LAWYER GODFREY CHARGED IN DISCRIMINATION CASE

[Update -- December 21st, 2007: Atty. Godfrey died yesterday at his east side home after a short illness. He was 81.--Ed.]

Dear Reader:
Welcome back to Milwaukeeworld, where things are cooling off quite rapidly, and where the dusting of snow is sticking to roof and roadway.
This week we note that a prominent Milwaukee attorney has been named in a Fair Housing Act violation -- for the second time. It's probably the price one pays as the co-trustee of a wealthy family's trust, but you'd think he could have given his partner some better advice. This case could be a dud for Godfrey.
We take a visit to a fundraiser for a Milwaukee alderman who will not have to list "beer expenditure" on his campaign finance statement, and then it is off to Miller Park to scope out the Brewers new uniforms and to sample Milwaukee Brewer hospitality post-Selig style.
Finally, we introduce you to Tamra Reynolds, a Louisiana transplant to Milwaukee who is absolutely passionate about the Milwaukee Brewers. She knows the stats, the scoops and the players, and will be writing to you regularly in this space as the Brewers Chick.

We also have another musing from our Madison correspondent, Paul Snyder, whose interview with Studs Terkel is in this month's Vital magazine.
So, go ahead and read this posting, and please get in touch with milwaukeeworld. There is a button somewhere over on this site where you can subscribe, so do that, too.
Thanks for visiting,
Michael Horne
Editor / Publisher
horne@milwaukeeworld.com
1 414 978-8039

PROMINENT LAWYER NAMED IN FAIR HOUSING ACT VIOLATION

By Michael Horne

[Update: September 14th, 2007 -- The case was settled this week, according to a United Staates Department of Justice press release. The Perlick Trust must pay $39,000 to the plaintffs and their attorney, with an additional $11,000 penalty to be paid to the justice department. --Ed.]

Dudley Godfrey Jr., a partner in and co-founder of the large Milwaukee law firm of Godfrey & Kahn has been charged by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with a violation of the Fair Housing Act, his second since 1992.

Godfrey was named as a respondent along with Robert Perlick as co-trustees of the Walter Perlick Family Trust which owns a 15-unit apartment building at 4215 W. Martin Drive in Milwaukee.

The pair were charged with discriminating against families with children, according to the HUD charges filed in August, 2005.

Perlick and Godfrey also faced the same charge in 1992, and signed a consent order requiring them and the managers of the complex “to issue a statement notifying all employees and agents that they could not limit the occupancy of their rental properties to occupancy by single adults.”

In the current case, Milwaukee resident Sharon Spears responded to an advertisement in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in October, 2003 for the apartment listed as being in a “quiet neighborhood. 1 and 2 BR, Heat, appl. And A/C.”

When Spears said she had one child she was told, “no kids.”

She then called her mother, Katherine Spears, who then called the rental company and was told, “I’m sorry, we don’t rent to children … I’m only doing what I was told.” The rental agents are Tony Russell and his wife Patricia Russell. According to the complaint, they operated under the direct instructions of Robert Perlick.

Spears then contacted the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, which conducted multiple tests confirming that the Godfrey-Perlick group was not renting to families with children at the property.

“Obviously Mr. Perlick’s memory, and that of his staff, is shorter than ours,” said Floyd May, the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. According to his statements in a HUD press release dated August 4, 2005, “There is no double jeopardy where the Fair Housing Act is concerned. If you continue discriminating, we will continue to enforce the law. No landlord can dictate where someone lives simply on the basis of familial status.”

The complaint has been referred to the Department of Justice.

Godfrey has been involved with such community groups as the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Medical College of Wisconsin, The Cudahy Fund and the ultra-secretive Chipstone Foundation, which paid him $3,000 to attend 10 committee meetings last year.

Godfrey did not respond to multiple emails and a telephone call to his office for a response.

The case has been referred to the United States Department of Justice.

Super Bohl
Alderman Raises Cash at Bash

Ald. Jim Bohl held a fundraiser November 30^th at Gus’ Mexican Cantina, 733 N. Van Buren Street, bringing a number of local politicos out on a not-very pleasant evening. District Attorney E. Michael McCann popped in for a few brief moments, but his departure has never negatively impacted the fun element of any gathering, so the party went on.

Among those in attendance were Bill Ward who says he will begin lobbying for the Milwaukee Police Association in January, after the mandatory 12-month break between his employment with the city and assumption of his new duties, which will be pretty much the same as his old duties. Retired MPA chief Brad DeBraska was at the event with his successor, John Balcerzak. Greg Gracz was there on behalf of the Milwaukee Fire Department union members.

Other faces in the crowd included H. Carl Mueller, Atty. Mike Guerin, Atty. Frank Gimbel and Atty. Vince Bobot, who is going to run for Milwaukee County Sheriff.

Leslie West of the Rave was there along with her husband Joe Balistreri, occupying a table with Shank Hall owner Peter Jest.

J.D. Watts was there, advancing his run for judge. Aldermen Robert Puente and Tony Zielinski joined their colleague Bohl. Former Acting Governor Marty Schreiber also showed up at the event, as he does for all events.

Owner Gus Hoseini tended the cash bar (no free beer from Bohl) and provided a steamtable full of Mexican food gratis for the enjoyment of the guests. -- Michael Horne

Winter Warmup at Miller Park

The Milwaukee Brewers held a "Winter Warmup" at Miller Park on Thursday, December 1st, and about 300 invited guests were treated to a fashion show of current and former players promenading the new retro uniforms the Brewers will use during the 13 Sunday afternoon games scheduled for home field in the 2006 season. [See the accompanying column by the Brewers Chick, Tamra Reynolds, for more information -- Ed.]
Jerry Boyle was there. He probably spends more time in Miller Park than in the Courthouse these days, so it was nice to see him again.
I asked Robin Yount if he was going to take an apartment in Milwaukee, now that he's back with the Brewers organization.
The answer is no -- Robin has got enough money that he can afford to let the Brewers rent him a hotel room while he is in town. He spends the off-season in Arizona, which he owns.
"I'll stay in a hotel. My family is all over these days so I will meet with them on the road," the Hall of Famer replied.
Bob Uecker took to the podium at the .300 Club to address the crowd. "Are the drinks free?" he asked. You bet they were, so Uecker said "go mingle around and get messed up. If you do, you'll understand what's going on. It's probably better for you."
Uecker, from the podium, pointed out to Glenn Bowman, the Engineer in Charge of WTMJ radio, and said he was "one of the best producers in the business. He's been doing it a long time." Bowman reacted by continuing to go about his business, which is probably what made him one of the best.

Among the minglers was Gorman Thomas who said, "my sciatica is killing me," as he climbed the stairs of the multi-tiered room filled with television and radio production equipment from FSN and WTMJ-AM, which broadcast the event live. These technical folks are very professional, of course, but employ some oddities. The cable-handler for a television photographer kept attached to him by means of hooking his fingers into the photographer's belt loop as they marched through the room, coiling cable behind them. Don't try that in the locker room!
Thomas and other stars of the '80s Brewers will be featured in the Sunday home games participating in events such as autograph sessions and broadcasts at Miller Park.
The guests dined on pased trays including smoked salmon, ham salad, stuffed mushrooms before the uniforms were unveiled by current and former players, escorted by current female models, of the class from which baseball players' wives seem to descend.
After the runway show, further treats awaited the crowd in the form of a buffet table complete with a carving station. Guests departed with a gift bag including a newly-issued hat with the fabled ball-and-glove logo.
Media relations for the Brewers at the event were expertly handled by John Steinmiller, a recent hire of the organization and 2004 graduate of Marquette University. This very serious and competent young man may bring some luck to the team, since he performed a similar media role as an intern for the Milwaukee Bucks the last time that team was in the playoffs.
-- Michael Horne

BREWERS CHICK

By Tamra Reynolds

Milwaukee, December 2nd --It seems everything old will be new again next season at Miller Park. First the Brewers brought back Hall of Famer Robin Yount, then Dale Sveum, and now the popular ball and glove logo of old. The Brewers unveiled their new Sunday Home uniforms last night to a packed house at Miller Park’s .300 Club. Current and former players mingled among the invited guests and media, and the event was broadcast live on FSN-TV and WTMJ radio. Bill Schroeder, Daron Sutton and Bob Uecker were on hand to provide color commentary.

Blue pinstripes adorn the white jerseys and pants, "BREWERS" is stitched across the chest and the caps feature the popular "ball and glove" logo. This “new” design came as no surprise to many. Fans are often seen throughout the ballpark and the city wearing the much-loved logo, and when asked to choose a T-shirt bearing either the ball and glove logo or the current logo, fans entering Miller Park overwhelmingly chose the retro logo.

Current and former Brewers, including Matt Wise, Derrick Turnbow, Lyle Overbay, Bill Hall, Jim Gantner, Gorman Thomas, Robin Yount, Damian Miller, and Dale Sveum were on hand to model the uniforms, which are the center of a new plan for “Retro Sunday” next season at Miller Park. The retro logo was worn for the whole of the 80’s, so the thirteen Sunday games at Miller Park next season will not only feature the retro uniform, but music and entertainment of the era as well.

Turnbow was seen after the fashion show wearing the shirt he had modeled, a classic design in blue and yellow, with “Brewers” stitched across the chest. When asked if this was part of the new uniforms he replied, “I don’t know, but I like it. I hope I get to keep it.”

My mission at this event was to try to get some inside information on who may be returning, who might be leaving, and most importantly, what’s going to happen at first base. I was lucky enough to meet General Manager Doug Melvin, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask the decision maker himself what was going to happen with Lyle Overbay. He simply smiled and said, “I can’t tip my hand on that.”

Ned Yost offered up little in the way of information on the subject. He said quite honestly “we just don’t know right now. But we’re not going to trade (Overbay) just to trade him.” Dale Sveum was more positive on the subject saying, “there’s always one guy (that people wonder about). He’s our 1^st baseman until we hear otherwise.”

Finally, I went to the man himself, and asked Lyle if he had any clues as to his status for next season. “It’s up in the air right now, but I should know something after the winter meetings next week,” he told me. We’ll be waiting patiently, Lyle. This Brewer fan personally hopes to hear the chant of “O” for many seasons to come.

Other players I spoke with seemed to be more certain of their status for next season. Bill Hall, who was very relaxed as he leaned casually against the bar in the retro uniform he modeled, told me he was pretty sure he would be the everyday 3^rd baseman next season. “Oh yeah, I’ll be back.” I certainly hope so Bill. You’ve more than earned that spot!

Other than Overbay, I was most curious about our powerhouse closer, Derrick Turnbow. He came out of nowhere last season and blew us all away with his 99 mph fastball, and tied the club record for saves in a season, 39, and racked up 7 wins as well. Believe it or not, Turnbow had never had a major league save before joining the Brewers last year. What a testament to Mike Maddux and his pitching staff.

So when I asked Derrick if he’d be returning next season, he replied with a touch of modesty, “I hope so. If they’ll have me.” I’d say there’s little doubt on that subject, Derrick. Coincidently, I asked Derrick how he felt about being named Co-Newcomer of the Year, along with Carlos Lee, by the Milwaukee Division of the Baseball Writers Association of America. “I won something? I didn’t know.” He did know about his nomination for Closer of the Year in the 2005 This Year in Baseball Awards, however, and said he would find out the results in a couple of weeks. You’ve got my vote, Derrick!

Keep checking back for more updates on the team, and look for our spring training report coming in March. 122 days till Opening Day!

From Brew City to Capital City
“Bearded Interest”

By Paul Snyder

It’s been a while since I’ve sent a word out east to you good Milwaukeeans, and nothing reminded me more of the fact than attending a press conference with Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz earlier this week. Last time I came calling at MilwaukeeWorld’s door, capital city’s mayor was a clean-shaven idealist still raking in top honors as the city’s “coolest politician” and one of the top “reasons to live in Madison.”

But the tendencies of a group who now just like to hear themselves talk (by name, Citizens for Responsible Government) and a month off of the razor has got Mayor Dave looking vaguely like Beach Boys frontman Mike Love, circa 1966. And I’m guessing it’s not a seasonal tribute to Little Saint Nick, either.

While certainly not the first politician to sprout some chin hairs during their career (Lincoln got the presidency shortly after growing his whiskers, you know), I found it to be a perplexing addition to Cieslewicz’s face. It may not be worth overanalyzing - it’s probably down to a wifely “I’d like too see what you look like with a beard” - but I decided to do some research on the topic.

I found a website, All About Beards, which said the following:

Little social psychological research has been conducted on this topic, and what there is seems rather basic. In 1969 Freedman reported that female students rated a bearded male face as more masculine, mature, independent, and sophisticated than a nonbearded face. Similarly, both Roll and Verinis (1971) and Kenny and Fletcher (1973) found students to rate a bearded face as more masculine, strong, and sincere, but also more dirty (versus clean). Pancer and Meindl (1978) found beardedness to lead to more positive ratings. However, Feinman and Gill (1977) found their female students to like least a man with a beard. They put this finding down to the possibility that their Wyoming students were more conservative than the Chicago, Midwestern, Memphis, and Canadian students of the above four studies.

Bereft of time to do any further analysis on the subject (coupling with an admitted lack of willingness, since I still seem years away from growing a good one of my own), I decided to read into this statement alone.

More masculine, mature, independent and sophisticated? Hmm. Makes sense actually. The Beatles were all bearded around the time they were breaking up, so the independence thing is personified there. My friend Brian was fully bearded by the senior year of high school, and he liked to pontificate on how much more mature he was than me, so there’s that. As far as masculinity and sophistication, well… I’ll leave you to come up with your own opinions there. I’d throw out some names, but I’m not even sure of my own opinion on Wolf Blitzer yet.

At any rate, the four qualities are certainly ones that don’t look bad on a mayor, and those beyond that, strong and sincere, female interest vs. disinterest, etc. - that’s just details. The dirty bit does throw me. Especially as Cieslewicz is so intent on keeping Madison a clean city. A lot of friends who visited me while I lived in Milwaukee have now had the chance to come see Madison as well and they’ve all remarked how clean this city is.

So with no sociological ground of my own to stand on, barring a semester’s worth of work freshman year of college, I’m going to equate “dirty” to “lazy due to do disinterest due to some degree of alienation.”

Mayor Dave’s had a tough run of things lately. He risked upsetting the city’s arts district and big spenders by saying he’d rather have the city buy the new Overture Center than let the arts district use city money to help keep the thing afloat. Then there was the whole Halloween thing - the idle threats of shutting down State Street and so forth, which are idle only because the people that show up en masse would require the National Guard to keep them under lock and key, and God knows there’s probably no room in the budget to bring in the National Guard.

Ah, the budget - yeah, that just came out too - everyone’s favorite “let’s look at how they screwed us this year” forum, although I must say, if shaving library hours on Sunday is one of the tougher decisions you have to make, I’d say things are in pretty good shape.

And as mentioned before, that pesky CRG Network took out their bullhorns and invited the press along to take comments. Their ridiculous “Dump Mayor Dave” campaign - chief complaint being the smoking ban, which mind you, he did not introduce - probably will equate to a raindrop falling into the ocean, but the volume at which they trumpeted their initial attack seemed to be enough to lightly rattle some cages at City Hall.

After all, what political office is safe now that we all know you can dump someone you don’t like and put in an action movie star in their place? Although to ask a more important question, isn’t it just kicking out the foundation? Sometimes the majority of people will vote for someone that you don’t, you know. I didn’t tick a certain president’s box last November, but whaddaya gonna do?

My dad taught me early on - “Nobody likes a crybaby.”

But with all this hitting the fan in such a short period of time, it must be a tad disorienting for the mayor. He had been “the face” of Madison - coolest politician, great reason to live in the city - now, that face is showing some weather. Such is the life of a mayor, I suppose. By the end of the press conference I decided the beard suited him just fine, and he’d carry it off well. Heck, if he lets the chin hair go a little more, he’ll strike an uncanny resemblance to Rutherford B. Hayes.

But then he closed the conference saying, “Oh yeah, and all the cool guys are wearing facial hair this season.”

Mayor Dave, what’s the cardinal rule of coolness? Make no allusion to coolness, whatsoever. All I could think about was high school and Brian telling me how much more mature he was than me.

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.