Yes, Scott Walker rides again, this time appointing a know-nothing campaign worker over three qualified candidates.
In picking a new register of deeds for Marinette County, Gov. Scott Walker picked a Republican campaign worker with no experience with land records and vital records.
He passed over three candidates with detailed knowledge of how the office of the register of deeds works, including two deputies who have worked in the office for years.
The appointment comes after the GOP governor faced criticism because the son of a campaign supporter landed a top job at the state Department of Commerce.
Renee Miller started as Marinette County register of deeds on Wednesday, after being appointed to it earlier this month. Miller is a friend of Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), has worked on his campaigns for five years and is married to Nygren's campaign treasurer, Paul Miller.
Every time I read something about Scott Walker, the term "corrupt totalitarian regime" crawls into my head. Read the whole article, where you'll discover that he disqualified the top candidate because she declared bankruptcy. At least, that's the excuse he gave.
Nygren was the only person to recommend Miller for the job. By contrast, Chasensky had 16 letters of recommendation, including ones from Rep. Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz), the Marinette County Board chairman, and local bank, title and real estate officials.
Also recommending her was Melanie Huempfner, the Republican register of deeds for 18 years who resigned midterm in January.
"I was just totally shocked" at the appointment, Huempfner said. "I'm just so disappointed this happened. I'm disappointed in the party. I'm disappointed in the people involved."
Disappointed? Yeah, I suppose. Suspicious was the word that came to my mind. Suspicious and predictable.
