Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) office has quickly sought out a new public venue for his budget signing ceremony this Sunday — after it was reported that the Green Bay business originally selected was in fact headed up by a convicted tax felon. D’oh!
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:
Walker aide Cullen Werwie said his office would be announcing a new location soon for the budget ceremony on Sunday.
Werwie acknowledged that Walker’s advance team had erred by not conducting a thorough background check on Gregory A. DeCaster, chief executive officer of Badger Sheet Metal Works in Ashwaubenon.
DeCaster was convicted of six felony counts of income tax evasion in the mid-1990s and was sentenced to three months behind bars. He was also fined $10,000 and given two years of supervised release.
“It was something we wish we would have known on the front end,” Werwie said.
He said officials decided to change locations because they believed DeCaster’s past tax problems would serve as too much of a distraction. The new location will likely be in the Green Bay area, he said.
Jessica Arp with the local CBS affiliate in Madison reports that Walker’s office has now selected Fox Valley Metal-Tech, also in Green Bay.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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