LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I became concerned while examining the Lake Geneva Living Magazine “Special Issue 2024.” This glossy paper, 16-page, photo-heavy, full color publication is available in the “free” bins found at retail establishments throughout the local area, and I picked up my copy at Daniel’s in Walworth. To my amazement and incredulity, this publication, which identifies an independent publisher and editor on page 9, features 10 additional full-page spreads detailing the almost innumerable alleged accomplishments of Mayor Klein. The adjectives used throughout to describe her magnificent eminence could fill a small thesaurus. Page 15 presents the closing argument and is an apt summary of the mini magazine, declaring Mayor Klein as “unstoppable,” “award-winning,” “a truly beautiful person,” and “a blessing.”
Mayor Klein is declared as a “Great Leader” and portrayed as a team player able to impart her vision and leverage “incredible successes.” Moreover, she and the council “serve with great courage and a brilliant strategy, under her leadership”. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un publicists would be hard-pressed to be more fawning in their admiration of the Hermit Kingdom’s supreme commander and inner circle. As a non-resident of Lake Geneva, I won’t be voting for Klein or Krause and don’t have any interest in the outcome. That said, as someone that has passed too many political science courses and worked for three states in higher education and/or state agencies, the troubling question posed by this bald-faced campaign publication is which legal entities paid for it? If the Klein campaign footed the bill, no problem.
However, if the advertisers and/or the independent publisher paid the bills for production and distribution of the publication they effectively made in-kind contributions to the Klein campaign, and these are subject to the same contribution limits as reported cash contributions.
The most recent campaign finance rules of the road for local units of government that I am aware of in Wisconsin may be found here: https://www.lwm-info.org/DocumentCenter/View/2454/11-18-Elections-Commission-CF-1_Registration_Statement-and-explainer. Cities like Milwaukee and Madison have enacted local ordinances that are more restrictive than the state campaign finance contribution limits and perhaps Lake Geneva has as well. The larger point is local units may not enact rules that are less restrictive than the state’s guidance. And, assuming that I am correct in my take on current Wisconsin campaign finance regulations, this matter is something that should be looked into by someone with a platform before Lake Geneva voters head to the polls April 2nd. Since the Geneva Shore Report is the only local publication with any apparent interest in turning over rocks and exposing shadows to the light of day and recognizing that these shadows tend to be darkest in small municipal and local governments, I submit the above for your review. Thanks for keeping the increasingly hard-to-find spirit of investigative journalism alive.
Ed Furlong Walworth, WI
