RILEY A NO-SHOW AT FORUM

Embattled candidate Donovan Riley was a no-show at yesterday's Brady Street Association monthly meeting where he had been scheduled for weeks to appear in a forum with Sen. Jeff Plale (D-7th), whom he is trying to unseat in the Demrocatic primary election September 12th.
"He wasn't there," said Plale. "There wasn't even a cardboard cutout of him."
Plale was there, he said, adding he was pleased with the level of support he sensed from attendees. He said restaurateur Mimma Megna assured him of her support, but added, "I could have come up with a cure for cancer and promised an end to taxation, and there are those who still wouldn't support me," he said.
Plale says he is spending his time Thursday knocking on doors in his lakefront district. He will drive to Madison for a fundraiser there this evening before returning to South Milwaukee to participate in the city's Night Out event. Meanwhile, he says, he's got his dad driving around the district delivering yard signs.
--Michael Horne

In Other News
Andy Busalacchi bought the Red Star Yeast building at 2702 W. Greves Street. The plant was an enormous consumer of water and producer of wastewater -- it ranked as one of the top customers of both the Milwaukee Water Works and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. The company began as Meadow Springs Distillery, and Busalacchi tells friends he's thinking of restoring the property to that use, among other options. ... Ald. Robert Bauman and city planning director Bob Greenstreet remarked about the number of construction cranes piercing our skyline lately. Although we are no Berlin after the fall of the wall, things are busy, and this writer can count 19 cranes visible from his south-facing window. Frank Giuffre has his name on a number of them, and he says there are over 100 construction cranes deployed in the metropolitan area.
Here's where it gets interesting: he says he would like to buy more cranes but can't, because all of the production is geared to the ongoing war. With defense contractors keeping metal fabricators busy, industry is relying on aging, and occasionally unsuitable cranes to complete projects in this country. As a result, Giuffre says, a roofing contractor might have to use a crane of lesser capacity than desirable, requiring more lifts, and therefore more time, to complete a project. This keeps the crane unavailable for other jobs, which are then delayed and become more costly, and the cycle continues. An interesting take. ... Don Holt, the republican candidate for Milwaukee County Sheriff, has filed a complaint with the State Elections Board against Sheriff David Clarke for the later's indiscretion in wearing his uniform and gun while serving alcoholic beverages July 29th at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Tailgate party. (Vince Bobot, who is running for sheriff in the Democratic primary against Clarke also witnessed the event.) It would not be likely that Kevin Kennedy, the executive director of the board, will do anything about the complaint, nor will it likely receive much note.
--Michael Horne

ZILBER PABST SALE COMPLETE; PLANS FOR "LEGACY" DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCED

By Michael Horne

Joseph J. Zilber, the 88-year old founder and Chairman of the Board of Zilber Ltd., a Milwaukee real estate holding company, announced today that he had completed the purchase of the former Pabst Brewery site.
He made the statement in a second floor room above Mo's A Place for Steaks, located in the Empire Building, 710 N. Plankinton Av. to an audience of about thirty. (Interestingly, none were representatives of the city.)
Zilber's previously-announced plans for the 21-acre, 27 structure, 1.1 million square foot space parcel called for the development of a neighborhood at the site of the former brewery, and Wednesday he expanded upon his comments, saying he hopes "to create a new neighborhood that has a balance of housing, offices, retail, industrial and community oriented space that would add to Milwaukee's great neighborhood system. ... It is also important for you to know that it is our intention to submit an application to the United States Green Building Council to participate in their pilot program to create a LEED certification initiative for neighborhoods. We plan to seek either a gold, or platinum certification regarding sustainability on this project."
Zilber also said he would ask for a Tax Incremental Financing District for the area, adding, "we anticipate that the amount of the TIF that we will be submitting to the Common Council will be significantly less than that submitted in the previous plan."
He was referring to the failure of the $71.5 million TIF submitted last year by Wispark. The council rejected that TIF proposal, paving the way for Zilber's purchase of the property. The previous project was heavy on fanfare, and originally called for a George Karl basketball camp, a House of Blues, a cinema, a Gameworks and other entertainments, none of which ultimately were built either at PabstCity (as the project was then called) or elsewhere in the metropolitan area.
Zilber did not announce any tenants for his project, to be named, simply, "The Brewery," but assistant Mike Mervis said there is a great interest in the preservation of some of the historic buildings on the property, saying that a small advertisement in Preservation magazine brought over 200 inquiries.
Zilber said the brewery was "a personal venture of mine, which will be my legacy, and a commitment to the city I love."
For now, he plans to meet with the aldermen to discuss the TIF proposal, and to use the proceeds to make site improvements, including the demolition of some buildings, and apparently, parts of other buildings. Properties that remain would be offered for sale cleared and abated.
"Needless to say, with over 1.4 million square feet of space, some of it in terrible disrepair and on the verge of collapse, devising a plan to convert that space to usable, productive, desirable housing, office, industrial and retail space presents a formidable challenge."
The schedule for a "project of this size and scope is constantly changing," Zilber told the audience. He hopes to receive council approval later this year. If so, he would begin remediation and infrastructure work late this year.
"It is our intention to sell individual pieces of the Pabst to employers [Johnson Controls, Inc. is a name that has been bandied about -- ED.], entrepreneurs, preservationists and community oriented groups that have expertise in housing, office development, industrial and retail. These buildings will be sold remediated of all environmental issues and will be ready for final build out and occupancy."
Mervis, Zilber's assistant, said two blocks of the project are currently free of buildings and are abailable for $25 per square foot. He added that Zilber plans to negotiate to buy some county-owned property on the north edge of the development. You can view the project plans here.

A LOOK AT JOE ZILBER

Joe Zilber spends most of his time in Hawaii, and his visit to Milwaukee is the first I have seen him in two years. At Wednesday's conference he was dressed in a black suit with a colorful necktie. He spoke from prepared remarks and delivered his lines with wit and panache.
"I will be 90 years old next year. I just got a new pacemaker and the doctor informed me that it is good for at least another 10 years. The buildings at the Pabst are not getting better with age, although I think that I am. I intend to have a 100th birthday party at the Pabst. I will walk down beautiful tree lined streets, look in the windows of shops, small businesses and restaurants and stop in to visit people of all walks of life in their apartments, condos and homes. To achieve that goal is going to take a lot of people with vision, guts and a committment to the historical continuation of the Pabst Brewery. I intend to have one heck of a 100th birthday party at the Pabst. I hope you will join me."
Zilber, a lawyer who never practiced, is the cover feature of the Summer/Fall 2006 Marquette Lawyer, the Marquette University Law Alumni publication. Like so many other tasks, including construction, design and management, Zilber prefers to keep his legal work in-house. All of his attorneys are Marquette University Law grads.
Zilber also showed the audience a photograph of a Buddha-esque young baby. "That's my newest great-grandson," he said, pointing to the image of the rotund child. "He's meditating," he said.
--Michael Horne

THE HAERTEL PROPERTY
Jim Haertel, the local fellow who signed an option to purhcase the brewery site (on September 11, 2001) and got us into what has become a very complicated development scenario through his simple plan to preserve the Pabst property, was at the event. His $50,000 option is the genesis of a legal mess that is now before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which plans to hear arguments in October, he said. The case of Haertel v. Wispark et al is a classic little guy - big guy piece of litigation involving around title to the old visitor's center and executive offices, the gems of the brewery. Fortunately, the little guy (that would be Haertel in this case) has Bill Cannon as his attorney.
It was Haertel's intention to open the Museum of Beer and Brewing in the offices and a Hofbrauhaus in the visitor's center. That led him to Wispark, and a bizarre odyssey that finds him, apparently, with no title in hand, and what looks like a shot at a 10 per cent stake in the project. It is instructive that his buildings are listed in the Zilber site map as "Haertel Prop." PabstCity plans did not include his name.
"I think we need to have a beer museum in the city of Milwaukee," he said.
What about the Old German Beer Hall that opened recently on N. Old World Third St., and sells Hofbrau Munchen products exclusively?
"That is just a place to sell the product. Our plan is to operate a microbrewery and beer hall on the site," he said.
Joe Zilber was asked if Haertel was part of his plans for the development. "I love Jim Haertel," quoth the wily old fox.
Who can blame him?
--Michael Horne

ANNOUNCEMENT BREWING ON PABST

Towne Investments plans a major announcement this morning at 11 a.m. in the second floor of the Empire Building, 710 N. Plankinton Av. The subject is the Pabst Brewery. Joe Zilber, the 88-year old founder and chairman of the Milwaukee-based real estate empire was seen on the street yesterday morning, walking with an aide who was showing him some changes being made to the riverfront facade of the Empire Building, the corporation's headquarters.
Further upstream, Mike Mervis, the special assistant to Zilber, says work is complete on the triangular garden he and his wife Mary Ellen have donated to the city.
"We tested the irrigation system yesterday, and it works," Mervis said of the extensive landscaping he sponsored at the southwest approach of the Holton Viaduct, just north of Mervis' Honeymead Warehouse residence on the Milwaukee River, the southernmost riverfront single-family home. We'll catch up with Mervis and Zilber in a bit, and get back to you later with the Pabst Brewery news.
--Michael Horne

RILEY - PLALE TO DEBATE ON WEDNESDAY -- But What's Left to Debate?

By Michael Horne
The Tamarack Waldorf School, 1150 East Brady St., participates in Milwaukee's School Choice program, and it will be the site Wednesday, August 16th 2006 for a debate between State Senator Jeff Plale (D-7th) and his primary challenger, Donovan Riley.
The face-off has been scheduled for weeks as part of the regular meeting of the Brady Street Association.
Thanks to recent developments, it should prove to be a fitting location for the candidate forum, since Plale's support of the Choice program is one of the issues that brought Riley into the race.
What makes the event particularly tantalizing is that Riley has been accused of voting "early and often" in the 2000 presidential election -- once in Oconomowoc, where he then lived, and again, the same day in Chicago, where he also lived.
This allegation was brought by George Mitchell, a Choice proponent and Plale supporter, and it has thrown a monkey wrench into the Riley campaign.
Riley issued a statement yesterday explaining his double voting, saying "special interest contributors have chosen to attack me personally instead of conducting a serious discussion of issues that matter to the people of the 7th district."
He then goes on to make his own personal attack, saying, "I understand George Mitchell and his organization -- a voucher special interest group -- have accused me of voting in two jurisdictions in an election six years ago.
"My best recollection is that I was splitting my time between Wisconsin and Illinois and it's possible I made a mistake."
Let's see. The November 2000 election was the closest one in American history, and also one of the most polarizing and anticipated elections. [For those just emerging from a coma, this is the election that gave us George W. Bush as president.]
Riley's "best recollection" is that he, then 63 years old, was in some sort of limbo, transporting himself between Wisconsin and Illinois on election day, where he was so overwhelmed by his busy schedule that he may have "made a mistake" and found himself voting in two different states on the same day.
Waukesha District Attorney Paul Bucher is looking into the "mistake," and promises we will hear before election day (September 12th) whether the mistake was indeed a crime. I have a feeling Bucher, a Republican candidate for Attorney General will make his decision known in plenty of time before the election.
If Riley indeed voted in the two jurisdictions, it would be sufficient to excuse voters from casting their ballots for him, even if they are in political harmony with his views. This is a case where a personal attack appears to be entirely warranted, since Riley has shown a personal flaw not only with his alleged double voting, but with his disingenuous excuse.
We will see if tomorrow's debate will focus on the substantive issues that Riley feels such a great need to address, but I think for many of his potential supporters the most substantive issue is one of character and integrity in the political process.
Plale is accused of being a Republican in Democratic clothing, and his opponents cite his support of choice, his pro-concealed-carry vote and his opposition to abortion as evidence.
Give the man a break! He's from South Milwaukee already! What do you expect?
Two years ago, Plale faced a recall from right wingers upset that he voted to uphold Governor Jim Doyle's veto of a republican tax freeze measure, support for the governor's position that seems to have been forgotten. The recall went nowhere, not even on the east side, where Plale is considered vulnerable (see South Milwaukee comment, above.)
We'll find out tomorrow if there is anything left to debate between Plale and Riley. Chances are Plale will take the high road and refuse to let his opponent's felony be an issue in the campaign.
The successful candidate in the primary will face Dimity Grabowski (R) of Oak Creek, and Claude VanderVeen (Green Party) of Cudahy in the November general election.

GAY PAPER "ON HIATUS"

The website of Queer Life News announced today that Don Hoffman, its editor and part owner, has resigned to pursue a "book deal from a major educational publisher." The deal, "in addition to the attention required by his business enterprises has brought him to the difficult decision to resign from his post."
Hoffman is the author of "Billy is a Big Boy," "Abigail is a Big Girl," "Billy and Abigail's Counting Adventure," and "Good Morning, Good Night Billy and Abigail," all published by Dalmatian press. In the first book, we learn that "Billy can say his ABCs, can use the family bathtub instead of the baby bath tub and can now eat with a fork as well as a spoon." Kind of makes me long for my potty-training days!
A website with a photo of Hoffman (and Dalmatian) informs us that Hoffman is an "award-winning television reporter, former director of communications in one of the nation's largest urban school districts and a sought after children's acting coach." He will also come to your children's school to lecture at $450 a pop.
There are also those of us who remember Hoffman's remarkable television series with Bo Black, whether we would like to or not.
According to the Queer Life website, fellow owners Nancy Beutner Meeks and Carole Wehner "fully support" Hoffman's departure. (Neither could be reached for comment this morning.) The answering machine for the newspaper says the publication is on summer hiatus and will return in October.
However, a source familiar with the publication tells milwaukeeworld a different story, claiming the paper is "kaput," adding that Hoffman's departure (he has moved out of state, it is claimed) left the publishers in a lurch, that the September issue was cancelled, that the paper is up for sale and that it is saddled with debt. (Given my experience with alternative newspapers in Milwaukee, this seems to be a very likely scenario.)
Meeks, a successful real estate agent, said at the time of the publication's founding that she started the paper largely as a means to market property to gays, since there was no gay publication in town. Looks like we're back to square one.
--Michael Horne

[[Update -- November 10th, 2006 The paper came out with two issues since this posting. Yesterday Chris Aveni, contractor for Hoffman's Intermezzo Cafe, (now defunct) said Hoffman skipped town owing him $5,000. He says Hoffman is believed to be in Providence, Rhode Island, operating a juice bar or some damned thing. -- Michael Horne]]