(This is a new feature on Milwaukeeworld.com that will run frequently to provide the latest information on breaking news in Milwaukee. If you have story ideas or tips, please email them to mark@milwaukeeworld.com.) Former Milwaukee Congressman Tom Barrett is ready to jump into the race to be the next mayor of Milwaukee.

Several political sources said Monday that Barrett finalized his decision late last week and began making calls to key supporters over the weekend to let them know he was ready to join the race, which has been rumored for several months.

Barrett, who would become the frontrunner in the race to replace outgoing Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, has spent the last several months deciding if he wanted to run for public office again after losing out to Jim Doyle in the Democratic primary in the governor’s election. He recently joined a Milwaukee law firm as a lobbyist.

There already our a long list of mayoral candidates, including Milwaukee aldermen Marvin Pratt and Tom Nardelli, but everyone has been waiting to see what Barrett would do before deciding who to support. Several sources even suggested he might have waited too long to decide as potential mayoral candidate Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has stormed onto the scene in recent weeks.

“There has been some erosion in his core supporters that he is going to have to work to get back,” said a City Hall source.

Many political observers are salivating over a Barrett-Clarke mayoral race, predicting Barrett will inherit an initial lead because of his name recognition from his time as a congressman and his run for governor. But Clarke has become a force because of a run of recent positive media and his frequent appearances on talk radio, including a guest stint this afternoon doing sports on “The Green House” on WTMJ-AM.

In fact, one source said a recent poll done by Clarke supporters found that he could beat Barrett in a head-to-head match.

“It should be a good race if they both get in because they are two known figures, who will have to articulate an agenda,” the source said.

The City Hall source said Clarke and Barrett talked last week trying to gauge each other’s interest in the high profile race. The Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall in New York are coming to Milwaukee as the first official act booked for the renovated Milwaukee Auditorium.

Wisconsin Center Board officials will hold a press conference Wednesday to announce the booking for late November and early December 2003. The booking is considered crucial for the success of the $42 million renovated auditorium, which is being renamed the Milwaukee Theater.

The Rockettes, who have performed for years at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, will give the theater a big publicity boost. Many Milwaukee-area residents travel to Illinois each year for the show.

One board member, who asked not to be identified, said the booking is just for 2003 and Wisconsin Center and Rockettes' officials will discuss future bookings after this year’s shows.

“They want to get a feel for the building to see if it is a place they are comfortable with,” the board member said. “And we want to get a feel from the community if this is a type of act they would like to see every year.”

The Wisconsin Center started the renovation project in 2002, aimed at converting the old Auditorium into the Milwaukee Theater, a new theater-like venue. The project was originally slated to cost $32 million, but numerous problems found during the renovation have forced the budget to be increased to $41.9 million and the scheduled completed to be delayed by three months.

Construction crews now say the building will be completed by November. With ticket sales plummeting because of the team’s dismal record, the Milwaukee Brewers are trying an old sales technique – door to door in neighborhoods near Miller Park.

A resident in the Story Hill neighborhood, which is located northwest of Miller Park, said she was startled one day last week when she saw two well-dressed young men walking through the neighborhood stopping at each home.

“We saw these guys wearing ties and walking through the neighborhood and we thought they were the Jehovah Witnesses,” said Gretchen Schuldt, a Story Hill resident. “But it was the Brewers going door to door trying to get the neighbors to buy tickets.”

Through 29 home games, attendance is down at Miller Park by 6,408 fans per game compared with last year. Overall attendance this season is at 492,783, compared with 678,640 at the same time last year. Brewer attendance has dropped dramatically since the opening year of Miller Park, fueled by the Brewers lousy record. Harley-Davidson Motor Co. got a big media splash recently when it announced plans for an August 30 10,000-motorcycle parade as part of its 100th Anniversary celebration in Milwaukee over Labor Day.

The parade is to run from the Milwaukee County Zoo on Blue Mound Road east to the downtown area, ending at the Summerfest grounds.

The only problem – Harley officials forget to get a permit from the City of Milwaukee. Milwaukee Alderman Michael Murphy, whose district includes the parade route, has not yet signed the permit, although it is expected he will after trying to address neighborhood concerns with Harley.

Harley also did not did not consult residents in the Story Hill neighborhood about the parade before deciding to route it through residential areas.

Story Hill Neighborhood Association President Sandra Rusch-Walton said on the group’s web site that she is concerned that spectators gathered to watch the parade will trespass on private, residential property on Bluemound because the sidewalks may not be big enough to accommodate the crowds.

Kathleen Lawler, vice president of communications for Harley, told Story Hill residents in a letter of plans for the parade.

"We are working with law enforcement and civic officials in both Wauwatosa and Milwaukee to manage traffic flow and make it a safe event," she wrote. "Harley-Davidson will also bring in a cleanup crew following the parade because we know you take pride in your neighborhood."

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