MADISON - A group that advocates for people with disabilities is taking issue with a joke uttered at a Democratic candidate forum that the group says was made at the expense of people with developmental challenges.
On Sunday, four candidates seeking to unseat Gov. Scott Walker participated in a forum hosted by NextGen America at Milwaukee's historic Pabst Brewery. During the event, the candidates were asked unconventional questions like which actor would portray each candidate in films.
On Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin president Mahlon Mitchell's turn, Mitchell said: "This is going to sound good or bad, I don't know, but at the firehouse they say that Cuba Gooding Jr. would play me but when he played Radio.”
In 2003, Gooding Jr. portrayed James "Radio" Kennedy, a man with developmental disabilities who was befriended by a high school football coach in the 1960s. Kennedy earned his nickname because of his collection of radios.
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Beth Sweeden, executive director of Wisconsin's Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, said Mitchell's attempt at self-deprecating humor was not productive.
"Like all traditionally marginalized groups, people with developmental disabilities do not find humor at their expense to be productive or helpful to the broader community in better understanding their unique assets and abilities as well as their priorities and challenges," said Sweeden said Monday.
Sunday's joke was the third time in recent months Mitchell has drawn scrutiny for his style of humor. Earlier this year, Mitchell kicked off a forum on transportation issues with a crude joke about defecating.
And earlier this month, Mitchell stopped short of using a racial slur while joking around with supporters in a video posted on his campaign Facebook account.
Sweeden said the disability community would rather hear "concrete answers to their questions about issues important to them: transportation, employment, the direct caregiver shortage, and adequate Medicaid and school funding."
On those issues, Mitchell has said he would accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid and has called for changing the state's formula for funding schools in order to provide schools with the highest number of students living in poverty and other challenges with more money to support those students.
He also would tie the gas tax to inflation to help boost the overall transportation fund, and wants to implement regional transit authorities that would have the ability to raise taxes or fees for bus systems or other forms of mass transportation.
And to boost employment, Mitchell would seek to raise wages, and create more job training and apprentice programs.
The eight-way Democratic primary is Aug. 14.
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