THEY'RE OFF! COUNCIL JUNKETS FUNDED

Have Taxpayer Money, Will Travel

By Michael Horne

When the City of Milwaukee Common Council meets on February 7th, one of the items on the agenda is File Number 051005, a "substitute resolution authorizing attendance at conventions, seminars and other travel in the amount of $13,050.
We learn from the file that "four aldermen" [unnamed -- Ed.] will attend the "National League of Cities - 2006 Annual City Conference" from March 10-15, 2006 in Washington, D.C. at a cost to the taxpayers of $7,920. The events in the Nation's Capital will include "Lobby Day," during which buses will be available to take delegates from the Hilton Washington and Towers (standard room: $209 night, $229 double. Do aldermen bunk together?) to the Capitol where they are to descend on our legislators in Congress.
I'm certain the K Street lobbyists will be ignoring their regular clients like Exxon, Haliburton and the World Bank once they hear that four gentlemen from Milwaukee's Common Council will be in their town.
Alderman Michael McGee, Jr. is getting $1,80-0 to travel in April to Fort Worth, Texas where he will participate in the "National Forum for Black Administrators, Forum 2006 - Building Coalitions & Connecting Cultures." This trip will give Mr. McGee a chance to hang out with some real "plutocrats," the term he famously used to describe his colleagues on the common council during the Zoning and Neighborhood Development Committee hearing Tuesday, January 31. (The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel even chose McGee's "plutocrat" reference as its Word of the Day on the front page of Wednesday's newspaper!)
McGee is well acquainted with "building coalitions and connecting cultures," but the Black Administrators' website gives no clue as to whether programs at the forum might include topics like "Building Coalitions with Co-workers." If such a class exists, I move the council appropriate such funds as shall be sufficient to guarantee McGee's attendance thereat. Hearing no objections, so ordered.
Finally, the Common Council will send three of its members [unnamed -- Ed.] to Las Vegas, Nevada for "2006 ICSC Spring Convention -- Breaking New Ground" from May 20 - 24. The ICSC is the "International Council of Shopping Centers."
That foray will cost the public $5,310 but will return far, far more to our city's coffers, as past experience shows.
As you may remember, this is the convention that was a must-attend for city leaders last year when so many "leases" were "signed" for the PabstCity project, giving us the shops that now surround the House of Blues and Gameworks downtown. As you know, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

BOYS' SWIMMING TEAM PHOTO THREATENS SOME
Last Friday, January 27th, 2006 the front page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Metro section featured two color photographs of the swimming team of Homestead High School, Mequon, my alma mater. The boys were in their suits in the locker room dying each other's hair -- and much of the locker room floor -- bright red. I thought it was a great picture, but by evening Friday people were saying things to me like, "I wonder what would have happened if an Ozaukee County teacher had that photo on his laptop?"
I was rather mystified by the comments until I wrote to Journal Sentinel photographer Richard Wood, who took the picture, and got his response.
Here's what he had to say: "Ever since ___________ implied ... that this was a situation that would appeal to perverts, the e-mails and calls have been coming in. ... but most people thought it was a great moment showing the rituals of youth, no different thatn say a group of high school guys painting letters on their chests for a high school football homecoming game., etc."
So what was Wood doing at Homestead, anyway? Heavens to TABOR, here's the answer:
"I was actually at the Mequon pool that afternoon to photograph the Germantown Boys Swim Team that practices in the pool at Mequon because they don't have a swimming pool in the Germantown Schools (they filled it in over a year ago due to budget concerns and haven't rebuilt). ... While I was there, I noticed all the Meuqon swimmers at the other end of the pool had bleached hair. That struck me as odd so I asked the Mequon coach why. He explained it was a tradition on the team to dye their hair for the conference meet, shave patterns in their hair for the sectionals and to shave their heads for the state finals (a bald head creates less friction a a swimmer gets better times.)
Wood goes on to say his own children, (one in high school, and the other in college) said "it's done all the time with many swimming programs and not a big deal." He then took proofs of the photos to the school to show the swimmers, and the athletic department, to get the names spelled correctly, etc.
So there you go! Sometimes a locker room photograph of boys in swimsuits is just a steamy, hot, locker room photograph of boys in swimsuits with Homestead printed on their rears. You don't have to get so excited about it.

--Michael Horne