Mayor Taylor urges all residents to contact their legislators

The City of Franklin has put up a letter from Mayor Tom Taylor regarding Senate Bill 548 and Assembly Bill 759. You may now follow all Franklin Today updates and information relating to these two bills in the state legislature by going to the Sex Offender Legislation link on this site.

After the jump is Mayor Taylor's letter to all residents of Franklin.

Dear Fellow Citizens of Franklin, Wisconsin:   

As the Mayor of the City of Franklin, I am requesting your immediate help in trying to block an attempt by some Wisconsin State Legislators, whose areas are outside of Franklin, to pass legislative bills that would nullify or invalidate the City of Franklin's sex offender residency restriction and child safety zone ordinances.  

The City of Franklin's sex offender residency restriction and child safety zone ordinances were enacted by your Common Council in an effort to make the City of Franklin a safer place for children and for women. These ordinances have been tested in the courts and according to our law enforcement officials, have served our community very well. 

We, as a City government, have worked vigorously along with the members of the public to win court battles and political fights that challenged your right to enact reasonable and rational laws for the protection of your children. The City of Franklin and thousands of Franklin citizens fought at State Fair Park, at the State Capitol, and in the courtrooms to keep Franklin safe.  I respectfully ask you, as the Mayor, to once again fight to protect your right to pass laws and keep laws in place for the safety of your family. 

Your local elected officials are doing and will do what we can to fight this new attempt by a few state legislators to interfere in the people of Franklin's right to self governance; however, there comes a point in a political battle (and that's what we have here) where it is up to each and every resident that lives in Franklin to fight to keep their community safe by contacting their elected representatives.  

As the Mayor and as your neighbor, I am imploring you to immediately take the same time you may take to place a phone order for a pizza, to make two calls to keep your family safer from sexual predators. Please call or send a message to Mary Lazich and Jeff Stone at the phone numbers below (leave a voice mail message if there is no answer):  

Senator Mary Lazich, Sen.lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov, 1-608-266-5400, Room 109 South, State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882   

Representative Jeff Stone, Rep.stone@legis.wisconsin.gov, 1-608-266-8590, Room 314 North, State Capitol, P.O. Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708.

Please urge Mary and Jeff to continue to fight this attempt by some in the State Legislature to interfere in your local government's right to pass ordinances that serve to protect the children of Franklin.  Both Mary Lazich and Jeff Stone have said that they agree that these bills should be defeated, but they need your help. Calling and writing e-mail messages to them will assist them in showing their colleagues that the people of Franklin care deeply about keeping ordinances in place that protect their families.  

A democracy can only survive and flourish if the people's voices are heard. This is your Community and this is your State.  Please call, write, or email your State representatives as soon as possible at the numbers and addresses found in this letter.  Please ask them for their support in fighting SB 548 and AB 759 and ask them how you can help them in assisting them to win the political battle to kill these two bills that may violate your State Constitutional rights.  Please contact the candidates for Governor and those seeking state office for their support in killing SB 548 and AB 759. Find out where they stand on the right of local governments to pass and enact laws that protect their citizens. Ask each candidate what he or she will do today to kill this irresponsible proposed legislation.  

We in Franklin have fought too hard and for too long to let a few people that live outside our community dictate what we can or cannot do as citizens of Franklin, Wisconsin. 

I have been informed that two individuals in particular are pushing for the passage of these two divisive bills. I was told that Senator Lena Taylor and Representative Frederick Kessler are supporting these two very controversial pieces of legislation. You may wish to contact both of them to voice your opposition to SB 548 and AB 759. You may also wish to contact Governor Doyle's Office to strongly voice your opposition to these two bills. I have included contact information for those mentioned above as part of this letter to you. 

I and a number of elected officials and citizens will be traveling to Madison to fight these two bills, but it is absolutely essential that the members of the Wisconsin State Legislature hear from the residents of Franklin who are also Wisconsin taxpayers. I have been informed that there is a public hearing proposed for AB 759 on Thursday, March 11, 2010, at 10:15 a.m., before the Committee on Corrections and the Courts of the Wisconsin State Legislature in the Assembly, in Room 415 Northwest in the State Capitol.  There may be an attempt to push these two bills through now or prior to the Legislature's adjournment on April 22, or prior to Governor Doyle leaving office.  That is why you must act immediately. 

Many other Wisconsin cities, villages, and towns adopted sex offender residency restriction and/or child safety zone ordinances after Franklin adopted its ordinances.  You may wish to contact your friends and relatives living in other parts of Wisconsin and ask them to contact their Senator and Representative and urge them to oppose these two bills. 

Please help me and the aldermen stop these types of attacks that erode our right as citizens to home rule.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Taylor
Mayor of the City of Franklin

Other Contact Information:

Senator Lena Taylor, Sen.taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov, 1-608-266-5810
Room 415 South, State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882 

Senator Jim Sullivan, Sen.Sullivan@legis.wisconsin.gov, 1-608-266-2512
Room 15 South, State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707 

Representative Frederick Kessler, Rep.kessler@legis.wisconsin.gov, 1-608-266-5813
Room 302 North, State Capitol, P.O. Box 8952, Madison, WI 53708 

Governor Doyle's Office
P.O. Box 7863
Madison, WI  53707
1-608-266-1212

P.S. Please read the attached Resolution 2010-6630 that was recently passed by your City of Franklin Common Council that opposes Senate Bill 548 and Assembly Bill 759.  

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Franklin Today Note: I'd also like to remind everyone of the sponsors of Senate Bill 548. They are all shown in this article. If you are interested in ensuring that all interested parties are aware of your position, make sure to include those legislators as well, since they're the ones putting their names on the bill.