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Arthur Thompson, the brother of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, will go on trial in December for allegedly fondling a fellow Wisconsin Department of Corrections trainee in Oshkosh during a study session in her room.

Arthur Thompson, 54, appeared in front of Winnebago Circuit Court Judge Robert A. Haase this week and requested a jury trial, which was scheduled for Dec. 8 at 9 a.m., according to a court official. Haase continued Arthur Thompson’s bond.

He was charged in late August in Winnebago County Circuit Court with fourth degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct. Both Arthur Thompson and the victim were trainees for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and were staying at South Gruenhagen Hall on the campus.

Stephen Hurley, Arthur Thompson’s attorney, who is a prominent Madison criminal attorney, could not be reached for comment.

In court documents, Hurley requested numerous documents from prosecutors, including the names of any witnesses, if they have a criminal records and all police reports on the case.

According to the criminal complaint, Arthur Thompson came to the victim’s room about 9 p.m. on July 22 and offered to help her study for an upcoming test. When the victim got up to get a glass of water, the complaint alleges Arthur Thompson “grabbed her by the arm and pulled her onto the bed and then reached over and grabbed her left breast.”

In the complaint, an Oshkosh police officer is quoted as having talked to Arthur Thompson, who admitted kissing the woman and that “he felt bad about it the next day and he apologized to her. He stated he did not know what came over him, but that he grabbed (the victim) and kissed her.”

If convicted on both counts, Arthur Thompson faces up to 12 months in jail and an $11,000 fine.

Arthur Thompson is the brother of Tommy Thompson, who served as governor of Wisconsin for 14 years. Tommy Thompson’s other brother, Ed, ran for governor of Wisconsin in 2002, coming in third behind Jim Doyle and Scott McCallum. Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, a candidate for mayor of Milwaukee, sharply criticized some of his fellow candidates for their role in the construction of the 3rd District Police Station in Milwaukee that a recent audit found will be at least $44 million over budget.

The combined district station and communications center, at North 49th Street and West Lisbon Avenue, was initially proposed at a cost of $20.8 million when first discussed in 1994. By the time the council approved construction in early 1998, the price tag had grown to $30 million. When the station is completed in 2004, the audit by the City of Milwaukee Comptroller’s office estimates the cost will be $64.1 million.

“While the city will clearly benefit from this (project), the audit found significant weaknesses in capital project management that need to be corrected for future projects,” the audit by the City of Milwaukee Comptroller’s office stated. “After over nine years of development, the project is still not fully operational. The audit found weaknesses in every area of capital project management, namely planning, budgeting, administration and oversight and reporting.”

Clarke said in an e-mail that the audit showed the lack of leadership in Milwaukee currently.

“No one had the courage that leadership requires to make the decision to stop it. This is the problem at city hall. Everybody's 'working together and getting along,’” Clarke wrote. “Between the mayor's office and the Common Council, there are plenty of people to hold accountable. Instead, they all find lame excuses for this $45 million mistake. The people of Milwaukee now have to pay the bill. They deserve better than this.”

Clarke sharply criticized Common Council President Marvin Pratt, who is running for mayor, for his role in not stopping the cost overruns.

“Marvin Pratt meekly says, ‘we new there were cost overruns, but we never knew how much.’” Clarke wrote. “Well guess what? It's his job and responsibility to know and ask how much. Is this an indication of the type of mayor he'll be? Isn't this the excuse Tom Ament gave -- he didn't know how much? Pratt goes on to blame the ‘schism’ between the mayor and Chief Jones but accepts none of the responsibility for himself.”

Clarke said he is “calling for heads to roll” as a result of the project mishaps.

“This is what happens when everybody's ‘working together and getting along’ -- something bureaucrats and career politicians accuse me of not being able to do,” he wrote. “They're right if they're talking about the typical political approach to governance. I don't subscribe to group mentality. I subscribe to leadership. Leadership is not a popularity contest.

“There appears to be apathy however among city residents that doesn't exist among county residents. Forget the mayors race, I'm a city property tax payer and I'm enraged because I ultimately will be stuck paying this bill.”

Clarke is part of a long list of candidates that want to replace Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, who is not running for reelection. This list also includes former Milwaukee Congressman Thomas Barrett, Pratt, Alderman Thomas Nardelli and Milwaukee businesswoman Sandy Folaron.

Most political observers see Barrett and Clarke as the frontrunners, with Nardelli, Pratt and Folaron in the second tier of competitors. In a recent Sports Illustrated survey, more Wisconsin residents listed the Chicago Cubs as their favorite professional team than the Milwaukee Bucks or the Milwaukee Brewers.

But of course, the Cubs, who were listed by four percent of the respondents in the survey published as part of the magazine’s 50th anniversary, came nowhere close to the Green Bay Packers, who were picked by 77 percent. The Milwaukee Bucks got three percent to tie the Chicago Bears. The Brewers, who have not made the playoffs since 1983, were not in the top four.

The Brewers were picked by 48 percent of the respondents when asked to name their favorite baseball team, with 10 percent choosing the Cubs, four percent the Minnesota Twins and 24 percent choosing no team.

When it came to the National Football League, the Packers were picked by 83 percent as their favorite team, with the Chicago Bears getting just five percent.

The other interesting fact from the survey was that Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was picked as the greatest athlete that ever lived in or played for a team in Wisconsin by 50 percent of the respondents. Bart Starr was picked by 13 percent and Hank Aaron by 10 percent.

The Harris Interactive poll was conducted online of 415 Wisconsin residents who identified themselves as sports fans. The margin of error was listed at +/-4.8 percent.