The Board believes that just because Christopher Larson was busted for shoplifting that shouldn't be held against him by voters in Milwaukee County's 14th Supervisory District.
"Larson is better pick"
Christopher Larson made a grievous error when he was 19. He shoplifted, food apparently, and was caught. In exchange for taking a course, the judge dropped the ordinance violation.
Larson is asking voters in Milwaukee County's 14th Supervisory District, covering the south side, to take him at his word that the incident turned his life around.
We do. We recommend him for the seat to replace longtime county supervisor Richard Nyklewicz Jr.
The shoplifting occurred when Larson was a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Now, he is a 27-year-old business manager for a string of sports stores. He's vying in this race against truck company owner Steven Kraeger.
The winner will be filling big shoes. As chairman of the board's Finance Committee, Nyklewicz was a sharp steward of public dollars while acting as a check against the no-tax-increase pledge of County Executive Scott Walker.
Simply, Larson is the candidate in this race to better fill that role. Kraeger also comes pretty close to pledging no new taxes. Taxes are his signature issue.
The problem: Balancing needs with dollars requires more nuance. Larson is not for higher taxes, but he is more likely in our estimation to take that balanced view.
Here's a guess:
If Steven Kraeger had a shoplifting incident in his past, such a "grievous error" would surely disqualify him to be a county supervisor.
The Journal Sentinel would be digging up every detail and covering the "error" from every possible angle, not dismissing it.
Why? Because Kraeger wants to hold the line on tax increases.
Larson, on the other hand, understands the "nuance" of picking people's pockets.
Excerpts from candidate questionnaires (read them in their entirety at www.jsonline.com/editorials):
Kraeger: "I support lower taxes even if a constant 0.0 tax increase is not always attainable. . . . I do pledge, if possible, to keep tax increases to a rate well below inflation."
Larson: "Taxes are synonymous with services. Saying you will cut or freeze taxes is the same as saying you will cut or freeze services."
So, a cut or freeze on taxes automatically means a cut or freeze on services.
It's not possible to revamp services to make them more efficient? It's not possible to cut the fat without cutting the quality of life in the county?
I don't agree with Larson's view. Apparently, I take a more nuanced approach than Larson and the Journal Sentinel Board do when it comes to finding solutions to manage the balance between taxes and services.
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