Former AG Lautenschlager To Chair New Ethics Commission

Former state Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager will chair Wisconsin’s newly formed Ethics Commission.

Lautenschlager, a Democrat, served one term as attorney general from 2003 to 2007. Her new position chairing the ethics commission won’t give her much power to shape policy because the commission is split evenly between people picked by Republicans and Democrats.

Lautenschlager had an encounter with Wisconsin’s old Ethics Board in 2004 after she was arrested for driving under the influence. She was in a state vehicle at the time, which the Ethics Board found she had used in violation of state rules. Lautenschlager reimbursed the state for her mileage and paid a fine.

The Ethics Commission is one of two agencies replacing the Government Accountability Board. Former GAB employee Brian Bell will be the Ethics Commission’s first administrator. Another former GAB employee, Michael Haas, will serve as the first administrator for the new Elections Commission.