By Vanessa Lenz
SLN Staff
City of Whitewater voters hit the polls on Election Day to weigh in on a controversial Supreme Court decision.
The message sent by locals on April 2 strongly supported the Move to Amend movement that says corporations – nonprofits and for-profit enterprises – should not have the same rights as individual people, according to unofficial results released by the Walworth County Clerk’s office Tuesday night.
Eighty-four percent of residents voted yes to the nonbinding Move to Amend referendum question.
The referendum passed 1,013 votes to 198 votes.
The measure was brought to the city by the Rock River affiliate of Move to Amend. The national organization has been circling the country, seeking an overturn of the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision in 2010 that essentially stated corporations have the same freedom of speech rights as individual citizens. Members of the court were split on the issue with a narrow 5-4 vote.
The Rock River affiliate gathered 812 signatures in Whitewater to get the question on the ballot.
A similar referendum passed in Fort Atkinson with 1,312 yes votes and 395 no votes.
The cities support of the measure follows a national trend with similar resolutions having been passed in more than 150 cities across the U.S.
In most instances, voters overwhelmingly favored reverting back to prior laws that drew a distinction between individual citizenry and corporations.
Dan Fary of The Town of Oakland and organizer with the local Move to Amend affiliate said the goal is get all the cities in Wisconsin to follow suit.
“There is a tremendous amount of activity going on in Wisconsin, startup Move To Amend groups are beginning in many different communities, and training sessions are going on all over that will lead to yet more new Move To Amend startups,” Fary said.
He said Mary Laan, chairwoman of Move To Amend of Southeastern Wisconsin, said that United Wisconsin has agreed to assist with petition campaigns for the Villages of Shorewood, Wauwatosa, Whitefish Bay and the cities of Racine and Kenosha – aiming for ballot referenda in 2014. Groups are also starting to organize efforts for referenda and resolutions in Janesville, Edgerton, Walworth County and numerous areas across the state.
“It is this grassroots overwhelming push ‘from below’ that will finally force our politicians ‘at the top’ to act by making the Constitutional amendment,” Fary said.
“Once passed, the amendment will not of itself stop political spending. It will merely allow the states and local governments to once again be able to pass and enforce laws limiting the amount of money that can be spent in elections. Such laws are already in existence, but every one of them was instantly struck down by the January, 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision.”
The question appeared on the ballot as follows:
“Shall the City of Whitewater adopt the following resolution:
“Resolved, that ‘We the People’ of the City of Whitewater, Wisconsin, seek to reclaim democracy from the expansion of corporate personhood rights and the corrupting influence of unregulated political contributions and spending. We stand with the Move to Amend campaign and communities across the country to support passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution stating:
“1. Only human beings – not corporations, limited liability companies, unions, non-profit organizations or similar associations and corporate entities – are endowed with constitutional rights, and
“2. Money is not free speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.”
“Be it resolved further, that we hereby instruct our State and Federal representatives to enact resolutions and legislation to advance this effort.”
Singer secures at-large seat
Whitewater Common Council president Patrick Singer was successful in his bid for the city’s councilmember-at-large seat.
He unseated attorney Andrew Crone, who was temporarily appointed to the position after the passing of longtime councilmember Marilyn Kienbaum last fall. Singer received 724 votes (62 percent) while Crone had 452 votes (38 percent).
Singer has been on the council for six years and has been president for five years.
Incumbents Jim Winship (251 votes) and Jim Olsen (220 votes) were re-elected in District 3 and 1, respectively, along with UW-Whitewater student Sara Bregant (84 votes), who secured the District 5 seat held by Singer.
Incumbent Town of Whitewater Board members, including chairperson Lowell Hagen, 1st side supervisor Rodney Wilson and 2nd side supervisor Norm Prusner were all re-elected in uncontested races. The town will now have an appointed and combined clerk/treasurer position following the passage of a referendum last spring.
Incumbent school board members Brian Brunner and Charles Nass were also re-elected and ran unopposed.
