But finger-pointing won’t likely lead to citations, officials say
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
With a high-stakes Burlington Area School District election now less than two weeks away, both sides in a heated battle have stepped up their offense.
At two separate events on BASD grounds last week, people received fliers promoting Larry Anderson and Jim Bousman for School Board.
The fliers were distributed at Band-o-Rama March 11 at Burlington High School, and then also Saturday at the Burlington Home Expo at BHS. On Saturday, the fliers were accompanied by a handout that reminded people about early voting.
The distribution of the fliers drew the ire of WeVote Burlington member Bonnie Ketterhagen. Ketterhagen complained first to the school district and then to the City of Burlington police.
While there are technically no laws against the distribution of the fliers – not even on school grounds, according to Superintendent Peter Smet – Ketterhagen took her case to the police department, wanting the people handing them out cited for littering.
The City of Burlington ordinance, as outlined in 200-2 of the municipal code, says that persons distributing commercial handbills, leaflets, fliers or any other advertising and information material should take “whatever measures that may be necessary to keep such materials from littering public or private property.”
It also states that no one is allowed to throw, discard, place or deposit litter on any public or private property within the city.
Smet confirmed Tuesday that Ketterhagen had contacted him with the complaint last week. When asked initially, Smet said it appeared inappropriate to use school grounds for campaigning.
However, after looking through district policies, Smet said he could not find a specific policy prohibiting it.
“I would like to limit campaigning on school grounds for any office, but that’s my personal view,” Smet said. “It’s nothing any School Board in the history … has done.”
Smet also said no one either asked for or was given permission – or denied it – for distributing the fliers.
That last bit was brought up in a WeVote newsletter that went out Monday, citing the “Paul & Sheila Webber Committee” for distributing the fliers. The newsletter stated that the Webbers violated city ordinances and BASD policies by distributing the fliers.
“After the first known time, at Band-o-Rama on Monday, March 11, 2013, I lodged a complaint (as a private citizen) with Superintendent Peter Smet,” the letter stated. “He stated that the school policy prohibits political activities on school property. My request for equal access to parked cars was denied.”
The letter went on to outline the distribution of the fliers at the Home Expo, and also address planned action should the fliers come out again.
“What will happen on Saturday, March 23, at the pancake breakfast scheduled for BHS?” the letter read. “When an organization ‘rents’ a school, it is up to that organization to enforce BASD school policy.”
The Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast is actually scheduled for Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The letter went on to thank the “many people who volunteered to help watch, patrol, police and monitor the parking lots during the next few events planned at schools.”
Ketterhagen replied Tuesday evening, repeating that Smet had told her policy prohibited political activities on school property. She also said that there was no registration with BASD for any committee by Paul and Sheila Webber.
However, the fliers that went out Saturday stated at the bottom, “Paid for by Paul and Sheila Webber, not authorized by any candidate, candidate’s agent or committee.”
Ketterhagen also said the actions by the Webbers, which she considers “disrespectful,’ reflect on the candidates they endorse – Anderson and Bousman.
“If elected, will they follow school policy?” Ketterhagen said. She also added, “Are the Wisconsin state laws for electioneering; the Burlington city ordinances; and the BASD policies only for conservatives to follow? The authorities will decide; not me.”
Sheila Webber said Tuesday that the fliers that were distributed were leftovers from a paid insert that was scheduled to be placed in this week’s Wednesday Hi-Liter.
She also added that trying to blame her or her husband for the littering is misplaced.
“If you threw a McDonald’s Cup out your window, they could go back to McDonald’s and say, ‘oh, you’re causing litter,’” Webber said. “If people are throwing them on the ground, they’re causing the litter, not me.
“There was no ill intention at all.”
City of Burlington Police Chief Peter Nimmer said Tuesday that no citations for littering had been issued, and the department looked into whether there was littering by the people distributing the fliers vs. the fliers being dropped on the ground by people who didn’t want them.
Webber said that, because of the lack of a public forum including all candidates, she and her husband felt the need to get the information out to as many people as possible – much as WeVote has been doing through door-to-door campaigning.
“The parents need to step up against this stuff,” she said. “We have to go to the next step. We’ve got to catch as many people (as possible).”
WeVote, in its newsletter, stated that a “get out the vote” effort would be stepped up over the next two weeks until the April 2 election.
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If she wants to use the littering line, it goes both ways. We Vote can come pick up the half dozen flyers in newspaper sleeves that are in our snowbank. Where we live I am guessing the only way they got there is by falling out of the gentleman’s car who was distributing them and failed to pick them up.
Lets talk about the littering that her great big signs posted on trucks do. I can say “no thank you” to a flyer and it’s over. I can’t drive past Menards without a big ugly Ketterhagen sign staring at me.
Question: If “We Vote” call themselves “Conservatives” and as such proclaim to be ardent followers of the constitution as well as stanch defenders of freedom, then why are they so bent on stomping on free speech? Many brave heros have fought and died so that we may have these freedoms yet “We Vote” chooses the stomp on those rights in order to suit their own agenda. I would be willing to bet that if these “fliers” advertised a roofing contractor or an upcoming car show, no one would be reading about it in the newspaper. Just because they feel threatened by the content they scream foul and want to immediately rewrite the city code and school policy to suit their own needs. Not long ago their member wanted to boycott the local theater and now they want to strong-arm local citizens. Is there no end to their steamrolling activities?
Once again, the WeVoter Poobah Bonnie Ketterhagen just isn’t making any sense. She calls the distribution of campaign leaflets “disrespectful”. What on earth is disrespectful about exercising democracy on public property? Nothing!
And threatening to have her minions “watch, patrol, police and monitor” these public places is just another petty attempt to bully and intimidate. It won’t work, bullies need to be stood up to and called out.
You know what IS disrespectful? Fielding candidates that refuse stand before the public in a forum, present themselves and their ideas and answer questions. http://burlingtonareaprogressives.blogspot.com/2013/03/wevote-candidates-refuse-debate.html
That is a blatant display of complete disrespect for the voters and democratic transparency! Shame on you WeVoters!
The venomous hatred from the left is obvious.
Hatred? Nowhere here has anyone made any threats concerning Ketterhagen. And other than a swipe from Sean (he called her a “poobah”–does that offend you?), there hasn’t been any name calling. Need I remind you that MR. Ketterhagen, her “other half” that currently is on the school board, compared teachers to cattle and suggested that they should be hit with a 2×4? Do we REAAALLLY need two people from the same teacher-hating family on the school board? I’m thinking we don’t, Sheri. And finally..there’s nothing factually wrong here. She refused to debate, and she’s presented no clear plan as to how she is going to reduce school taxes without losing quality teachers (and thus, quality education). Post your views of what is incorrect here, and give us a chance to respond. Unlike Ketterhagen, I’m not afraid of debate.
Shari, you want to see venom? I wish you had spent a day with me when I was collecting recall petitions. I was called every name in the book by perfect strangers with NO provocation. I would just be standing there with a clipboard. People could easily just walk by–but many called me (and others) every vile name they could come up with. From my experience, the venom came entirely from the right, not the left.
Sheri, most of the residents of this community don’t share your views. They are not filled with hatred of the far right We Vote membership. They just want to insure that our children have the opportunity to succeed in life. They want to end the political attack on our school district. It is time to end this political battle now OR VILL SE MORE of this in the future.
Good job Sheri — let’s reduce this whole thing to right and left, black and white, caf or decaf because that’s the way the whole world works. Could be anyone who disagrees with the conservative big voice in Burlington feels like they have to be edgier, and louder just to have a chance to be heard. We’re here, and we have the right to a voice in the public forum too. The Constitution, which the right loves except when they get called out for violating it, was written to assure that the minority’s rights were protected, and they would have a part in the political process. I, personally, don’t hate anybody but I get pretty tired of being told to shut up because I don’t agree with the GOP party line. If you want to talk venomous hatred spend a little time on our side of the fence — you’d be amazed what the “righteous” folk of Burlington do and say to the likes of us.
Hey Ed, remember the commandment about false witness?????
First of all, the majority of the over-the-top overreaction I’m seeing here is coming from the hardline conservative rightwing crowd, screaming hate and flinging around Bible references as if that gives their temper tantrum the moral high ground.
If you’re accusing people of stuff that isn’t actually true, you’re bearing false witness. Simple as that. And the right does NOT have a monopoly on that, the left is FULL of God-loving Christians, and NEITHER side owns the patent on moral codes. The biggest difference between the two is that one side realizes this, and it’s NOT the one who keeps screaming about hate, and how their rights are being infringed on while they are the fecking MAJORITY in both race and religion. Someone wanting the same rights, the same equal chances and opportunities as everyone else is NOT taking away YOUR rights. GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD. If they need to get word out for voting because the other side has an advantage, then they need to do it, and the other side needs to STFU and not get their panties in a wad because they can’t keep controlling the voter base.
Seriously, I’m reading some of these comments here, and this keeps coming to mind: http://www.queenofwands.net/d/20031208.html
It’s easy to get away with bending the rules and having no accountability for your actions when the fox is guarding the hen house.
Exactly. Thank you for proving my point. Suppression of info to voters is sure bending rules.
Sheri, you seem to be implying that the anti-Ketterhagen people are getting away with something. The police chief and the superintendent of schools have both said that there are no laws being broken. Just because you WANT it to be against the law doesn’t make it so. There is no current law on the books preventing it, apparently. However, I’m sure the anti-educator group has a lawyer; ask them look of the local laws and codes. If they can find something, feel free to point it out. At that point, the police and the schools will have no option but to enforce it. That is their job, and I’m confident that they will do it.
Is it just me or does Bonnie seem to be acting a bit childish? So leaflets were distributed. Not unusual in an election.
Why does Bonnie Ketterhagen feel the need to sensationalize anything involving the Burlington Area School Board? Shame on her. She is a wife of a school board member and she outright lied in an e-mail to her WeVote followers saying that the people putting fliers on vehicles in the high school parking lot were breaking a district policy. Lie! She also stated that she asked for access to the vehicles in the parking lot to also put fliers on vehicles and Peter Smet denied her request. Lie! She has been caught in a web of her lies and that is just plain sad. How can anybody vote for Norma Miller and Julie Koldeway when Bonnie Ketterhagen is endorsing them? Bonnie has proven to be a distorter of truth. I don’t want other people to get elected to the school board that just want to sensationalize or distort the truth so they can have a group of followers. I hope people think carefully when they cast their vote on April 2nd.
Don’t forget Bonnie’s husband’s claim that Hus wife hung the American flag upside down by mistake.
There is no law about leafleting, there is a law about the placement of political advertising within the Right-of -way of roads. How many of you have seen the Beckmobile parked all over town, including across the street from the polling place at Cross Lutheran, on election day, last school board election…which may be a law violation in its self. (Wisconsin Administrative Code Trans. 206.16)
I take pride in being a Conservative but when the best voice we have locally is a few extreme Right Wingers we might be in trouble. I beg WeVote to ease up because they are not helping us at all with this flier nonsense. Not all of us are concerned with things that NORMALLY happen during elections. I’m more worried about potential good candidates loosing because of silly actions. Rush Limbaugh likes to talk about “low information voters” of the Left but as we can see the Right has plenty of them too. Most votes cast on election day are because of “sides”. Maybe we should dig a little deeper this time with these candidates and make a decision based on common sense and not just because some group who doesn’t really represent us tells us to.
What about Ketterhagen putting the big blue truck with signs supporting peoples’ run for school board in public lots? Does that not fall in the realm as flyers being given out at a public school? My taxes are given to the community of Burlington, both of which pay for BHS and public lots….. If your sign can sit in a public lots, flyers can be given out at BHS…
I like how the story states that “technically there were no laws broken.” Either there’s a law or there’s not. It’s not a matter of technicalities.
Technically Jane isn’t pregnant.
Thumbs up. Like
Sheri, he means that if it says “technically there were no laws broken.” that there were NO LAWS BROKEN. Just because someone thinks or wishes that there should be a law (and there wasn’t one) if if such a law did exist then perhaps a law may have been broken. But NO LAWS WERE BROKEN. How is this leftist? The folks who were leafletting do not like the huge sign on the truck parked at Echo, but they know that it isn’t against the law. So they didn’t call the police. Homeowners and business owners do not like the big sign truck in front of their properties and they have called the police but nothing can be done because no laws were broken. So, even if you WISH there was a law you cannot claim that someone is violating it when it only exists in your mind and not in the statues.
They did it again today even after knowing that this activity is not allowed on school grounds. This time it was during the easter egg hunt for the little ones of burlington. People need to be out and informed about this type of activity that influences the uniformed. Sad to see that they seem to always want to cheat in some way or another.
Pete
Excellent point Pete. Character assasination is the leftist way.
Scott and Sheri did you not read the article? The article says that there is no policy AGAINST distributing flyers. At least Bousman and Anderson want to inform people for what they stand for then just going by word of mouth or saying that they are “conservative”. We weren’t able to have a PUBLIC FORUM to hear what each individual stands for since Koldeway and Miller would not participate. I’m sorry but if Koldeway and Miller wouldn’t participate in a PUBLIC FORUM for the residents of Burlington then they DON’T deserve to be elected to the school board.
Priscilla, I was referring to the WeVote practice of parking a truck, with a large sign, inside the right of way pf public streets, and at the entrance of polling places. That is illegal, by the state statute I referenced. Sorry if I wasn’t clear.
Sorry Scott you were being clear. I meant to direct my comment to Pete and not you. Thanks for the clarification.
Sheri, please give examples in any of these posts where the character of anyone has been attacked. You seem to love to throw out terms, but never give specifics of what you are talking about. Fact: The Ketterhagens DO have huge billboards on trucks parked around town Fact; there doesn’t appear to be any city laws or school policies against the distribution of fliers at school events If there was, I’m assuming you or Pete or someone else would have posted them by now. Just because you don’t LIKE those facts doesn’t make them any less true, any more than me not wanting it to be cold any more makes it 80 degrees.
Pete and Sheri, the article above states “While there are technically no laws against the distribution of the fliers – not even on school grounds, according to Superintendent Peter Smet – Ketterhagen took her case to the police department, wanting the people handing them out cited for littering.
The City of Burlington ordinance, as outlined in 200-2 of the municipal code, says that persons distributing commercial handbills, leaflets, fliers or any other advertising and information material should take “whatever measures that may be necessary to keep such materials from littering public or private property.” What part of that do you not understand?
I personally distributed leaflets on both Saturday and Sunday: http://burlingtonareaprogressives.blogspot.com/2013/03/can-wevoter-yell-at-someone-in-bunny.html
Go ahead call the cops on me, see where that gets you!
Pete. Show us the policy or law. Please.
Any propagandist will tell you that a lie told enough times can be sold as truth. Show us the law or policy that’s being violated by the leafleteers or stop telling the lie. Please. Stop. Lying. a fair fight, based on discussion of actual issues would be such a refreshing change.
There is no law. They broke no laws. They meant to info. They were within their rights. Trying to suppress their freedom of speech is a violation of the Constitution of both the USA and Wisconsin. There was no litter. There were many people who came through and picked it up.
FYI I am Libertarian conservative.
Sheri, I actually don’t care if you claim to be the Queen of Candyland. There apparently is no law against handing out flyers on school grounds, or it would have been posted by now. Thus, they obviously did nothing wrong.
Andy,
Candyland? lol Character assassination, lies and cheating our the way of the left.
Sheri,
There is no substance in any of the byte-sized nuggets you’ve posted here and then you leave this little gem: ” . . . our the way of the left.”
Nuff said.
Sheri,
Not sure how many times you have been asked to defend your statement with facts and/or examples, but I (and others) note that you have yet to do it. You just throw out a few pet phrases and call it a day. Show the lies (meaning “what was said that was false). Show the cheating (meaning “what laws or codes were broken). And by all means, SHOW US THE “CHARACTER ASSASSINATION”. As I used to hear when I was a kid, “you can paint a buzzard yellow, but you still can’t call it a canary.”
Come on Andy, you know very well that the Cult of Con is a faith-based ideology. You’re supposed to take what they say on faith at face value.
Constructing a logical argument, supported by facts that, where appropriate, are backed up by documentation from responsible sources, that’s what liberal elitists do!
You’re expecting too much, where’s your faith?
Fear, distortion, and lies are the the model used by the Republican Party.
Just sounds like the WeVote people are upset they didn’t think about doing this first.
Perhaps Mrs. Ketterhagen should report herself and her We Vote sponsored signs to the police. Now that the Ketterhagens have added their bright pink streamers to their signs, same streamers that were on her husband’s signs, they are in violation of state regulations regarding political signs.
http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/frame/document/administrativecode/Trans%20201.16(2)(d)
Political signs are not allowed to have moving parts without a permit. The bright streamers are a distraction to drivers as they blow in the wind. As a driver you are distracted by the movement at the side of the road. I doubt they have paid for the required permit for these signs.
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” George Orwell
“Orthodoxy is unconsciousness” – George Orwell
That quote seems particularly apt in this case!
“Do be do be do” Frank Sinatra. It relates as much to the subject as your quote, Sheri. You have never bothered to tell us what that “truth” is, in spite of multiple requests. Remember to vote next Wednesday.
Why don’t you leave our children alone. I don’t care if your a libertarian or a goofy Republican, why don’t you go outside and rake your lawn or whatever.
Edna Dear this election is for the Children and the community and you lovely folks want to turn it into a union power struggle.
Now what?
I went back and reviewed all the postings here. This one is the first one that mentions the word “union”. But, I do finally agree with you on something. It’s about the children (lower case “C”) and the community. Our candidates won, yours lost. Now, maybe, the board will be able to do some things that will keep great teachers from leaving and repair the damage done by the members that compared teachers to cattle and suggested they be hit in the head with a 2×4.
Cheri dear: The Republican party wants to shut down the U.S. Department of Education. They want to privatize public ed so that the fat cats can make more money. The Koch brothers think that they can profit from educating our children. With no U.S. Dept of ed, they can hire people off of the street and call them teachers. Get a life Cheri, and look into who is cranking your chain.
I must be missing something here because I read this article as a conservative politician is saying that tax payers have no right to free speech on public property that is paid for with their own tax dollars. Can my interpretation be correct? Because no authentic conservative I have ever met would ever deny the rights of citizens to voice their concerns and promote their ideals in publicly owned venues.
Politics is show business for ugly people.
Nothing personal.
We’re going to have to start referring to them as weewee voters because it seems the piddle their panties over the slightest questioning of their authority…….although they seem to have built their foundation on the idea of questioning authority.
Most people on the far right say they love the Constitution, but I rarely see any indication that they have actually read it.