There are already competing theories for why Russ Decker abandoned his party and public workers and voted against the state employee contracts that he had voted for only hours earlier in committee. On the surface there was no sense to it.
By all standards of good government, the contracts, which are 18 months overdue and will only run until June, should have been approved. If Walker wants to give public workers huge pay cuts he can wait until June. Retroactive cuts are unwarranted.
Furthermore, Decker is a former union guy himself. The first contract he voted against was for builders. If Decker does go back into the construction industry, as he said he might last night, you can bet it will not be in any union capacity.
Two of the plausible explanations are that Decker was seeking revenge against Doyle, whom he despises, or that he, like Jeff Plale, is seeking a position in the Walker administration. That's the prediction that Twitter or Facebook to get regular updates on city and state politics. Please send anonymous tips, interview requests or any other comments to jcraver@isthmus.com.
