This is NOT the guy who should be promoting WEDC

Saturday’s Wisconsin State Journal featured an editorial by “business owner” and former Mayor of Columbus, Wisconsin, Michael Eisenga, who took time out to talk up the scandal-plagued Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). Among the many absurd claims in Eisenga’s columnare these:

1. WEDC is “one of [Gov Scott Walker’s] greatest ideas,” that if anything, needs to be strengthened.

2. Wisconsin's job growth lagged the nation from 1963 to 2008, so WEDC can't be blamed for the fact that the state's job growth is among the worst in the Midwest today. Of course, that's not what Walker and other GOPs claimed at the time, as they were claiming in 2011 WEDC's "flexibilities" would make Wisconsin an economic star. They don't say that today.

3. Eisenga ends the column by saying “Economic development takes time. WEDC will pay enormous dividends. We need to be in the game. And with WEDC, we’re a much stronger player.”

Of course, what that game is and what form those dividends take isn’t mentioned, but I racked my brain regarding why I knew the name of Michael Eisenga. And then I remembered, and it helped explain the game and dividends this guy is really looking for.

Eisenga is the Columbus, Wis., millionaire whose frustration with the $15,000 a month in child support he was required to pay his ex-wife reportedly inspired state Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, to draft a bill to cap the amount of child support that can be imposed on the wealthy.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that legislative drafting documents showed that Eisenga's demands played a key role in writing the bill, with a Kleefisch aide requesting specific changes to the wording that would allow Eisenga to seek a previously denied reduction in his payments.

Not only did it look bad for Kleefisch to appear to rewrite a significant portion of family law for the benefit of one voter, but the fact that Eisenga had contributed substantially to the campaigns of Kleefisch and his wife, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, made his efforts appear even fishier.

Oh, and did I mention that he’s given nearly $20,000 to Scott Walker’s campaigns directly (and who knows how much indirectly)? And there's no question Scotty and Oconomowoc Barbie definitely knows who this guy is - he's the meatball with the red vest in this picture.



And this guy is such a moocher and user of the system that he put his children on BadgerCare to pay for their medical needs, despite having millions of dollars to his name.

But where else do I know Eisenga’s name from?... Oh yeah! This story.

Nevada state records show Kelly Rindfleisch as affiliated with National Lending Solutions, a business with a Columbus address, between December 2011 and March 2012.

Milwaukee County's district attorney has charged Rindfleisch with misconduct in public office for allegedly doing campaign work while on-the-job as deputy chief of staff for then-Milwaukee County executive Scott Walker. Rindfleisch was criminally charged at the same time she was listed as the business reservation holder in Nevada.

The business address for National Lending Solutions is identical to the address of American Lending Solutions, formerly First American Funding Company, owned by Michael Eisenga of Columbus.

In a settlement of a state complaint against First American Funding for allegedly contacting more than one million consumers on the state's No-Call List with mortgage solicitations, First American was required to pay $144,000, and provide quarterly summaries of all its calls to ensure no additional pattern of No-Call violations.

Of course, Rindfleisch was later convicted for campaigning on the public dime and sentenced to prison. However, even though strong evidence connected Walker to at least knowing about Rindfleisch’s illegal acts (if not outright ordering them), Walker ended up not being charged, perhaps because Rindfleisch wouldn’t give up information showing prosecutors what her boss did and why he might have done it.

So how coincidental that as this investigation was going on, Rindfleisch landed this gig with a connected Walker donor like Michael Eisenga while Scotty was being investigated in John Doe I for shenangians that happened during Rindfleisch’s tenure under Scotty! It’s almost like she was being taken care of in exchange for favors that could be repaid later to Mr. Eisenga. Almost....

And this cronyist creep is the guy trotted out by Walker supporters in an attempt to prop up the corrupt slush fund known as WEDC, and say it’s the way we should do economic development in this state? Talk about damning with praise, and giving the game away!