"LaFollette appears to write off vote here" from the April 17, 1975 Door County Advocate
By KETA STEEBS
This clump of birches, planted at Sevastopol school in honor of the late Frank Graass, a former state assemblyman and ardent conservationist, provides an appropriate background for ecologically minded Secretary of State Douglas LaFollette and students, from left, Julie Schopf, Lynnea Zawojski, Wendy Kiehnau and Jay Zahn. LaFollette addressed Southern Door and Sevastopol students Monday.
LaFollette appears to write off vote here
By KETA STEEBS
Secretary of State Douglas LaFollette took a three-day-furlough from his continuing battle with state lobbyists to commune with nature, talk to students and marshal his forces in anticipation of an approaching court appearance.
The youthful secretary, possessor of a proud political name in Wisconsin, seems determined to live up to examples set several decades ago by his distant relatives "Fighting Phil" and "Honest Bob" LaFollette, both of whom were not adverse to making headlines.
LaFollette, an ardent conservationist, proponent of recycling, advocate of open meeting laws and foe of bigtime lobbyists, is not suave diplomat. If he thinks you're ignorant, he'll tell you so. He is equally as frank in his assessment of the state's highway engineers, particularly their "ridiculous" decision to build the 18th av. bridge, and what he calls governmental blackmail. He can't see using hundreds of acres of valuable, scenic land for a bridge which, he claims, the people don't want.
"The 18th avenue or nothing" decree was hogwash, as far as LaFollette is concerned, and another good example of the government blackmailing the people. He would prefer utilizing the present bridge as a one-way-route into the city and rebuilding the old railroad bridge as the way out. This recycling of resources with its limited demand for land would be practical, economical, convenient and the easiest way of expediting traffic, he says. For those reasons, says LaFollette, today's planners want no part of the downtown plan. They teethed believing biggest is best and whatever costs the most has to be even better.
A Glidden Drive property owner, LaFollette is in favor of the proposed countywide landfill project but said most of the garbage brought to a landfill shouldn't be there in the first place. He'd like to see Wisconsin adopt Oregon's ban on throw-away containers and wistfully talks about a certain Canadian province where ALL bottles (catsup, sauce, vinegar, etc.) are of standard size and recyclable.
LaFollette passed out paper back editions of his "Survival" handbook (which he and Peter Anderson wrote in 1971), to students at Sevastopol and Southern Door with the provision that once read, the book has to be given to another student or returned to him for recycling. It was made, he told one class, of birch trees and their demise should not have been in vain.
The fledgling Secretary of State (he assumed office in January) spoke animatedly on his current fight with approximately 29 lobbyists who object to filing monthly income and expense reports. LaFollette said the lobby law has been on the books for years but, until now, was never properly enforced. Most of the state's 200 plus lobbyists, support LaFollette's stand but approximately 20 of the fulltime, highly paid men representing big business interests regard filing as a nuisance and an invasion of privacy. These are the lawyers (the majority of professional lobbyists have law degrees) who are taking him to court next week.
LaFollette said in order to uphold the high ethics of open government he has been mandated to enforce the law. He is not asking for a personal financial statement — just the amount paid and spent for lobbying purposes. Some of the more persuasive types earn, said the modestly paid secretary of state, upwards of $60 to $80 thousand a year. He wants to know where it's coming from and for what cause.
LaFollette, switching to Gov. Lucey's new voc-tech tuition bill, said this was a good example of a bad tax. It's not only bad — it's regressive. Income tax, both personal and corporate, is the only fair way to raise money and the burden of meeting state debts should not be placed on persons (such as students of modest means) less able to pay. He'd also like to see college tuition reduced, a national health care program in effect soon, and more consideration given the elderly.
As for Door county itself, LaFollette said, "It reminds me of the goose that laid the golden egg. Unfortunately your Chamber of Commerce is killing that goose."
He said it won't be long now, with the way things are going, before visitors drive here from Chicago, zip around the city on the new bridge, head north to their luxury motel and sit around watching colored films of what Door county used to be like.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
Articles by Keta Steebs
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/keta-steebs