ELECTION EVE EXCITEMENT

Dear Reader --
We are well into spring, although the thermometer refuses to grasp that simple reality. After a cloudy morning, a brilliant sun is beating down upon the closed roof of Miller Park where the Milwaukee Brewers are hosting the team's season opener. Still the thermometer registers only in the forties, while the sun remains high in the sky, even in late afternoon, thanks to the inclination of the earth's axis, the inexorable procession of the Zodiac and the recent imposition of Daylight Savings Time.
I can't be taken out to the ball game, lest I get rowdy, land in jail and wind up missing my chance to vote in tomorrow's eagerly-awaited election. You can be sure I'll have my fill of tea and scones by the time the evening is over.
Until that time, please content yourself with the few offerings we have here at milwaukeeworld, including an admonition to vote, a story about a $25,000 gift to Homestead High School in Mequon, a Balistrieri - Balistrieri lawsuit (those are always good), and a note about a relative of E. Michael McCann and what he (the relative) is up to.
Thanks for visiting, and do get in contact with me.
Michael Horne
Editor / Publisher
www.milwaukeeworld.com
1 414 978-8039




ELECTION EVE EXCITEMENT
It is Monday afternoon, April 3rd, 2006, and the office towers of Milwaukee are filled with empty seats. Where can all the workers be? My guess is staying at home to get well rested for tomorrow's vitally important spring election in which a total of one contested race is on the ballot in all communities of Milwaukee County, along with a scattering of oddball races here and there.
The sole countywide race is to succeed retiring judge Michael Malmstadt on Branch 39 down at the courthouse. The rivals for that seat are J.D. Watts and Jane Carroll.
Carroll recently put out a postcard that indicated, in quotes, that she was the "most qualified candidate" for the seat, which is not quite exactly true, since the bar association did not have a "most qualified candidate" ranking. She did receive a higher number of qualified votes in the Milwaukee Bar Association poll than her opponent, but the bar association asks its members to state only whether a candidate is "qualified," "not qualified," or "no opinion."
The latter was the choice for 231 lawyers when considering Carroll, very close to the 236 no opinions for Watts.
Carroll was voted "qualified" by 172 lawyers, vs. Watts' 129. Carroll had a "not qualified" vote from 27 lawyers, while Watts was rated "not qualified" by 63 lawyers. Carroll could just as well have claimed that she was "the least not qualified" candidate in the race. Watch those quotation marks!
The poll was sent to the 2,546 members of the Milwaukee Bar Association. Only 462 lawyers responded, which may give you an idea of how dismal the election turnout is likely to be Tuesday. If only one out of six lawyers bothers to respond to a poll from the bar association, it is not likely that turnout by the general public will be very great on election day.
Of course, you can do your part by voting tomorrow for the candidate of your choice.
I'll be providing election eve coverage beginning 8 p.m. from the sedate confines of Watts Tea Room.
P.S. The Milwaukee Bar Association poll was flawed -- it failed entirely to include a sitting candidate, Judge Mel Flanders of the 4th circuit, who, like all other Milwaukee County judges up for election, does not face an opponent.
--Michael Horne


FUNDRAISER FOR CHISHOLM
District Attorney Candidate John Chisholm has planned a fundraiser at Club Havana, 789 N. Jefferson St. for Wednesday, April 19th 2006 from 5 - 8 p.m. The host of the event is Milwaukee's most colorful union leader, John Budzinski, who will regale the crowd with tales of his days as an apprentice steamfitter. Yes, you will learn that even a guy with a skull as thick as Budzinski's needs to wear a hardhat from time to time.
The event will include Cuban style hors d'oeuvres from Riverwalk Bistro, cigars from C.A.O. and Isabela, and plenty of the "m" drinks, including Mojito, margarita and martini specials. A magic show is also scheduled by prestidigitator Alan Borg.
Now, who is Chisholm? Remember, he is the heir-apparent and designated successor to longtime retiring District Attorney E. (Edward) Michael McCann. How designated a successor is Chisholm?
Well, consider this: his campaign treasurer is Foley & Lardner attorney Thomas (Tom) McCann Mullooly, who has known Chisholm since before they both attended Marquette University High School together. Mullooly is McCann's nephew.
--Michael Horne

HOMESTEAD BAND GETS $25K UNIFORM PLEDGE
Michael Thurk, a 1971 graduate of Homestead High School, has donated $25,000 to help the school purchase new marching band uniforms to replace the ones worn for 40 years at the Mequon school. Thurk met his wife Martha, then an exchange student from Columbia, at Homestead and they tied the knot early on. The Thurks now live in Massachusetts, where Mike is the President of Global Communications Solutions for Avaya, Inc., which is pitching in $5,000 as a matching fund for employee donations to good causes.
Band uniforms cost $450 these days; the school is hoping to purchase 200 of them. In other HHS Class of '71 news, Peter Raymond announces that Brew City Barbeque in Mequon will be the site of the class' 35th reunion during the last weekend of June.
--Michael Horne

BALISTRIERI v. BALISTRIERI
A case filed in 2004 is scheduled to go to court on May 25th, 2006. It is a sibling dispute between Joseph Balistrieri, plaintiff, the owner of the Shorecrest Hotel, and his sister Catherine Balistrieri Busateri, defendant. The case is a "matter of principle," according to a source familiar with it, and involves residual issues from the property of the defendant and plaintiff's mother, and to whom does it belong, and if the property were properly conveyed. Balistrieri Busateri recently resigned, without explanation, her seat on the board of directors of the Italian Community Center. Also, on December 5, 2005, she notified the clerk of court that she had changed her name to "Rev. Catherine Balistrieri Busateri," which the court spelled as "Reverine."
--Michael Horne

AROUND THE TOWN
Milwaukeeworld is still waiting for the Common Council website to post the text of the proposed Milwaukee Connector resolution. Ald. Bob Bauman, who opposes the plan, has been going door-to-door in his district asking residents and business owners to attend the April 27th meeting of the Common Council Steering & Rules Committee at which the connector resolution will be heard. Bauman's most recent press releases, which have been emanating from his office in a flurry, say the proposed $300 million guided bus plan will require the demolition and reconstruction of "much of the $17.2 million worth of streetscaping work being done on Wisconsin Ave." ... The Smokers Club, a tobacco store on E. Wisconsin Ave. closed its doors mid-month, leading some to wonder what was up. Management, reached at another location, said the decision was made to move the operations to a larger facility on the south side. The mid-month move was incidental; the firm claims to still hold the lease for the property, although a sign in the window indicates it is available for rent. ... Fair Wisconsin, the group which is battling the anti-gay marriage amendment, is planning to open an office in Milwaukee near Brady Street. ... We'll have to wait a few more weeks to hear the plans that Joe Zilber has for the former Pabst Brewery ... Onmilwaukee.com did an April Fools story about the City of Cudahy granting a $70 million TIF to open a House of Blues there. ... There will be a big party in early June to celebrate the homecoming of the Denis Sullivan, as well as a sneak preview of Pier Wisconsin ... The "terrific vegan ratatouille at Barossa in Milwaukee" received a mention in the Washingtonian Magazine March issue in an article by former Cream City vegeterian Robert Lalasz, reviewing culinary options in the nation's capital. ... Phil Atinsky recalls when he was a young lawyer representing some Wisconsin novelty ("head") shops in the '70s. "We had to meet with the lawyers who represented the Illinois businesses down in Chicago. We met in the offices of one of the attorneys, who was from the very wealthy Pritzker family. The office was lush, and filled with art. Towards the end of the meeting the lawyer asked if we would like an aperitif. We had no idea what that was. We sure impressed them with how sophisticated we Milwaukeeans were." ... Don't forget to vote!
--Michael Horne