NEW SIGHTS FOR OLD MAYOR

A Stroll with John O. Norquist

By Michael Horne

Former mayor John O. Norquist had a bit of time to kill Saturday afternoon following his address at the Milwaukee County Historical Society where he spoke as part of the Downtown Living Expo. Norquist, now the head of the Congress for the New Urbanism in Chicago, wanted to take a look at the town he ran for fifteen years. The mode of conveyance: foot. The destination : the Amtrak station. The route (and the conversation): meandering.
We strolled east on W. Wisconsin Avenue, where a Norquist-inspired street renovation project is underway. I pointed out the absence of an anti-skateboarding fencing on the granite planters in the street. Iron fencing had been installed, and then removed, with a promise by the contractor to replace it, months ago. Norquist said he thinks the similar fences in Chicago's downtown are too tall, and admitted the Milwaukee items need to be finished. We then strolled south along the Riverwalk, beginning at Border's on the west side of the river, and switching over to the east bank at. Michigan Street. There, the Voyageur cruise ship was newly painted, and its mate the Iroquois was sailing down the river on its rounds. The Voyageur will sail until December, I pointed out, while the Iroquois will be pulled out of the river shortly to be refurbished -- and even heated, a first for the octogenarian craft. We continued south under the freeway along the Mary Miss-designed walkway, which has won many deserved awards. One sight of the elevated freeway spur under construction there was enough to set off the former mayor, who had some choice words for Governor Jim Doyle and Secretary of Transportation Frank Busalacchi, both of whom, in Norquist's opinion, are tools of the highway lobby. Norquist objected to the width of the elevated freeway, and its lack of necessity. The east-west span should have been built at ground level, like the McKinley St. solution to the Park East Freeway spur, if at all. He noted the absence of tenants in the upper floors of the Button Block, at the northeast corner of N. Water and E. Clybourn streets, (Joey Buona's, to you) and wondered if the lack of development in the otherwise prime spot had to do with the freeway just out the window. After all, it is not the custom of landlord Royal Taxman to leave his property untenanted when there is revenue to be earned. Norquist looked west and was outraged by the height of the new high-rise bridge, saying it is "the tallest elevated highway I've seen outside of Tokyo," and went on about that topic for awhile. We continued along the excellent Mary Miss riverwalk in the Third Ward, and popped our heads into Water Buffalo before heading over to the deck of the crowded Milwaukee Ale House where participants in that afternoon's Al's Run were cooling their heels, and where the UW football game was being broadcast in widescreen high definition. Chief Judge Kitty Brennan came over to say hello to the former mayor, who told her he makes $180,000 a year in his new position, and that his wife Susan Mudd has an excellent job working about 12 hours a week handing out money for the Donnelley Foundation. Son Ben is an A student at a private academy, which he reaches via public transportation. Norquist said Ben's elementary education at the Tamarack Waldorf School on Brady Street had prepared him for his secondary education in Chicago.
Such pleasantries being tended to, Norquist asked about the current action during our campaign season here. I was obliged to inform him that scarcely any candidates have given their names as city candidates, outside of Pedro Colon, who announced today for City Attorney. But Wally's running, Whittow's running (and collecting how many pensions? Norquist wondered) and there is nobody around to challenge Tom Barrett. "So he laid low," Norquist said. "And didn't get any challengers. It was that way with Henry Maier a lot." Then Norquist made a pronouncement that really hurts, coming from a Chicago resident -- "You have no political culture in this city." Darn right, and a darn shame. He downed a couple of white wines, and I a couple of beers. He paid for the works, leaving a tip such as a politician might leave who knows he's never going to run for office again.
With the football game happily won by the Badgers, Norquist and I strolled a bit further downstream, monitoring the arrivals and departures of the Amtrak trains across the river. He said Chicago failed to take advantage of its river proximity as Milwaukee did with the riverwalk. He was most impressed with the recently opened segment at the River Renaissance, and hoped a connection could soon be made at MIAD. I pointed out the MIAD segment had been closed to the public until I called the college a few weeks ago and they removed a barbed wire chain link gate that had prevented access there. I also pointed out the awesome number of pleasure craft berthed on the river, and showed him the soon-to-open First Place on the River and told him how Andy Busalacchi ("he knows cities," Norquist said) made millions just by cleaning up the old hulk for resale to the current developer. I also showed him the Castings Point, where Antonio Riley moved his WHEDA office, and pointed to a little sliver of rental housing that is soon to be occupied amid the massive condos.
I also told him a tale of a fellow I had met the night before at the Wicked Hop, another beneficiary of the Third Ward Renaissance. The fellow was telling me, apropos of nothing, that when he wants to go to a real city and have a real good time, he chooses Milwaukee, and comes here a couple of times a month. Hometown is Detroit, he said, and Detroit is horrible. I told him I would forward his views to our former mayor the next day, and said that the mayor had often shared the same sentiments about Motor City.
I was impressed that the Michigander visitor had mastered the intricacies of bar dice, certainly the finest game of man's contrivance, and a sport unknown in his home state. He, and his friends, were high-rollers in several senses of the word, and we could use more folks like them in our town. Did they take the ferry boat across the lake to our shores? I asked. "No," he answered, "We flew here in my Cessna."
Norquist enjoyed that little jet-setting tale. Alas, the hour drew late, the train was waiting at the under-construction station, and the interview with the guy I still call the mayor, was over.