SEWRPC TRANSIT PLAN FLAWED

Ozaukee Plan Based on Out-of-Date Concept

By Michael Horne

Port Washington Road in Mequon is almost six miles of uninterrupted commercial activity, complete with hotels, multi-family residential facilities, offices, businesses, fast-food restaurants, and Ozaukee County’s only hospital.

You’d think the Mequon-Thiensville Chamber of Commerce would keep records of the number of employees on that corridor, but the organization does not, according to Linda Oakes, its executive director. You’d think the city of Mequon might have an idea of how many employees work in that corridor, but, according to City Administrator Lee Szymborski, “because the city does not issue business licenses it does not have a method for calculating or tracking the number of employees in any of the businesses within the city.”

Let’s just say there are thousands of jobs – there are at this time between 500 and 999 at the hospital alone, with many, many more on the busy street, with a lot of them (including the hospital) paying single-digit per-hour wages.

We do know that about 6,000 workers commute from Milwaukee County into Ozaukee County each workday. Since Mequon is both the largest city in area and population in Ozaukee County, as well as the closest to Milwaukee County, it is likely that many of these workers from Milwaukee County work in Mequon. Also, a number of Ozaukee County residents work in Mequon.

The question is, “how do they get there?”

According to census reports, of the 10,595 workers aged 16 or over who live in Mequon, 86.7 per cent drive to work alone in a car, truck or van. Fifty-seven took public transportation (including taxicab) and 149 walked. (The walkers were most likely the farmers in northwestern Mequon who trekked from farmhouse to barn.)

Recent gasoline prices have increased the number of those who took public transportation 8 per cent, according to a news article this week.

That number could be far higher, I feel, if the City of Mequon, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, the County of Ozaukee, and the Milwaukee County Transit System were to take a fresh look at the highly-developed Port Washington Road corridor as an “urban” street, suitable for conventional bus traffic.

For whatever reason –- and I suspect the worst – this is not the case. As a result, far too many automobiles drive in Mequon daily and hundreds of jobs go begging because the governmental entities have failed to develop a plan that would put Port Washington Road on the transit map. When I inquired, in 1998, why there were no busses on Port Washington Road in Mequon, the Milwaukee County Transit System informed me that it was the organization’s policy to run bus routes only on streets that have sidewalks. At that time, Port Washington Road did not have sidewalks. It does now – beginning two blocks into the city north of County Line Road (Zedler Lane, to be exact) all the way to Mequon Road. Mequon Road, itself has sidewalks for several miles, nearly to the heart of Thiensville, in the center of Mequon. Thiensville station at one time provided 33 commuter train trips daily to Milwaukee.

Every retail business owner I have spoken to in the area has complained about their difficulties hiring service personnel. These difficulties would be eliminated if the Milwaukee County Transit System would extend its bus routes across the County Line and into the burgeoning Port Washington Road commercial zone.

This matter will become of even greater urgency when Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital completes its expansion.

A Transit System Development Plan for the Ozaukee County Transit System was formally approved by the Ozaukee County Public Transit Planning Advisory Committee on October 31, 2002 – over three years ago. It stinks. It called for reducing the number of trips taken by route 143, construction of a park-and-ride lot at Mequon Road and Port Washington Road, and would offer Mequon service only “as a demand-responsive service instead of fixed-route service due to low and inconsistent ridership.”
It conceives of the system merely as a convenience for factory operators, and does not envision that the professional or mercantile class might use it for transit to work, or that residents within walking distance of Port Washington Road (there are thousands) might use it to get to work in Milwaukee -- or in Mequon.

The study proceeds from entirely faulty assumptions. The 143 route runs only a half-dozen or so trips daily, with a bewildering array of stops designed mostly to bring factory workers to plants in the outlying areas of the county. The bus begins at 6^th and Mitchell and runs along residential streets near the freeway, before leaping onto I-43 at Teutonia. It speeds along I-43 and bypasses the Port Washington Road exit, where it should exit, and thereby pass thousands of jobs. Instead the bus exits at Mequon Road, heads north to Columbia St. Mary’s hospital and thence to Ozaukee’s scattered factory zone. Furthermore, there are many acres at the freeway, County Line Road and Port Washington Road that would be eminently suited for a park-and-ride lot. These acres were not even considered, likely due to possible neighborhood objections from residents of that area, Mequon's wealthiest.

A far more sensible plan than the semi-freeway flyer service would be to continue the 15 bus route, Milwaukee’s longest, beyond Bayshore, where it now terminates. Any passengers at this time who would like to travel further north in Milwaukee County must transfer to the #68 bus which begins at the unlikely intersection of Atkinson and Keefe and ends at Port Washington Road and Brown Deer Road. Even if that bus would have the gumption to travel a few more miles to the north, it would serve the thousands of jobs on Port Washington Road in Mequon that have no bus service.

This option was not even considered by the transit planners, nor does there appear to be any effort by the Milwaukee County Transit System to consider expanding its service.

As Mequon City Administrator Symborski wrote, “to my knowledge there has been no correspondence between the City of Mequon and the Milwaukee County Transit System.” Well, let's institute some.

Regarding the hospital, Symborski says, “The primary discussion, at this time, between the city and the hospital concerning an increase in traffic has focused on improvements to the intersection of Port Washington and Highland Roads. Discussion about the hospital’s public transportation needs would take place between the hospital and the county. When that occurs I would expect the city to participate as well.”

Another weakness, system-wide, of the MCTS is its express route service, known as the “Freeway Flyer” system. The flyer uses a methodology that is nearly a half-century old, and one that predates the existence of such things as commercial streets with sidewalks in suburbs like Mequon. In most cities, express route stops do two things.

1.) They provide parking for automobiles, the passengers of which then take express busses to their destinations.

2.) The express bus routes connect with local bus routes.

In Milwaukee, the Freeway Flyers, for the most part, only provide the first service. A truly effective transit system in Milwaukee and adjoining heavily-populated communities would use local routes to feed the express routes. Here, they do not even connect.

Gasoline prices will continue to increase over time, and the demand will always be strong for a workforce in the Port Washington corridor in Mequon, with its abundance of low-paying, service industry jobs.

It is time for a true study of the transit needs of this community so that the poor who desire to work can find access to jobs in the wonderland that is Mequon without the expense of purchasing an automobile, and the likelihood that that automobile, owned by a worker making $7 per hour might not be up to the standards of the Mequon Police Department. This is a variant of the “Driving while Black” syndrome.

We must demand accountability from a transit system that continues to cut back service and increase fares during a time when fewer and fewer people will be able to afford to drive privately-owned vehicles to jobs in densely-settled areas.

Mequon, in particular, must overcome its parochialism. It is a big, grown-up city with a dense commercial district, its widely-spaced residences notwithstanding. A common-sense bus transportation system to Mequon's commercial artery is necessary. It is time the politicians address this crisis, and allow low-income Milwaukeeans an opportunity to earn money in that paradise.
(Joe Caruso, the ordinarily voluble spokesperson for the Milwaukee County Transit System, did not respond to a detailed message asking for comment for this story.) [Editor's note: Thursday, December 1, 2005 -- Joe Caruso left a message. I will speak to him Friday and update this piece with his information. --Horne.]

TIRIMBINA RAINFOREST PLANS TO BE ANNOUNCED
But, apparently not here.

Milwaukee Public Museum Executive Director Dan Finley told milwaukeeworld Wednesday that there will be an announcement soon regarding the museum's Tirimbina Rainforest. "There are some plans in the works, and it will stay in the family. We have a good plan to deal with it." He refused to comment further on the plan, except to say that we will be able to read about it in the newspaper. -- Michael Horne

STARBUCKS IN, ALTERRA OUT

Add Milwaukee to the list of cities where Starbucks Coffee shops can be found within a block of each other. As we reported here first, a Starbucks has opened in the lobby of the Milwaukee Hilton Hotel, adding life to the Wisconsin Avenue frontage of that landmark hostelry. Walk north a block to the Milwaukee Public Museum and you will find another Starbucks in the lobby of that financially-troubled institution. The Starbucks replaced a locally-owned Alterra coffee kiosk that had operated there for years. Museum Executive Director Dan Finley says the coffee concession is operated by Sodexho, a large firm that features Starbucks products. He said the plan for a new vendor had "been in the works for awhile," and that coffee kiosks at the museum "generate a substantial amount of money," although he did not have the figures at hand immediately. -- Michael Horne

DONOVAN'S DISMISSAL

Ald. Bob Donovan held a hastily-called news conference Monday to announce the "non-criminal resolution of the pending charge" against him by U. S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic. Donovan had denied since being charged in July that he had done anything improper in his relationship with the Milwaukee Alliance and his campaign committee, particularly that Donovan "knowingly and with intent to defraud caused a false material statement to be made to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development."

But getting a criminal charge dismissed by the U. S. Attorney does have a couple of stipulations, as can be seen from the attached document.

The dismissal of the criminal charges included a recounting of "the following facts that would have been presented by one or both of the parties" if the case had gone to trial.

Among the facts: Donovan transferred $2,400 from his campaign fund to the Milwaukee Alliance to cure an overdraft of $2,356 on or about August 9, 2001. On August 23, 2001, $2,400 was transferred back to the campaign fund.

In January, 2002, Donovan wrote a $5,000 check from the campaign fund again to the alliance, listing it as a "loan" on the check's memo line, and in March 2002, an aide transferred an additional $5,000 to the alliance.

The $2,400 transfer was never mentioned on campaign finance disclosure documents, and the loans were disclosed as office expense payments by the campaign for the creation of an adlermanic office space within the Alliance's headquarters.

Biskupic was also prepared to allege that the records of the Milwaukee Alliance regarding payments to Donovan's wife Kathy were changed from "payroll expense" to Kathy Donovan to "general services" payment to an unknown payee.

Donovan, for his part, said "City officials, as well as HUD were aware that Donovan rented office space from the Milwaukee Alliance, using campaign funds to pay the rent."

Donovan also asked for, and received a City Ethics Board opinion on payments to his wife. This opinion apparently escaped the attention of Biskupic.

As a "resolution of the charge" Donovan agreed to pay the City of Milwaukee Treasurer $2,500 as "a penalty for failure to provide appropriate oversight for the activities of Milwaukee Alliance."
He also agrees to disband the institution, to provide no funds to the Alliance, to take no steps to advocate the Alliance to receive funds from any source and, for a period of two years, to "take no direct or indirect role in the operatin of any non-profit agency receiving federal funds."

Thus ends what had been a high profile case for the U.S. Attorney, and a matter of great intrigue at City Hall. It is a far different resolution from what Biskupic originally planned -- he repeatedly tried to get Donovan to resign his seat, for example, according to City Hall sources.
And, certainly, a great deal more than $2,500 was expended on the investigation by the Federal Government.
Donovan would not comment Tuesday on the U.S. Attorney or if he feels that Biskupic is continuing to investigate other Milwaukee aldermen. Some aldermen in Milwaukee continue to privately express the opinion that Biskupic is continuing to investigate Milwaukee aldermen.
Donovan did say that he "thanks Willie Hines and the members of the Common Council" for their support throughout his ordeal. Hines, the council president, had removed Donovan from his committee assignments and chairmanship when the indictment was announced, and restored him to his positions immediately Monday. -- Michael Horne

WINDY CITY PEN FOR KAROS

Marilyn Karos, the felon you've read about here for her attempts to subvert justice has been placed in the Federal Community Corrections Facility in Chicago, Illinois, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. She was sentenced this month to 20 months in prison by Judge Charles Clevert.

GREEDY GREBE -- BRADLEY FOUNDATION PAYS BOSS BIG $

An article in the Journal of Philanthropy noted that Michael W. Grebe, the former managing partner of Foley & Lardner took an unusual approach to retirement, in that he did not. Instead, the man went right to work running the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Inc., the Milwaukee charitable organization with 2003 assets of $579,976,984.
One thing he learned over the years at Foley is how to bring in the big bucks. Retirement does not appear to have sapped his earning power very much.
In 2002 Grebe received $292,246 salary from the foundation for his 40 hours of work each week in the Lion House on N. Franklin Place. He also received employee benefit plans and deferred compensation of $34,555.
Not bad pay for a retired guy -- albeit one who worked forty hours each week in a mansion surrounded by artwork on loan from the Milwaukee Art Museum -- artwork we have written about in the past that had been contributed to the museum, we had thought, for the benefit of the public and not for the benefit of retired corporate lawyers.
Grebe must be an indefatigable retired person, since his 2003 salary from the Bradley Foundation was raised to $529,333 and his benefits increased to $42,000. How to explain the $237,000 raise in just one year?
Well, according to the foundation's IRS form 990PF, President Grebe now is listed as working 50 hours a week instead of 40. (Like we say, indefatigable.)
So, if you look at it this way, his raise is not that much -- in 2002 he made $140.50 per hour, and in 2003 he made $203.58 per hour.
Let's hope Foley and Lardner has a retirement program for its retired partners that will help guys like Grebe stay afloat in these difficult times.

SCHOOL OF EASY KNOX
Chipstone Foundation a Financial Bonanza for Milwaukee Big Shot Lawyers

Foley & Lardner partners don't have to be retired to draw large outside incomes. Take the case of W. David Knox II, a descendant of the W. D. Hoard family of Fort Atkinson. (You know the people -- they operate the National Dairy Shrine, an actual tourist attraction that has a nearly religious appeal for the lactose tolerant). He is listed as the President, CEO and Director of Milwaukee's Chipstone Foundation in that organization's IRS reports. In 2003, the foundation, dedicated to American furniture and English porcelains had assets of $55,358,295, not counting the furniture itself, which has been written off the books in accordance with usual accounting standards -- although that has not stopped the foundation for selling millions of dollars of furniture whenever the trustees have a whim to do so.
Knox received $3,000 for attending 10 directors and committee meetings of the foundation, which is peanuts compared to retired Foley and Lardner partner Allen M. Taylor, who received $144,000 for 35 hours a week work at the foundation in that year. Taylor also received $162,842 in contributions to employee benefit plans that year. (Back in 1990, Allen M. Taylor, then an active partner at Foley & Lardner, was happy to be paid $1,500 for his services. By 1992, Atty. Taylor received $60,000 for 20 hours work a week at the foundation. Polly Stone died in May, 1995, and Taylor received $112,000 that year. How things change, once the boss is dead!)
Foley & Lardner, the law firm, received $309,547 in fees from Chipstone in 2003, and you can assume some of that made its way to W. David Knox, who did not respond to a request for information from milwaukeeworld.com
But -- another entry on the tax form reads "Foley & Lardner -- W. D. Knox --type of servce -- consulting." In 2003 that sum paid to Knox was $201,812.
In 2002, Chipstone paid Foley & Lardner $244,740 for its legal work, and "Foley & Lardner -- W. D. Knox" another $234,315 in consulting fees.
In 2001 Foley & Lardner received $237,085 in legal fees, and Knox again got a consulting fee of $180,000.
The foundation owns a large home on eight acres in Fox Point, intended by the Stones to become a museum to house their collection. It also owns a home next door which is occupied by its executive director, Jonathan Prown, who was paid $164,500 in 2003.
The foundation has sold millions of dollars of its collection in recent years, averaging over $1,000,000 per piece of furniture sold.
Scores of priceless pieces from the collection have been hauled off to Williamsburg, Virginia, where it is exhibited to the public there. Prown was formerly affiliated with Colonial Williamsburg.
A few pieces are the stars of the American Collections at the Milwaukee Art Museum. The foundation also has office space in the adjacent War Memorial Building.
One thing for sure -- the partners and retired partners of Foley & Lardner have a very desirable client in Chipstone.
Other wealthy Milwaukeeans who feed at the Chipstone trough include John S. McGregor. a director who received $6,000 for attending 11 meetings, and got $2,280 in employee benefit plan contributions thrown in, Dudley J. Godfrey, Jr., of the Godfrey & Kahn law firm received $3,000 for attending 10 meetings, and Jere D. McGaffey, another Foley & Lardner bigshot who received $3,000 for his ten meetings (but no contributions to his employee benefit plan)
Too bad the Foundation has done so little otherwise to enrich the lives of Milwaukeeans of ordinary stock, for example, by building a suitable structure to house its treasures here, rather than in Virginia. -- Michael Horne

THOSE RIVER HILLS TREES
Planted by Chipstone to Relieve the Monotony of the Drive to the Country Club

The Chipstone Foundation did plant the elm trees in the medians of Good Hope and Brown Deer roads in River Hills as a memorial to Polly and Stanley Stone in the late 1990's.
According to a letter, which is precious in its pretension, from Allen M. Taylor to Richard J. Glaisner, then a trustee of the Village of River Hills (and a recipient of fees from Chipstone in his capacity as a financial advisor):

"Mr. Stone was, as you know, a dedicated arborist. He served for many years as the head of the tree subcommittee of the Grounds Committee at the Milwaukee Country Club ... During his lifetime, he was perennially disturbed by the failure of the State Department of Transportation to provide a decorative tree planting scheme on the one mile stretch of median on both the Good Hope and Brown Deer Roads that extends from the Expressway to the Green Bay and Range Line Roads, respectively. This was the drive he made regularly when proceeding from his home in Fox Point to the Milwaukee Country Club."

The foundation provided $60,000 to purchase the "disease resistant" American Liberty Elms.
"Actual planting of the stock and subsequent maintenance and succor would be the responsibility of the Village." (Many of the trees were not succored and have died.)

As the letter concluded:
"This project, if implemented, would remind one of the Duke of Wellington's foresight when, during the Napoleonic Wars, he caused the substantial planting of elm trees to be made on the formal carriage driveways leading into the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. when I saw this planting in 1968, the trees exceeded four feet in diameter."

When Milwaukeeworld.com saw the Stanley and Polly Stone Milwaukee Country Club Memorial Parkway American Liberty Elms in 2005 they were parched and neglected by the Village of River Hills and those surviving did not exceed five inches in diameter.
--Michael Horne

LINNEMAN'S HOSTS "NOD TO BOB"

In case you have been sequestered for the past decade or so, the night before Thanksgving has become a hot one for clubbing. The college kids are in town, and they sure don't want to hang around mom's house while she's cooking and coming up with chores to be done.
The rest of us wouldn't mind an escape, either.
Join all sorts of people Wednesday for the Seventh Annual "Nod to Bob" at Linneman's Riverwest Inn, 1001 E. Locust St., where a number of Milwaukee's finest entertainers like Sammy Llanas, John Sieger and Mike Fredrickson will perform a tribute to the timeless Bob Dylan.
Ten bucks will get you in the door. Another entrance option, since it is a benefit for the Hunger Task Force, is for you to show up with five cans of food and $5 in cash.
If you haven't been to Linneman's in a while, this would be a good time to check out the very well-done expansion Jimbo made to the classic Milwaukee brick tavern.

Here's the set list:

2005 "Nod to Bob" Performers In order of Appearance
7pm	Denny & Josh Rauen	Bagpipes "Blowing", Song to Woody
	Chip Cruz	Watchtower Inst., Rainy Day Woman
	Blaine Schultz	Tell Me Mama, Blind Willie McTell
	Hayward Williams	Desolation Row
8pm	Heidi Spencer Band	1 2 many mornings, 2 be alone w/you
	Mike Plaisted	Maggie’s Farm, Watching River Flow
	Zake
	Amy Rohan	Lonesome When Go, Don’t think twice
9pm	Blonde on Blonde	It ain’t me Babe, I shall be Released
	Al Kammen	Subterranean Homesick Blues
	Jim & Marty	Masters or Sweet Marie, Hurricane
	Lil’ Rev & Celia	Man gave names, Knocking on….
10pm	Dan Hanson	You Angel You, Love is a 4 Letter Word
	Joey Leal	Don’t think twice, Baby Tonight
	Matt Hendricks	Time of Dying, Horris Brown
	Mike Fredrickson	Tomorrow is Long Time, Buckets of Rain
11pm	John Seiger	Wicked Messenger, Rainy Day Woman
	Bill Camplin & Jason	Like a Woman, Back Pages, Belongs to Me
	melaniejane	Things have changed, Tambourine Man
12pm	Sammy Llanas	Grain of Sand, Stop Crying, Released
	The Up & Atoms	Quinn, Make you feel my love
	eVibe	Cup of Coffee, If your gonna leave
	The Form	Thin Man, Leopard Skin

THAT'S THE SPIRIT! MILWAUKEEAN BUFFETT DONATES $11 MILLION IN 2004

Buffett Foundation Quietly Disperses Big Bucks -- and it's Just the Beginning

(C) 2005 Michael Horne

a milwaukeeworld exclusive

The Spirit Foundation, a charitable organization controlled by Milwaukeeans Peter Buffett and his wife Jennifer Heil Buffett quietly donated $10,780,254 in 2004 to various charities. Among the recipients was the Gynuity Health Project which received a $750,000 grant from the foundation for "Expanding Access to Medical Abortion in the Developing World."
The foundation's principal assets comprise of shares of Berkshire Hathaway Common Stock - Class A, valued at $125,755,720 according to an IRS 990PF document signed May 16, 2005 by Jennifer Buffett, the Vice President of the foundation. The cost basis of the stock was only $23,890, which gives you an idea of the incredible investment acumen of Warren Buffett, Peter's father, the founder and principal shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett senior is listed by Forbes Magazine as America's second-wealthiest individual, with a net worth of $45 billion.
The foundation received over $104,000,000 in Berkshire stock, including $51,210,000 on January 6, 2004.
Berkshire Hathaway does not pay a dividend, so the Buffetts financed their charities by selling 129 shares of Berkshire Hathaway Class A and 68 shares of Berkshire Hathaway Class B stock over the course of the year for $11,353,806.
That stock originally cost them $2,192, so the sale netted a staggering profit of $11,351,614, which the Buffetts quietly put to use in many ways.
Among local beneficiaries of Spirit Foundation grants were such entities as Growing Power ($15,000); Next Door Foundation ($1,010,000); Radio for Milwaukee ($200,000); Turner Ballroom Preservation Trust ($50,000); Wisconsin Citizen Action ($15,000); Urban Underground ($10,000); and the Milwaukee Public Market ($50,000).
A sign at the public market mentions the Spirit Foundation as a contributor; it is one of the few places the organization's name appears anywhere.
The largest donation, of over $3,000,000 was made in November 2004 to the Tides Center in San Francisco. The Tides Center operates as a donor-advised fund, much like the Greater Milwaukee Foundation to which Spirit gave $500,000 last year to set up a fund. Unlike the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Tides Center is much vilified by the right wing. The Rainforest Action Network, also of San Francisco, received $350,000 for general support.
Peter Buffett lived in San Francisco before moving to Milwaukee in the late 1980's; his mother, Susan Thompson Buffett, also lived in San Francisco. She died last year.
In all the Buffetts donated to some 88 charities, many local mostly involving the environment, the underprivileged, and to causes favoring abortion rights (NARAL) and family planning (Planned Parenthood), not to mention Gynuity. Warren Buffett for many years has been a force behind the financing of the "abortion pill."

Expenses were relatively small for a foundation of its size, totalling $308,498.
Peter and Jennifer Buffett each drew an annual salary of $40,000 for 30 hours of work apiece each week.
Legal fees were only $11,716, and the accountant only cost the foundation $3,415.
The Buffetts did not respond to calls and messages for comment.
--Michael Horne

Voss Books to Close

Voss Books, 229 N. Water Street. will be open through the holiday season, and then will shut down at that location.
“We are closing here at 229,” said Kelly Voss, owner of the used and antiquarian book store she opened here two years ago. She will pack up her books - and her two cats, and is looking for a new location, or some means to remain active in book selling in some capacity here, she said. -- Michael Horne

Win Brewers Opening Day Tix
This Sunday, November 20th, will be a great time to visit Steny's Tavern, 800 South Second Street where a fundraiser will be held for the benefit of JoEllen Bullock, a Milwaukee woman who has been diagnosed with cancer and has mega-bills to pay.
Her friends, led by Lisa Giallanza ("The Queen of Halloween"--Journal Sentinel) have gathered an incredible array of donated goods and services to raffle at the event which will run from 2 p.m. until who knows when?
There will be free beer and food and chances to win all sorts of goodies like a stay in the Sybaris Pool Suites, a night at the Country Inn, tickets to the Pabst Theatre and the Rep and many, many other items.
At 3:15 two bucks tickets will be raffled off; at 3:45 the raffle will be for two tickets to see Kenny Rogers on December 15th.
Other prizes include 10 tickets to Brewers Opening Day 2006 along with a Greek food tailgate, donated by Dale Mustas and 4 tickets to the Milwaukee Bucks (valued at $440) donated by the MMAC.
I hope you will be able to attend this event, and good luck to Jo Ellen who walked into the doctor's with a suspected case of food poisoning and walked out with a nightmare diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. -- Michael Horne

Hyslop to Retire
John Hyslop, the City of Milwaukee's Assistant Planning Director is set to retire after 27.5 years with the city. He has been involved in virtually every project that the Department of City Development has undertaken for decades and would sit patiently through endless committee meetings. But when he spoke, aldermen and commissioners would listen. The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee will honor Hyslop at its November 28th meeting. Hyslop's final salary with the city was $94,105.44. -- Michael Horne

TECH SCHOOL TO HOLD CEREMONIES IN CHURCH

It says something about our time and our suburbs and our old-time religion that churches now offer larger gathering places than colleges, but that is the case in Waukesha County, where for the first time, the Waukesha County Technical College plans to hold its December and its spring graduation ceremonies off campus for the first time.
The public technical school will hold its events at Brookfield's Elmbrook Church, one of those new superchurches that ever so much define our exurbs.
According to Anne Moore, the Communications Manager for the school, Elmbrook was chosen since it can handle 2,000 people in its basement alone.
In past years, the spring graduation ceremony was split into two events, since the school's gymnasium can hold only about 1100 people. In addition, students had to pay to erect a giant, heated tent on campus to hold their post-graduation festivities.
This year, the entire event can be held in one place, and the students will be able to invite plenty of family and guests to attend the great ceremony. Plus, the entertainment can be held on site at the church, in a building, rather than in a tent.
Moore says the school will pay about $1500 rent for the evening, including a modest set-up charge. -- Michael Horne


NEW HOME FOR WHALING WALL?
Wyland's mural of a whale has been on display to southbound traffic on I-43 for about six years now, and will soon be demolished along with the Courthouse annex upon which it is painted.
The loss of the Wyland, although not greatly lamented in Milwaukee's established artistic community, does concern Tamra Reynolds, a Zigman Joseph Stephenson employee who is quite fond of the work Wyland has done creating 92 such murals around the country. He says he has set a limit of 100 as his life's work to call attention to the plight of large sea mammals, and Reynolds thinks she has a spot in Milwaukee for Wyland to recreate his maritime vision.
She wants it to be placed at Pier Wisconsin, the nautical destination being constructed at this time just south of the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Please, do not be too alarmed -- Reynolds' suggestion is that the mural be painted on the inside of the building, not on the outside, which would certainly give the neighboring institution to the north an attack if such were the case.
She says she has been in contact with Pier Wisconsin and the Wyland Foundation to make this dream a reality. -- Michael Horne

ASSEMBLY DEMS GO FOR CASH
The Milwaukee Public Market was the site Monday evening, 14 November 2005 for a fundraiser for the Assembly Democrats, who would like to pick up a few seats during next year's election.
Department of Administration Secretary Steve Bablitch, new to the job, addressed the crowd of about 100 gathered in the second floor of the new market, which is ordinarily closed on Mondays.
He was introduced by Representative Jon Richards who said the Department of Administration is known as "the Department of Everything."
Bablitch said when he got the job he asked the governor if he had to move to Madison. "The governor said, 'no. it's just as good you remain in Milwaukee,'" as did Bablitch's predecessor Marc Marotta who made the Monday Through thursday commute to Madison from Mequon, in Ozaukee County, not far from Tripoli Country Club, which is where Marotta would commute to on Fridays.
Bablitch explained the Doyle agenda in triplicate, saying the Governor wants "jobs, jobs, jobs, education, education, education and health care, health care, health care."
Among members of the Milwaukee Assembly Delegation at the event were Democratic Leader Jim Kreuser, Assistant Leader Richards, Pedro Colon, Fred Kessler, Tamra Grigsby,I think Barbara Toles, Josh Zepnick and a few others who may have escaped my attention, like David Cullen who always blends into the woodwork.
Guests were treated to Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite and Lakefront Brewery's Riverwest Stein Beer. Guess what? The Stein Beer was the most popular, and "sold" out before the others. [The beer was free.]
Among attendees were Paul Nannis, Chris Ahmuty, Peter Earle, Stephanie Bloomingale, Moira Fitzgerald, Reynolds and Linda Honold, Dr. Robert Starshak, Gene Gilbert, Tom Hefty, David Newby and George Petak.
Dem Leader Kreuser complained about the republicans, saying "their legislation is so bad. They vote against their district. They vote against their conscience. They vote in lockstep."
According to Kreuser, we should reelect the governor and "pick up a few seats" in the assembly, "so that we will be better off in November 2006."
Sheriff Ann Hraychuk of Polk County, one of only two women sheriffs in Wisconsin will run for assembly against Mark Pettus, Rep. Richards said. Richards also noted that a recent mention in milwaukeeworld.com that his maritial status was listed as "single" on his website was changed within 24 hours, making mworld very happy to hear so significant a testimony to its impact on the political community. -- Michael Horne

BEER FOR CELIAC SUFFERERS

Celiac Disease is a condition in which sufferers may not consume most grains, like barley and wheat. More ominously for brewers, it also means that those with the condition cannot drink beer. Russ Klisch of Lakefront Brewery sought to find a means to allow these folks to quaff a brew, and he had to convince the United States Government to create a new category to permit him to market a special product he created called "New Grist."
"New Grist" is brewed from Sorghum, a plant that is cultivated in Wisconsin and can be found as a syrup in farmers' markets from time to time along with its more elegant cousin, maple syrup.
New Grist is described as "a crisp and refreshing session ale brewed without wheat or barley," and the first batch was bottled in late October and is ready for you now.
It is a lighter beer and compares favorably with most light ales on the market.
This is good news for any of your Celiac friends who would like to drink beer, and you might want to spread the word. More information is available at www.lakefrontbrewery.com. -- Michael Horne

MARSUPIAL BRIDGE OPENS
The weather was mildly pleasant November 10th when Mayor Tom Barrett and other dignitaries cut the ribbon on the Marsupial Bridge. The event was followed by a reception at Regano's Roman Coin on Brady Street.
Tom Barrett began his remarks by saying he overheard that the mayor was here "and she brought Tom Barrett with her!" This drew laughs from the crowd, including Julilly Kohler, the putative mayor of hizzoner's remarks.
Barrett said there were people who work and have no ideas, and those who have ideas but do no work. "Julilly works and has ideas," Barrett said, and credited her with the inspiration for the structure suspended beneath the Holton Bridge.
Kohler, for her part, said, "I don't know if it was my idea. I think it was Mike Eitel's. The important thing is everybody took it up."
Kohler was the one who, at her expense, flew out to Washington, D.C. to convince members of Wisconsin's delegation to devote money for the pedestrian and bicycle bridge. Among those members: Tom Barrett, who was congressman from Milwaukee at the time.
Barrett mentioned that he was honored to be both congressman and mayor, saying that during his years in congress he would be lobbied for any number of projects, and more or less forgotten when they were finally built. This time, he said, he was proud to be active on both ends of the deal.
Kohler gave especial credit to Gary Grunau "for getting John Norquist to put some money in the city budget for the bridge." Kohler said that Grunau warned the former mayor if the city did not kick in 20 per cent of the $3.4 million span, the funding would have to come from somewhere like the Brady Street Association. "'Don't make Brady Street pay for it or it will never happen,'" Kohler quoted Grunau as saying.

SHERIFF ON HORSE, MAYOR FOLLOWS ON FOOT, WATCHES HIS STEP
It has become a cliche in Milwaukee that the Sheriff rides a horse in a parade. I've been writing about it since I saw Richard Artison horseback in a parade in 1988. Of course, Artison's steed was accompanied by a broom-wielding attendant following the horse.
No attendant was present to follow the sheriff's well-fed and well-digested horse, which marched ahead of the mayor and other participants in the parade, many of whom needed a good shoe shining (if not more extensive cleaning procedures) by the end of the parade.
Somebody in the neighborhood posted pictures of Ald. Bob Bauman along the parade route. The signs said, "Car Towed Today? Hundreds of $/yr in Parking Tickets? How's Your Alderman Doing? Call him and let him know what you think!"
The signs then gave Bauman's home telephone and email address.

POLICE UNION: COUNCIL TOO BIG

POLICE TO PROTEST BUDGET CUTS
The Milwaukee Police Association held a news conference Tuesday November 8th at the Bay View Post 180 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars to "propose a decrease in the number of aldermen and / or their pay as a way to put more cops on the street."
The police union figures a threat of a referendum in April for that purpose might be a way to get the council members' attention on what is the real issue for the police -- a $1.5 million decrease in police overtime in the 2006 budget.
This is a serious matter for our public guardians. The first thing rookie cops learn after how to pin on their badge is how to sign up for overtime, so the mayor's proposal to implement a "Community Service Officer Program" has riled up the boys in blue, especially in a department with over 250 vacant officer positions.
The Community Service Officers would not be sworn officers, union Vice-President Sebastian Raclaw told milwaukeeworld, and it is not certain whether they would be union members. The CSOs would be dispatched to answer low priority calls, like minor fender-benders or noise complaints, which might seem reasonable at first glance. We've all heard complaints about police doing insignificant things (like ticketing our own cars) when they should be doing something about that drug house across the street.
The police, however, say that minor calls often escalate to more significant events that the Community Service Officers would not be able to handle, and in, fact could make matters worse.
For example, police responding to a noise complaint might be able to determine that there is an underlying problem -- let's say the place is noisy because it is a drug house.
Whereas the Community Service Officers might only be able to tell the residents to keep the noise down, fully-sworn officers might have the wiles to receive permission to search the property ("you don't mind if we look around, do you?") and to effect a bust. The CSO visit might simply serve as a warning for the evil-doers to flush their drugs or split the scene.
One officer at the press conference said he had been shot at three times in events that he had thought were of minor character when first dispatched to the scene. People are crazy out there.
The Milwaukee Police Association, in a press release on the subject, said it is "urging the citizens of the City of Milwaukee to join MPA members at City Hall on Friday, November 11th at 9 a.m. to voice your concerns to our elected officials," during the City's budget hearings.
According to John A. Balcerzak, president of the union, "the city of Milwaukee has not missed the two aldermanic districts that were deleted in 2004, but the city has missed the 250-plus police officers who have not been hired. This is clearly evident by the current and rising homicide rate."--Michael Horne

TAB FOR TIMMERMAN REPORT
We learned yesterday that Coffman and Associates is working on a master plan for the county-owned Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport. It is not clear at this time what are the parameters of the report, but we do know the cost of the document, expected to be issued next year. It will cost $172,000, according to Pat Rowe of Milwaukee County, who cautions us that this is not taxpayer money, but from funds derived from the operation of Milwaukee's airports, including Timmerman and its big brother General Mitchell International Airport.--Michael Horne

OUR LOVELY SCAFFOLD -- NOT!
Whitney Gould of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel went into transports about the scaffold encircling City Hall, calling it the best piece of public art that is hidden in plain view, and compared it to the Michael Graves scaffold that surrounded the Washington Monument during its restoration in the late 1990's. Puh-leeze!
Milwaukeeworld called months ago for an attractive scaffold for the City Hall project, and we certainly did not get it.
The scaffold, although it creates an airy web around the 19th century landmark, hardly deserves any credit for originality, attractiveness or functionality.
It is just a scaffold.
Certainly the south end of the scaffold could have been constructed with arches at the base, to mimic the entrance of the Great Hall of the People. (Think Eiffel Tower, which is essentially a giant scaffold.) I mentioned this in print and in person to Rocky Marcoux, the Mayor and Robert Greenstreet months ago, suggesting a competition be held to design an attractive scaffold. The plan obviously went nowhere.
We will be looking at this scaffold for years to come, and the entry to City Hall could not be more unattractive or user-unfriendly. As for the comparison to the Graves scaffold for the Washington Monument, I saw this well-lit structure in person several times and found it to be quite elegant.
--Michael Horne

FALK FLAK AND MORE

Dear Reader,

I have just a couple of items here today for you. I did find out that the County has commissioned a study of Timmerman Airport, and can't wait to see what it will contain, and how much the study will cost the taxpayers. Also, I try to figure out why so much of the milwaukeeworld traffic is routed through Houston, Texas. Imagine my surprise when I find the answer.

Finally, I take a tour through the websites of the attorney general candidates. It seems at this time that the Republicans are the only ones on the ball. Paul Bucher, in particular is throwing some fastballs, calling Democratic Party opponent Kathleen Falk a "radical."

Bucher is from Waukesha County, Falk is from Dane County.

I made an error, I believe, trying to connect links in this story, so please pardon the confusion if it comes out that way, looking a little goofy. I also seem to have lost the formatting that bolded the names of all of the worthies mentioned here. Sorry.

I have to run right now.

Catch you later,
Michael Horne
Editor / Publisher
1 414 978-8039

TIMMERMAN STUDY EXPECTED IN 2006

Coffman Associates, airport consultants, are working on a master plan for Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport . The plan will be released after the end of the year, according to Pat Rowe, who handles information for Milwaukee County’s airports. The master plan is supposed to enable comments from the public, and after a laborious process I registered to make my comment. Unfortunately, the comment system does not work on the website, nor is there very much information on the ought-to-be-abandoned, 420-acre airport which is virtually entirely within the city limits. We’ll just have to wait for the report to be issued. Coffman Associates referred me to the County, so that wasn't very helpful. I'll get back to you with a report on how much Coffman Associates "Airport Planning is our Only Business" will be paid by the taxpayers for their study.-- Michael Horne

CITY DPW WEB TRAFFIC ROUTED THROUGH HOUSTON

A good deal of the traffic to milwaukeeworld.com is local, which you would expect. I was puzzled, though, by a considerable amount of visitors routed through Houston, Texas.
Upon research, I determined that the Houston-routed visits to milwaukeeworld were all from a domain called mpw.net , and registered to the funkily-named Beeper Boutique, Inc.
Mpw.net is the website of the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works. It is the only website hosted by Beeper Boutique , Inc. I tried to connect to the Beeper Boutique website, but my connection was refused. I would like to know why the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works, the municipality’s stodgiest, routes its internet through 3333 W. Katy Freeway in Houston.

This is the department that controls the underground conduit that will be leased to provide a wi-fi system that is to be the nation’s envy, and it runs its traffic from a company that sounds like it sells pagers? From Houston?

All other City and County traffic runs through the combined Milwaukee Portal. Looks like DPW got lost in the April 2005 creation of the portal - or decided to stay hidden in Houston.

I emailed the DNS administrator of the www.milwaukee.gov site to see what the story is, and will get back to you.

However, according to Joe Klein, who studied this at my request,

It is only a registration problem with the block of IP addresses used. Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are registered with ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers). Contact information is associated with contiguous blocks of IP addresses. This information is used to contact a site if bad traffic emanates from within that block of addresses. Time Warner Telecom allocated 128 IP address for one side of the dual-connected DPW firewall which uses a
technology called Network Address Translation (NAT) to map the many addresses used by the City of Milwaukee into two 128 address spaces provided by Time Warner Telecom and Wiscnet.

Time Warner Telecom apparently failed to change the registration on the block allocated to the City of Milwaukee, so it retains what is probably an old registration to the Beeper Boutique. The web tools used by snoopy webmasters and bloggers like yourself thus map the block back to Texas.

By Internet Best Current Practices (BCP), the owner of the block should insist on accurate registration data. Thus,when a computer is compromised within the City of Milwaukee network and it starts sending worms, viruses, or spam to the Internet, alert network administrators know who to contact. This protects both the Internet and the City of Milwaukee.

And, we gather, we are un- or underprotected right now, according to Klein's analysis. It's somebody's job -- fix it!

-- Michael Horne


FALK FLAK

Now that she has a primary opponent in Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, I wondered how Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager’s website was doing. Alas, the Peg4ag folks have only a rather ugly red white blue page telling us that the exciting website is coming - someday.
There is still a Falk for Governor website that has been assumed by a search engine not related to the campaign. Net Nations Communications of Canada took over the site in January 2005 when Falk’s original dominion over it expired. I don’t see a Falk for Attorney General Website yet.
On the republican side, the Van Hollen for Attorney General site ranks among the top 9 million worldwide. His opponent Paul Bucher’s site is not yet ranked, but is mightily homespun.
Bucher put out a press release calling Kathleen Falk a “radical” and saying she is anti-law enforcement.
According to the release,
“Republican Attorney General Candidate Paul Bucher blasted the policies of Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk Monday, stating that Falk advances a radical agenda that will compromise public safety and which is out of touch with average Wisconsinites.
“You must be kidding,” Bucher stated of Falk’s entrance into the Attorney General’s race. “This anti-law enforcement individual wants to run for the state’s top cop? I work day in and day out and have spent my entire career putting criminals in prison, as have other law enforcement officers throughout this State, and this individual wants to release them? What does it say to the average law enforcement officer and citizen? That we care more about the rights of thugs and gangsters than we do about the safety of our families? I look forward to this race. I look forward to debating this anti law enforcement candidate who now conveniently cloaks herself in pro criminal justice rhetoric. Her consistent, long-time record opposing law enforcement both in Dane County and Statewide will be front and center in this race.”
--Michael Horne

TIMMERMAN A TAXPAYER WASTE

Dear Reader,
Thanks for checking in with Milwaukeeworld today. Today's theme, quite inadvertently, is transportation, and we are going intermodal with a vengeance.
First we look at Milwaukee's "other" airport -- Timmerman Field, as we locals call it. Why does the county still own this money-loser? Could it be that people who own airplanes like the convenience of Timmerman and vote republican?
Then, as 21st centurites, our knowledge of Great Lakes Schooner basics is woefully limited. Our friends at Pier Wisconsin answer a few questions like, "how do you turn a schooner around in the Milwaukee River?" It can be done, as the Denis Sullivan has proven recently.
Finally, we look forward to the reopening of a long-abandoned tunnel.
Thanks for tuning in, and please let me hear from you.
Michael Horne
Editor / Publisher
horne@milwaukeeworld.com
1 414 978-8039


TIMMERMAN A BOONDOGGLE?
By Michael Horne

Milwaukee County's two airports are budgeted to bring in $62,085,486 in revenue in 2006, and are expected to earn a profit of $2,721,316. Thus, County Executive Scott Walker can proudly say that the airports do not cost the taxpayers a dime -- unless you look at the books of Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport, the county's general aviation (i.e. private plane) airport. Timmerman's books are combined with those of General Mitchell International Airport, Wisconsin's largest, which serves mostly commercial passengers -- generally those who do not own private aircraft.
In 2004, the most recent year for which information is available, the airport system of Milwaukee County -- that is, Mitchell and Timmerman brought in revenue of $53,924,727. After expenses, $1,262,848 was left over.
In 2004 Timmerman had 69,134 takeoffs and landings compared to Mitchell's 188,133. That sounds impressive, but Timmerman had expenses of $372,910 yet brought in revenue of only $265,347. So, as a stand-alone operation, it lost $107,563. The 2005 budget calls for Timmerman to lose $216,965 this year, and to lose $133,526 in 2006.

This leads to the question of why taxpayers must absorb the losses of a county-owned airport that caters to small craft owners. If you can afford an airplane, you could afford to fly it out of an airport that is not subsidized by the taxpayers, you'd think. Of course, I'd bet you that most airplane owners vote Republican, favor a tax freeze, and oppose government subsidies.
Furthermore, Timmerman occupies a large tract of potentially valuable real estate.

The County, which is hard-pressed for money these days, should either see to it that Timmerman pays its own way, or sell the place and use the potential tens of millions of dollars it would receive from that valuable real estate to bail itself out of its never-ending fiscal disasters.
Maybe a good first start would be to give Timmerman its own line on the County's budget, rather than burying its losses within General Mitchell International's budget report.

May I also suggest that with the closing of the 440th at Mitchell Airport, that former military base could be used for pleasure aircraft, Timmerman could be shut down, much or all of the land could be developed and the tax base would increase considerably.
But as it is right now, Timmerman is Milwaukee County's biggest and most exclusive park -- it's our "airpark."


SULLIVAN SAILS THE MIGHTY MENOMONEE
A couple of weeks ago I sat in the M&M Club on N. Water Street, well within view of the Water Street Bridge, a bascule span that doesn’t open very often this time of year. I noticed the bridge open, and was expecting a coal boat like the K. E. Barker (which was in town over the weekend) or the steel ship Isolda, which I believe I saw idling off Brady Street last week.
But, no, the ship was the Denis Sullivan, sailing downstream.
This led me to wonder a number of things, including how the Sullivan manages to turn around in the Milwaukee River, whether it can sail backward, how Great Lakes schooners managed to navigate in the Milwaukee River back in the days when there were hundreds of them and what is the Denis Sullivan doing here in Milwaukee in Novemer?
Meredith Berghauer of the Pier Wisconsin was kind enough to respond to my questions, and I thought you would like to read what she had to say:

Hello Mr. Horne!
Yes the Denis Sullivan did go up the Menomonee River twice in the past few weeks, once on Oct. 19th and again on Nov 1st. Our first trip up the river was to dock on the River Walk in the Third Ward. We stayed there for an afternoon to help kick of the Christmas in the Ward celebration and to pre-sell Christmas trees.
Boats similar to the Sullivan would make yearly trips in November from northern Michigan and bring Christmas trees to southern Wisconsin and Illinois. One of the most famous of these vessels was the Rouse Simmons, one of the boats we are modeled after, and in its memory we have been selling trees for the past few years.

The second time we went up the river was to dock for the winter. The Sullivan will be staying in Wisconsin this winter; normally we head south to Florida to conduct educational programming. Our new facility will be opening in early June so in order to make sure the Sullivan is here for the grand opening we will just stay up north for the winter. We must dock up the river, next to the power plant, to avoid being frozen in and ice damage occurring to the vessel.

Now as to your question of the turning radius and how they did it in the old days…Our turning radius is 140 ft (the vessel is 137 ft long), if we are using a push boat and we have good weather. The push boat will push our bow around for us enabling us to turn in small areas (we also use this method in high wind days at roomier docks). You are correct about the high traffic of schooners in the 19th century as well. The way they managed to come up the rivers was first they had a center board that they raised up which made the draft much less. The Sullivan has a lead keel to meet Coast Guard regulations unlike the schooners of the past. Once the center board was up a tug would come and pull or push the boats up the river. The same tugs would then turn the boats around if needed. I have also heard that they would sometimes pull the boats up the river backwards to avoid having to turn around.

The last question you asked is can we sail her backwards, the answer is yes, sort of. The Denis Sullivan and the old Great Lake schooners had a very unique sail called a Raffee. It is a gigantic triangle sail that is on the top of their foremast. This sail is rigged perpendicular to the hull, allowing the vessels to catch winds above the buildings in the harbors and to back the boats up under sail. While we can back up it is not the desired or designed way to move the vessel (the bow is design to “cut” through the water much better then our blunt stern) nor is it the most efficient method of movement.
Thanks so much for your interest and I hope to see you out sailing with us next summer.

Meridith Berghauer
Interim-Marine Operations Coordinator
Pier Wisconsin


VALLEY TUNNEL TO REOPEN

At the groundbreaking for the Palermo Villa pizza factory in the Menomonee Valley last week, Laura Bray of Menomonee Valley Partners told the audience that a long-closed tunnel would reopen in the valley. This abandoned public works project was news to me. Corey Zetts, the project director for Menomonee Valley Partners wrote to tell me where to find the tunnel, and about its original purpose. His letter follows:


Hi Michael,

The tunnel ran from S. 37th under the railroad tracks and then connected
to a bridge the crossed the Menomonee River -- this was the route
workers on the south side took to get to their jobs at the Milwaukee
Road shops. When the Shops closed, the tunnel was boarded up on both
sides, as there was nothing to walk to.

This year MVP received $2.08 million in funding from the federal
transportation bill (TEA-21), thanks in large part to the efforts of
Representative Gwen Moore and Senators Feingold and Kohl, to be used to
create pedestrian and bicycle connections from the surrounding
neighborhoods to the future park. After detailed study, we decided on
three or four best options for these connections, one of which is
reopening the historic tunnel. We've had some meetings with
neighborhood groups about this to get their thoughts on how to make the
tunnel as safe and inviting as possible.

If you go along Pierce St., look to the south at 37th Street. The north
entrance to the tunnel is beside the large brick building, but down
below street grade (it's easy to pass by unless you're actively looking
for it). You can also see the south entrance now from the new section
of Canal Street (near where Palermo's groundbreaking ceremony was) as
the trees are being torn down and the riverbank graded. A section of
the Hank Aaron State Trail would pick up at the tunnel and run the
length of Airline Yards, the strip of land between the railroad tracks
and the river, with pedestrian bridges connecting to the park near 35th
Street and also connecting to the Domes near 27th St.

Hope that helps! If you have more questions, let me know.

Corey

CITY MOVES TO DISMISS RICO SUIT

A Milwaukeeworld Scoop

October 4, 2005 -- The City of Milwaukee filed a motion in United States District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin to dismiss the city of Milwaukee defendants in the RICO case filed by Joseph Kaye alleging preferential treatment by the city in a real estate transaction.
The case involves a city owned property on E. Kane Place that was sold by the city to adjacent property owner Julilly Kohler, who is now developing the site for her residence and other dwelling units. It made a number of accusations against Kohler and city officials.
It was brought by Joseph Kaye, an attorney who once owned a property in the East Village area and made an offer to purchase the lot sold to Kohler.
According to the City's Memorandum in Support oif the Motion to Dismiss,
"Plaintiff's RICO complaint is remarkable in its audacity. ... plaintiff has concocted a far-reaching criminal enterprise to manipulate the ownership, sale and use of City-owned real property (but, strangely, only that in the Third Aldermanic District) devised and controlled by a host of City agencies, City officials, including Alderman Michael D'Amato and Mayor Barrett, the East Village Association, Inc. and certain of its officers.
"One would think that such serious allegations of widespread political corruption and criminal association reaching deep into City Hall would be carefully pleaded and amply supported by factual allegations -- that there would be some good faith attempt to substantiate those charges.
"The plaintiff, however, prefers to traffic in naked accusations, salacious innuendo, and self-serving rationalization. He eschews facts. He eschews detail. He eschews the requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b). ... The result is a rambling, disjointed and unsupported complaint that fails to state a claim. Indeed, plaintiff has not properly alleged a single element of his RICO and WOCCA claims, which are fatally deficient in every material respect."

Whew! That is just from the introduction!

The document quotes a judge in another case as referring to a civil RICO suit as "the litigation equivalent of a thermonuclear device," and goes on to say "Because plaintiff's complaint is so deficient as to be frivolous, the Court should dismiss this action with prejudice and without leave to amend."

It quotes the original complaint of Joseph Kaye in which he says, "I am alleging that the defendants are individuals and entities that are members of the enterprise. They are not separate from the enterprise, nor are they the enterprise itself."
According to the memorandum in support of the motion to dismiss, "This 'allegation' is, both linguistically and logically, incoherent."

The document was filed by Thomas L. Shriner, Jr. and Andrew J. Wronski of the Foley & Lardner law firm, attorneys for the City of Milwaukee defendants, Michael D'Amato and Lincoln Fowler, and joined by Terry E. Johnson, of Peterson, Johnson and Murray SC, attorneys for Julilly Kohler.

The City of Milwaukee defendants named in the case are The City of Milwaukee, Mayor Barrett, the Department of City Development, Rocky Marcoux, the City of Milwaukee Plan Commission, the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee, Bunkie Miller, John Hyslop and Patricia Algiers.
Also named are Alderman Michael D'Amato, Lincoln Fowler and Julilly Kohler along with certain board members of the East Village Association.
--Michael Horne

REPORT FROM THE AMBASSADOR

The report from the Ambassador Hotel, 2308 W. Wisconsin Avenue, is that the place has been extensively refurbished and looks great. A reception was held to introduce the hotel's improvements at a fundraiser for Ald. Bob Bauman in the newly-named Envoy Room on Thursday, October 27th, 2005.
Among the attendees were Bill Ward, Boris Gokhman, Common Council President Willie Hines, Ald. Jim Witkowiak (still nursing that messed-up left ankle), Ald. Terry Witkowski, Vince Bobot, H. Carl Mueller, Joel Lee and others too numerous to mention, including Kevin Soucie and Beth Nicols.
Bobot has cast his hat in the ring to run for sheriff as a Democrat. This would pit him in a primary election against incumbent Sheriff David Clarke. But there are forces in the Democratic party that would be happy to be rid of Clarke for several reasons, and there are forces in the Republican party who would like to see Clarke become a candidate for their party for their own reasons. There are still others, many of them employees of the sheriff's department, who would like to see Clarke resign, retire, or simply disappear.
Bobot, who had toyed with running for district attorney, said he would run a positive campaign. Even so, any serious candidate must do research on his opponent's weaknesses, which in this instance would be both easy and time consuming.

Ald. Bauman told the crowd at the event that hotel owner Rick Wiegand moved three houses that were on the site to N. 26th St. and W. Kilbourn Ave. to be rehabilitated, whereas he simply (and more affordably) could have razed them. The refurbished hotel awaits completion of its Cafe Deco, which will offer outside dining in season. The hotel is open for luncheon and dinner now, and will also offer breakfast soon.
H. Carl Mueller said he will make some changes to the cool building he bought for his offices on N. Prospect Ave. and E. Royall Pl., just across from the Charles Allis Art Museum. The old, modified mansion had served as a hospital and an advertising agency, and will be home to Mueller's public relations firm which is now in the Fifth Ward area. He says the mantles to the building's fireplaces have disappeared over the years and is looking for period replacements. So, if you have five vintage mantles, H. Carl is the man to call.

Onmilwaukee.com on the Move
The website onmilwaukee.com will be occupying quarters on the second floor of the Continental Savings Bank branch at 1930 E. North Avenue.

J.D. Watts Announces Candidacy
J.D. Watts, J.D. has announced his candidacy for a seat on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court at an event at the Wisconsin Club on October 20th 2005. J.D. is a Juris Doctor, so he truly is J.D. Watts, J.D.
So, what does the first J.D. in his name stand for? "It's Jonathan Dwight," he said. "But I was always raised as and called by the name J.D. in honor of my dad's best friend in the Marine Corps, named J. D. Sharpe."
According to Watts, his father, George Watts, served in the Marine Corps where he befriended southerner Sharpe. They both entered as privates and became 2nd Lieutenants during World War II.
After the war Watts returned to Milwaukee where he operated the family's fine china and gift store, and J.D. Sharpe became a lawyer in Washington, D. C. By the time the Korean conflict rolled around, George Watts was married (to Martha) and had a family. Sharpe, a reservist, was called up to duty and was killed in a deadly attempt to save Army soldiers in the Chozin Reservoir in 1951.
"Dad vowed to name his first son after J.D. and I was born in January 1952," Watts said.
What did the initials "J.D." stand for in Sharpe's name?
"Jefferson Davis," Watts said. "A common practice among those from the south."

OLD LIGHTHOUSE GETS NEW PAINT
It is covered in canvas now, but the old North Point Lighthouse, located in Lake Park, should have a new coat of paint by November 22nd, its 150th birthday. A private group working to repair the attraction has raised $1.45 million, and hopes to raise the remaining $225,000 for the project by November 22nd, when an event is planned.

TRANSIT SYSTEM REJECTS STANDARD TIME
The Transit Television Network devices installed in Milwaukee County Transit System buses have not been changed to reflect Central Standard Time, as recently as Thursday morning.
On Wednesday evening November 2nd, 2005 at 8:25 p.m., the annoying little video screens (which were mercifully muted at the time) read "Today is Tuesday, January 08 2002. The time is 5:25 p.m."

ASKING PRICE FOR BRADY STREET DUPLEX + LOT: $500,000

Shawn Hutchens, operator of Green Fields on N. Farwell Avenue has listed the vacantsouthwest corner of E. Brady St. and N. Arlington Pl. for sale with a price of $500,000. The adjacent duplex, which could have a commercial use, is included in the package. Nancy Beutner Meeks was able to turn over a N. Jackson St. lot for her clients in just a couple of months. The $90,000 investment netted a $60,000 profit for the clients. The site is on a bluff overlooking the city and was one of my favorite hangouts when in the mood for urban solitude.

BIERSTADT PAINTING FOR SALE
A landscape painting by Alfred Bierstadt (aren't they all), long on loan to the Wisconsin Historical Society is being sold by the family that owns it and has been moved to Milwaukee in order to do so. The painting is insured for $3 million. The record for a Bierstadt is $7.7 million, set at Sotheby's in 2003.

FROM BREW CITY TO CAPITAL CITY

“Of the Capital and Brew, Appropriately Enough…”

By Paul Snyder

First off, yes, I was out on State Street Saturday night, but no, that was not me getting doused with pepper spray on the evening news. My friend and I avoided that whole melee by ducking into the Karaoke Kid for a couple rounds of beers and a bleary-eyed shot at becoming the next American Idols, if only in our own minds.

I will say this, though. He, dressed as Abraham Lincoln, and I, dressed as Batman’s arguably coolest nemesis the Joker, did have a fine go at Tears For Fears’ 1984 classic “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” And if you think about it, there’s really no song quite as apropos for the Great Emancipator and the Clown Prince of Darkness to duet on.

Anyway, that was last month.

And what does a new month bring this fair state of ours? Financial dilemma. No surprise, really… but now you know it’s getting serious, because out here on Capitol Hill, the Assembly has passed AB 787, which could restrict the growth of the state’s smaller breweries, and raise the price of beer.

I think Macaulay Culkin said it best in both Home Alone and Home Alone 2:
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!

Imagine! Wisconsin attempting to put the shackles on beer! Somewhere, cheese is hiding in a corner in its best attempts to remain unnoticed.

Essentially, the bill would require Wisconsin small breweries to build or lease a distribution warehouse separate from their brewery if their production exceeds a certain amount (essentially, if you like a beer, don’t let other people know, because the last thing we’d want is for it to become popular). It also grants exclusive distribution territories for beer wholesalers.

Apparently California recently pushed similar legislation through, and the Federal Trade Commission said it could result in higher prices and lower amounts of variety. Well, that’s all well and good for Schwarzenegger’s land – but when’s the last time you had a good California beer? That might be ignorant on my part, yeah – but my preference of Capital Amber, New Glarus Spotted Cow, and pretty much anything concocted by the Lake Front Brewery over Miller High Life is significant no less, if only to myself.

But only 16 members of the Assembly thought it wasn’t a good idea. 78 thought it was. 78? And they call themselves Wisconsin State Representatives…

Continuing on from my soapbox beer crate, aren’t the microbrews what give a state, especially this one, its character? They came here to make beer… Freddy Miller thought it was a good enough arena to do it, and look how far he got. Can the microbrews ever compete? Maybe not, but at least there’s an option right? Testament enough to this are the crowds gathered at Water Street and Lake Front tents during Summerfest. Oh, and the fact that the state’s holds the country’s Microbrew Festival every September.

But apparently, legislators are content enough with Milwaukee’s Best as an option. ::Tremble::

It’s almost enough to make you valiantly brandish a stein of New Glarus on the Senate Floor, rallying the state behind you with a cry of “You can take our pride, but you’ll never take our freedom!”

But God forbid they think it’s a popular beer…

[Paul Snyder is the Madison correspondent for The Daily Reporter newspaper.]

MARSUPIAL BRIDGE OPENING SET FOR 10th -- But Bridge Lacks Vital Access Component

The Holton Marsupial Bridge will have its ribbon-cutting on Thursday, November 10th, it has just recently been determined.
The event will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the east end of the bridge linking the Brady Street area with the newly-developing Beer Line "B" neighborhood. The event will be outdoors, and brief, due to the unpredictability of Milwaukee's November weather. A more complete ceremony is planned for the Spring.

Following the ribbon cutting, guests will walk a few blocks to the east to Regano's Roman Coin, 1004 E. Brady St. on the northeast corner of N. Astor and E. Brady streets where Teri Regano has arranged food from the Emperor of China, beer from Lakefront Brewery, and yet more food from Glorioso's and from Au Bon Appetit.

I'll be there with my travelling show about Edward Dwight Holton, my hero.

Marsupial Bridge Ends in Disappointment

On a recent walk across the bridge, it was apparent that certain funding cuts were made to the multimillion dollar project that severly hamper the utility of the bridge. It was originally planned that the west end of the bridge offer direct access to N. Commerce Street via means of a staircase.
This staircase was not built, so once you arrive at the west (north, actually,) end of the marsupial bridge, you have to walk east along a bike path that is in the form of a switchback on the hill there. Then, to get anywhere like Lakefront Brewery, a likely destination, or most of the housing in the neighborhood, you'd have to walk all the way back to your point of origin. In all, a distance about three times the length of the bridge itself.

After a Lakefront Brewery tour last Friday, a group of visitors thought it would be neat to walk over to Brady Street via the Marsupial Bridge. They clambored, rather unsuccessfully, up the steep hill beneath the bridge where the stairs should be. That surface has been recently filled with rough gravel, rendering the hike up the bluff almost impossible, and certainly not to be recommended for the infirm or intoxicated, or those in high heels.
Certainly the funds can be found to put a staircase at the terminus of the bridge. It is practically useless as built, and is a great disappointment for a project that was designed to "connect and reconnect" Milwaukee's neighborhoods.
It would not have to be an expensive staircase -- I'm certain such units exist in a prefabricated state that would meet the standards of the City Engineers. You see them in factories all of the time.
Until that is done, there will be very little incentive for residents of the new Beer Line "B" neighborhood to cross the bridge, since it will take such a big hike just to get to it. Unreal!

But, as it is built, I regret to say that the Holton Marsupial Bridge, for which I had such great hopes, will not be a useful amenity for the residents of the Beer Line "B" neighborhood until this oversight is overcome.
For now, it would be just as easy to climb the 79-foot staircase already attached to the Holton Viaduct and cross the top of the bridge, just as you have been able to do for the past eighty years, provided you were in good enough shape.
--Michael Horne