Taylor Says “Fake News” Got the Jail Tablet Story Wrong. Here’s What the Record Actually Shows.

 

Taylor Says “Fake News” Got the Jail Tablet Story Wrong. Here’s What the Record Actually Shows.

Milwaukee County Supervisor Steve Taylor says he had nothing to do with the original decision to provide inmates with tablets and accused unnamed “fake news blogs” of misleading the public. Some of Taylor’s corrections are supported by the Sheriff. But his own voting record complicates the broader defense.

By Dr. Richard Busalacchi
Franklin Community News

Milwaukee County Supervisor Steve Taylor (D RINO) has entered the controversy over electronic communications at the Milwaukee County Jail with a lengthy public statement assigning responsibility elsewhere and criticizing reporting about the issue.

Taylor is right about an important fact: he was not serving on the County Board when the original inmate communications system was approved in 2022.

But that's not the end of the story.

Taylor: “That Train Left the Station in 2022”

Taylor wrote that the County Board approved the original request in 2022 by a 17–0 vote and emphasized:

“I was NOT on the Board at that time.”

Correct.

Taylor then went considerably further:

“The debate over telephone, video and tablets was NOT on the table as that train left the station in 2022.”

That's where Taylor's explanation becomes incomplete.

In March 2025, the Sheriff's Office returned to the County Board seeking authorization for a three-year amendment to Milwaukee County's agreement with Inmate Calling Solutions, LLC—ICSolutions—for correctional communications at the Jail and Community Reintegration Center through March 28, 2028.

Taylor voted YES.

Not once.

Twice.

Original 2022 Approval: Who Made the Motion?

County records provide additional clarity about the original 2022 ICSolutions agreement.

The request did not originate with Steve Taylor. File 21-1004 was submitted by the Chief Deputy of the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office and the Superintendent of the House of Correction, seeking authorization for a three-year agreement with ICSolutions to provide resident communication services at the Milwaukee County Jail and House of Correction.

When the agreement reached the full County Board on February 3, 2022, Supervisor Jason Haas made the motion to adopt it. The motion passed 17-0.

Steve F. Taylor was not a member of the County Board at the time. District 17 was then represented by Anthony Staskunas. Although the minutes list a “Supervisor Taylor” voting in favor, the Board roster establishes that this was Sequanna Taylor, the District 2 supervisor—not Steve F. Taylor. 

That supports Taylor on one important point: he had no role in the County Board’s original February 2022 approval of the ICSolutions agreement.

However, that does not end the timeline. After returning to the County Board, Steve F. Taylor later participated in the 2025 consideration of a new three-year amendment to the ICSolutions agreement and voted in favor of it both in the Finance Committee and before the full County Board. Thus, the distinction is important: Taylor did not approve the original agreement, but he did vote to approve a subsequent three-year amendment involving the same contractor.

Taylor Cast a Critical 4–3 Finance Vote

On March 13, 2025, File 25-222 came before the County Board's Finance Committee.

The motion was to recommend adoption.

It passed 4–3.

Steve Taylor was one of the four yes votes.

That distinction matters. Taylor wasn't merely present while an overwhelmingly supported measure passed. His affirmative vote was mathematically necessary for the committee to recommend adoption.

One week later, on March 20, Taylor voted YES again when the amendment came before the full County Board. It passed 16–0.

That doesn't make Taylor responsible for originally putting tablets in the jail.

But it does mean the public record is considerably more complicated than suggesting the issue disappeared from County Board responsibility when the “train left the station” in 2022.

Sheriff's Own Statement Connects ICSolutions to the Tablets

That connection became even clearer on September 10.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office issued a statement attempting to correct what it called misinformation about the jail technology.

Among its clarifications was this important fact:

The tablets are supplied by ICSolutions.

That's the same contractor whose correctional-communications agreement Taylor voted to amend in 2025.

The Sheriff also made several corrections that deserve to be reported.

The devices aren't taxpayer-purchased Apple iPads. According to MCSO, they're generic tablets supplied by ICSolutions and funded through fees paid by occupants and their families.

They cannot freely browse the Internet.

And the widely discussed incident involving access to explicit material involved a separate laptop provided for reviewing legal materials, according to MCSO—not one of the ICSolutions tablets.

Those are meaningful corrections.

But the Sheriff Didn't Say the Underlying Problem Was “Fake News”

There's another part of the Sheriff's statement that shouldn't be overlooked.

The Sheriff's Office acknowledges that misuse of the inmate communications system occurred.

MCSO specifically describes a case involving an occupant who attempted to contact a victim more than 1,500 times.

According to the Sheriff, the person's communications privileges were revoked and additional criminal charges followed.

That's significant because it separates two very different questions.

Were some descriptions of the technology inaccurate?

Yes.

Did the underlying problem of inmates improperly attempting to communicate with people outside the jail exist?

The Sheriff's own statement says it did.

Taylor Invokes Tiffany

Taylor's post also introduces another dimension.

He specifically says Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany asked who was responsible and who was holding the contractor accountable.

That occurs as the jail controversy has become entangled with Wisconsin's gubernatorial campaign and criticism of Milwaukee County government.

There is also documented political proximity.

Taylor has previously received Milwaukee County Republican Party support in his own election. Tiffany is now the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

And Taylor, Tiffany and Franklin Mayor John Nelson appeared together at Franklin's St. Martin's Fair.

A photograph of the three together was included in a Milwaukee County Republican Party newsletter, according to material reviewed by FCN. FCN subsequently found that photograph was no longer present in the corresponding Facebook post.

There is no evidence establishing why the photograph was removed, and its removal should not be interpreted as evidence of wrongdoing.

Nor does a photograph of three public officials together establish that they coordinated their positions on the jail controversy.

But Taylor himself brought Tiffany into this discussion, making their political relationship relevant context.

What Taylor Is Right About—and What He Leaves Out

The documentary record allows several conclusions without speculation.

Taylor is right: He didn't vote for the original 2022 authorization.

The Sheriff is right to correct inaccurate claims: The tablets aren't taxpayer-purchased iPads, they don't provide unrestricted Internet access, and the pornography incident identified by MCSO involved a different device.

But the underlying communications-security controversy wasn't invented by the media. The Sheriff's own statement acknowledges serious misuse, including more than 1,500 attempted contacts with a victim.

And Taylor did participate in subsequent County action involving ICSolutions.

He voted in March 2025 to recommend a three-year amendment involving the contractor.

The Finance vote was 4–3.

Taylor provided one of those four votes.

Then he voted for the amendment again before the full County Board.

Correcting the Record Cuts Both Ways

Taylor concluded his post by telling readers to rely on “the actual press and actual journalist” rather than “fake news blogs” motivated by “personal vendettas.”

That's his opinion.

The public documents, however, can be evaluated independently of anyone's opinion about the media.

They show that Taylor bears no responsibility for the original 2022 decision.

They also show that he subsequently exercised his authority as a County Supervisor over an amendment involving the contractor that supplies the tablets—and voted for it twice.

And the Sheriff's own statement confirms that, notwithstanding inaccuracies surrounding some of the coverage, misuse of the communications system was real enough to result in revoked privileges and additional criminal charges.

So the record doesn't support blaming Taylor for creating Milwaukee County's tablet program.

But neither does it support pretending that everything concerning the tablets and their contractor “left the station” before Steve Taylor arrived.

The County Board revisited the ICSolutions relationship. Steve Taylor was there. And Steve Taylor voted yes.

What Steve Taylor forgets is that you cannot erase minutes of previous public meetings, the same as 

Taylor cannot erase an arrest, charge, and conviction in 1990 for violating a restraining order and interfering with an investigation that occurred in LaCrosse when Taylor was an Alderperson...."POOKIE"

This piece reflects the author’s personal opinion and experiences. All statements are presented as commentary protected under the First Amendment. Readers are encouraged to review public records, filings, and documented evidence referenced throughout this article.

Dr. Richard Busalacchi is the Publisher of Franklin Community News, where he focuses on government transparency, community accountability, and local public policy. He believes a community’s strength depends on open dialogue, honest leadership, and the courage to speak the truth—even when it makes powerful people uncomfortable.

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