CAMPAIGN SEASON BEGINS and Other Stories

GRAL SENTENCING DELAYEDThe sentencing hearing scheduled for June 2nd in United States District Court for Michael A. Gral has been cancelled, according to the clerk there. No date has been rescheduled at this time. Gral was a Milwaukee attorney involved in the scandal that has sent Robert Brownell of Bielinski Brothers contractors to jail. Gral pleaded guilty in the courtroom of Judge Charles Clevert in case 05-CR-013. No reason was given for the cancellation of the sentencing hearing. – Michael Horne

HISSOM SURFACES – KINDA

Doug Hissom, formerly of the Shepherd Express, has established a website entitled The Hissom ReportHowever, thus far the site has nothing to report, other than that it exists. – Michael Horne

OUT OF THE WOODWORK AND IN YOUR FACE
Nomination Papers Begin Circulating Today

June 1^st is the first day for candidates to circulate nomination papers for the September primary election. In Milwaukee County, County Clerk Mark Ryan, Clerk of Courts John Barrett, Register of Deeds John LaFave and Treasurer Dan Diliberti have taken out papers. All are incumbents in their position, and all are, thus far, unopposed. (If you’d like to run, you have until July 11^th to turn in your nomination papers.) Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr. has taken out papers (let’s see if he submits them on time, for a change) as has Vince Bobot who plans to face the sheriff in the democratic primary, thus far the only race on the county ballot. Don Holt, of Greenfield, plans to run as a Republican. Holt says that of Milwaukee’s last five sheriffs, all democrats, only Richard Artison was a man of character and integrity. The rest of them, present company included, were all political hacks, he concludes. Among state races, all assembly seats and odd-numbered senate districts are up for election this fall. We’ll cover that action later. Another state office – that of Milwaukee County District Attorney – has found only one candidate taking out papers thus far. That is assistant D.A. John Chisholm, running as a democrat, who must come up with between 500 and 1,000 signatures to get on the ballot – alone. It seems inconceivable that there would be no competitive race to succeed retiring D.A. E. Michael McCann, who has been in office since 1967. We’ll find out by July 11^th if this will be a cakewalk for Chisholm, or if he will have to spend some of the $29,000 he has raised as of January on a real campaign. (Of Chisholm’s war treasury, $19,000 came from himself.) In the City of Milwaukee, Election Commissioner Susan Edmon has an easier time, since there are no city seats up for grabs this cycle. She has her hands full complying with the new State Voter Registration System which is coming into effect. She will be sending an extract of all voter registration to the state later this month. On June 27^th, the city will “go live,” as she puts it, and registration will be on the new state system which has taken some time to get up to speed. [Equation: Computer Programs + State Government = Trouble.] She says by September 12^th, the date of the primary, the city will be fully compliant with requirements that all voting places have machines accessible for the handicapped. – Michael Horne

WHAT NOW?

“The City of Milwaukee is not accepting applications for: ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY” -- from a City of Milwaukee Department of Employee Relations e-mail notification which probably was intended to inform readers that the city is now accepting applications for the job opening(s) paying $50,872 to $120,414 per annum. “Recruitment may continue until the needs of the city are met,” the message ends. – Michael Horne