January 14, 2003

Governor James Doyle
State Capitol
Madison, WI 53702

Dear Governor Doyle:

We are writing to urge you to provide forceful leadership to ensure that major political reforms - including real campaign finance reform - are enacted in the early days of the new legislative session. As a newly elected governor, you have an opportunity to work with the new legislature to make a clean break from practices that have brought scandal to the State Capitol, and we believe you should seize that opportunity at the earliest possible date.

Public confidence in the political process and our public institutions has been shaken, and we believe restoring the public's faith in the honesty and integrity of our state government needs to be the first order of business. Without prompt and decisive action on political reform, we fear that a cloud will continue to hang over the Capitol and actions on the many other pressing issues facing Wisconsin will be suspect in the eyes of ordinary citizens.

Specifically, we call on you to support and actively promote campaign finance reform legislation at least as strong or stronger than last session's Senate Bill 104. Further, if campaign finance laws are to be effective, they have to be enforced. So it is also critical to reform the enforcement agencies that oversee campaign finance laws and the state ethics code. We believe that the state Elections Board and Ethics Board both should be nonpartisan citizen boards with an independent source of funding providing enough resources to investigate possible violations and take effective enforcement action.

We ask you to support these much-needed reforms and use the power of your position - including the authority to call the legislature into special session if necessary - to make sure these measures are promptly approved and signed into law.

January 14, 2003

TO: All Legislators

We are writing to urge you to enact major political reforms - including real campaign finance reform - in the early days of the new legislative session. This legislature has an opportunity to make a clean break from practices that have brought scandal to the State Capitol, and we believe you should seize that opportunity at the earliest possible date.

Public confidence in the political process and our public institutions has been shaken, and we believe restoring the public's faith in the honesty and integrity of our state government needs to be the first order of business. Without prompt and decisive action on political reform, we fear that a cloud will continue to hang over the Capitol and the legislature's actions on the many other pressing issues facing Wisconsin will be suspect in the eyes of ordinary citizens.

Specifically, we call on you to move quickly to approve campaign finance reform legislation at least as strong or stronger than last session's Senate Bill 104. Further, if campaign finance laws are to be effective, they have to be enforced. So it is also critical to reform the enforcement agencies that oversee campaign finance laws and the state ethics code. We believe that the state Elections Board and Ethics Board both should be nonpartisan citizen boards with an independent source of funding providing enough resources to investigate possible violations and take effective enforcement action.

We ask you to support these much-needed reforms and use the power of your position to make sure these measures are scheduled for debate and advanced promptly through the legislative process.