KAROS GETS 20 MONTHS IN CLUB FED

"Do you really think I deserved this?" a teary Marilyn Karos asked FBI Special Agent James B. Doyle on Monday as she was led in handcuffs from the courtroom of Judge Charles Clevert to immediately begin serving a 20 month period of detention in a federal facility.
Doyle did not answer the 64-year old art dealer's questions, but his actions speak for themselves: it is the second time he has put the Whitefish Bay resident behind bars in four years.


This time it was because of Karos' efforts to secure the release of her lover and former codefendant Richard O'Hara from prison by offering an informant to pay $56,000 to sign a false affidavit.
The affidavit, to be signed by James F. Kosi, would state that an assault on a victim in the original O'Hara trial never happened.
"The assault in question was the basis for O'Hara's racketeering and and extortion conviction," for which he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 2001, according to an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Doyle. "Karos insisted that he sign the affidavit to help O'Hara get out of prison."
Instead, Kosi called Doyle, and an investigation was begun that led to the judge's imposition of a sentence considerably harsher than that called for in the presentencing report and plea agreement signed in April, when Karos pled guilty to the charges against her.
In addition to putting Karos under control of the Federal Bureau of Prisons for 20 months, he imposed a $30,000 fine, prohibited any contact with Kosi or O'Hara, demanded she continue mental health treatment, submit to drug tests and barred her from transferring any property of $500 or more in value without the approval of her supervising officer.
Prior to the sentencing, the judge said, "people like you need to be deterred from criminal activity. You do not take an oath seriously. You are prepared to do whatever it takes to have your way.
"I want to make it clear to you and to the world that obstruction of justice is not a trivial matter. ...Respect for the law must be maintained. The court must deter the defendant from similar conduct."
The only surprise at the sentencing hearing was a video tape of a meeting Karos had with Kosi in the Pfister Hotel, as Kosi cooperated with authorities in their probe.
As Kosi pulls some papers out of a plastic grocery bag ("A Polish briefcase," as he put it), he asked Karos, "do you have a boyfriend?"
Karos' face lit up, "Richie!" she exclaimed.
"You're still in love with him," Kosi said.
Meanwhile, as the covertly-recorded tape played in Courtroom 222 of the Federal Building, Karos' husband of 43 years, Dr. Michael Karos, cradled his bald head in his hand.
Doyle was mentioned in the tape, when Karos mentioned an encounter with him at Glorioso Brothers grocery on Brady Street. She said "what? Are you following me?" She also questioned Doyle's intelligence and said "he got Richard by hook or by crook." The tape went on for quite some time, with Karos and Kosi bantering; Kosi making it clear that he was very hesitant to enter into any illegal deal with Karos over the affidavit.
Karos' attorney Stephen M. Glynn said Karos' entire criminal history is entirely based on her relationship with O'Hara, that she is a "psychologically abused person as a consequence of O'Hara" and said the relationship was now over.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Johnson noted that members of Karos' family have visited O'Hara in prison.
Karos had nothing to say when the judge asked if she would like to speak.
He then noted that Karos has been of some assistance to the government in an unnamed investigation in St. Louis.
"You have been helpful to the government while at the same time you make light of the federal government. There is evidence your emotions and hangup on Mr. O'Hara played a role in your conduct. Equally clearly, I need to make apparent to you and the world that the criminal justice system should be respected and not manipulated for some woman's personal reasons." --Michael Horne

[illustration credit: Marilyn Karos at her sentencing by Michael Horne, drawn from life, 31 October 2005]

BARRETT STAFFER GETS $10,000 CAMPAIGN BONUS

Patrick Curley, the Chief of Staff to Mayor Tom Barrett, collected a $5,000 check on April 14th 2005 from The Friends of Tom Barrett. This would be improper if Curley, as a city employee, had been working on campaign matters for the mayor during that time.
Of course, everything is on the up-and-up. You see, the $5,000 is one half of a "bonus" owed to Curley for his help winning the election for Barrett.
Listed among the "Friends of Tom Barrett Incurred Obligations Excluding Loans" in the Mayor's January 2005 finance report filed with the City of Milwaukee Election Commission, we find that the kind-hearted Barrett promised Curley, who was his staff political director, a $10,000 "bonus" on April 6th 2004 -- the day Barrett was elected mayor.
According to the July, 2005 finance statement, Barrett finally paid $5,000 of the advance to Curley, and made a $5,000 loan repayment to himself more than a year later, on April 14th 2005 -- the day before income taxes are due.
This still leaves the Barrett campaign with a remaining loan balance of $5,000 (also payable to Barrett) and a remaining incurred obligation of $5,000, payable to Curley. Let's guess the check will be cut some time in 2006, for tax purposes.
Bonus-crazed Barrett also gave a $15,003.90 bonus to Shorr & Associates of Philadelphia, which he paid off in one chunk. Shorr is a political consultancy firm headed by Saul Shorr. His firm's bonus became an incurred obligation of the mayor's campaign committee on June 30, 2004 -- well after Barrett had taken office.
So, the next time the mayor hits you up for money, you might want to ask if he plans to use it to get reelected, or to spread among his cronies as "bonus money."
And, with $124,927 cash in the bank at the end of July, 2005, you wonder why Barrett didn't pay Curley the whole bonus in one shot, and repay his loan in full also. (It's must be for tax purposes, I'd gather.)
Frankly, a "bonus" does not seem like a concept that is particularly in conformity with the best practices of enlightened campaign financing, and the whole scheme is much craftier than I would have given Barrett credit for.
It does seem like a very clever way to give a crony and city employee a tax-deferred source of income.
If you know of any other candidate who has offered bonuses to his or her staff and to the companies he or she employs; or if you, as a campaign worker, have ever received a bonus from your candidate, milwaukeeworld.com would be happy to post this information so that Mayor Barrett will know he is not alone.
But for now, he is.
--Michael Horne

P.S. Barrett pays Barb Candy, his full-time political staffer $3,500 a month. You can often see her smoking cigarettes in front of the Germania Building, 135 W. Wells Street, where Barrett pays about $300 per month in rent for his campaign space.

Wi-Fi Proposal Goes to Hines' Committee; Elm Grove wants Milwaukee Water

Dear Reader,
I have a few thoughts for you today, and I thank you for visiting milwaukeeworld. Today I notice that Alderman Willie Hines decided the Public Works Committee might not be the best place to hold a hearing on the recently-announced Wi-Fi plan for the City of Milwaukee. The council president yanked the item from the Public Works agenda, and put it on the agenda of his own committee, Steering and Rules. The things you can do when you are boss!
Also, there will be 306 new paper boxes on the streets of Milwaukee, and the Police union is not too crazy about an alderman's plans to shift some training from the academy to MATC -- all to save Fire Department jobs.
Finally, we tell you that Wauwatosa, which already gets our water, wants more of it -- to sell to the Village of Elm Grove. Also -- a clarification of a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel police blotter item from the Village Attorney of Whitefish Bay.
Thanks for reading,
Michael Horne



WI-FI PROPOSAL MOVED TO HINES COMMITTEE

The plans for a city-wide Wi-Fi network to be constructed by sole bidder Midwest Fiber Networks LLC will be heard by the Milwaukee Common Council Public Works Committee on November 1st 2005, as scheduled.
However, the meeting agenda states "This file is only being scheduled in order to refer it to the Steering and Rules Committee."
In other words, once President Willie Hines realized what a big deal the potential Wi-Fi system would be, he shifted the meeting to the Steering and Rules Committee, which he rules as chairman. The hearing on Common Council file 050833 will take place Wednesday, November 2nd 2005 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 301-B, City Hall.
Steering and Rules is traditionally populated by Chairmen of other standing committees of the Common Council, in this case including Hines, Michael Murphy (Vice-Chair), Joe Davis, Michael D'Amato, Robert Bauman, Robert Puente and James Witkowiak.
The agenda still lists Robert Donovan as a member on its letterhead. This is wrong,, since Hines removed him as the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee on July 14th, after Donovan's indictment on Federal charges. and replaced him with Robert Puente as chairman and as member of Steering and Rules.
Meanwhile, while the Council debates whether to issue a contract to Midwest Fiber Networks, Google, a much larger company, has announced plans to Wi-Fi San Francisco in a competitive bid to provide service to that city. http://www.alternet.org/story/27340/

MORE PAPER BOXES FOR THE STREET
The Employment Guide wants a permit to install 150 newspaper boxes across the city, and its competitor Job Dig wants to install 156 newspaper boxes. The city charges a $30 biennial fee for newspaper box placement in Milwaukee.

POLICE DON'T DIG DONOVAN MATC IDEA

Sebastian Raclaw of the Milwaukee Police Association executive board says he is not pleased with the idea of Ald. Robert Donovan that police recruits begin their training at the Milwaukee Area Technical College rather than at the Milwaukee Police Academy. Donovan came up with the idea as a way to more quickly and cheaply train police officers and to use the savings to save Fire Department positions due to lose funding in the new Barrett budget.
Raclaw says the Donovan plan would change many dynamics in police training, particularly since the unpaid MATC students would not be subject to the employer / employee relationship as exists for paid students at the Milwaukee Police Academy, the nation's first such institution. It is conceivable that a student could take the MATC classes without undergoing a background or drug check, or any number of other scrutinies available under the current situation.
Raclaw asked Milwaukee Professional Fire Fighters' Association boss Greg Gracz at a public meeting why he shouldn't shut down the Fire Academy to save jobs. Gracz ducked that one. Hot stuff.

TOSA WANTS MILWAUKEE WATER
(TO SELL TO ELM GROVE)

The thirsty village of Elm Grove has requested the Wauwatosa Water Utility to extend its water service area to include the Village of Elm Grove.
Wauwatosa receives its water from Milwaukee under terms of an agreement by which the community purchases the water at wholesale rates.
Wauwatose has adopted a resolution requesting that Milwaukee evaluate the "feasibility of providing additional water to Wauwatosa for that purpose," according to City of Milwaukee Common Council File Number 050847.
According to a Common Council resolution of 1999, the Legislative Reference Bureau must first conduct an analytical study of the proposed water sale and the Milwaukee Water Works must conduct an engineering feasibility study before the matter can be presented to the Milwaukee Common Council to enlarge the service area of Wauwatosa to include Elm Grove. This could be a significant source of revenue for Milwaukee and could ease water fears in Elm Grove. I could not determine by press time whether any portion of Elm Grove is west of the subcontinental divide, which could be an issue. I'm afraid the maps I encountered were of insufficient detail, and will poke around for them tomorrow.

MORE INTERESTING NEWS
A Starbucks coffee shop will open in November in the Milwaukee Hilton Hotel downtown. ... Construction is underway at the Reuss Federal Plaza. The overhanging portion of the building, at Wisconsin avenue, will be filled in to the street for retail purposes, to wit: a steak house. ... Construction bumpouts are being put into place right now on Brady Street. This should significantly slow down traffic and give pedestrians a fighting chance.

CRACKDOWN IN THE BAY?
JS overdoes it, says Bay Atty.

I sent the following letter to Atty. Chris Jaekels and include his response.

Atty. Chris Jaekels
Village Attorney
Village of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin
c/o Cook & Franke Law Firm
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
27 October 2005

Dear Sir:
I write you in your capacity as the Village of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin Village Attorney.

From Today's Thursday, October 27th 2005 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Milwaukee County Police Report I note:

WHITEFISH BAY
Other

"Police conducted another crackdown on drivers seeking to avoid a temporary bottleneck at N. Lake and E. Silver Spring drives by cutting through residential neighborhoods. Signs have been posted not to cut through, but eight drivers were ticketed on allegations of doing so..."

Under what authority may officials of a community dictate the route one must take through that community? Under what authority can access to public streets be denied in this instance?

Atty Jaekels responds:

Michael, 

The "crackdown" to which the Journal/Sentinel referred is nothing more

than Village Police writing more tickets for illegal turns in the area

in question than they had in the past. The reason is simple, due to

construction in the area, more cars than ever have been turning right on

to Shore Drive from northbound Lake Drive or left on to Birch Avenue

from northbound Lake Drive.

The signs which prohibit these turns have been there for at least 30

years (I remember them from my route home from Marquette University High

School). There are no new signs. No one is prohibited from driving

through neighborhoods, and there is no temporary rule or regime applied

to the area, just more people disobeying the signs than usual and thus

more tickets.

I think the Journal/Sentinel's description is at fault for any

misunderstanding. 

NEW PRESIDENT FOR TOSA BANK

Dear Reader:

I have a few new items for you today. Firstly, I would like you to meet the new president of Wauwatosa Savings Bank, and then I will take you downtown where people are paying to park on grass -- that's a no-no. We'll find out what the company is doing about it, and uncover an interesting city lease in the process. Finally, I have printed, without comment, Ald. Michael McGee's statement released today about whatever went on during that bus trip to Washington, D.C.
Thanks for reading, and give me a call.
Michael Horne
Editor / Publisher
1 414 978-8039
horne@milwaukeeworld.com

NEW HEAD FOR WAUWATOSA SAVINGS BANK
a Milwaukeeworld.com scoop

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, October 26th 2005 -- Douglas S. Gordon will become the President and Chief Operating Officer of Wauwatosa Savings Bank on November 7^th, 2005.

He will replace Donald J. Stephens who will cease serving as President of the bank, but will remain the Bank's Chief Executive Officer and its Chairman.

The bank entered into an agreement with Gordon on October 25^th 2005 that “provides for an initial base salary of $250,000 per year, plus the eligibility to receive a bonus of no less than $150,000 for fiscal 2006 and $200,000 for fiscal 2007, provided certain performance goals are met as determined by the Board of Directors, and for other benefits,” according to a filing by Wauwatosa Holdings, Inc., the bank’s newly-listed, publicly traded corporate parent (WAUW – Nasdaq.)

Gordon was also elected to the Board of Directors of the bank. His contract runs for a term through December 31^st 2007, subject to extensions by the board. –Michael Horne

PARK ON THE GRASS -- DOWNTOWN

According to the City of Milwaukee Municipal Code,

"All parking lots, parking spaces, parking areas, off-street loading or unloading berths or areas, and all access roads, drives or lanes leading thereto shall have a surface of concrete, asphalt macadam, or tar macadam.
Crushed stone, sand, gravel or cinders shall not be used for the surfacing materials."

However, this law has been blithely disobeyed by parkers at 749 N. 2nd Street, a grassed area that is adjacent to the paved parking lot operated by Central Parking Systems and right across the street from the stately Germania building in the heart of downtown.
On October 25th 2005 at 5:30 p.m. fourteen automobiles were either partially or completely parked on the grass there, with parking receipts visible on their dashboards.
The grassy area looked like an arena for dirt biking, with deep ruts in the lawn, and mud coating the sidewalk and paved areas.
Payment for parking on the lot is now automated, with no attendant present.

Mike Kenney of CPS said "we haven't been staffing that lot, and we raised the rate there to control demand. We will have to discuss whether to staff the lot or not. Obviously, it is not our intent to have people parking on the grass. The owner has applied to expand the parking lot to the unpaved area."
The property owner, FB Joint Venture, which is comprised of Towne Realty, Inc., the Zilber Family Partnership LLP and the Arthur & Mary Ann Wigchers Revocable Trust of 1995 acquired the lot above and the adjacent parking lots at 746-52 N. Old World Third Street, and 215 W. Wells Street from Wispark, LLC.
An adjacent pair of lots at 738 and 744 N. Old World Third Street totalling 11,699 square feet will be leased to FB to "allow the Redeveloper to pursue development options that include these parcels and their adjoining parcels. In the interim, the Redeveloper will continue to operate the property as a surface parking lot," according to a land disposition report of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee dated September 13th 2005.
The lease was approved by the Common Council on September 27th 2005 and signed by Mayor Tom Barrett on October 6th 2005.
It is for a term of eight years and calls for a monthly rent of $2,275 with a 3% annual increase.
During that time, FB Joint Venture has an option to purchase the city lot at fair market value.
According to the disposition report, "If an acceptable development proposal is not submitted by the end of the lease term, the Authority will have the option to acquire the Redeveloper's adjacent property at 746-52 N. Old World Third Street" at fair market value."

The landscaping at the site has always been dreadfully maintained. If downtown Milwaukee is to have yet another paved surface parking lot for another eight years in the heart of the "tourist" and "convention" and "theater" district, let's hope it is done lawfully and tastefully.
If Central Parking System cannot make enough money on an 11,700 square foot parking lot at a rent of $2,275 per month to afford to properly maintain its property, perhaps another operator would like to take a chance at it.

Michael Wisniewski of the City was the "responsible staff" for the agreement

McGEE'S STATEMENT

[Alderman Michael McGee has released a statement responding to a recent Spivak and Bice column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel regarding activities during a bus trip to Washington, D.C.
It is reprinted here without comment. --Ed.]

Statement From Ald. Mike McGee, Jr. Wednesday, October 26, 2005 The biased duo Cary Spivak and Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have assembled another subjective, fact-free article titled, “Millions More Lessons of Intolerance.” The article, which appeared in the newspaper last Sunday, was not only biased, but a blatant attempt to demoralize the objective of the Millions More Movement and the credibility of Black leadership in the city of Milwaukee. I took on the noble effort of spearheading free bus rides from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C. The bus rides were offered to both youth and adults wishing to take part in the Millions More Movement. Despite my efforts, Riverside University High School students Keenya Hofmaier and Rosetta Riley showed their disapproval by providing Spivak and Bice with fabricated allegations filled with innuendo about events that never took place and statements that I never made during the trip to D.C. The false accusations that appeared in the article include the following: • There was little food provided to the passengers aboard the bus. • Videos full of “racist propaganda” were shown throughout the bus ride. • That I repeatedly used derogatory language, including the word “faggot” during the trip to D.C. Contrary to the statements made by Hofmaier and Riley, there was an abundance of food and water provided throughout the trip. Food and beverages sponsored by Lena’s Food Market were made readily available to all passengers aboard the bus. Also, passengers not wanting to eat the food provided on the bus were able to purchase meals and refreshments at each stop made for refueling, and for all breakfast, lunch and restroom breaks. At no time throughout the entire trip did food become limited or scarce. Keenya Hofmaier and Rosetta Riley were the only individuals not motivated or inspired by the content of the videos shown during the trip. The videos shown were award-winning documentaries and filmed lectures given by some of the top scholars in the country. Each video coincided with the purpose of the Millions More Movement, which was to promote cultural awareness and unity among individuals from all backgrounds. Racist doctrine believed to be offensive to white or biracial individuals was not included in the content of the films. Because of the large number of youth registered for the trip to D.C., supervision was strictly enforced. Youth were not allowed to hold hands, display any inappropriate or affectionate behavior nor were they allowed to wander off without a chaperone. Several individuals observed Keenya Hofmaier and Rosette Riley disobeying those rules on a number of occasions. Out of fear of losing the two students in a crowd of a million or more people, I approached the ladies to discuss the expectations of the chaperones. I informed the young ladies that they were to remain with their chaperone, Mr. Paul Moga, at all times. -More-
Ald. Mike McGee, Jr. – Statement Page Two Also, I brought to their attention that some of the other students, several who were as young as twelve years old, were questioning why Keenya and Rosetta were constantly holding hands at every bus stop and subsequently at the rally. Later, both ladies approached me and said that they were offended by this insinuation that they were lesbians. In response, I again explained that their distant behavior and independent roaming was not appropriate. Upon return from the Millions More Movement, the parent of Keenya Hofmaier, Pamela Allen-Newton, demanded a written apology from me, claiming that I made inappropriate comments to the young ladies. After unloading the bus, I, as well as Mr. Moga, informed Ms. Allen-Newton that the young ladies’ version of what happened was unequivocally false. I offered to further discuss the situation with the parents involved in this alleged incident by giving Ms. Allen-Newton my cell phone number. Ms. Allen-Newton would not accept my version of the alleged incident and instead chose to go to Common Council President Willie Hines and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It is very unfortunate that the young ladies, and their parents went to the media and perpetuated a series of outright lies and deception. The alleged incidents are maliciously false! I demand that the parents and students, as well as the Journal Sentinel staff involved in fabricating this conjured-up story, apologize directly to me and to the community. To lie and spread pernicious rumors and propaganda with the intent to assassinate my character and credibility, is unacceptable and those involved must be held accountable. The fact remains that a vast majority of youth and parents who traveled to the Millions More Movement by bus, as well as myself, had an inspirational, and motivational trip to Washington, D.C. Consequently, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to empower the community through the various ministries defined within the national agenda, and for the Millions More Movement, under the auspices of several Local Organizing Committees. End

St. Paul Paper Makes Doyle - Adelman Connection

The St. Paul Pioneer Press has picked up on the Travelgate story, including a comment that Governor Jim Doyle had long been friends with the Adelman family. http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/states/wisconsin/12957191.htm

We have not locally been reminded that Craig Adelman, the CEO of Adelman Travel, is the brother of Federal Judge Lynn Adelman. The Journal Sentinel is so bad at these things!
This is a matter of significance since family ties can be of interest in politics.
The award of the State travel contract to Adelman, which Doyle insists was made by bureaucrats and not himself, is being investigated by a number of agencies, including the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, since some Adelman family members, including Craig Adelman, donated to Doyle's campaign.
So, just in case you are wondering, there is a family connection between Craig and Lynn Adelman and if any case ever develops out of this, it would certainly not be heard in the courtroom of Lynn Adelman. Can you say, "recuse me, please?"
For architecture buffs, it might also be of note that the Adelman boys grew up in a Fox Point Frank Lloyd Wright home built for their dad, Albert B. Adelman, who still lives there to this day, one of the few remaining original occupants of a Wright home.
--Michael Horne

LaVoce d'Italia Silenced
Longtime Host Retires

The Sunday afternoon routine will be different in at least a few Milwaukee homes with the retirement of Giorgio Argondizzo, the longtime host of La Voce d'Italia, which had been broadcast for years on WMSE 91.7 from 3 to 6 p.m.
The program, broadcast in English and Italian, had a predictable format, and pretty much played the same few songs over and over again, week after week. Most of the tunes were kitschy Italian versions of American tunes, with the very occasional Sicilian tune or very, very occasional opera selection.
Giorgio was an entertaining host, and you could learn as much Italian listening to him speak English with his thick accent as you would when he spoke Italian, usually announcing the program's sponsors. "Carini La Conca d'Oro where you will find fresh American, Italian and Sicilian cuisine."
Notice -- Italian and Sicilian. That is a very Milwaukee distinction. Giorgio spoke Italian on the air, and Sicilian on the street, so although I picked up quite a large vocabulary, it still hasn't done me a bit of good trying to eavesdrop on Sicilians.
Giorgio also was a car salesman for Reina International Italian Sports Car Center, and he would pronounce "BMW" in English as "Bay-Em-Vu," which I found terribly endearing.
The show has been replaced by the Modern Chamber, hosted by Jason Wietlispach, 35, who has filled in on the Sunday Alternating Currents show on WMSE 91.7 FM. Modern Chamber plays music mostly of the 20th century or "Debussy and later," as Wietlispach said on the air. Last week he broke his rule and included some late Beethoven string quartet movements which he said must have sounded from outer space when first performed in 1824. He is very knowledgeable about modern music, so I wondered what his day job is.
"I drive a truck for Mickey's Linen," he answered.
I tell you, this city is loaded with blue collar intellectuals, God bless 'em.
--Michael Horne

PIZZA TURNOVER, LATEST ON ART FELONS

Dear Reader,

It has taken my fingers a few hours to warm up after spending the morning down in the Valley where Palermo Villa Pizza was getting groundbroken, but I have regained enough control of certain of my extremities to dash off this missive to you.

Today I make a note about the board of directors of the East Town Association, and wonder why a certain art dealer's name remains on the association’s website.

Then I keep you up-to-date with plans for next Monday’s sentencing of yet a different Milwaukee art dealer, and then we go to the Valley for the groundbreaking. I end with a reminder to change the batteries in your smoke detector, with a special message from the President of the Fire Fighters’ Union, Greg Gracz.

We also hear from our Madison correspondent, Paul Snyder, reporting on an international symposium of deer - automobile collision experts who will convene there, and the havoc on our highways wrought by these numerous ruminant mammals -- or is it by us?.

Send me your messages, etc., and give me a call, since I’m spending much more time indoors these days.

Michael Horne

Editor / Publisher

horne@milwaukeeworld.com

LORD ON BOARD?

East Town Association says Felon is “On Leave”

The East Town Association still shows convicted felon and art dealer Michael H. Lord as a member of its Board of Directors on its website.

But, according to E. Kate Mohle, the Executive Director of the neighborhood association, “Michael Lord is currently taking a leave of absence from the board of directors of the East Town Association.”

This could be quite a lengthy absence if he does not prevail in his current legal troubles in circuit court involving a Matisse drawing Lord never paid for that he sold to Bud Selig. A civil judgment in that case has already been entered; a criminal case is pending.

The East Town Association should either acknowledge Leave of Absence as a status of board membership, and recognize Lord's position as such (it has ex-officio as a membership status) or it should perhaps examine whether its bylaws might need revision.–Michael Horne

KAROS SENTENCING MONDAY

Whitefish Bay art dealer Marilyn Karos is expected to be sentenced in Federal Court on Monday, October 31^st, at 10:30 a.m. in the court of Hon. Charles Clevert for corruptly endeavoring to “influence, obstruct and impede the due administration of justice in the case of Richard O’Hara v. United States.

O’Hara had been convicted on March 19, 2001 of interstate travel in aid of racketeering to commit extortion and conspiracy to possess stolen property and sentenced to ten years in prison. Karos was a co-defendant in that case and pled guilty to possession of stolen property, to wit: antique armillary spheres stolen from the Rome Observatory in Italy. A Chicago dealer named James F. Kosi, an associate of Karos and her lover O’Hara testified for the government during O’Hara’s trial.

In 2004 Karos traveled to Chicago on several occasions to entice Kosi to sign a false affidavit to help O’Hara get out of prison, and met with him in Milwaukee on July 20, 2004, offering him $56,000 to sign the false affidavit, giving him $2,100 on the spot. The Feds, by pre-agreement were listening in and Kosi signed the document. The false affidavit was submitted along with O’Hara’s petition for rehearing on September 20, 2004, and within three days, the U.S. Attorney’s office filed an emergency submission saying the affidavit was false and that the petition be denied, which it was on September 27^th, 2004, leading to Karos’ present predicament.

The maximum term for the offense is ten years and $250,000; a restitution order may be entered by the court.

A plea agreement negotiated for Karos by her attorney Stephen M. Glynn in April 2005 calls for no jail time, a fine of $2,100 (interestingly, the exact amount Karos was out of pocket from the Kosi downpayment, presumably seized by the government) and a special assessment of $100.

We will see Monday if the judge will go along with the lenient sentence or if there might be some surprises awaiting Marilyn Karos when she arrives in the Federal Building. – Michael Horne

PALERMO’S BREAKS GROUND

The long saga of the former Milwaukee Road shop property in the Menomonee Valley entered an exciting and different phase Monday, October 24^th, when ground was broken for the first development on the reclaimed brownfields.

Palermo Villa Inc., the nation’s largest largest private label pizza manufacturer, broke ground on its new corporate headquarters just west of the 35^th Street Viaduct on a chilly October morning.

The leaden skies did nothing to diminish the brilliance of the nine golden shovels lined up at a pile of sand dumped on the property for the ceremonial soil-turning. Among those handling the tools were Governor Jim Doyle, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (who lost the gubernatorial primary to Doyle) and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who might be on the way to losing his own gubernatorial primary. They were joined by Giacomo Fallucca, President and CEO of Palermo Villa Inc., and his family, along with Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority Executive Director Antonio Riley and Laura Bray, executive director of the Menomomee Valley Partners. Alderman Michael Murphy acted as master of ceremonies.

It was a moment of pure democracy, where the attendees were sheltered from the winds by a tent, while the politicians were out in the elements freezing their heads off, most notably in the instances of Doyle and Riley who have little in the way of natural cranial covering, and had nothing in the way of hats.

The white tent did nothing to shelter the attendees from the winds of the politicians’ speeches.

Riley mentioned that Governor Doyle had inherited a deficit from the previous administration, yet he cleared it up in just a year. The governor usually says this line himself. Riley told the crowd, “we can talk all we want but we have to get this economy growing.”

Doyle told the Fallucca family, “when my two boys were teens, about one quarter of the Doyle household income went to your family each year. … Pizza is the perfect food.” He added that the development of the Menomonee River Valley as an industrial zone will have “tremendous value and potential to be a true hub of economic activity.” The governor also announced the award of $22 million in new market tax credits for Palermo’s 150,000 square foot project, a rendering of which was mounted behind the podium.

That image, according to Fallucca, will ‘be reminiscent of a 16^th Century Italian Villa and will consist of corporate offices, meeting areas, a retail store, outdoor piazza and an Italian-style pizzeria café for patrons to enjoy.”

Yes, one can so readily imagine a 16^th Century Italian Villa rising from the Menomonee Valley. Villa Terrace, you’ve got nothing on this project!

The governor also handed out a Wisconsin Department of Commerce $750,000 loan (Mary Burke was nowhere to be seen) and mentioned the financial cooperation of the City and the Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation.

He also told the audience that 150 jobs will be on-site, with full health benefits. Eighty-five of those jobs will be transferred from Illinois. The Palermo Villa firm distributes to 2,000 stores, he said.

Ald. Murphy said, “Palermo’s may not be the whole pie, but it is the first and biggest piece,” of the Valley’s redevelopment.

Mayor Barrett said it was “an honor to be at the Fallucca family reunion. Thanks for locating this facility within seven minutes of my home. If you want employees, put your facility where employees live.”

He added that three other sites west of 35^th street would be on the market soon. He also indicated that with one teenager and others on the way, the Barrett family will, like the Doyle family, be on a pizza binge for some years to come.

Scott Walker said “I am not Italian by blood, but I am by marriage, and more importantly, by diet.”

Laura Bray of the Menomonee Valley Partners said there are more workers within three miles of the site than anywhere in Wisconsin. She says she has 13 acres for sale right now, and will have seventy acres to market eventually. She promises the reopening of a “historic tunnel,” on the site.

While the event went on, giant earth moving equipment raised the level of the nearby brownfields some 20 feet from reclaimed freeway soil. Huge boulders were unloaded from trucks to aid in the “innovative groundwater management” of the site, and the Henry Aaron trail was also under construction.

Among the attendees were Sen. Tim Carpenter and Ald. James Witkowiak, with a brace on his left foot. He said he twisted his ankle. Margaret Henningsen was there, representing Legacy Bank which has invested a chunk of change in the project. She says she simply loves the new Milwaukee Public Market downtown. – Michael Horne

Milwaukeeworld.com update: October 25th, 2005: The $22 million in New Markets Tax Credits announced by the governor has not made the newspaper. The Democrats did put out a press release on this infusion of funds which you can find here: http://www.wisdems.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/690329

CHECK THOSE BATTERIES

This is the season when we are to replace the batteries in our smoke detectors. I moved into a place a couple of months ago and was alarmed to find there were no detectors. (Maybe the previous tenant took them.) Of course, I set a couple up immediately, concerned in particular because another tenant of my building has mobility problems.

I ran across Greg Gracz, the president of the Firefighters union and told him that tale. He said that was an example of why whe was opposed to the proposed staff cuts planned for the Fire Department in the mayor’s new budget.

Fire fighters used to be sent out in the neighborhoods specifically to check for places where the elderly or the infirm lacked working detectors, and would replace batteries, or install new ones for free. “With the staff cuts, we can’t send officers out to check for smoke alarms anymore,” he said. – Michael Horne

FROM BREW CITY TO CAPITAL CITY

“It’s like something in the headlights… oooh, tip of my tongue…”

By Paul Snyder

I suppose I should make good note of the fact that the entire desk I concoct this entry to MilwaukeeWorld on is made of wood and offers considerable space for knocking. Cue the intro: While driving, I have never hit a deer or so much as seen one bound onto any road space in front of me.

Knock, knock.

Logical, you might assume, considering I spent four years living in Milwaukee. You don’t (or shouldn’t) see them causing exasperated braking on Wells Street. Now I live in Madison, the state’s 2^nd largest city, and suffice to say, they’re not nibbling on the Capitol lawn anymore than they’re prancing around the Third Ward. And I’ve made more than my fair share of trips between the two cities on the I-94 thoroughfare with absolutely no doe-eyed interruption.

But there is the family’s cabin up in the Northwoods. I also make frequent runs up there during the summer months… I’ve nearly taken out a turkey and a bear, but though I have seen them in the wooded areas to the sides of the roads, deer have never bolted in front of my (admittedly) high-speed races to the lake. My father has hit a couple, but, the reality remains only the stuff of legends for yours truly.

Now in no way am I saying that because I’ve never seen one it’s not a problem, but perhaps I underestimated the havoc deer actually wreak in this state until the state Department of Transportation announced a summit of an international panel of experts (that’s right, they’re calling in the big guns from Canada and Japan, as well as the rest of the country) to ponder the deer-crash problem the state is having.

By the numbers, Wisconsin police responded to 19,846 deer crashes in 2004. That works out to roughly 55 a day. Shocking enough in itself, the fuzz figures it’s a dramatically underestimated number considering that more than 48,000 deer carcasses were removed from state highways last year.

So Madison – which is part of Dane County – which claimed nearly 1,000 of the 19,846 crashes in 2004 – on October 24 and 25 is holding The Deer-Vehicle Crash Reduction Meeting. One can only imagine what two-days in this international think tank will produce… personally I think it’s the strongest argument yet for flying cars. After all, Back to the Future II gave us a deadline of 2015 for traffic jams in the sky, and we’re coming down to under a decade now…

Whatever it is, let’s hope they profoundly expound upon the pointers they’ve used to announce this international summit. I’m still wondering if they pulled these from my 10^th grade driver’s ed book:

• Watch out between dusk and dawn. Many accidents occur during the low-light or dark hours between dusk and dawn, when deer move between daytime bedding sites and evening feeding areas.
• Expect deer at crossing signs. The signs identify dangerous stretches. Slow down and scan the sides of the road and ditches for animals. Watch for movement or reflection from their eyes.
• Drive defensively. If you see deer near the road, slow down. Deer may dart in front of you, and if there is one deer, there are probably more nearby.

And just incase you thought Chris Farley and David Spade were holding truths to be self-evident in their ultra-serious 1995 drama, Tommy Boy, WisDOT wants to make sure you remember that, fine acting aside, it’s still a lot of Hollywood surmising…

• If you hit a deer, stay away from it even if it appears to be dead. A stunned animal can regain consciousness and seriously injure a human. Move your vehicle off the road and call law enforcement for help. Never put the deer in your car or truck.

And they really lined themselves up for some PETA strife with this one:

• Hit the deer, not something else. Hit the brakes, but don't swerve, which can cause you to lose control or hit another vehicle. Striking a deer is much safer than colliding with another car or a tree.

As the holiday season approaches and you have to drive around the state to see relatives take some care out there… But if you should be involved in one of the 2005 deer-vehicle statistics from here on out, consider giving WisDOT a call and imploring, “I thought you were supposed to figure this out!”

YE OLDE PAPER TRAIL: Officials Don't Take Advantage of E-Filing

Since 2004 candidates for office in the city of Milwaukee have been allowed to file their campaign finance reports electronically. These documents are easily retrievable from the city's website.
http://cfp.milwaukee.gov/campaign_finance/performreportsinquiry.asp

But, very few elected officials submit their reports electronically, and those who do should be singled out for praise.

For the election cycle of 2005 they are: Mayor Tom Barrett, Alderman Michael D'Amato, Alderman Robert Bauman, Alderman Robert Donovan and School Board member Peter Blewett.

That's it.

For the election cycle of 2004, of those listed above, Donovan did not file electronically, but Willie Hines, now the council president, did file electronically. For whatever reason, he did not file electronically in 2005, although I recollect he promised to do so.

Others who keep their finance reports locked up in City Hall where you have to go to view them include all other aldermen; City Attorney Grant Langley; Comptroller W. Martin "Wally" Morics, C.P.A.; and Treasurer Wayne Whittow, who might be excused since he may not be aware that computers exist.

Not one of the three municipal judges who rule the city's court system filed electronically, either.

So much for transparency in campaign financing. The fat cats can keep doling out the big bucks to politicos, and the public will never know until I haul my butt down to city hall and look up the facts on paper. That is so 20th century!

Congratulations to Mayor Barrett, Ald. D'Amato, Ald. Bauman and Ald. Donovan for filing your reports electronically.
Shame on all the others. You are making my job much harder.

And, President Hines -- I've seen your paper report. You have nothing to hide. Why don't you file electronically, like you used to? It will look better when you decide to run for mayor.
--Michael Horne


BARNEY FRANK IS COMING TO TOWN!
How Gay is That?

Rep. Barney Frank (D.-Mass) is coming to town! What could be gayer than that? Well, for starters, how about Senator Tim Carpenter's Green and Gold Football Party scheduled for Sunday October 23 at Champp's Americana, 5030 S. 74th St. in Greenfield.
Frank will be in a significantly more august location Saturday October 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. when he will be the Special Guest at a luncheon honoring Congresswoman Gwen Moore. That will be held at the Milwaukee Club, 706 N. Jefferson St. $500 makes you a host, $200 makes you a guest. Membership in the Milwaukee Club: Priceless.
Still not gay enough? Tammy Baldwin has invited Al Franken to be her special guest at the Club Majestic in Madison on December 5th.

Heterosexual politicians are also raising money these days. Bob Bauman invites his supporters to an evening in the Ambassador Hotel, 2308 W. Wisconsin Ave. on Thursday, October 27th at 5 p.m., Scott Walker will be at Steven's Steakhouse in West Allis Monday, October 24th, and Ald. Ashanti Hamilton will hang at the Lady Bug Club, 618 N. Water Street on Tuesday, October 25th at 5 p.m.
Atty. Gen. Peg Lautenschlager has collared Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be her guest at the Madison Concourse Hotel on Wednesday November 2nd at noon, and Wednesday November 9th will be a joyous event in Mequon when Mayor Christine Nuernberg will hold a gig at 5 p.m. at the Highland House. Don't try to take the bus -- you'll have to drive there, since the Mayor forbids bus traffic on her precious Port Washington Road, where the Highland House is located just south of Columbia St. Mary's Hospital, Ozaukee County's only hospital and employer of hundreds of black people in white uniforms.

RICHARDS SINGLED OUT -- Marriage Not Mentioned In Official Bio

Representative Jon Richards married Andrea Rowe of the Department of City Development this summer, and Andrea promptly incorporated his surname into hers. She is now styled as Ms. Andrea Rowe Richards.
Her husband kept his name -- and also kept his wife out of his website, which lists the Assistant Democratic Assembly Leader as being single.
For shame, Rep. Richards! All defenders of the noble institution of marriage should rise up as one and demand that your biography indicate your true marital status.
Imagine the hordes of designing women, unaware of your true uxorious state, who might pursue you innocently imagining that you were single, you handsome devil!
Change the website now!

http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm19/a19bio.html

Update: October 25th, 2005 -- The Richards website now correctly lists the legislator's marital status. -- Michael Horne

--Michael Horne

LAWYERS WANT LICENSES BACK and A TOUR OF THE DIPLOMATIC RECEPTION ROOMS

Dear Reader,
Mark Sostarich wants his law license back, after his conviction for sending kickbacks to former Sen. Gary George. Alan Eisenberg tried hard to get his back, and it does not look like his chances are too good, judging from the report sent by the referee to the Supreme Court. If Paul Henningsen wants his license back, he'll have to apply to do so, also. Below you will find an update on the situations of these once noble practicioners of the bar.

Also, we take a tour of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the State Department in Washington, D.C., and tell you why a famous Milwaukee furniture collector refused to donate any items to this important collection. We also hear from the Milwaukee Public Schools about plans to raze the former Boys' Tech school building.

Thanks for reading, and do let me hear from you,
Michael Horne
Editor / Publisher
horne@milwaukeeworld.com
1 414 978-8039
Also, subscribe using that little button off to the right. Tell me if you have any problems getting through; you should receive my postings automatically.
Horne

SOSTARICH WANTS LAW LICENSE BACK

Better get your holiday shopping done early, since you'll want to set aside December 21st 2005 to attend a public hearing when Mark A. Sostarich will petition for reinstatement of his license to practice law.
Sostarich's license was suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 18 months, effective May 18, 2004, upon his conviction of one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, a federal crime. A former leader of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Sostarich offered kickbacks of certain legal fees to then-Sen. Gary A. George, who is currently in prison. The kickbacks were from legal work Sostarich did for the now-defunct Opportunities Industrialization Commission (OIC).
For those of you with a law library, a detailed description of Sostarich's misconduct can be found in Disciplinary Proceedings Against Sostarich 2005 WI 97, 698 N.W.2d (2005).
Any interested person may appear at the hearing and be heard in support of, or in opposition to, the petition for reinstatement.
Certainly there must be a few Republicans in this city who might care to participate in this exercise in democracy which will be held at the law offices of Halling & Cayo, 320 East Buffalo St. #700 at 9 a.m. before Referee Kim Peterson. - Michael Horne

HENNINGSEN COULD GET LICENSE BY MARCH

Former Alderman Paul Henningsen attended the Friday opening of the Milwaukee Public Market Friday, October 14th in the company of his wife, Margaret Henningsen of Legacy Bank. Henningsen was trim, with a neat beard and was wearing a conservative suit of good cut. He was not bejeweled, as he had been at times during his aldermanic career, which ended behind bars in a Federal Prison on four counts of mail fraud. Yes, the glittering ear stud is no more.
Henningsen's license to practice law was suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on August 24, 2004 for a period of two years, retroactive to March 2, 2004.
If he would like to regain his license, he may petition the Supreme Court beginning December 3rd 2005. He must then go through a process involving a referee and a public hearing. The referee will make a decision in the case, should Henningsen pursue reinstatement. The decision is not binding upon the Supreme Court, which makes the final decision. - Michael Horne

PROSPECTS DIM FOR EISENBERG REINSTATEMENT

Last July hearings were held in Milwaukee before Referee Richard M. Esenberg in the matter of the Petition for Reinstatement of Alan D. Eisenberg to practice law.
On September 6th 2005, Esenberg filed a 36-page report with the Clerk of the Supreme Court recommending denial of Eisenberg's petition.
He recommended in the event the Supreme Court were to reinstate the license of the oft-disciplined Milwaukeean, that Eisenberg should contribute monies to a fund for client protection (against lawyers like Eisenberg), and that he turn $11,000 to a State Trust Account.
The referee's decision is not final; it is an advisory that goes to the Supreme Court, which can take its good-natured time making a decision in the matter. Eisenberg has filed a response with the court in opposition to Esenberg's findings, according to Bill Weigel, Litigation Counsel for the Office of Lawyer Regulation. - Michael Horne

THE DIPLOMATIC RECEPTION ROOMS

Last Tuesday, October 11th 2005, I was among 12 people to take the 10:30 a.m. tour of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms on the eighth floor of the United States Department of State. The rooms, named for Secretaries of State who became President, along with a room named for Benjamin Franklin, considered the "Father of the American Foreign Service," contain museum quality pieces culled from a variety of sources since its conception in 1961.
Virtually all of the items in the collection date to the period of 1750 - 1825, and were made in America.
For the most part, the collection was built with the tax-deductible donations of furniture and cash from public citizens, foundations and corporations all of which succumbed to the genteel arm twisting of Clement Conger, who went on to curate the White House collection of furniture, which is somewhat less distinguished, thank you.
Antiquarians will recognize the names of the makers of some of the furniture and decorative arts pieces- Goddard-Townsend, Paul Revere, Gilbert Stuart, Jean-Antoine Houdon, Simon Willard, and others.
During this period American furniture reached its apex, freed, like the country itself, from the restraints of Georgian England. The diplomatic reception room holds a Frothingham Bombe chest dating to 1753, the first example of that swollen-fronted, French-inspired style to be made in the United States.
A Thomas Harland tall case clock from Norwich, Connecticut, 1776 is cherry - not mahogany, as a British clock of the era might be - and is in absolute perfect working order.
A Goddard-Townsend Newport shell and block chest of drawers is particularly sublime, and one would find its equal in only a few museums in the world -- including the Milwaukee Art Museum, F.Y.I.
A copy of the Treaty of Paris rests upon the actual desk upon which it was signed; a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington looks on, benignly.
Rembrandt Peale is represented with matching paintings of George and Martha Washington. In a cabinet not far away is a wine cooler that George Washington gave to Timothy Pickering. Items from George and Martha's personal china collection are in the room, along with several pieces of the famous Society of the Cincinnati china. (Milwaukee has a plate from that collection, too.)
Thomas Jefferson's china is in the room, and a clock with Benjamin Franklin's likeness adorns a table top. The clock is likely French, but the omnipresent guards would not let me get close enough to tell. A breakfront has drawer pulls with stamped eagles and the words "peace" on them. This is quite a rarity, since most brass furniture pulls of the era were imported from England, and were not known for their patriotic American motifs.

As the brochure to the collection states, "The Diplomatic Reception Rooms are among the most beautiful rooms in the world used for official entertaining," and it was with some surprise that I discovered they were open to the public.
Interestingly, the great museums of Washington D.C., including the National Galleryof Art and the Smithsonian Institution are quite sparse in their holdings of 18th century American Decorative Arts, although there are a number of excellent private collections in the area open to the public operated by outfits like the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the American Revolution, so this collection is a special treat.

As readers of milwaukeeworld.com know, Milwaukee is home to a superlative collection of 18th century American Decorative Arts in the Chipstone Foundation, which has graciously deigned to allow a few scraps from its accumulation to be piled up in an exhibition space in the basement of the Milwaukee Art Museum that hasn't changed since the jumble was dumped there in 2001. We are to be grateful to the trustees of the foundation for sharing some of the pieces they have decided not to sell for a million dollars apiece as they did four times already this year as if they need the money. Grrrr!
Collection founder Stanley Stone was no fan of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the Department of State, or of the public in general, as the actions of his trustees have shown.

At a February, 1980 dinner party in Williamsburg, Virginia, Stone said, "I don't like the idea of gathering all those priceless things together where they might be damaged by the public. … I can't bear to think of somebody putting down a lighted cigarette on a priceless antique chest."
Stone refused to give anything to the State Department collection, although he condescended to give an item to the White House collection. (At last check, it is in storage. Ha! Ha!)

Although the State Department suggests making arrangements for tours of the collection four weeks to three months in advance, I got in on about a week's notice. My mother, who also was recently in Washington, D.C. called last Thursday and visited yesterday.
Put the State Department tour on your next itinerary to Washington, and visit what you can find of the Chipstone Collection here in Milwaukee any time you feel, before the trustees sell the whole thing off, a million bucks at a time. -Michael Horne



READERS' CORNER

[Stephen F. Thiel, a regular reader of milwaukeeworld, had some questions about the impending demolition of the old Tech High School. He thinks it could be repurposed. Instead, it is to be demolished.
Milwaukeeworld shared Mr. Thiel's concerns with Roseann St. Aubin, the director of communications of the Milwaukee Public School System, and she gave the district's reasoning behind the plans for demolition. -Ed.]

Dear Mr. Horne,
I can not believe the institutional insanity present in our government leaders. Only they would look on the pending demolition of the old Tech High School with eagerness. This building, built in 1912, has been the alma mater to thousands of graduates, has been the door to the middle-class for thousands through its emphasis on the skilled trades, symbolizes the entire timeline of the 20th Century Milwaukee Industrial Revolution, is still structurally sound, and can be recreated as useful/productive space.
Look at the Kenilworth Building, the Kunzelmann-Esser building, the Ambassador Hotel, the Schuster's store on 12th and Vliet, the Teweles Seed building, and others for adaptive redevelopment. This building is being torn down for what? A playfield! There are literally hundreds of thousands of square feet in this building and it is a crying shame that we can not find the collective creativity/intelligence to re-use this building. There will never be any cheaper square footage than in this building. At a time when the Barrett administration is creatively working to establish business parks at Wood, the Menomonee River valley, RiverWorks, among others, it is inexplicable why they would not save this building.
This building represents Milwaukee as the"Machine Shop to the World", can be a youthful/hip business incubator and entrepreneurial center, can anchor the redelopment of the Fifth Ward, and a huge foundation for the remarkable urban renaissance in Milwaukee.
If Weas Development can succeed with the Kenilworth Building, if Gorman Development can succeed with the Kunzelmann-Esser Building, if Weigand Enterprises can succeed with the Ambassador Hotel, surely a massive redevelopment of the old Boy's Tech High School can succeed. Let's use this grand building to help build a new Milwaukee Industrial Revolution. It is not that hard. Surely the Boy's Tech building is more significant than 100 E. Seeboth or the Peck Row Houses, buildings that received protection from the wrecking ball.
Sure Mrs. Pettit would find it ironic that the very facility that produced thousands of skilled workers for her family's business would now be facing its very own destruction. No one could have foreseen the rapid redevelopment of these neighborhoods. This act of demolition is not unlike the "urban renewal" activities of the 1950's and 1960's and I know we will regret our ill-advised actions.
I just thought you would like to know.
Your loyal reader,
Stephen F. Thiel

A Reply from Roseann St. Aubin
Mr. Horne -

Thank you for bringing your reader's question to our attention.
The decision for demolition of the former Boys' Technical High School was made by three entities. These entities are the Bradley Tech Commission, the School Board and the City of Milwaukee. The Commission itself is made up of representatives of labor, business, the community, parents, MPS, MATC and UWM. There was a great deal of discussion prior to the decision being made.
Currently, the new Bradley Tech has no athletic space. The cost of transporting student athletes to other facilities for practice/play is estimated by the Bradley Tech principal at approximately $180,000 a year. Once the athletic field/green space is completed, which is projected for September of 2006, the space will be used not only by Bradley Tech, but also by MPS' Vieau School, a bilingual K-8 that is located just a couple of blocks away.
Roseann St. Aubin
Director, Communications and Public Affairs
Milwaukee Public Schools
P.O. Box 2181
Milwaukee, WI 53201-2181
Office 414.475.8237
Fax 414.475.8430
staubir@mail.milwaukee.k12.wi.us

COUNTY-CITY to be WEB ROOMIES

Dear Reader --
I spent Saturday roasting a $27 leg of lamb on my $3 estate sale rotisserie which gave me enough energy Sunday to help a friend install a beginnning of a rock garden which you can see on the east side of N. Marshall Street just south of Brady. Then, as the sun set Sunday, I took a last look at "The Compound," which had been my home and garden for about five years. I was able to salvage a number of the plants I had been growing there, although the bulldozer beat me to my favorite rose. By this morning, the little red cottage and the large ugly mustard colored building had been leveled there on E. Kane Place, and construction will begin on housing there along the Milwaukee River. The crummy trees have been removed from the site, and the forester was kind enough to retain the chokecherries and viburnums that I had planted on the steep bluff. I grabbed a final few tributes to the old place, including the address and my old mailbox. I had long since stripped it of its hardware. The maple floor of my old apartment is now on Brady Street, where it will be trod upon by the well-shod feet of Ms. Groove Intimate's customers. It really was a lovely floor.
This has left me little time for actually getting my own house in order, and then there is that business of work, a little bit of which I share with you below, including one of my favorites -- the police chief's wish list for her drug asset forfeiture money. But first, read this about the city and county sharing space. Talk about the Odd Couple!
Give me a call or leave me a message. You've got the number -- 1 414 978-8039 or email me at horne@milwaukeeworld.com Also subscribe to this thing, and you should get it automatically.
Horne

COUNTY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY to CITY BUILDING
By Michael Horne
Computer equipment has been downsized over the past decade and has “situated the City with extra space in its secured data center facility rooms in the Information and Technology Management Division located at 809 N. Broadway, according to a city report recommending the county move its Information Management Services Division to the city’s location.
The “Intergovernmental Cooperation and License Agreement Between Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee for Shared Information Technology Services and Space,” to be considered Tuesday, October 18th by the Milwaukee Common Council tells us the city could share excess space and could share equipment “without adversely impacting the operations of either organization.”
[In a publicly-traded corporation the above would be considered a “forward-looking statement.]
The document also whereases that “both the City and the County can share expertise in their unique areas of Information and Technology Service delivery,” which we have all been subjected to since the city and county joined in the www.milwaukee.gov portal. The jury is still out on that adventure. But somehow, the bandwidth after the marriage was narrower than before the merger. If you have had any difficulties with the city and / or county websites since that odd marriage, do write me. Or don’t - my mailbox is already full.
The city will license space in the building for “the purpose and placement and operation of certain information technology equipment” owned by the county. The county will make the equipment available for the joint use of the city and county.
The equipment will be that needed to run the joint computer center, “such as a power distribution unit and uninterruptible power supply,” according to Randolf A. Gschwind, the city’s Chief Information Officer.
According to the terms, “the agreed upon value to the city of its use of the equipment provided by the county is $65,000 (approximately one-half of the value of the equipment).
That value would be applied against the annual license fee for the space, which will be set at $22,632 in 2006 plus a special one-time $4,000 relocation cost. Any balance would be carried over to the next year.” The term of the agreement is five years.

CHIEF’S DRUG MONEY WISH LIST

Chief Nannette H. Hegerty has sent her wish list to the Common Council, which annually authorizes the Milwaukee Police Department to “accept and expend asset forfeiture sharing contributions on behalf of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Drug Enforcement Group.”
This year’s list includes the following:
1.) Vehicle Expenses -- $16,500.These expenses are incurred to maintain the vehicles used by the task force. They include parking, repairs and fuel.
2.) Training Expenses --$ 2,000. These funds will be used to provide task force members with training approved by the executive committee.
3.) Office Supplies -- $ 600. These funds will be used to purchase toner and other office supply expenses.
4.) Miscellaneous Services -- $1,300. These funds will be used to provide storage and alarm service for the task force’s records.
5.) Overtime Reimbursement -- $108,000. As part of the operation of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Group operations, the West Allis Police Department, the South Milwaukee Police Department, the Milwaukee County Sheriff and the Milwaukee Police Department are reimbursed for overtime worked on the task force. Monthly billings are submitted by the agencies involved.
6.) Asset Forfeiture Proceeds Distributions (amounts to be determined). “The MMDEG executive committee approves the sharing of a portion of asset forfeiture receipts among the members of the task force. The percentage distribution is governed by the MMDEG memorandums of understanding between members of the task force.”

Let’s hope that Chief Hegerty will fill in the public with the “amounts to be determined,” which could be substantial, and could be used to generate yet another wish list. - Michael Horne

PAPERLESS COMMITTEE HEARING
Ald. Michael D’Amato chaired the Judiciary and Legislation Committee last week in the first such meeting in which members were not burdened with binders. Instead, the committee performed its tasks with laptop computers. Ordinarily each committee member would have a binder with as many as 300 pages of paper in it. The new policy could save much paper and a considerable amount of staff time, and give a whole new fresh look to the Channel 25 news set. -Michael Horne

THE PUBLIC MARKET

The Milwaukee Public Market opened to a crush of people over the weekend. The place, at times, was impassible and the business spilled out into the neighborhood. Across the street, people waited as long as two hours to get a table at the Wicked Hop. Inside, the market was a bit like visiting an art gallery on Gallery Night - great for people watching, but hard to get a handle on the display.
The long-awaited project rushed to completion over the last few days of its construction. Simie Fein said he supplied about 90 per cent of the equipment for the market, so the walls at Fein Bros. must have been bulging with fish coolers, pizza ovens, refrigerators, ranges and other implements.
A few of the booths have yet to be completed, but there is an array of marketers. The crush of humanity prevented me from buying anything, but there did seem to be a number of Wisconsin specialties. Whether the market will be able to find products from Wisconsin purveyors year round will be for us to find out. There is an automatic teller machine on the first floor. Next to it is a machine marked “Depository.” I noted that the keys were in the depository, and informed management that it would be best to remove the keys from the safe during business hours. Details, details, details!
The booth-style of indoor shopping may prove to be inconvenient, since you apparently have to ask an attendant for each and every thing you want to buy, and to pay for your purchases on the spot.
This is not the sort of place where you can fill a market basket with goodies and proceed to a central checkout, which will doubtless add to the time required to select and purchase your food.
Perhaps some (all) of the merchants might consider installing “take a number, please” machines like you see at Sciortino’s Bakery or Usinger’s Sausage to expedite service. Also, the food selection will probably have to undergo some changes. Frankly, certain Milwaukee trademarks seem unrepresented in this venue.
I believe that with the exception of Benji’s and Jake’s, it is the only place in the metropolitan area that does not serve hot ham and rolls on Sunday mornings.
Michael Horne

LOBBY LAW AMENDED

Just months into its implementation, the City of Milwaukee's lobbying regulation ordinance is being amended. The first provision benefits large lobbying firms, since only the first four principals registered bt the same lobbyist in a calendar year would be subject to the $125 licensing fee. The "fifth and all subsequent principals registered by the same lobbyist in a calendar year may be registered without further charge."
Among other changes, a provision was removed that would have required that "sworn statements, which have been filed alleging violations of the lobbying ordinance, are not required to remain confidential." The measures are expected to be approved by the Common Council on Tuesday, October 18th.

BEWARE OF GEEKS BEARING GIFTS

Wi-fi Plan, Touted by Paper, Emanates from Firm with Negative Assets and Negative Net Worth and Negative Income and only One "Plant in Service"

Mayor gets Excited about yet another Half-Baked Plan

Echoes of PabstCity?

By Michael Horne
(C) milwaukeeworld.com

The Thursday, October 13th Milwaukee Journal Sentinel headline screamed from the top of the page: "Wi-Fi plan may give city a digital edge / Firm offers to create wireless network at no cost."
The story outlines the plans of a company named Midwest Fiber Networks LLC to provide the infrastructure for a citywide wireless internet system valued at more than $20 million.
Although a television news report indicated that service would be free in the city, that is not the case. Midwest would lease the system to other operators, who would presumably pay market rates for the product.
A key factor in the Midwest Fiber Networks proposal is that it would gain use of the city's underground conduit system, over one thousand miles of municipal asset that is over a century old, and carries such things as the city's internal communications for police and fire departments, and a number of other services, some of them confidential.
The Common Council has been considering some form of use of the conduit system for some time, and Joe Klein and I have written many times on this subject here at www.milwaukeeworld.com . Klein, who has a proposal of his own for broadband is the only person registered with the City of Milwaukee to lobby for broadband issues. Midwest Fiber Networks has not registered any lobbyist for its proposal, which would indicate they have been working on it for fewer than 15 days (the maximum amount of time one may pursue an issue without a lobbying license in the city) or that the firm simply couldn't be bothered.
Or, as you will see below, maybe the company didn't have enough cash to spring for a lobbying license.

The story in the paper Thursday was a surprise for some aldermen, since the mayor sprung it out of nowhere, and it does not seem likely he has fully vetted the firm or the concept it promotes. Especially troubling is the track record of Midwest Fiber Networks -- at least financially.
The outfit that promises a $20 million Trojan Horse for the City of Milwaukee showed an operating income in 2003 (the most recent year available) of ($269,000). That's negative $269,000, or what your accountant would call a loss. This was somewhat ameliorated by non-operating income of $163,000 for a total loss of $106,000. The year before, the firm lost $120,000, with non-operating income of $0. The company's assets consist of $11,000 in cash, $154,000 in accounts receivable and a $500,000 note receivable, for total assets of $665,000.
As you can see, except for the $11,000 in cash, the firm's assets mostly consist of people promising to lend the firm money and to pay their bills to the firm.
The company values its telecommunications plant in service -- its one and only telecommunications plant --at $1,226,000 for total assets of $1,891,000, while its long term debt -- its obligations under capital leases is $2,015,000. That leaves a stockholders equity of negative $245,000.

It is curious that both the Mayor and the Journal Sentinel have jumped at the wi-fi plan of this unknown company, especially since others have tried to present the mayor with a better and better-financed broadband proposals.

Journal Communications, the owner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel owns an outfit called Norlight, which is in the data transmission business, and I have placed two calls to that corporation to ask if Norlight has any involvement in this hastily-conceived project. [Journal Communications says Norlight has no involvement in the project.]

We shan't take the time here to talk about the distinctions of broadband and wi-fi, except to say that the latter is of limited use unless the former is substantially constructed and interconnected, of which there is no mention in the proposed plan. Recent examples in the Gulf Coast should be sufficient reminder of the necessity of an integrated plan.

The Journal Sentinel story correctly states that any proposal would require Common Council approval. This is one instance where the council should be particularly wary of hasty action, because the real asset that the city owns -- its incomparable underground, municipally-owned conduit system -- is the real prize in this game.
This system is truly an asset, albeit an underappreciated and undervalued one. It would be a shame if the city were to let go of it, or sell rights in it at a price below its value, which seems to be the path we are headed on.

The wi-fi is the window dressing. The underground conduit system is the asset. As I said at the top of the article, Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts.

I would appreciate your comments.
Michael Horne
horne@milwaukeeworld.com

FINLEY CRONY GETS SEAT AT GALA FUNDRAISER

The Milwaukee Public Museum is planning a gala fundraiser next week, and one of the purchasers of a table at the event informed the museum director that he would not be able to use his seats at the event. So what does Museum Director Dan Finley do? Invite some local big shots with deep pockets, and hope for a donation? No. Instead he invited his wife, who invited Dan Vrakas to the event. Vrakas is running to replace Finley as Waukesha County Executive. Rocket science? No, Political Science.

A Trip to Maryland

Imagine, Dear Reader, if you could,
Historical Cedarburg,
With a Bad Neighborhood

That is pretty much a description of Frederick, Maryland, a charming city settled by Germans in prerevolutionary times. It is in a fast-growing area, where rich farmland is sprouting entire suburbs with all the trappings. The Chief of Police in Frederick says gangs are one of his biggest problems, and sure enough, kids are growing up in culturally-deficient areas with absolutely nothing to do.
Last week an individual was killed in a hit-and-run accident. The driver was finally identified as a 16-year old who had been on his way to a memorial for an 18-year old who had been shot to death by police. These things happen all over.
Frederick City itself is one of those lovely communities filled with Colonial and Federal Era buildings, mostly brick, and some rivalling the finest of their type, with lovely fan windows and sidelights embracing massive doors. The buildings are densely packed together and a walking tour brings surprises at every turn, especially for a northerner whose cities are much newer.
One of the particular surprises is that Frederick includes a number of shabby districts that the locals fear. I, of course, marched through all of them. Except for the matter of painting and maintenance, it is quite hard to tell a poor person's home from that of the gentry. I have also experienced this phenomenon in Baltimore.
Of course, for many years this was a segregated city, so the locals know from instinct what is black and what is white, and I suppose in retrospect, the poorer neighborhoods might be a bit deficient in street maintenance, not to say that the wealthy areas are maintained all that well. (Sidewalks and curbs can last for centuries in this climate. Tuckpointing is virtually unknown. The place would dissolve after a couple of Wisconsin winters.)
One clear sign that I had entered a poor neighborhood was the presence of public housing. And, upon seeing the name of the project, I was flabbergasted. The project was named after native son Roger Taney, the Supreme Court Chief Justice who gave us the dreadful Dred Scott decision and the absurd separate-but-equal concept that set back this country for a century. Taney is buried in a walled cemetery downtown (and not a minute too soon, I feel).
But I, as a northerner, am simply flabbergasted that the local powers had the effrontery to name a housing project occupied largely by African Americans after the man who had cut them such a bad deal.
And I am bewildered that nothing has been done to change the name of the project to something respectable like Thurgood Marshall Homes, so I have embarked on a quest to meddle in the municipal affairs of Frederick to publicize this absurdity and to get the name changed -- hopefully within a year.
It is also significant that I mentioned the Taney Houses to some locals, and they, decent people all, never really had thought about this poor choice of names.

Taney Houses to be Demolished: Frederick, Md. Mayor

Milwaukee, October 14 2005: After I posted the above item about the Roger Taney Houses in Frederick, Maryland, I wrote the letter below to the mayor of the community.

She has responded, in the letter below, and brings the welcome news that the “segregated” (her words) housing project will be demolished within the next 45 days to be replaced with owner-occupied scattered site housing (as we might call it here).

Dear Your Honor:

I had reason to visit Frederick last week and walked through your lovely old city for quite a distance, examining places high and low.

I must say that I cannot fathom that you have what appears to be a public housing facility in your community named after Roger Taney, a local son.

My history books show that he was the author of the Dred Scott decision which gave us the separate but equal concept. I believe you need travel very little in the County of Frederick to find examples of the separate but tremendously unequal school facilities built in your area during that era. I noted a lovely red brick one dated 1904 or so not far from an older certainly not lovely wooden building built I'm not sure when for black students.

I have not yet been able to determine the entity responsible for the public housing in your city, but when I do so, perhaps with your assistance, I shall endeavor even from this distance to see that the name of the Taney project be changed to a less offensive name.

I have already posted my impressions on my website, which is listed below.
I welcome your interest in this matter.

Very truly yours,
Michael Horne
Editor / Publisher
www.milwaukeeworld.com

Good Morning Mr. Horne,

The City of Frederick is a city with a rich and diverse history. For instance, there were many Southern sympathizers during the Civil War -- with our City hall being burned down 2 times -- but our forefathers eventually helped preserve the Union.

The naming of old public housing units is a curiosity that goes back nearly 50 years (since I am not a native of Frederick and only 44, I can take no credit or blame for this titling of a building). I can take some credit for gaining the support of our US Senators Mikulski and Sarbanes to fund a Hope VI project in Frederick that is demolishing this segregated public housing and offering home ownership units throughout our city. Some things change slowly, but this is moving along quickly and will be demolished in about 40-45 days so you can take credit in your hometown of "fighting City Hall" and winning!

Take care,
Jennifer
JENNIFER P. DOUGHERTY

MAYOR
The City of Frederick

Because of the German heritage of Frederick County, about 40 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., where I am writing this missive, it is one of the few places south of the Mason-Dixon line where you can find a Lutheran Church of any vintage.
The Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Frederick was organized in 1738 -- that's 110 years before members of that faith established their first church in Wisconsin, in Mequon. By 1743 the parishoners were in a log church on the Monacacy river -- oops, I have to run. I am going to race around the District of Columbia. Right now the lovely cousins of Julilly Kohler are giving me a place to crash, and I am hauling my suitcase there right now.
I'll get back to you later.
Michael Horne

FAREWELL TO U&L

Dear Reader,

I've had a few spare moments today, and I thought I would get this news off to you before I head out for a break in this lovely weather.


Hines Shakes Things up at City Hall

Common Council President Willie Hines has been able to pass through the council a number of changes of committee responsibilities, even going so far as to rename two Common Council committees. This news will probably eventually appear in the daily newspaper, but milwaukeeworld.com thought you should read it here first.


The Utilities and Licenses Committee of the Milwaukee Common Council is no more, under action approved by the council on September 27th. The action, which does not require the approval of the Mayor, strips some of the more boring functions from the council's most entertaining committee and renames it as simply, "The Licenses Committee."
The committee will no longer deal with communications policies, gas and telephone rates and service, motor bus lines, railroads and other transportation and the Water Works.
Those functions have been transferred to the Public Improvements Committee.
Public passenger vehicles and alarm businesses will now be regulated by the Public Safety Committee.
U&L -- excuse me, "L" will still be responsible for alcohol beverage related licenses, amusement machine licenses, bicycle licenses, cabaret, night club and tavern amusement licenses, cigarette and tobacco retail licenses, dance hall licenses, direct seller licenses and domestic partner registration, among other functions.

In other action, "the procedure for selecting the Common Council President is simplified by removing the requirement that the order of voting for the presidency be determined by lot. Members will vote in district number order."

Former members of the Common Council and department heads will not be permitted within the bar of the Common Council chambers during meetings.

The Library System has moved from the Finance and Personnel Committee to the Community and Economic Development Committee.

Taxation and new revenue sources "is moved from the authority of the Judiciary and Legislation Committee to the Finance and Personnel Committee."

The Common Council has also assigned a new matter -- lobbying -- to the Judiciary and Legislation Committee.

Transportation, including railroads has moved to the Public Improvements Committee, which has changed its name to the Public Works Committee.

Matters regarding the office of the City Clerk will be moved to the Steering and Rules Committee as will "matters within the responsibility of more than one standing committee, in the discretion of the president."
The president of the Common Council is also the Chair of the Steering and Rules Committee, significantly.

It will take a bit of a road map to figure out the implications of the internal shift of committees and their assignments at City Hall.

COUNCIL MEETING SPECIAL
The Milwaukee Comon Council met Tuesday, October 4th at 4 p.m. with only one item on the agenda. The meeting immediately followed the very first meeting of the newly-named Licenses Committee. At issue was the license for Shaker's, a long-established bar and restaurant at 422 South Second Street. Shaker's license had expired on September 26th, and the 14 aldermen present voted unanimously to renew the license, which ordinarily would have been automatically approved, as there were no objections to the license or police record for the place.
As recently as Friday, Common Council President Willie Hines was reluctant to call the special meeting, which would have kept Shaker's closed for another month.
He changed his mind when copies of the medical records for owner Bob Weiss were delivered to the council.
The records show that in June Weiss suffered a heart attack four days after a knee replacement (left). The application was due on June 30th, Weiss said.
"The license application was signed and notarized and on my desk," Weiss said. He, however, was near death at the time, he said.
Immediately after the meeting, Weiss headed down to the License office on the first floor of the Great Hall of the People and walked out with his license at 4:15 p.m. "We'll be open by five," he said, adding, "I could use a Sous Chef. My old one couldn't wait out this process."

DAILY PAPER WINS NATIONAL AWARD
(Nope, it wasn't the Journal Sentinel)

The Daily Reporter won first place for best business story in a daily newspaper of under 15,000 circulation at the National Newspaper Association's national convention held September 30th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee.
The story was written by Sean Ryan and former colleague Jeremy Harrell. The subject was Wisconsin's future in Biotechnology.
Ryan, 24, has written for the Daily Reporter since his college days when he pursued and then received a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin.

CRASH INJURES ROSS BIGLEY

At about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 2^nd, a hit-and-run driver rode over the ankle of Ross Bigley as he attempted to cross Brady Street at the corner of Astor Street. Ross, the founder of the Milwaukee Short Film Festival, had been at the Brady Street Pharmacy where he had been editing film on Jim Searles’ equipment.

Reports are sketchy – the police report has not arrived yet, but any of us who have crossed Brady Street know it is a challenge, the numerous warning signs notwithstanding.

Jim said Monday that if you would care to have any of your bones broken in an accident, the ankle would be about your last choice. It contains many bones, and about 120 ligaments, so Ross’s recuperation will be a complex one, and expensive.

By Monday, the following e-mail was sent out by Eric A. Levin, who operates the Times Cinema, and who is a sponsor of Bigley’s film festival:

Thursday, October 13 only... The Times Cinema invites you to laugh yourself

silly (and benefit a good cause) when we present The 3 Stooges: Dazed & Confused, a festival of five of the nuttiest Curly shorts: Dizzy Detectives; Hoi Polloi; All the World's a Stooge; Loco Boy Makes Good; and We Want Our Mummy. 

All ticket proceeds go directly to Ross Bigley, the founder of the Milwaukee Short Film Festival*, who was injured Sunday night (October 2nd) by a hit-and-run driver. Ross is undergoing surgery to repair a shattered ankle as this is being written, and we wish him a speedy recovery. We hope to lessen Ross's pain by helping him financially in this time of need; let's reassure him also, that all the world isn't a stooge, like that knucklehead who ran into Ross as he was attempting to cross Brady Street. 

Thursday, October 13 at 9:20 P.M. only. Admission is our usual $4.75, although we won't discourage contributions above and beyond that amount. Thank you to Sony Pictures Repertory, who were kind enough to donate the use of these Stooge shorts.  

*The Times hosts this annual festival.

TIMES CINEMA

5906 West Vliet Street  453-2436 (recording)

We will also hold a neighborhood event, most likely, and will get the word out to you by one means or another. Also, on Monday October 3rd a bicyclist was hit by an automobile. Remember folks, we are all traffic – not merely those of us in automobiles. 

A Statement from Alderman D’Amato’s Office:

Here's what we know from the officer that responded: 

It was a hit-and-run at the intersection of Astor and Brady. 
It took place around 7 PM.  Mr. Bigley was hit by a car or SUV traveling Eastbound on Brady.
 He was almost halfway across the street and ended up right near the yield sign in the road.  
The only witness was a driver traveling Westbound on Brady that heard the accident,
and saw what he thought was a backpack flying in the air in his rear view mirror.  
The witness and Mr. Bigley gave conflicting accounts as to the description of the vehicle.  
They only could agree that the vehicle was dark in color.  
With no witnesses, we don't even know if the car was traveling East on Brady and was building up speed,
or had just turned onto Brady from Astor.     

Sam McGovern Rowen