Milwaukee Assistant District Attorney David Feiss says that school board member Charlene Hardin’s theft of taxpayer funds isn’t a crime. Hardin and school secretary Lolita Peterson used $2,400 of taxpayer money to travel to Philadelphia for 3 days under the guise of attending a school-related conference, but then didn’t attend the event.

Hardin also has used taxpayer money to pay a $300 penalty for smoking in a non-smoking hotel room, rent a car at significant expense, and stay in a hotel costing over $400 per night.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

“I don’t believe there’s any significant dispute as to the fact that they did not attend significant portions of the conference,” said Assistant District Attorney David Feiss, head of the public integrity unit. “But it appeared more a matter of incompetence rather than intentional conduct.”

Since when is lying about attending a conference NOT intentional? When did smoking in a non-smoking room become NOT intentional? When did staying in a room that costs $400 a night become NOT intentional?

In less than 2 years, Hardin has spent over $10,000 of taxpayer money on traveling around the country. This… from someone on the board of a school district constantly crying about money.

I’m not surprised, though, that the District Attorney’s office didn’t charge Hardin. This is the same office that basically let Terry Gaouette off the hook for playing one of the lead roles in raiding the endowment fund of the Milwaukee Public Museum.