Is DA candidate Joe Manske hiding from the tough questions or is he just camera-shy?
The November election is only about six weeks away and, needless to say, there is a lot riding on it – not only for the candidates, but for us as taxpayers and citizens as well.
One of those elections will be for a new district attorney in Winnebago County. The two candidates seeking the position are Christian Gossett (R) and Joe Manske (D). Christian Gossett is currently in the district attorney’s office and has been for at least three years now. Prior to that he was with the DA’s office in Waukesha County.
I couldn’t tell you anything about Mr. Manske. He is an attorney whose family has been practicing law in the community for a number of years, but that’s where my knowledge of him stops. Others I’ve spoken with know little to nothing about him either. That may be the case right up to the election.
Mr. Manske was called a number of times about appearing on Eye on Oshkosh. The first two or three times he did not return a phone call. I eventually caught him in the office and spoke with him on two separate occasions about appearing on the show. He stalled me each time, saying he wasn’t sure if he wanted to or not, but he asked plenty of questions about who else would be appearing on the show between then and the election.
Last Thursday he left a message for me saying he was not going to appear. He said he has nothing against me or the show – “in fact, I think it’s great,’ he said – but indicated he was "handling his campaign a little differently." I’m not sure what that difference might be, but I have a sneaking suspicion how it may end up. I also know that his choice to not appear on the show seems to be in direct conflict with his own press release issued the very day before he called me.
On Sept. 20, Mr. Manske issued a press release stating among other things that “now that the primary is over, and his opponent is known, it is time to speak out on the major issues of that office which have been brought into the open recently by the Oshkosh Northwestern;” and that “he intends to have an open door policy for the press, and regular contact with the public by open forums or radio addresses.”
I don’t know what open door policy for the press Mr. Manske might be referring to, nor do I know what he considers regular contact with the public and when he intends to have such contact. But clearly the time to talk to people is now. Mr. Manske was given an opportunity to talk with the press for an hour on a widely watched program and he chose not to take it. That’s fine and neither Tony nor I suffer hurt feelings by his decision to take his campaign in a different direction and not appear. But we DO see this is as us extending an invitation to him for free publicity and his electing not to take it, presumably because he does not want to answer difficult questions. So be it.
Mr. Gossett, on the other hand, was not only gracious and savvy enough to grab free publicity when he could before the primary, we are pleased to be hosting him for another hour before the November general election. We invite your questions in advance of that interview being taped and I can at least assure viewers that while they may know very little about candidate Manske, they will know everything they need to about Christian Gossett in order to go to the polls and cast their vote for our next DA.
On a side note, I am personally proud to support Christian Gossett for that position now and on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
One of those elections will be for a new district attorney in Winnebago County. The two candidates seeking the position are Christian Gossett (R) and Joe Manske (D). Christian Gossett is currently in the district attorney’s office and has been for at least three years now. Prior to that he was with the DA’s office in Waukesha County.
I couldn’t tell you anything about Mr. Manske. He is an attorney whose family has been practicing law in the community for a number of years, but that’s where my knowledge of him stops. Others I’ve spoken with know little to nothing about him either. That may be the case right up to the election.
Mr. Manske was called a number of times about appearing on Eye on Oshkosh. The first two or three times he did not return a phone call. I eventually caught him in the office and spoke with him on two separate occasions about appearing on the show. He stalled me each time, saying he wasn’t sure if he wanted to or not, but he asked plenty of questions about who else would be appearing on the show between then and the election.
Last Thursday he left a message for me saying he was not going to appear. He said he has nothing against me or the show – “in fact, I think it’s great,’ he said – but indicated he was "handling his campaign a little differently." I’m not sure what that difference might be, but I have a sneaking suspicion how it may end up. I also know that his choice to not appear on the show seems to be in direct conflict with his own press release issued the very day before he called me.
On Sept. 20, Mr. Manske issued a press release stating among other things that “now that the primary is over, and his opponent is known, it is time to speak out on the major issues of that office which have been brought into the open recently by the Oshkosh Northwestern;” and that “he intends to have an open door policy for the press, and regular contact with the public by open forums or radio addresses.”
I don’t know what open door policy for the press Mr. Manske might be referring to, nor do I know what he considers regular contact with the public and when he intends to have such contact. But clearly the time to talk to people is now. Mr. Manske was given an opportunity to talk with the press for an hour on a widely watched program and he chose not to take it. That’s fine and neither Tony nor I suffer hurt feelings by his decision to take his campaign in a different direction and not appear. But we DO see this is as us extending an invitation to him for free publicity and his electing not to take it, presumably because he does not want to answer difficult questions. So be it.
Mr. Gossett, on the other hand, was not only gracious and savvy enough to grab free publicity when he could before the primary, we are pleased to be hosting him for another hour before the November general election. We invite your questions in advance of that interview being taped and I can at least assure viewers that while they may know very little about candidate Manske, they will know everything they need to about Christian Gossett in order to go to the polls and cast their vote for our next DA.
On a side note, I am personally proud to support Christian Gossett for that position now and on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
posted by Cheryl Hentz at 6:19 PM
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