Jon P. Wilcox - 1997 Election Campaign Controversy

1997 Election Campaign Controversy

Justice Wilcox attracted some controversy in 2001 when his 1997 re-election campaign was accused of an illegally coordinated get-out-the-vote effort with the group Wisconsin Citizens for Voter Participation. The group, which supported school choice, apparently put more than $200,000 into last-minute mailings and phone calls supporting Wilcox's candidacy. The Wisconsin State Elections Board alleged that Wilcox's campaign violated state election law, which bans any cooperation between independent groups and a candidate or a candidate's campaign organization.

The Board eventually reached a settlement with Wilcox's campaign, wherein Justice Wilcox personally paid a $10,000 fine. Although Wilcox denied knowing about the illegal coordination, he agreed to pay the fine, acknowledging that he bore the ultimate responsibility for the actions of his campaign staff. Wilcox's campaign manager, Mark Block, also paid a $15,000 fine and promised not to work as a consultant or volunteer on any campaign until 2004. The coalition's co-founder, former Assembly Republican staffer Brent Pickens, paid a $35,000 fine and promised not to work on any campaigns for the next five years.