Abele, Stone Come Under Fire
MILWAUKEE - The accusations are flying in the county executive race and today both candidates were defending themselves.
Milwaukee County Executive candidate Chris Abele is defending himself against another unflattering news item.
The Journal Sentinel reports Abele was hit with a $2.3 million tax lien in 2003, because of unpaid taxes. But Abele says, the IRS and his tax preparers simply had different ideas about his home assessment, and that it was eventually resolved.
Abele told TODAY'S TMJ4's Shelley Walcott: "That lien was dropped, not paid, everything's fine, it hasn't been audited since. No obligations, nothing illegal, nothing improper."
But it is the latest in a litany of bad press against the Milwaukee Democrat including revelations of unsettled OWI's, setting off fireworks within city limits, and nearly 100 unpaid parking tickets. Abele says the timing of all this bad press is no accident.
"The Stone campaign has former Walker operatives, one under investigation, digging around looking for dirt about me," said Abele.
And some bad news came for Republican candidate Jeff Stone as well.
TODAY'S TMJ4 has learned Warner Jackson, a man who appears in a picture with stone on this campaign flyer, says he never gave his permission for his image to be used.
"He was kind of surprised because he's getting phone calls and people are under the presumption that he supports Mr. Stone when in fact he never has," said attorney Michael Maistelman.
Maistelman says he will be filing a complaint on Jackson's behalf with District Attorney John Chisolm's office. Stone says no harm was intended.
Stone told Walcott: "I think that for the most part when you're in public places and people take photographs those get used all the time so, really it's a picture of me doing what candidates do. Out meeting people and greeting people."
The complaint against Jeff Stone is expected to be filed by the end of the day Thursday.
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