Legislator gives up sick pay

Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) announced that she will return about $45,000 in sick pay that can be converted into a retirement health benefit credit. On November 25, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel broke the story about how Wisconsin legislators have been building up sick pay instead of using it appropriately.

Although I do not typically agree with Senator Darling’s political decisions, I give her a lot of credit for her decision on this issue. I think it shows that she has integrity and is willing to do what is right for the taxpayers. I hope more state officials realize the importance of Senator Darling’s actions and this issue.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Darling to give up sick pay

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawmakers bypass sick days

Redesigning my Web site – 2006

I’ve “reloaded” my Web site, as indicated by the subtitle in the header. I’ve adopted WordPress as my primary content management system (CMS) and blogging tool, and have taken out a number of pages and elements. It’s a work in progress, but I’ve dedicated some time to this project.

As with any project, there is always a list of up-front work that must be done before jumping in and just doing it. And implementing the work also requires following a plan of attack (typically called a project plan). Even though this is a personal Web site, even I approached this using the project management skills that I developed during my time in my current position.

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Major snow dumped

Although I don’t live in southeast Wisconsin, I read that they received over 9 inches of snow this morning. Although this is not as significant as snow in other places, it’s hard to imagine that we were enjoying mild temperatures just days ago. Even my little city received just a couple of inches of snow today and experienced strong winds tonight. So it seems official: winter is finally here. And as an added bonus, I’ve posted an article about driving safely in the snow.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Newswatch – Snow’s wallop felt across region

Wisconsin DOT: Safe winter driving tips