The Capital Times from Madison, Wisconsin • 3

Wednesday, April 5, 2000 The Capital Times 3A Spring Election Results i I I Comurf path tmlikely to diamge I 1 Sykes wins by landslide over Butler By David Callender The Capital Times Despite Justice Diane Sykes overwhelming victory Tuesday, an observer says he doesnt expect any major changes in the political direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The court will probably change very little, except maybe to move a little more to the right, said Marquette University Law School Dean Howard Eisenberg. Sykes, a former Milwaukee County circuit judge appointed by Gov. Tommy Thompson to the court last fall, defeated Milwaukee Municipal Judge Louis Butler by 65 percent to 35 percent statewide. Sykes won all 72 counties in the state.

She outpaced Butler in Milwaukee County by a 61-39 percent margin, leading him by more than 36,000 votes there. In Brown, Winnebago and Fond du Lac counties in the Fox River Valley, she outpolled Butler by almost a 2-1 margin. Butlers strongest performance came in Dane County, where he had lined up endorsements from prominent Democrats ranging from U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin to Madison Mayor Sue Bauman.

He lost here by slightly less than 2,000 votes, 49 percent of the total compared to Sykes 51 percent. The Dane County was: SYKES 35,395 Butler 33,626 Statewide, with 100 percent of precincts reporting, the unofficial vote was: SYKES 527,318 Butler 277,905 Sykes election to a full, 10-year term preserves the current political balance of power, which has split 4 to 3 between conservatives and liberals on certain hot-button issues, Eisenberg said. But while Sykes may ensure a conservative majority on some issues, he added, I wouldnt want to overstate that because there arent that many 4-3 votes on the for the high court. The two candidates agreed to accept public funding and to abide by state-set spending limits of $215,000 for the race. That meant both sides had to forsake the vitriolic, high-spending, TV ad-driven campaigns that marked last year's race between Chief Justice Shirley Abra-hamson and Green Bay lawyer Sharren Rose.

The last several elections have been far too negative and far too costly, and the rhetoric has not befitted the Supreme Court, Sykes said. Butler said he would continue to press for full public funding of Supreme Court races. A bill that would provide 100 percent state funding for high court races passed the state Senate this month but died without a vote in the Assembly. We did this with a shoestring budget and we still turned a lot of heads, Butler said. Sykes also said she would continue to try to reconcile some of-the personal differences that have split the court in recent years.

Last year, four justices Bablitch, Crooks, Wilcox and Donald Steinmetz, whom Sykes replaced when he retired backed Rose in 1 her race against Abrahamson. In several of the courts public conferences, particularly those dealing with the overhaul of the states lawyer discipline system, Sykes has acted as a moderator for the justices discussions and pressed them to make decisions on difficult issues. Sykes said she viewed herself as a consensus builder, and I hope that style has helped. Both candidates hinted that they would run again. Sykes acknowledged that she could remain a fixture on the court for years to come.

As she put it, Im 42, and I dont intend to retire when Im 52, when her term expires in 2010. Butler, meanwhile, declared that voters havent heard the last of Louis Butler. Another Supreme Court seat will be up for election next year, when Prosser, whom Thompson appointed in 1998, is expected to seek election to his first full term on the court. In 2003, voters will decide who will fill the seat now held by Bablitch. I I The room swirls and Justice Diane Sykes gets a thumbs up at her victory party Tuesday night in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin Supreme Court. Many of the cases are decided by a wider margin or a unanimous vote, he said. Since her appointment last September, Sykes has most often aligned herself with the courts two most conservative justices, Jon Wilcox and Patrick Crooks, Eisenberg noted. Justice David Prosser, a Thompson appointee and former Republican lawmaker, is regarded as a wild card who most frequently sides with the conservatives, Eisenberg said. Chief Justice Shirley Abra-hamson and Justices William Bab-litch and Ann Walsh Bradley tend to make up the liberal bloc on the court, although Bablitch has to some extent become less predictable in recent years, he said.

Low-key campaign: Sykes and Butler made their differing judicial philosophies one of the few major issues in one of the lowest-key Supreme Court races in years. Sykes described herself as a judicial conservative who did not be lieve in establishing new laws through high court rulings. In an interview, Sykes said her victory meant that voters want a justice whos faithful to the law as its written by the lawmakers and who does not impose a political or policy bent on decisions. Butler had also promised, however, that he would not try to legislate from the bench, though he called the Constitution a living document that must be interpreted under present circumstances. In an interview Tuesday night, he said Sykes victory was a testa ment to the strength of incumbency.

Its difficult taking on someone who already has the job, he said. We worked hard, but we didnt overcome that. An incumbent Supreme Court justice hasnt been defeated since 1968, when Justice George Currie who cast the deciding vote to allow the Milwaukee Braves to move to Atlanta was turned out of office. Both Butler and Sykes said they believed their campaigns restored an element of civility to the race Norquistis 1 re-elected in 1 Milwaukee Eds Tomah win makes gov the mayors brother MILWAUKEE (AP) Mayor John Norquist, who already has served longer than any other current big city mayor, won a fourth four-year term by defeating downtown businessman George Watts, who questioned his record on crime and taxes. Milwaukee County Executive F.

Thomas Ament also secured another term Tuesday. Norquist, a former Democratic legislator, in 1998 authored a book on city planning in which he advocated a so-called New Urbanism, which calls for, among other things, loosening up zoning laws and reducing urban residents reliance on the automobile. Watts criticized many of Nor-quists New Urbanist goals, particularly the mayors support for tearing down a large freeway spur and building a light-rail system. Watts, campaigning largely to the right of the mayor, also questioned Norquists assertion crime was going down and called for the ouster of Police Chief Arthur Jones. The mayoral candidates spent about 1 million on the campaign, with Norquist running upbeat ads showing him jog- 1 ging around Milwaukee streets and closing up drug- 1 houses alongside police officers.

to club TOMAH, Wis. (AP) Ed Thompson, best known as the governors younger brother, gave his sibling a new title when he beat the incumbent to become mayor of this town of 8,000 people. "Im the mayors brother now, Gov. Tommy Thompson quipped when interviewed in Madison. Im looking forward to working with him.

Fifty-two percent of registered voters turned out Tuesday the most in a spring election in Tomah since 1988. "Hey, we won big, Ed Thompson, 55, told his 58-year-old brother in a telephone conversation from a victory party at Mr. Eds Tee Pee, the supper club he owns. Ed Thompson has also worked as a professional poker player in Las Vegas, a prison cook, a snowplow driver and a boxer in Toughman contests. He decided to run for mayor after police raided his club in 1997 for allegedly operating illegal video gambling machines.

Thompson also pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct charges in 1998 after he got Into a fight with his butcher over hamburger. "I guess we all have a past we can Improve on, said Tomah resident Debbie Dorzok, who voted for Thompson- Thompson settled the gambling dispute out of court and has since been an advocate for legalizing video gambling In Wisconsin taverns as a means of competing with tribal casinos. "Its unjust, Thompson said. "The casino is not an Indian nation. Its' a bar.

Theres a deep injustice done to the taverns." Although the governor did not i He decided mayor after raided his for allegedly illegal video machines. campaign for his brother, the two had dinner together at the club on election night. The governor left for Madison before results started coming in. It didnt hurt at all having Tommy as my brother, Ed Thompson said. He finished with 1,179 votes to 909 for incumbent Bud Johnson, who served 13 years on the City Council and was seeking his third two-year term as mayor.

"Im 70 years old. Ive played this game long enough. Ive done my share, I think," Johnson said. Every time you go into a contest theres only one winner. You better be prepared for the other side of it or youre in trouble." About 200 people crammed into the Tee Pee for the victory celebration, leaning over the bar to give Thompson hugs and kisses.

At one point, Police Chief Eric Johnson pushed his way through the revelers and handed Thompson a mock bench warrant. It stated he was guilty of impersonating a politician and sentenced him to serve two years as mayor. Ed Thompson said his first priority will be to fight for the elderly and disabled who dont have transportation and the means to get into care homes. Tomah is about 80 miles northwest of Madison and 45 miles east of La Crosse. The governor, a native of nearby Elroy, said from Madison that it would be fun having his brother as mayor of a city so that they can discuss issues.

As for whether his brother has a political future beyond the mayors office, the governor said, "Lets see what kind of job he does. Hes got a lot of talent and I think hell do very well." run for police in 1997 operating gambling Watts sharply criticized Norquist in radio and tele- vision ads, including a TV spot in which Watts, sitting at his desk, read off a list of Milwaukees ills. Asking what Norquist did about the problems, Watts looked up at a silent mannequin of the mayor. Watts, who owns a Milwaukee china shop and teahouse, lived in Milwaukees suburbs for nearly 50 years, moving inside city limits just in time to run for mayor. A former Republican who challenged Tommy Thompson for the 1986 gubernatorial nomination, Watts registered as a Democrat before running for mayor in the predominantly Democratic city.

Ament easily won a third four-year term, beating challenger Dave Schall. Ament raised more than $700,000 in campaign i cash, running TV and radio ads saying he had ex- -1 panded county parks and delivered balanced budgets. In contrast, Schall only spent a few thousand dol-. lars on his campaign and said he was Ignored by the 1 media. Schall spent much of his time passing out fliers that called for leas privatization of county scrv- 1 ices, improved public transportation and more af- 1 fordable housing and health care.

Mayor-elect Ed Thompson waves his cowboy hat at his supper club, Mr. Eds Tee Pee, in Tomah, after defeating incumbent Mayor Bud Johnson. Said Gov. Tommy Thompson: "Im the mayor's brother now. Im looking forward to working with him." i Ml.