Dem Challenge for Panzer Seat

The disarray of the Republican 20th Senate District has convinced the Democratic Party to field a write-in candidate for the September 14th primary.

Elysse Chay, a recent political science graduate of Marquette University, is the party’s choice for this task.

She will have to get about 5 percent of the district’s votes received by Governor Jim Doyle in the 2002 election to get on the November 2 general election ballot. Fewer than 2000 votes in the primary should do it, according to a cursory examination of voting statistics. This may not seem a big deal, but Democrats in the district have rarely had many choices for county, legislative and even congressional primaries in the past. Usually, as in this case, no democrats are listed on the ballot for such elections. Whether it will be worth the bother for a couple thousand voters to cast a democrat ballot, while simultaneously remembering the name “Elysse Chay,” remains to be seen.

Chay previously served as the community outreach coordinator for the Menomonee Valley Redevelopment Project, and worked at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin’s Milwaukee office while completing her Master’s degree.

Chay is taking advantage of the Mary Panzer – Glenn Grothman Republican primary challenge to accuse her candidates of intra-party bickering.

Such behavior, while common among Democrats, is seen as unseemly in Republicans.

“Rather than attacking one another, the candidates for the 20th State Senate district should be talking about issues such as ensuring access to quality health care, improving the quality of our schools and keeping the environment clean,” Chay said in a press release announcing her candidacy.

You can find out more at http://www.ChayForSenate.org

Hail to the Chief – The Lyrics

Well, whaddya know? Lyrics exist for “Hail to the Chief,” the Presidential song. They are quite terrible lyrics, which may explain why we seldom (never) hear them. The song veers from the third person to the second person while discussing the chief, (“we salute him…” “Yours is the aim…”) but remains consistently sung in the second person. (“We pledge cooperation…”)

As written, if you really think of it, the only group that could properly sing this song would be a chorus of Supreme Court justices. (“Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation.” … “Hail to the one we selected as commander.”)

Are you ready?

Da-dat-da-dat-dat-da!—Da-dat-da-dat-dat-da!

Hail to the Chief

Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation,
 Hail to the Chief! We salute him, one and all.
  Hail to the Chief, as we pledge cooperation
   In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call.

Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander,
 This you will do, That’s our strong, firm belief. 
  Hail to the one we selected as commander,
   Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief!
[Repeat]*

*(No need to bother – Ed.)

—Michael Horne

Sen Kohl. Opens Grocery

What a sight to awaken memories – Herb Kohl walking around the aisles of a grocery store. Of course it has been decades since the tycoon sold Kohl’s grocery stores, the now-defunct chain that was Milwaukee’s #1 in sales when he sold the firm. Still, there he was on Monday, August 16th at the news Pick ‘N’ Save Metro Market, 1123 N. Van Buren Street, at the site of a former Kohl’s, and just four blocks away from the new downtown headquarters of Roundy’s, Inc., the store’s owner.

The Metro Market, a new concept, was dedicated that evening by Kohl and such other officials as Mayor Tom Barrett, Ald. Robert Bauman, Ald. Michael D’Amato, Rep. Jon Richards, Supervisor Gerry Broderick and others.

Visitors to the V.I.P. event could get in by one of two methods:

Either, they had RSVP’d in a timely fashion to a mailed invitation from Bob Mariano, Chairman and CEO of Roundy’s

-or-

They showed up at the door with one of thousands of printed invitations left in piles throughout downtown on a windy day. (They were well-distributed by nightfall.)

Those who had RSVP’d were greeted at the door by an impeccably-dressed, elegant woman dressed in a perfectly-tailored suit (Chanel?) and wearing a gaily-decorated paper bag on her head!

Why, it was no less than former State Senator Barb Ulichny happily handing out nametags in a grocery store vestibule. That alone lent some class to the event, with or without mayors and senators, and even Judge Chuck Kahn, who can not attend political events for ethical reasons.

Bob Mariano, before taking a giant scissors in hand to cut the ribbon for the store, said that the company moved its headquarters downtown because of the area’s vibrancy, and that the new store, although only two blocks from an existing Pick ‘N’ Save represented a completely new venture for the organization.

Previously, grocery stores were sited and stocked according to a standard paradigm that assumed the ideal shopper to be married with kids.

Recent demographic changes (thank God!) have woken up the company to a “new” consumer group, namely the middle- and upper income “metrosexuals,” or whatever you would like to call the downtown dwellers. For the most part, though, the target audience will spend less time preparing meals and more time enjoying them, along with appetizers, fine cheeses, wines, deli items and suchlike.

The result: a store with 708 varieties of fruits and vegetables, scores of varieties of seafoods, and hundreds of feet devoted to salads, prepared gourmet meals, ice cream, deli stuff, baked goods, — even smoothies and vegetable juices. (Hint to store operators: Celery juice straight is pretty rough stuff. Cut it with carrot and beet, and you’ll have a big seller.)

Those who remember the old Kohl’s store will find the new floorplan to be completely different than the old. Among surprises in the store is a wi-fi zone, a television lounge, a fireplace along with wide aisles. Specialty foods include Oriental, Mexican — even Polish, and the store has over a dozen varieties of toilet paper. Those who prefer elegant, imported crackers and cookies will also find themselves at home here.

Vegeterians will also feel comfortable ranging here, as will those in search of organic and exotic meats.

Mayor Barrett, in his remarks at the opening, amended the New Urbanist motto to say downtown is a better place to “live, work, play, learn and shop,” with the addition of the Metro Market, which offered “the best spread of food I have ever seen at an opening.” Remember – he’s been going to things like this for years, and knows whereof he speaks.

Speaking to the crowd, while flanked by Kohl and Bob Mariano, Barrett said, “I feel like I am between two giants – Bob Mariano and Herb Kohl – two men who know food.”

Although the giantism of both Kohl and Mariano must be an illusion to their business acumen and not their physical attributes, Barrett’s lofty assessment was shared by Senator Kohl in his remarks.

“Bob and I know every trick in the book. It is an adventure to be here and an adventure to shop here.”

The Metro Market has been active in advertising to its target market, including direct mail pieces to neighboring residences. In an unusual tactic for a grocery store, the firm also took out ads in last week’s Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee. The full-page advertisements invited downtown workers to stop in at the store sometime soon. Interestingly, the advertisement did not include an address for the store, which must certainly be an inadvertent omission by somebody.

Vote Training Roadshow

Kevin Kennedy, the executive director of the State of Wisconsin Elections Board, is responsible for enacting provisions of the Helping America Vote Act, a 2002 law occasioned by the disasters of the 2000 election.

Kennedy has been on the road lately, while his organization holds learning sessions in every one of the state’s 72 counties between August 2 and September 10th with Chief Inspectors of the various Election Commissions throughout the state.

He was in Milwaukee last week to host several sessions with inspectors from the City of Milwaukee.

The pressure for a “perfect” election is especially great in Wisconsin and the handful of other swing states expected to hold the balance of power in November’s presidential election.

If the elections are as close as last time, one of the first things representatives of both candidates will do will be to assess how well any particular state complied with the provisions of the HAVA act.

A Milwaukee woman close to the Kerry campaign said implementation of the HAVA requirements is indeed a big issue for the campaign. “A friend of mine is an attorney for the Kerry campaign, and he told me that 90 per cent of the problems the campaign expects in the upcoming election will be in the state of Florida.” Implementation of HAVA, she says, is not going well there.

Let us hope Wisconsin 2004 is not the new Florida 2000. Kevin Kennedy’s road show may be his most important act ever in his job.

If you would like to be a poll watcher in the upcoming election and live in Milwaukee, call the City of Milwaukee Board of Election Commissioners at 1 414 286-3491

Habhegger Property for Sale

Habhegger Wheel & Axle has provided Milwaukeeans with “Honest Work At A Fair Price” since ’32. That’s 1832, and you can be sure both the Axle and Wheel have been reinvented many times since then. The company has operated for years from a riverside location at 1709 N. Water Street.

The property, immediately adjacent to the Holton Viaduct, is owned by Ronald G. and Helen Ann Fedder of Brookfield, and is said to soon be sold to developer Boris Gokhman.

According to City records, the property, in two parcels, includes 55,484 square feet of riverfront land, along with a 7,000 square foot building constructed in 1930. The property also includes sheds and other industrial-era junk, along with a thriving business.

The whole works is assessed at $337,700 which must almost certainly be considerably below asking price.

We’ll see what the future brings, but it will most likely not be the continuation of a 21st century blacksmith shop on the banks of the Milwaukee River downtown. Plus, it’s about time Mike Mervis got some neighbors.

Orlando’s Landlord Speaks

Last week we mentioned that Orlando’s Deli, 926 E. Pleasant St. may have to move or close due to the landlord’s decision. Milwaukeeworld called landlord Robert Worth, owner of the property for two years to get his take on the situation. We were expecting to hear the tale of a landlord with plans for his building. Instead, we got a different story.

“I’ve never had a tenant who was that strong on me. She [Maria Orlando] has called me a crook and a liar. There are more issues – I bought the building. She wants to run the building. … She could stay there if she would comply. She hired an attorney and sent me a threatening letter. … It’s real simple ABC. I have a building and have to pay my bills. Since I bought it the taxes have doubled and the insurance has tripled. She argued about the lease.

Maria Orlando did not return a call for comment, but we will drop by the store to get her side of this controversy.

Worth bought the 5,542 square foot mixed-use building in August 2002 for $200,000. It is currently assessed at $299,000, up from $233,000 in 2003. It includes the store and three dwelling units. The city lists the brick structure as being 2 stories; it is three.

Audit Hotline

Add Wally Morics to the list of those who want to receive anonymous emails. The City of Milwaukee Comptroller has established an Audit Hotline web page, which you can access from right here at milwaukeeworld!

“This web page is designed to provide the public with a means to report fraud, waste and abuse in City of Milwaukee government. Reports may be made anonymously,” according to a press release announcing the establishment of the hotline. [Emphasis original.]

“The City’s Audit Hotline web page may be used to report:

· Illegal acts, such as theft, fraud, kickbacks, price fixing, or conflicts of interest by City employees and its contractors;

· Misuse or abuse of City property, including City buildings, vehicles, or equipment, and

· Misconduct, incompetence or inefficiency by City employees.

“The City’s Audit Hotline web page is not intended for reporting:

· Improper activities by County, State or Federal employees or entities, and

· Improper activities by private parties not related to City of Milwaukee government.

“The public is encouraged to report fraud, waste and abuse in City of Milwaukee government. The Audit Hotline web page may be accessed through a link on the City’s home page at www.milwaukee.gov, or from the City Comptroller’s web page. Please follow the reporting instructions carefully. Audit Hotline staff can also be contacted by email at Hotline@milwaukee.gov, by FAX at (414) 286-3281 or by mail at the following address:

Office of the Comptroller

Attention: Audit Hotline

200 E. Wells Street, Room 404

Milwaukee, WI 53202”

Barrett the Poet

Mayor Barrett, a generous, sharing man, refuses to take sole credit for the following Poem, which he delivered from the stage of the Historic Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 17, 2004 at the 3rd Anniversary Meeting of the Young Professionals Milwaukee.

Carlene Orig, the Mayor’s Press Secretary refused to issue an advance copy of the Poem, waiting until it had been delivered [and was therefore a matter of the public record] to Young Professionals Milwaukee, for whom the Opus was specifically tailored.

“The Poem was written by Mayor Barrett and Staff,” Ms. Orig informed milwaukeeworld when we inquired into the animating genius behind the work.

Lest there be critics who would scoff at a committee-written poem, let it be remembered that the Office of the Mayor is haunted by literary ghosts of the highest order, including songwriter Henry W. Maier [“Summerfest Polka,”] and a fellow named Carl Sandburg, who served as secretary to Mayor Emil Seidel.

Whether Sandburg’s tribute to Chicago, “the city of broad shoulders” belongs in a league with Mayor Barrett & Co.’s “Milwaukee’s Brewing All Over,” is a matter for the reader to decide according to personal taste and sophistication.

And, now, the Poem:

Milwaukee’s Brewing All Over

By Mayor Tom Barrett and Staff

Milwaukee’s brewing all over, just ask YPM
As we celebrate three years of a true Milwaukee gem

We’re a city on the rise, so much good news to be told
You’ve done so much already and you’re only three years old 

3600 members strong and still growing everday
Striving all day and night so our young talent will stay

To help our great city reach its true potential
And help spread the word of our top-notch credentials

If we can attract young talent from all across the nation
Then the whole world will know we’re a choice destination

So as Mayor I salute you and thank you for your efforts 
We have to all work together to make Milwaukee better

So we wish you a Happy Birthday, now remember to stay sober
And go out and spread the word that Milwaukee’s brewing all over 

[THE END]

Carl Sandburg also mentioned beer occasionally in a poem. For comparative purposes, here is a Sandburg poem, which mentions beer and lawyers and Lake Michigan. – Tom Barrett’s a lawyer, you know; along with another poem that talks about executives who boss thousands of men – Tom Barrett’s an executive, you know.

ON THE WAY

By Carl Sandburg

LITTLE one, you have been buzzing in the books,
Flittering in the newspapers and drinking beer with
     lawyers
And amid the educated men of the clubs you have been
     getting an earful of speech from trained tongues.
Take an earful from me once, go with me on a hike
Along sand stretches on the great inland sea here
And while the eastern breeze blows on us and the
     restless surge
Of the lake waves on the breakwater breaks with an ever
     fresh monotone,
Let us ask ourselves: What is truth? what do you or I
     know?
How much do the wisest of the world's men know about
     where the massed human procession is going?
You have heard the mob laughed at?
I ask you: Is not the mob rough as the mountains are
     rough?
And all things human rise from the mob and relapse and
     rise again as rain to the sea.

HAPPINESS

By Carl Sandburg

I ASKED the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell
     me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work of
     thousands of men.
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though
     I was trying to fool with them
And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out along
     the Desplaines river
And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees with
     their women and children and a keg of beer and an
     accordion.

MMSD Hearing

Milwaukeeworld has developed a fascination with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and its complexities. Mayor Barrett has taken his first steps to ensure ownership of the entity, which he controls through appointment power, by ordering an independent audit of the organization. (We’re still waiting for Mayor Daley’s gang to drop by for their own inspection as promised early this summer.)

The action this week will be at the District’s office building down on the South Side. If you plan to attend, and are in Muskego, Michigan, simply hop on the ferry and you’ll be there in no time. For those who live in Milwaukee and travel by bus, the process is more time-consuming and difficult.

Here is the Mayor’s press release, just as we got it.

PUBLIC NOTICE

WHAT:	Mayor Barrett’s MMSD Independent Audit Committee Public Meeting

WHEN:	Friday, August 27, 2004
		9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

		·	MMSD Presentation on Water Quality Data for May 2004 
			Storm Event - Kevin Shafer 
    		(9:00–10:00 a.m.) 
		·	Legal aspects of basement backups - Chris Jaekels 
			(10:00-11:00 a.m.) 
		·	Discussion of Audit Committee Questions and 
			Recommendations         
			(11:00-1:00 p.m.)
		·	Report on August 25th Legislative Hearing on MMSD
      		Steve Jacquart 
			(1:00-1:15 p.m.)
		·	Discussion of Audit Committee Questions and 
			Recommendations 
 			(1:15-5:00 p.m.)

WHERE:  Port of Milwaukee, 2323 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive
		First Floor Conference Room (Free parking is 
		available next to building)

The Mayor’s MMSD Audit Committee will continue writing its findings and recommendations.No public comment will be taken at this meeting. The Port of Milwaukee is ADA accessible.

New Biz Park Near Stadium

Mayor Barrett will be the star at a groundbreaking Tuesday morning down in the valley, according to the following press release.

City of Milwaukee News Alert

Tuesday, August 24, 2004 10:00 a.m.

Event: News conference, ground breaking for construction at Stadium Business Park. The project is the result of an “extreme makeover” of the 17-acre property once the home of Ampco Metal. The foundry’s buildings have been demolished, and the site has undergone environmental cleanup. Join Mayor Tom Barrett, Alderman Bob Donovan, and developer Jeff Hall as they introduce a project that helps get Milwaukee ready for a new generation of industrial businesses, who are looking for efficient, attractive spaces near a solid workforce, and located at transportation links.

Date: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 rain or shine

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Location: To access the site from I-94, use the Miller Park exit, and continue south past the stadium (S. 43rd Street). At the intersection of S. 43rd and W. Burnham, turn left (east) on Burnham. After crossing the RR tracks, you will see the construction site on your left, at approximately 38th Street. Use the western-most gate.

Additional information will be provided at the event. Contact Roseann St. Aubin, DCD Communications, (414) 286-8580, or mobile (414) 708-8435.

Mayor’s Schedule

Once again, we are happy to provide the Mayor’s schedule for the upcoming week:

Be where the action is! Hang with the Mayor!

Milwaukee, WI—The following is a schedule of Mayor Tom Barrett’s public appearances for the week of August 22, 2004. Note: this schedule is subject to change.

Sunday, August 22

6:15 p.m.

Sen. Edwards Visit

Humboldt Park

Mayor Barrett will greet Senator Edwards and his daughter.

Monday, August 23

10:00-10:30 a.m.

Mayor Barrett and Congressman Ryan joint news conference

Milwaukee City Hall Rotunda

Mayor Barrett and Congressman Ryan will release findings of GAO investigation into why Milwaukee health care is more expensive than other cities.

7:00-9:30 p.m.

Wisconsin Young Leaders

Lakefront Brewery

1872 N. Commerce

Mayor will attend inaugural event. Son of Teresa Heinz Kerry and Stepson of Senator John Kerry, Chris Heinz, will also attend.

Tuesday, August 24

9:00-9:30 a.m.

MPS Opening School Year Kick-Off

Hamilton High School

6215 W. Warnimont Avenue, Auditorium

Mayor Barrett will make brief remarks.

10:00-10:30 a.m.

Press Conference on Stadium Business Park

1745 S. 38th Street (former Ampco Metal Foundry)

Groundbreaking on first of four expansive buildings. Development may create 300 jobs.

12:00-1:00 p.m.

Brown Bag Lunch

UCC, Café Sol

1028 S. 9th Street

Mayor Barrett will hold a Brown Bag Lunch with south side residents.

Wednesday, August 25

11:00-11:30 a.m.

Dedication of New Milwaukee VA Regional Office Building

5400 W. National Avenue

Mayor Barrett will make brief remarks.

Thursday, August 26

11:00-11:30 a.m.

Private Industry Council (PIC) Press Conference

Location & Details: TBA

Friday, August 27

5:00-5:30 p.m.

Mexican Fiesta Opening Ceremony

Summerfest Grounds, Cultural Area