This could be fun.

MILWAUKEE — State Sen. Lena Taylor is looking to be Milwaukee’s next mayor.

Taylor (D-Milwaukee), who is currently serving her fourth term in the Wisconsin Senate, made the announcement Tuesday morning.

[…]

“I wake up every day to fight for every corner of our great city. We’ve overcome a decade of national economic hardship and caustic attacks from Madison politicians. We’ve sparked a renewal in Milwaukee that is reinvigorating our city center and our communities as well, investing hundreds of millions of dollars directly into our neighborhoods. Homicides and nonfatal shootings are down two years in a row. And we can’t stop now making this city a place that works for you, your family, your neighbors, and your hopes for the future.”

Taylor has been elected to the Wisconsin legislature for almost 15 years by a substantial portion of the City of Milwaukee. She has a substantial base and a strong following in her district. She is also black in a city minority-majority city. There are a few interesting dynamics at play here:

First, Taylor is not in step with the modern liberal Democratic Party of Wisconsin. She is very liberal on social and financial issues, but she supports School Choice and the 2nd Amendment. Those are both popular positions in much of Milwaukee. Her policy positions, assuming she doesn’t flip-flop, have the potential to pull support from not only traditional Democrats, but from Conservatives in Milwaukee looking for someone closer to their policy positions than Tom Barrett.

Second, Taylor is clearly going to make the case for all of the residents of Milwaukee who don’t live downtown. While downtown Milwaukee has thrived under Mayor Barrett, the rest of the city is falling apart. Infrastructure in the neighborhoods are crumbling. Crime continues to plague many of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. Economic opportunity, lead pipes, jobs, potholes, etc. etc. etc. – Barrett has completely neglected 90% of the city while he clinks glasses with the downtown elite. Barrett’s Trolly Folly is merely the most visible example of his misplaced faulty priorities. Taylor is sure to make the case that the rest of the city deserves attention. This will also come into focus as Barrett is hobnobbing around downtown with elites during the Democratic Convention. Do you think anyone west of 16th, north of Walnut, or south of National are going to see any benefit from that convention as they watch their taxes being poured into it?

Third, there’s no getting around the fact that Taylor is a hot head. She has a reputation for being abusive to her staff, a bully, and incredibly arrogant to anyone she feels lacks the appropriate respect for someone of her self-appointed stature. This should keep the race interesting as we all await the next meltdown.

If it comes down to a race between Barrett and Taylor, I’d vote for Taylor. At least she is interested in the whole city.

This senator…

Sen. Lena Taylor is decrying what she called a “political lynching,” insisting she had done nothing that warranted her removal from the Legislature’s powerful Joint Finance Committee.

Flanked by supporters at a Milwaukee news conference yesterday, Taylor defended her actions at a Milwaukee bank last month that resulted in a disorderly conduct citation. She also disputed she bullied staff, which is what Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling cited in replacing Taylor with fellow Milwaukee Dem La Tonya Johnson on JFC.

Shilling announced the move Tuesday after an investigation into a human resources complaint determined the Milwaukee Democrat had violated: the Senate Policy Manual’s anti-bullying provisions; and the anti-retaliation section related to an employee’s Family Medical Leave Act leave.

“I don’t think I did anything that warrants me being taken off of Finance, since in the midst of all that was going on, I don’t think anybody was able to stop me from dealing with 9,000 constituent cases,” Taylor said.

Taylor criticized the process in the HR case and said she disputes the findings.

“That report, I disagree with it,” Taylor said “And those findings are not accurate. And that the process alone, being a kangaroo process, where they failed to follow their own rules, is not even one that I want to give credence to.”

I admit that I have a soft spot for Taylor because she supported concealed carry when so much of her caucus didn’t. But man… she’s a piece of work.

My, my… from Dan O’Donnell.

Democratic State Senator Lena Taylor was cited for disorderly conduct following an incident in a Milwaukee bank Friday afternoon in which she used racist language against an African-American teller, multiple sources told News/Talk 1130 WISN.

Taylor, who is also African-American, called the teller a “house n****r” after that teller would not cash for Taylor an $831 check for which there were insufficient funds.

Milwaukee Police officers, who were coincidentally in the Wells Fargo Bank at 735 W. Wisconsin Ave. on an unrelated call, overheard Taylor berating the teller and intervened.  A shift lieutenant arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and, after viewing the bank’s security camera footage, issued Taylor a municipal citation for disorderly conduct.

Senator Lena Taylor is proposing a bill that would prohibit businesses from asking job applicants if they are a felon on job applications.

Banning the box still allow employers to conduct a background check.

However, the employers would delay asking about a felony conviction until later in the hiring process, either after the interview or a conditional offer of employment.

This is also known as “fair chance” because it gives job applicants who have rehabilitated a fair shot at earning a family-supporting job.

Generally speaking, I think businesses should be willing to hire felons if they are the most qualified for the job and if the felony conviction isn’t directly related to the job activity. The felons are out of jail and in our society. The best way to integrate them back into society is for them to have gainful employment (and somewhere to live, but that’s another subject). Being a felon shouldn’t automatically disqualify a person from holding most jobs. The exception would be jobs that involve a high degree of discretion and trust – like a police officer, judge, CFO, etc.

As Taylor is proposing it, employers would still have the discretion to disqualify felons further into the hiring process if appropriate, but would not be able to disqualify them at the start. This would help more felons at least get a shot at a job. A felon who may have otherwise been eliminated at the point of application may get the chance to impress an interviewer and be considered for the job before having to explain a felony conviction. The cost is that employers (and the applicants) would have to spend time and money processing people who may get disqualified in the end anyway.

Some work needs to be done on it, but this bill is worth considering.