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!”