CANDIDATE FLAHERTY "RESIGNS" GAY CENTER JOB FOR "PAID LEAVE OF ABSENCE"

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Special to the readers of milwaukeeworld.com

By Michael Horne

According to a news release issued yesterday, Wednesday, January 23^rd, 2008,

Patrick Flaherty, candidate for 3^rd District Alderman, has left his job as Director of Public Affairs of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. The move came just one day after the organization’s political arm, Center Advocates, endorsed Flaherty’s candidacy. Flaherty was the founder and director of Center Advocates. The group was best known for its unsuccessful fight against the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Amendment; that 2006 blot on the Wisconsin Constitution. It is not immediately clear if the endorsement and the departure are related; a question is pending with center director Dr. Maggi Cage.

In fact, it is not exactly clear what Flaherty’s status is, since the release is ambiguous. According to the release, Flaherty “has resigned his position to focus full-time on his candidacy for 3^rd District Alderman. Beginning January 23, 2008, he will take a paid leave of absence.”

When it was brought to her attention that “resignation” and “paid leave of absence” are usually mutually exclusive, Angie Guerra, director of communications had no response, and directed the questions to Dr. Cage, who was not in the office at the time. Nor could she comment on the apparent suddenness of the resignation, or the amount of time Flaherty would remain on the payroll. Milwaukeeworld has also e-mailed the candidate for answers to these curiosities.

Flaherty’s departure / absence immediately attracted the scorn of Ald. Michael D’Amato, who supports aide Sam McGovern-Rowen as his replacement. D’Amato scoffingly said he’d announce his resignation as Alderman, but wouldn’t mind a four year paid leave of absence.

Flaherty has received the endorsements of the Milwaukee County Labor Council and Rep. Jon Richards. McGovern-Rowen today announced officially his endorsement by the Milwaukee Police Association, as brought to you here by Milwaukeeworld earlier in the week, to the consternation of the campaign, which would like to have some control over its announcements. McGovern-Rowen’s campaign is also buying Google ads that turn up when one searches the names of his opponents, or at least Flaherty’s. That’s a good, solid trick. … Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler also got a good one off yesterday when his opponent ran into transportation difficulties due to the weather and could not appear at a scheduled debate at the Italian Community Center. Butler put out a release lamenting the inability of his opponent to appear, and his great sorrow at missing this opportunity for spirited discourse on the issues of the day, but said he’d show up at the event, anyway. That, too, was a good move, and there are not many available to judicial candidates.