Should Plale Step Down?

The Capital Times, in an editorial, is calling for former State Sen. Jeff Plale to step down from his new state post following his admission that he was actively seeking a job in Gov. Scott Walker’s administration when he cast a controversial vote against new state labor contracts.

From the editorial about the one-time South Milwaukee legislator, a Democrat, and new state facilities director.

Plale, whose actions as a Democratic legislator frequently raised ethics concerns, voted as Walker wanted on a definitional issue — approval of state employee labor contracts. That vote saw Plale, traditionally a labor-friendly legislator, vote against unions and their members; as such, it raised questions about whether the legislator was tailoring his votes to appeal to a potential employer.

Those questions are all the more serious because of a failure on the part of Plale to act in a minimally responsible or transparent manner.

“Yes, just to be clear …” notes Journal Sentinel columnist Dan Bice, “Plale was actively seeking employment from Walker when he voted against the union contracts — something Walker wanted him to do — in last month’s lame-duck (legislative session). He did not disclose this at the time.”

Plale should have made that disclosure. And he should have recused himself from the vote on the contract — and on any other vote that might have been of interest to the administration with which he was seeking employment.

Plale’s failure to take these basic steps may be a matter for further investigation by prosecutors and ethics watchdogs. But he has an immediate responsibility to the voters of the state to acknowledge that his misconduct disqualifies him from serving in the Walker administration.

If the former senator does not make that acknowledgment and step down, then Walker will need to remove Plale.

What do you think? Should Plale step down, or should Walker remove him?

Vote in the poll on the right-hand side of this page, and post your comments below.

I admittedly am torn here. As I’ve said, I agree with his vote on the union contracts. Yet Jeff was clearly wrong not to disclose his efforts at gaining employment on Walker’s team while making that vote. At the very least, he owes everyone an explanation.