Bipartisanship? Cooperation? Will These Ideas Fly?

Republican State Sen. Dale Schultz of Richland Center and Democratic State Sen. Timothy Cullen of Janesville did two things a few months ago that were quite remarkable in the light of the super-charged, partisan atmosphere in Madison (and elsewhere) this year.

For one, they had lunch together. And for another, they decided to spend a day in each other’s districts, trying to get a better grasp of the perspective of people who lived different lifestyles and had different views from the people in their own districts. Schultz represents a strongly rural state Senate district, while Cullen’s district, which includes Beloit, is more oriented toward cities and factories.

Schultz and Cullen agreed on quite a few things: The legislative process in Madison had become too divisive. Good policy requires the support of at least half the people of the state and not just people on one side. Both parties were guilty of pushing through momentous decisions without significant support from the other party – in the case of the Republicans in Wisconsin, it was the collective bargaining bill that triggered an uproar in Madison earlier this year, in the case of the Democrats in Washington, it was the health care bill passed in 2010.

The two decided they should work together on an idea that could change things. They settled on trying to reform the way state Supreme Court justices are selected so that process is less partisan and less subject to influence from special interests.

And they decided to go on the road around Wisconsin with what they labeled their common ground tour.

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Father Pilarz: Promoting Marquette’s Responsibility for Milwaukee’s Well-Being

In a down-to-earth and sometimes self-deprecating way, Marquette University’s new president, the Rev. Scott Pilarz, S.J., offered a vision Monday of a university that simultaneously strengthens the quality of its academic programs and its research while becoming more involved with addressing Milwaukee’s needs.

Speaking during an “On the Issues” session with Mike Gousha, distinguished fellow in law and public policy, in the Law School’s Eckstein Hall, Pilarz described Marquette as one of the nation’s great universities. He said great universities successfully walk a tightrope in which student education and research are complementary, not competitive, interests.

Asked by Gousha what other universities he felt Marquette was competing with, he said, “I think we’re competing with Marquette to be the best Marquette we can be.” He said university leaders shouldn’t  spend a lot of time looking over their shoulders.  “We’re a major national university,” Pilarz said. The focus should simply be, “How do we improve Marquette?”

Pilarz took office as president on Aug. 1. Ceremonies to inaugurate him officially are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

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Farewell, Attorney Nathan A. Fishbach

Nathan FishbachThe Milwaukee legal community lost one of its most distinguished members yesterday with the untimely passing of Nathan A. Fishbach.  Nathan served in the United States Attorney’s Office for thirteen years, rising to the positions of Deputy U.S. Attorney and Interim U.S. Attorney.  He then moved to private practice in 1993, spending the balance of his career as a highly respected civil and white-collar litigator with Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek.  Nathan specialized in complex white-collar cases with overlapping civil, criminal, and regulatory dimensions.  Over the years, I had several conversations with Nathan about his practice, and I always left deeply impressed by his combination of heart-felt empathy for his clients and hard-nosed savvy about litigation tactics.

Nathan will be missed not only by his clients and coworkers, but also by the wider Milwaukee legal community, where he was known as a great leader and builder.  He was, for instance, the founding president of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association.  Nathan loved to bring people together, and I think he was quite proud of all the things he did that helped to make the Milwaukee legal community more genuinely a “community.”  It is hard to imagine any more deserving winner of the Judge Myron L. Gordon Lifetime Achievement Award, which was bestowed on him by the EDWBA earlier this year.

Although Nathan was a graduate of Villanova Law School, we have long since claimed him as an honorary Marquette Lawyer.  

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