Sen. Glenn Grothman Responds to Escalating Recall Efforts

Recall efforts for the 20th District Senator are building on both sides, as recall supporters work to organize a rally on Saturday in Saukville and Sen. Glenn Grothman is strategizing more ways to raise campaign money in case of a successful recall.

Grothman has been busy in the district since recall efforts began, meeting residents and trying to raise funds in the event he will need to campaign after a successful recall.

“I guess this is a very serious, determined group of people, and I have to raise more money and recruit more volunteers," he said, after hearing of the rally. "I’m having a fundraiser — maybe I should have another fundraiser to get the money in case they get the signatures."

Six speakers are expected at Saturday's rally, which will be held at noon in Grady Park in Saukville. Democratic candidate for the 60th Assembly District Rick Aaron is on the list of speakers.

"The purpose of the rally is to energize the crowd in obtaining enough signatures to recall Mr. Grothman," he said in an e-mail. "Mr. Grothman's comments regarding those legally protesting the governor's actions were deplorable."

Aaron is referring to comments made by Grothman surrounding protesters in Madison.

"All that’s being shut down by a bunch of slobs taking up the building," Grothman had said. "We can no longer continue to have all these slobs in the building."

Protests on both sides of Gov. Scott Walker's bill kept Madison streets and Wisconsin cities busy for weeks, stalling the passing of any fiscal items. The bill, among other things, eliminates most collective bargaining rights for many public unions.

The Republicans removed the fiscal items and passed the bill, which was then signed by the governor. Recall efforts have been ongoing against several Democratic and Republican senators since the beginning of the protests.

"You refer to legal protesters as slobs?" Aaron said. "This is not the kind of legislator that I want representing honest citizens who have every right to let their government know they disagree with its actions."

Aaron's opposition, Republican candidate for the 60th District Duey Stroebel, said the recall efforts are focused in the wrong direction.

"I guess I don’t understand why they would be recalling Glenn Grothman, besides not liking the way he votes," he said, "and I don’t believe that’s ground for recalling a position."

Instead, Stroebel said, the recall efforts should be strongly focused on the Democrats who fled the state to avoid voting on the bill.

Sen. Chris Larson, one of the "Wisconsin 14" — as they have been called — to leave the state before the vote on Gov. Walker's bill could take place, will also be one of the speakers at Saturday's rally.

"I think the big thing that motivated me (to speak at the rally) was seeing how radical the Republicans had become," he said, referring to moments such as the call for the arrest of the Democrats who had left.

"I’ll be out there to help them and make sure their side of what happened is getting out," Larson said.

Other speakers include: Gus Gnorski, a retired TV journalist; Stephanie Bloomingdale, secretary/treasurer for Wisconsin AFL-CIO; Wendy Strout, executive director of Emerge Wisconsin; and Tanya Lohr, a teacher and recall advocate.