Buried in the middle of the 16,172-page John Doe document is a curious note sent by Jim Villa.
Villa, at the time of the emails, was (and still is) the head of the powerful Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin (CARW). Villa was Walker’s chief of staff at the county between May 2002 and June 2007. I don’t think he had an official role with Friends of Scott Walker—prosecutors call him an “informal advisor to the Friends of Scott Walker” and a “personal friend” to Walker. Yet Villa was regularly copied on the campaign/county emails.
Now, why was the president of the Commercial Realtors Association of Wisconsin, who was the organization’s lobbyist at the state level, regularly copied on these emails and seemingly embedded in the campaign?
It gets weirder.
Villa’s lobbying firm—The Markesan Group—was involved in the bidding on the office space for the county Department of Aging in 2005. The 2005 and 2010 RFP process allegedly drew the attention of the John Doe prosecutors.
And, yes, Jim Villa was Kelly’s landlord when she stayed in Milwaukee. (She also named her consulting firm, JVS Consulting, after him—for “Jim Villa Sucks,” she emailed her friend.)
Now, read this email sent by Villa to Kelly about—what, exactly?
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What does Villa mean when he writes, “We are not two silos on our own it is one organization and given our size its [sic] imperative that we work in concert. I am going to want more detailed planning goals set by you—for the month, week and even day so that you can articulate what your plans/goals for any time frame are. We need to have a more formal discussion at least twice a month about this and continue to use written calendars and deadlines to guide our progress.”
Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?
Was Kelly Rindfleisch juggling work as deputy chief of staff for Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, fundraiser for Brett Davis’s lieutenant governor campaign, loyal foot soldier for Walker’s gubernatorial campaign (unofficially), and what, exactly, for the Realtors?
Was she working for the Realtors or was she trying to work for the Realtors?
I’m trying to dig up her response. I haven’t found one.
