BUILDING OWNER WAS CONTRIBUTOR

The Journal Sentinel staff

Madison Gov. Tommy G. Thompson said Friday he was "shocked" to find that one of the state's most expensive leases is paid to his appointee on the State Building Commission.

"I didn't know anything about it," Thompson said in an interview.

The governor said he has asked Robert Brandherm, administrator of the Building Commission, to review the file on the state's lease with commission member Bryce Styza and brief Thompson on it.

State records show the state will pay $127,845 this year for 7,056 square feet of property in a Waukesha office building that Styza owns.

The rate for the building, leased for the District 2 Court of Appeals, is $18.12 per square foot one of the highest rates the state pays to rent office space.

Thompson said he did not think anything improper or unethical had occurred.

He noted that the lease originally was awarded in 1986, one year before Styza was appointed to the Building Commission. Former governor Tony Earl, a Democrat, awarded that lease.

Since then, the Thompson administration has granted a five- year extension and has sent Styza another proposed five-year extension that would boost the Leg 1 ends here rate to $18.50 per square foot.

Administration Secretary James Klauser, the money manager for the governor's campaign, is solely responsible for approving lease extensions on behalf of the state.

Styza has given $6,900 to Thompson's campaign since 1992.

One Democratic lawmaker has said Klauser should not be put in the position of extending leases for campaign contributors.

But Thompson said he had no problems with the current arrangement.

"Somebody has to do it. I don't see anything wrong with it; somebody has to make the decision," the third-term governor said. "I just don't see how I would have the time to do it."

He noted that he reviews all state transportation contracts and land deals. He said previous governors have not taken on such responsibilities.

Even so, he said he does take pride in trying to know everything that is going on in his administration.

And he said he may have been briefed on the Styza lease some time in the past. But he said he does not recall anything about it.

"I was shocked when I was reading the paper this morning," Thompson said.

Copyright 1995
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