Friday, September 25, 2015

Jim Villa - VP of Scott Walker's Campaigns

By Jeff Simpson 

Scott Walker recently pointed out that even though he planned on cutting $300 Million(later trimmed to $250 million) from the University of Wisconsin system budget, they could easily make up the difference if each professor taught one more class.

Image result for Jim villa bad pictureWalker said UW campuses might be able to tap into their reserves to offset the cuts, but he emphasized “it will make them do things that they have not traditionally done.”
“They might be able to make savings just by asking faculty and staff to consider teaching one more class per semester,” Walker told reporters Wednesday in Madison. “Things like that could have a tremendous impact on making sure that we preserve an affordable education for all of our UW campuses, and at the same time we maintain a high-quality education.”
Even though that showed a complete lack of understanding what the UW System does(he did drop out of Marquette after all), logic, common sense and economic sense, Scott Walker was unbowed and went forward with his cuts.  

Some thing that only got a little bit of press at the time, and none during the time of cuts, is that Walker got his good friend Jim Villa hired to a VP position at UW Madison, making well over $200,000/yr of taxpayer money.   

Jim Villa, who was almost arrested, was tapped to be VP of Office of University Relations, despite the fact that everyone on the interview committee said specifically - DO NOT HIRE JIM VILLA!

Jim Villa, as most incompetent ass kissers are want to do, has kind of stayed under the radar and not so outwardly political.

Thanks to his bosses blind ambitions, that all was about to change. 

 It was a painful turn for Walker, who had quickly vaulted to the top of the Iowa polls, powered by a fiery January speech in Des Moines, only to drop precipitously in the summer amid Donald Trump’s rise. He had gone from front-runner to also-ran in a matter of months.So on Monday morning, the group of advisers — including veteran Walker hands John Hiller, Bill Eisner, Ed Goeas, and Jim Villa — huddled with Scott and Tonette Walker. The top of the agenda, according to campaign sources: polling and fundraising. And the numbers were bad.
 There it is in black and white. 

 Jim Villa, VP of University Relations(at taxpayer funded UW-Madison) dropped what he was doing(on a Monday morning) to head to the publicly funded Governors Mansion to discuss Scott Walker's plan for his next phase in the Presidential election.   

This brings up many questions:

Is that what WE pay him over $200,000/yr for? To help Scott Walker campaign?  Did Ray Cross know?  Will Scott Walker ever learn to stop campaigning on the taxpayer dime?  Does Jim Villa really represent the UW at this time or is he eyes and ear for Scott Walker in the liberal institution. What was discussed at this meeting that the public should know about?  How many other of these meetings has Jim Villa attended?  How many during the work day?  Is Jim Villa also a paid adviser on the campaign?   How would you feel if a Democratic administration member tapped into an Administrator or Professor at UW-Madison, to actually step up and help during business hours? Do you think taxpayer resources should be used to help Scott Walker keep his job? Will anyone even question him? 

Unfortunately, the guy ahead of University Relations, has not found the time to answer my questions I emailed him directly, but I do not expect an answer.  

However if you think that it is OK for the Governor is telling Doctorate Level Professors to "teach another class" to save money, but he can have his crony, the $200,000/yr Vice President, on call to help him where ever and whenever he needs help campaigning, then our priorities are shot.   

If you think this is wrong then voice your displeasure at how these people are spending/wasting our valuable tax dollars!  If you are an alumni, is this really who you want representing your great University?  
Your voice matters!   

Photo James  Villa

James Villa

Vice President for University Relations
Contact
1760 Van Hise Hall
1220 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: (608) 262-4464
jvilla@uwsa.edu
@Jim_Villa 

Or else contact his Boss at UW Ray Cross(or both):
Ray Cross, President
1720 Van Hise Hall
1220 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Call: (608) 262-2321
Email: president@uwsa.edu





2 comments:

  1. Walker is paying his UW minions more than 3x the salary of full-professors, which is nothing short of public-theft. Walker needs to refund the public for his salary, expenses and rent to offset his fiscal idiocy.

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  2. As with charging Wisconsin taxpayers for Walker's campaign trips, or (via WEDC) his reimbursement of big donors....

    Socializing costs and privatizing profits is the Republican way.

    Yeah, another word for it is "money-laundering". But remember Iran-Contra? Taxpayers' money spent on weapons sold under the table to Iran who paid the Contras who donated to US Republican campaigns, in effect the GOP looting the US Treasury, and George HW Bush pardoned the conspirators, besides Ollie North whose immunity for testimony was later ruled a get-out-of-jail-free card — so nobody was ever punished for it. Then why shouldn't the GOP go on doing the same thing again and again? They've been shown in the clearest possible way that they can get away with it, and here they also have a state supreme court whose Justices can take huge bribes openly without fear of impeachment thanks to a legislature lopsidedly desirous of exactly that corruption. Hog heaven!

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