected the new president of the MPS board of directors in a 6-3 vote Tuesday night. Here's part two of my interview with Bonds. (You can find the first part here.) Shepherd: One of the big issues brought up in the audit is fringe benefits. Do you plan on addressing that soon? Bonds: Yes, we have to. I have been discussing it with state repr...

If Mayor Tom Barrett had been at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, he would have gotten an earful. A crowd organized by the working women’s organization 9to5 gathered to call out the mayor for his opposition to the paid sick days referendum, which passed with almost 70% of the vote in November 2008. The kids in the crowd delivered boxes of let...