DOYLE TO TASTE GOOD LIFE OF MILWAUKEE

Governor James Doyle will be in Milwaukee on Thursday, October 5th to attend a fundraiser on his behalf to be held from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Good Life, the new Caribbean-themed restaurant/club at 1935 N. Water Street. Good Life opened at the beginning of this month and is owned by D. J. and Cassie Brooks. D. J. is the former drummer for Citizen King, and now performs the same duties for New Sense, when he is not busy wrapping silverware and drumming up business at his new operation, located in a (mostly) new building overlooking the Milwaukee River at N. Humboldt St.
He and Cassie commute to the restaurant every day all the way from their home across the street. This will be the first vist for the governor to the place, but it has already seen its share of politicos over the few short weeks it has been open, including former Sheriff candidate Vince Bobot, who had an event there the evening before the primary election, where he was joined by D. A. candidate John Chisholm. Of course if those two don't have the "party" credentials to get you excited, the place is otherwise quite a blast.
The building, with its distinctive parabolic roof, has already attracted the attention of MSOE students who have photographed its spare skeleton. The building is attached to an old, particularly attractive, yet small, former City of Milwaukee Ward Yard building that was preserved as part of the deal that allowed for the construction of Boris Gokhman's Riverbridge condominium development next door.
The new building has already been remodeled once during its short life -- the City failed to note that the plans drawn up by the engineers and architects did not include a second basement stairway, a prudent requirement in this city. D.J. happily tore out a wall, punched a hole in the floor and built the necessary stairs. This is at least the second time that plan examiners (or somebody) in the city have failed to note the absense of the second set of stairs in a newly-constructed restaurant building. (The first that comes to mind is the Terrace Bar. Since that place effectively had no room for the installation of the second stairs, it never became a restaurant. You'd think somebody would put up a stink about this! Feel free to quote me.)
Oh, yeah -- the governor. I almost forgot. The reception has a number of sponsors including Ald. Michael D'Amato, Common Council president Willie Hines, John Piette, Robert Peret and the irrepressible John "Mr. Pizza" Budzinski.

--Michael Horne

The Other Sheriff Dave

We have grown accustomed to the controversy raging in the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s office where David A. Clarke, Jr. has proven himself to be a lighting rod of dissent, especially with the deputies he rules with a whim of iron.

There is another Sheriff Dave just two counties to the south, in Kenosha, and he is facing a rematch with former sheriff Larry Zarletti, whom he beat in 2002. The race was a rather hot one then, and some of the issues raised bear revisiting today.

Sheriff David Beth is an actual Republican, unlike his Milwaukee counterpart who simply walks and talks like one. Zarletti, the former sheriff, is an actual registered Democratic party member, something Milwaukee County’s chief law enforcement officer could never bring himself to be.

But, just as in the case of Milwaukee’s sheriff, the issues are more personal than partisan, and it is instructive to review a few elements of Beth’s 2002 campaign against Zarletti. Beth made a number of allegations about Zarletti that would be hard for any office holder to counter. For example, “Dave’s Top 10 List as Sheriff” says he would not “perpetuate the air of intimidation at the sheriff’s department.” That is a rather broad statement, to be sure.

However, Beth made a couple of other, more easily quantifiable claims about what the voters might expect during his tenure. With hindsight as our handmaiden, Milwaukeeworld made a public records request to the Sheriff’s office to see how well his words matched his deeds, four years later.

SHERIFF SWATHED IN LUXURIOUS FABRICS AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE

Beth told the voters he would not “spend $1000 on each uniform for myself at the taxpayer’s expense.” Indeed, he did not. Sheriff Beth spent $1,199.95 on his regalia – 20 per cent more than $1000. His finery includes a $40.95 long sleeve white shirt, and a $38.95 short sleeve shirt in a luxurious 65% Dacron / 35% Rayon blend. (The sheriff wears a 16-1/2 inch collar and a 34 inch sleeve.)

His “blouse” (that’s what the receipt from Badger Uniforms calls it) is “Brown Elastique” “with notch lapel, 4 button front, 2 button cuff, center vent, pleated breast pockets w/ scalloped flaps – hip scalloped only – epaulets – no belt hooks.” The taxpayers shelled out $315 for that bit of foppery.

The sheriff’s trousers are also of the favored “Brown Elastique” with “1/4 top pockets – button-thru left rear pkt – 1”x2” loops No Stripe – Waist 35 – Seat 42 – Inseam 29-1/2.” A steal, at $95. Taxpayers paid $323.45 for a series of badges with the sheriff’s name in black, and the Kenosha county seal in full color. In fact, there are numerous purchases of the sheriff’s name in all sorts of badges ($42.95), pins ($69.50) and pocket slides. About the only things not embroidered on Beth’s person are his shoes – “Men’s high gloss Oxford Black 10-1/2 D” ($69.95)

FEVER FOR SALARY FREEZE COOLS

The matter of wardrobe aside, the sheriff made some claims while he was running to “’cut’ [the] sheriff’s salary to save taxpayers money,” as he said in a campaign advertisement.

He elaborated on this in an interview in the Kenosha News. “Beth said not only would he refuse the increase if elected, he would slash the pay so that it was closer to what he earns as a deputy. Last year Beth made $58,420, including more than $10,000 in overtime pay.

“Beth, who said he plans to hit on budget shortfalls in his campaign, has not yet settled on the exact figure he would accept if elected.

“’I’d like to make a little more (than a deputy) because I have to campaign,’ he said. ‘I have to pay that back.’”

THE “PAYBACK”

In fact, the record does not show a salary “cut” for Sheriff Beth. His 2003 salary of $78,139 was, in fact, a 2 per cent increase from Zarletti’s 2002 salary. He was content with that amount through 2004. His 2005 salary of $79,398 was a 2 per cent increase from 2004, and is the same amount he receives this year. Since taking office, he has pocketed some $80,000 that he implied would have been returned to the taxpayers. That money could have bought orange “elastique” jumpsuits for every prisoner in the county, along with any number of badges and pins.

Although 2 per cent raises every other year seem modest, it should be remembered that Beth slammed Zarletti for taking a virtually identical 1 percent annual raise during his term. At the time, Zarletti called Beth’s salary-reduction claim “grandstanding” and a “political ploy.” The verdict of history will prove him right in this case.

“He’s going to need to find something more substantial than that to run on,” Zarletti said about Beth in 2002, using words that echo today.

-- Michael Horne

[Note: additional records from the Kenosha Sheriff’s Department have just been released to milwaukeeworld today. Another report will follow. Did David Beth keep his promise to not “have two county owned cell phones & a pager at the taxpayer’s expense”? Who has pagers nowadays, anyway? – Ed.]

GIOVANNI'S SALE COMPLETE

By Michael Horne

It took a number of months, but the sale of Giovanni's Restaurant was finally consummated on September 7th, 2006 after the appropriate solemn ceremonies in the offices of Register of Deeds John LaFave. The sales price for the restaurant, which closed in July, was $1,200,000. the property, sold by Giovanni and Rosa Safina, was purchased by RR101 LLC and EK101 LLC. Each of the LLCs will maintain an undivided 50% interest in the property at 1685 N. Van Buren St.
A mortgage and construction loan with St. Francis Bank in the amount of $1,761,000 was taken out on the property by the purchasers, identified in documents as Edward T. Kileen III, of EK101 LLC and Randall P. Roth of RR101 LLC. The partners do business as Endeavour Development. They had announced their purchase plans some time ago, indicating that the deal would close near the end of the summer, with occupancy by the end of the year.
The firm had hired Eppstein Uhen architects to plan a 5,000 square foot retail center at the site, but it looks like the old gas station building, formerly owned by Frank Balistrieri, and the site of the long-unsolved murder of Max Adonis, will remain standing. Contractors are busy clearing out the interior of the building, and a sign indicates that the property will be used as a copy shop. Yet another sign promises "new retail," although it is unclear whether this refers to a new store, or a new building for a new store. It appears like the former is the case, for now.

OTHER REAL ESTATE NEWS
Five adjacent properties on two tax key parcels went on the market today in the Brady Street area. The four duplex (and one single family) residences are offered by Shelly Thompson of Ogden and Co. and are located at 1745, 1753, 1755 and 1761 N. Humboldt and 1036 E. Pearson St. The properties are across the street from the East Village Conservation Overlay District, and will be marketed to developers or individual investors. Developers could tear all the buildings down, if they chose, and could build a rather substantial property on the site. Or, the fully-occupied properties could remain, or be fixed up, or condominiumized or sold piecemeal. Anything goes in this real estate market.
The 1745 N. Humboldt and 1036 E. Pearson duplexes are offered at a total of $499,900; the other properties, all duplexes with the exception of the single family home at 1755 N. Humboldt, are offered at a total of $629,900, according to Thompson. The properties will be offered for view for the first time this Satuday during a planned open house.
--Michael Horne