POLITICAL PARTIES TONIGHT

A Guide to Election Night Entertaining for readers of Milwaukeeworld.com

A February primary in an off-year election season brings out only the most chronic voters. But those of us who sport "I Voted" stickers while perhaps nine in ten of our fellow citizens do not inevitably feel a certain entitlement, being the bulwarks of democracy as we are.
The question remains, "how to celebrate our civic virtue?" Milwaukeeworld was able to contact four of the five candidates on the ballot for City of Milwaukee Municipal Court Judge Branch 3 to see what their plans are for this evening. Freeloading is always a good workout after a grueling session at the polls
If they were already on the bench, there is no doubt our candidates would be flocking to the Mackie Building, 225 E. Michigan St. where the annual Judges Night will be held by the Milwaukee Bar Association from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. This event, with a cash bar, attracts the scales-of-justice set in all of their be-robed glory. Tickets run from $38 (for judges and students) up to $65 (for members of the public who are not MBA members). This is a stiff enough tariff to discourage all but the wealthiest of judicial groupies and hangers-on.
However, since Judges Night also happens to fall on Primary Election Night, other entertainments of a jurisprudential nature are at hand.
We list them according to the date of the candidates' admission to the practice of law in the State of Wisconsin, and include their academic affiliation. [None are Marquette University Law School graduates. Isn't municipal court good enough for Marquette grads? Are they that flipping special? -- Ed.]
Robert Rondini, (Northern Illinois University; April 16, 1991) will entertain callers at Libiamo Restaurant and Hall, 221 W. Galena, the site of the former Schlitz Brown Bottle.
Jennifer Havas, (Hamline University, April 23, 1993) says she will keep things rather low key, but might slip downstairs from her office to party it up at the Calderone Club, 842 N. 3rd St.
Jay Anthony Unora, (University of Wisconsin, June 17, 1997) says he does not plan a primary evening entertainment.
William Joseph Baldon III, (University of Wisconsin, October 9, 1997) could not be reached.
Philip Michael Chavez, (University of Wisconsin, June 23, 1998) says his gig will be at La Perla, 734 S. 5th St.

These things don't fire up until after the polls close at 8 p.m., so you have plenty of time to find other entertainments in the meanwhile, such as a quick trip to the annual celebration of "February Birthday Babies" at Libby's Lounge, 1682 N. Van Buren St. which has already begun, and will continue until 2 a.m., you can be sure, celebrating the nativity of Dennis Librizzi and others (such as this writer) fortunate to have been born more or less around the same time. Food, fun and frolic, as always. You can also pop into the annual Chili Social that the Brady Street association holds from 5:30 - 8 p.m. at Engine House 5, corner of Brady and N. Franklin Pl.
It is also Fat Tuesday, ("Mardi Gras," in French) so there will be plenty of other fun around town.
Before I slip out of here and get back to serious business, you might also want to mark your calendars for Sunday, February 25th at 3 p.m. when I will celebrate my 53rd birthday at Circa, 1754 N. Franklin Pl. I'll remind you about that a bit later.
Don't Forget to Vote!
-- Michael Horne