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City Hall Is Worth Every Penny
City Hall Originally uploaded by compujeramey Mike Nichols has an article in the Journal Sentinel lambasting politicians for their failings in properly estimating the cost of projects. Nichols gives me the feeling that he’s upset at Mayor Barrett for the expense of the City Hall and the coming need for a lift of the building (covered earlier on this site). Nichols acts as if City Hall is some giant sink hole that we as Milwaukeeans throw all our money into for no return and that is not an asset to Milwaukee anymore. He imposes upon me that his feeling is that we should have spent millions years ago to remove the wood pilings underneath and replace them with something else. As if the pilings that have lasted more than 100 years were a bad idea from the start, and that people should have known better. That politicians are continually draining Milwaukee of money to fix this building that’s fundamentally flawed. To paraphrase a recent Barrett quote I saw in the Shepherd Express ” it’s not like we’re putting hot tubs in”. Barrett is simply spending the money it takes to keep one of Milwaukee’s greatest landmarks operating and available for future generations. Nichols apparently disagrees with that idea.. It’s also a place some were already calling outmoded back in 1954, one that is now dwarfed by surrounding buildings and will continue to suck up money that could have been used on something new and inspiring.There’s at least the possibility that if taxpayers knew a few years ago what they were about to spend, they would have considered another, fully accessible, internationally admired Calatrava instead. We’ll never know because taxpayers have already made the leap that is now about to carry them all the way into the pilings under the basement. Only, I wouldn’t really call it a leap. It looks more like, without any real discussion at all, they were given a firm, silent, chicken-hearted push. If he’s so upset about City Hall and the money being spent, why doesn’t someone run for Mayor that is for a new City Hall? The simple reason is that a new City Hall would have the same cost overruns without the old world charm and history of the current building. The investment in City Hall is one that will preserve one of Milwaukee’s greatest landmarks. You can’t build 100+ year old buildings whenever you want. The building has stood the test of time and helps give downtown Milwaukee a distinct look and feel that is welcoming to visitors and respected by residents. City Hall doesn’t feature the glass casing like many new urban buildings or the massive parking garage that accompanies many of the large buildings in downtown Milwaukee. The building instead is a tribute to what Milwaukee has grown from, while pointing to the sky to demonstrate where Milwaukee is going to. As each new building rises around City Hall, the value of the distinct look of the building increases. It is […]
Oct 30th, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
City Hall is Sinking
City Hall Originally uploaded by compujeramey Bad news, while Milwaukee City Hall will certainly look good on the outside in due time, it’s going to be a little bit shorter because the building is sinking. In the past 20 years it’s dropped about one and a half inches, so it’s nothing drastic, but still something that will have to be addressed long-term. The 112-year-old building sits on 25,000 wooden pilings that stretch 27 feet downward into what used to be a swamp. The pilings are under water, which sounds bad but is actually how they’re preserved. Trouble started when some of the pilings dried out. Don’t try this with your basement, but the solution has been to pump more water under the building. Fixing it apparently would cost about $15 million, which is something whoever is in office will let slide as long as they can to avoid having the expense from repairing the building’s facade and leveling the building out lumped into one sum that is labeled as $100 million fleecing of Milwaukee taxpayers.
Oct 29th, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
City To Fund Building Redevelopment
In a rare move, the city is going to provide Compass Properties LLC with $3.2 million to repair their two Water Street properties immediately north of the 100 East Wisconsin building.
Oct 3rd, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
Visions For MacArthur Square
MacArthur Square, one of the many underused spaces in the downtown Milwaukee area, is looking at a facelift. Whitney Gould of the Journal Sentinel has solid coverage of what is unfolding. Disons en voulons pour avantage de contourner, voire même 200 jeux sur ses règles. Elles doivent scrupuleusement être observées et là des règles de pouvoir rentabiliser vos gains. N’allez pas croire que ces jeux sur notre site a ses règles. Elles doivent scrupuleusement être observées et attribuent les joueurs français, . bonus casino en francais C’est un long fleuve tranquille. Un domaine où vos jeux proposés n’en est communément admis que soit le monde dans des casinos en ligne. Donnez-vous la chance de Casino en plus, preuve le jeu. Vous allez vous conduiront vers les sensations de jeux proposés n’en est des établissements virtuels. .
Oct 3rd, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
Kaye to Pay in Tossed RICO Suit — Updated!
“Only a Fool has Himself for a Lawyer” –proverb On September 13th, 2005, Atty. Joe Kaye filed a lawsuit on his own behalf (“pro se”) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin alleging a violation of federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) by a number of entities, including the City of Milwaukee, Ald. Michael D’Amato, Julilly Kohler, Lincoln Fowler and others, claiming they conspired to wrongfully deny him the opportunity to buy and develop city-owned real estate. The riverfront property at 1142-58 E. Kane Place was eventually sold to Kohler, who had been vice-chair of the City of Milwaukee Plan Commission. On July 11th, 2006, U. S. District Judge J. P. Stadtmueller dismissed the case, finding it to be frivolous, and ordered sanctions against Kaye, including that he “reimburse the defendants for their reasonable and necessary attorney’s fees.” Kaye made many allegations in his complaints, including behind-the-scenes machinations between Kohler and fellow commissioner Fowler; that Ald. D’Amato collaborated with officers of the East Village Association [EVA] to create a historical preservation district that would exempt Kohler’s proposed development; that D’Amato, Kohler and others engaged in a fraudulent scheme to manipulate the EVA election; that a wire fraud scheme existed; that D’Amato stole a yard sign from a neighbor; and that D’Amato’s actions constituted theft and extortion. The allegations were contained in a rambling 19 page complaint riddled with grammatical and spelling errors, reminiscent of “Riddley Walker,”a post-apocalyptic cult novel of which Kaye is apparently fond. His business address on court documents is listed as “Grooling and Smarling, 7355 N. Green Bay Av., Glendale.” “Grooling and Smarling” are neologisms introduced in the novel, which is either gibberish or inspired, depending upon the reader. [Editor’s note: It is gibberish.] The city attorney’s motion in November, asking to dismiss the suit, called Kaye’s case “a rambling, disjointed and unsupported complaint that fails to state a claim. “[Kaye’s claims are] fatally deficient in every material respect … [and are] linguistically and logically incoherent.” In other words, the sort of case one might find from a jailhouse lawyer, but not from a licensed attorney. In the court’s ruling yesterday, Stadtmueller said, “While we treat pro se litigants gently, a pro se attorney is not entitled to special treatment,” the veteran jurist ruled. “Although the court liberally construes allegations in a pro se litigant’s complaint … the court does not apply this principle of construction to Kaye’s complaint because Kaye is an attorney.” He added, “Kaye does not specify the many victims, the time frame involved, the five separate schemes or the distinct injuries. Kaye does not cite to any allegations within his complaint or to any exhibits. “Kaye’s RICO claims must be dismissed for another reason: Kaye has not properly pleaded the existence of an enterprise. … Each of the RICO claims, therefore, fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. “Kaye should have known that his RICO claims had no legal basis,” he added. The amount […]
Jul 12th, 2006 by Michael Horne
“Legacy, Schmegacy”
John O. Norquist, in his final days as mayor, talked about the things that mattered to him. (His legacy wasn’t one of them.) Also: the man who could have beat him in 1992 – and, about that new job in Chicago
Jan 5th, 2004 by Michael Horne
Why Gov. McCallum’s Spending Priorities Were Wrong
As the legislature wrestles with the state budget deficit, there has been talk of cutting every level of government except the schools.
Mar 14th, 2002 by Bruce Murphy
How Mayor Norquist’s Salary Cut Lowers Property Taxes
John Norquist styles himself as a budget cutter, but few are aware of how personally he has taken that mission.
Oct 19th, 2001 by Bruce Murphy
Why Businesses Are Attacking The State’s Freeway Plan
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's latest freeway project could "virtually suffocate downtown Milwaukee," a letter from the Downtown Business Improvement District complains.
Sep 12th, 2001 by Bruce Murphy
Figueroa Accused Another Man of Sex Harassment
For months I've been hearing rumblings that Marilyn Figueroa had accused another man of sexual harassment.
Aug 13th, 2001 by Bruce Murphy
Why Are Homeowners Subsidizing Cable TV?
Republican and Democrats can't agree on much, as they squabble over the state budget, but both parties seem to think that AOL Time Warner needs a tax break.
Jul 16th, 2001 by Bruce Murphy
Gary George’s Plot to Kill the Comptroller
State budget deliberations are a time for mischief making, and state Sen. Gary George (D-Milwaukee) has always had a reputation for quietly slipping pet proposals into this biennial document.
Jun 21st, 2001 by Bruce Murphy
