October 2006

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Candidate Interviews Pages 5 & 13-18

Vote! Nov. 7 Volume 3 • Issue 10

October 2006

Outpost faces Whole Foods with local emphasis By Michael Timm

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n September, Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative marked the anniversary of the opening of its Bay View location, 2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., with 48 percent greater sales than its original, admittedly conservative, market study predicted. The same month across town, Whole Foods Market opened a store of staggering scale at just under 54,000 square feet at 2305 N. Prospect Ave. It’s the second largest Whole Foods in the Midwest, and a competitor with Outpost in the Milwaukee natural and gourmet foods marketplace. Driving both Outpost’s sales and Whole Foods’ expansion is a nationwide natural foods retail market that continues to grow rapidly, outpacing regular food sales by as much as factor of 10, according to Outpost General Manager Pam Mehnert in an online column, “Local—The New Organic.”

“Here’s what co-ops tend to do: create interest and seed the market.” —Lisa Malmarowski Outpost’s total sales across three stores (Bay View, 7000 W. State St., 100 E. Capitol Dr.) increased 19 percent in the past fiscal year, said Margaret Bert, Outpost’s director of communications. The co-op declined to provide figures, but anticipates a 15 percent increase in Bay View sales for the next year. Whole Foods declined to comment on its sales, competitors, or projections except to say it welcomes competition. The publicly traded company (NASDAQ: WFMI) with 187 stores on two continents is doing well on Wall Street, however, with shares selling recently in the neighborhood of $60 and a market cap—the current value of all its shares—above $8.5 billion.

Competition “We’ve been preparing for competition for a number of years,” said Lisa Malmarowski, Outpost’s director of brand and store development. “They’re not a surprise.” She said there was awareness Whole Foods was investigating the Milwaukee market for at least the past decade. Increasing customer convenience by building multiple Outpost stores was one strategy to prepare for more competition, Malmarowski said, though locations were determined by coop owner desires. Bay View opened 8,000 square feet of retail space plus the commissary, preparing food for all three stores, in 2005; State Street opened in 2000; Capitol Drive was expanded in 1997. “Obviously it’s [Milwaukee is] very much an emerging gourmet market,” said Kate Klotz, public relations specialist for Whole Foods’ Midwest region. “We’d been looking for a very long time to find a perfect spot for the store.” Whole Foods’ dramatic entry into the East Side reflects that the Milwaukee natural foods market has ripened, in part due to Outpost, said Malmarowski. “Here’s what co-ops tend to do: create interest and seed the market,” she said. As for the economic impact the large-scale corporate retailer will have on Milwaukee’s largest preexisting natural foods co-op, if Minneapolis is any example, the seeders have so far proved robust competitors. Minneapolis has five different co-ops, and they have continued to grow even after Whole Foods came to town in the late 1990s. “I think it just slowed our growth down temporarily. A lot of members went out, scoped it out, came back,” said Elizabeth Archerd, member services director at The Wedge Natural Foods Cooperative in Minneapolis. She said all the Twin Cities co-ops are sharing in a growing market where they also compete against conventional retailers. SEE PAGE 9

The proposed Mod Lofts apartments, looking east along Lincoln Ave. The white building is 422 E. Lincoln Ave., which houses Wild Flour Bakery & Café as well as nine condo units of the Allis Street Flats. ~image courtesy Vetter-Denk Architecture

Green architecture proposed for five-story, 53-unit apartment By Michael Timm

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n the past it was a burial ground. In the present it’s a parking lot. The city of Milwaukee and Vetter-Denk Architecture would like the future of 2254 S. Allis St. to be an innovative five-story, 53-unit modular apartment building called Mod Lofts.

John Vetter of Vetter-Denk, which submitted one of two proposals for the site, described his concept before about 50 people at a public meeting Sept. 18 sponsored by District 14 Alderman Tony Zielinski. Vetter said the lot was situated at the “epicenter of Bay View” and that Mod Lofts would help form a “town square quality” while satisfying a “pent-up market for high quality rental” in Bay View. Vetter envisioned two types of retail in 3,500 square feet of first floor space: “service-centered” in the 1,300 square feet off Lincoln, and “social,” perhaps a café, in the 2,200 square feet off Allis. Above this would be a second story outdoor terrace with stair access from the Allis Street sidewalk. A requirement for the proposal was to at least replace as much parking as currently exists: 51 spaces with 29 metered, 17 leased, and five by overnight permit. The proposed building incorporates a two-level

parking structure with approximately 90 spaces, 38 on the first level and 52 above. Residential units would be prefabricated modules of “open unencumbered space” of about 16 by 38 feet. Vetter said they would cater to the “bohemian lifestyle” and range in price from $600 to $900 per month depending on location within the building and the current market rates for rentals. He said Mod Lofts targeted “younger urban professionals and the environmentally-minded.” The lofts would have floorto-ceiling operable glass windows. Some would have lake views, he said. A market study by Virchow, Krause, and Company supported Vetter-Denk’s conclusions about the project’s viability, Vetter said, but was confidential. Virchow, Krause, and Company did not return Compass inquiries about the nature of the market study. Green features would be incorporated into the building design, including recycled materials, renewable energies, passive ventilation, and possibly a green roof to manage stormwater. Two communal terraces on third level would be open spaces for tenants, but not public. Vetter said he was investigating grants SEE PAGE 6

INSIDE Pg 5 Pg 6 Pg 7 Pg 8 Pg 10 Pg 11 Pg 13 Pg 14 Pg 15 Pg 16 Pg 17 Pg 18 Pg 19 ~photo Michael Timm

Race for Attorney General Zielinski: Anti-Truancy Sinicki: Fighting Wal-Mart Stewart Allis Cemetery Avalon Renovations Dinner By Design Race for Governor Race for U.S. Senate Race for U.S. Congress Race for State Senate Race for District Attorney Race for Sheriff Bay View in Film Festival

Bay View Compass PO Box 100 Milwaukee WI 53201-0100


P UBLISHER & E DITOR

Katherine Keller

IN

FLUFF FROM THE B L U F F

C HIEF

A SSISTANT E DITOR Michael Timm D ESIGNER Dan Gautraud P ROOFREADER

Michael Timm

Do you think the recent big drop in gasoline prices has anything to do with the upcoming elections? Interviews and photos by Jason Haas

C ONTENT C ONSULTANT

Bill Lavelette

C OLUMNISTS Marina Dimitrijevic Linda Fausel Judy Gilbertson Jason Haas Jon Richards Chris Sinicki Tony Zielinski

it’s low righ t “Th ey bought too much and r, and it’s ove ’s son sea vel tra The now. giv ing , but by nks Tha by $2 be suppos ed to wh o kno ws, $3, be ly bab Chr istm as it’ll pro may be $4.” Street —Cynthia Lehman, Burrell

C ONTRIBUTING P HOTOGRAPHERS Jason Haas Michael Timm

Cool vibes in Bay View By Linda Fausel

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e pulled into the driveway of our tiny puddler’s cottage nine years ago, clueless. Having spent nearly 20 years on the east side, UWM area, we came to Bay View seeking solitude, and parking.

The library: Pull up a chair along the warmed-by-the-midday-sun west wall and read, or watch the world go by on KK. The staff is helpful and friendly plus. The kids are well behaved.

On the surface, Bay View offered an urban alternative—nice homes, big trees, green spaces, but what was it really like living south of the Hoan? Nearly a decade has come and gone, and one thing is certain. Relocating was right—for a myriad of reasons.

The lake: Bay View is the great place by a great lake. Take in the city skyline, stroll acres of emerald grass; catch the ferryboarding guests, scour the sandy shore for colored stones; toss bread to the ducks, geese, or eagle-eyed gulls while watching statuesque boats clip along the teal water, wind-driven, horizon-bound.

The people: Expressive, unusual sorts of persons walk among us, helping to make our Bay View experience interesting. Some of Bay View’s distinguished are (in no particular order):

C ONTRIBUTING W RITERS Michael Timm John Utzat C IRCULATION Bay View Compass is a monthly newspaper serving Bay View, Walker’s Point, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Copies can be picked up free of charge at most public neighborhood locations.

“Oh, I never gave that muc h tho ugh t unt il you just bro ugh t it up. Yea h, it probably doe s.” —Terry Sorensen, Idaho Street

C ONTACT U S Bay View Compass PO Box 100 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0100 (414) 489-0880 editor@bayviewcompass.com bayviewcompass.com

“Yes I do. You got the oil men in the White House , and right after the electio ns, it will proba bly go back up.” —James Stankiewicz, Potter Avenue

A DVERTISING & S ALES P AUL R OGERS (414) 489-0880, (414) 482-2069 Bay View Compass PO Box 100 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0100 (414) 489-0880 ads@bayviewcompass.com D ISTRIBUTION 10,000 copies distributed on the 15th of each month from Brady St. on East Side to Packard and Layton in Cudahy.

“Ye s I do. I think that the Republicans have the big money, and I think bec ause of that the prices are going dow n. The y hope to get reelecte d, or elec ted if the y’re not the incu mbe nt.” —Susan Blinderman, Lin ebarger Terrace

• The Stick Man. • The young woman dressed like a cat (including ears and tail). • The boy in the Matrix coat. • The red Mohawk, black fishnet stockings-high top tennis shoes lady. We’ve got people fishing along the inlet below Cupertino Park; scores of runners, dog-walkers, and weekend bikers dressed in leather finery; we’ve got skateboarding kids, tattooed, metal-adorned youth, and power-walking elders—these people and others add flavor and emphasize the real life cool vibe factor in Bay View. The food: Bay View has good food. The chips and sauce, the veggie pita, the blueberry pie at Lulu’s; the Mediterranean fries at Annona, the burritos and everything else at Taqueria Azteca; the sandwiches at Sven’s and Hi Fi—you can’t go hungry around here.

The politics: Bay View is civic-minded. People care. People are informed. There is an active neighborhood list serve, neighborhood and business associations, block watches, an active historical society. There is an arts guild, Lions Club, garden society, and local newspaper. Attendance at public meetings is high; neighbors support neighbors. The alderman is active and responsive. So is the county supervisor. Legendary local events run by volunteers: The South Shore Water Frolics is going strong 57 years after its debut; The Bay View Bash for three; both events offer memorable family fun. Bay View has it all—theater, beauty salons and bookstores; hardware, antique, and clothing shops; popular bars, music stores, and bakeries—Bay View offers a comfortable living environment for locals and transplants alike. I am proud to call it home. Linda Fausel lives and writes in Bay View. Email: flufffrombluff@bayviewcompass.com.

Bay View Compass welcomes letters to the editor and guest editorials. Letters must be signed and include author’s name and phone number. Names will be withheld upon request. Send submissions to: letters@bayviewcompass.com Bay View Compass reserves the right to refuse any advertising. ©2004-2006 Bay View Compass All Rights Reserved

“No, I think it’s because the big travel season is over now and the big oil companies just can’t profit that much anymore. Winter’s coming up, you know, fall, winter, and there’s not really a lot of people traveling long distances right now, so it’s not the same amount of money that it would be in the summer when they can raise the prices and rip off the hard-working American people.” —Robert Smith, Wentworth Avenue

REPRINT NOTICE For reprint info or permission, contact editor@bayviewcompass.com MISSION STATEMENT Bay View Compass is a neighborhood newspaper written by and for people who have a stake in Bay View. It reflects and is a meeting place for Bay View and its neighboring communities to share information, celebrate Bay View, and build community through people and neighborhoods.

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comme ntarie s on TV “Ye s, I do thi nk so. The sed by les s dri ving cau have bee n that it is me r. Howeve r, it wasn’t sum n tha l fal the ing dur it we nt dow n $1.50? So . ore bef low eve n this nth or six we eks to mo a n tha It tak es longer something doe sn’t nk thi I raise that supply, so ly sib the Bushes had seem right. I thi nk pos bia do something Ara di Sau in s end the ir fri now of cou rse you d An . ply sup to increase the , it’s wo nde rful, ‘Oh , say y hear people , too, the the n the y don’t but !’ I’m sav ing mo ney on gas $1.59 for apples, or ing pay y’re the t rea lize tha pay ing for all the cos t peache s are $1.90. You’re t don’t come from tha of shi ppi ng for thi ngs ing on gas, maybe sav here. Jus t bec ause we’re t much, bec ause tha an me sn’t doe ek, $10 a we doi ng that gre at.” not y’s nom eco the res t of the ale nd Gle an, oki —Sandra Ambro

Volume 3 • Issue 10

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Ahoy!

BAY VIEW ORGANIZATIONS

Food is hot. Americans rediscovered food in the past two decades. Julia Child’s debut cooking show on PBS four decades ago was a factor that catalyzed our love affair with real food again, after it was commodified in the 50s to something that was poured out of a can or vacuum-sealed pouch, dumped out of a box, or scooped off of an aluminum or plastic tray. In the past two decades our palate has become diverse. Now we know the difference between northern and southern Italian cuisine. We eat Thai, Cuban, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cajun, Indian, Jamaican, North African, and Middle Eastern food, to name a few of the cuisines that have become fairly commonplace in our culture. Our love affair locks us in a passionate embrace with scores of TV (and even radio) food and cooking shows, food magazines, and we browse hundreds of cookbooks, and thousands upon thousands of recipes online. We fawn over celebrity chefs, pay for cooking classes—here or virtually anyplace on the globe. We invest in how-to DVDs, explore interactive websites, and patronize cooking gadget stores or cruise kitchen equipment stores that permit us to deck out our home with a room that looks like a restaurant kitchen, only bigger.

the big natural food stores. In each instance, there was debate in the community. Some debated the morality of patronizing the new superstore or worried about the effect on the local independents, while at the other end of the spectrum, others welcomed broader selection and better prices, with no apparent pangs of conscience. Michael Timm takes a look at Whole Foods and Outpost in this issue, page 1, exploring the impact of the big chain on the three-decades-old ONF. Curious about food prices, we compared them at Pick ’n Save and ONF in Bay View and at the new Whole Foods. You’ll find the results on page 9. We continue our coverage of the developing condo market in Bay View, taking a look at the proposed Mod Lofts project, page 1, and at the condos for sale in the building that houses Wild Flour, page 11, on Lincoln and Allis. As the community ponders Mod Lofts’ pros and cons, some residents have reminded developers and representatives that the site was once a burial ground. The Compass explores that history in John Utzat’s contribution to Historic Bay View, page 8, and with Michael Timm’s coverage of implications of the former burial ground for the city and the developers, also page 8.

Another by-product of the food revolution is the depth and breadth of produce and ingredients available to us now like daikon, jicama, arugula, galangal, achiote, miso, and asafetida. Accompanying the new food consciousness has been a flowering of ethnic markets, farmers markets, natural food stores, and the transformation of ordinary grocery stores to almostglamorous emporiums, which (finally) brings me to the point of this introduction: Two years ago, November 2004, we launched the first issue of the Compass. One of the lead stories was the news that Outpost was going to open its third retail venue in the old Kohl’s building on Kinnickinnic. When I delivered that issue to our drop spots in Bay View, people were polarized about the news. Some were delighted; others were disappointed or frustrated that it wasn’t going to be a traditional grocery chain.

We devoted a third of this issue to interviews with some of those who are soliciting your vote next month in the general election. The majority of candidates we invited to participate did so. The interviews are found on pages 5 and 13-19 for these races: governor, attorney general, U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress District 4, State Senate District 7, Milwaukee County District Attorney, and Milwaukee County Sheriff. Thank you to the candidates for their participation and to our readers, Bash-goers, and others who helped us choose topics, frame issues, and craft questions.

Though they had some detractors, Outpost has enjoyed tremendous success here in Bay View. Last month was the first-year anniversary of their opening. It was also the month that marked Whole Foods’ launch in metro Milwaukee. The Whole Foods phenomenon is akin to that of the superstore book retailers like Barnes & Noble. I was living in three different cities during the 90s when the superstores moved in, bookstores and/or

School is what we make it When a child drops out of school or graduates without being able to read, we tend to blame “the system.” If that is the case, then each and every one of us is to blame for that child’s failure—because we are the system. Our public education system belongs to every citizen. We have a stake in what goes on in the classrooms of every school, not just because we help purchase the books and desks and chalk. The knowledge shared and learned within those school walls belongs to us, too. So when a student falls short, we get shortchanged. The only way we can protect our investment is to be actively involved in its growth and development. That is the message the National PTA is sending throughout the nation in a

Editorial Bash a peaceful success Local officials and law enforcement estimate the attendance at the third annual Bay View Bash Sept. 16 was close to 20,000. Bash is sponsored by the Bay View Neighborhood Association and proceeds fund upcoming community events. There were no complaints or tickets issued by the Milwaukee Police Department. The Compass spotted Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, 7th District state Senator Jeff Plale, and District 14 Alderman Tony Zielinski making the rounds up and down KK. District 4 County

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Bay View Arts Guild Linda Beckstrom, (414) 482-1543 bayviewarts.org bvarts@yahoo.com Bay View Bicycle Club Linda Roessl, (414) 764-0091 bayviewbikeclub.org membership@bayviewbikeclub.org Bay View Business Association bayviewbusiness.com Bay View Community Center 1320 E. Oklahoma Ave. Linda Nieft, (414) 482-1000 bayviewcenter.org Bay View Garden and Yard Society Lorraine Heins, (414) 482-3796 bvgays.com bvgpresident@bvgays.com

We have also included the text of the three referenda, city and statewide, that you will find on your ballot. You’ll find it on page 18.

Bay View High School Alumni Association Sonia Simko, (414) 379-3541 basketbabe53207@yahoo.com

We invite you to read the interviews and explore the candidates’ websites. The election is Nov. 7. More information about the election can be found at www.ci.mil.wi.us/display/router.asp. The polls are open from 7am to 8pm. Vote!

Bay View Historical Society Mark Nitka, (414) 483-8881 bayviewhistoricalsociety.org

Katherine Keller Publisher and Editor

Bay View Lions Club Joe Klinkiewicz, (414) 282-1980

campaign entitled “School is what WE make it.” The theme points out that we must all be involved in the education of our children if we want to be sure that every child completes school and learns all he or she needs to know to be a productive, contributing member of our society. Each child who fails could mean an additional burden on our welfare system. Every failure could lead to more crime in our communities, which causes a decline in the quality of our lives, not just the child’s life. By the same token, we can all share in the successes of our schools and their students. Because when they succeed it means that we as caring, active citizens have made a difference. Let’s join the PTA in celebrating the value and importance of a strong public education. If school is what we make it, let’s make it the very best for our children—and our community. Penny Manke, South Milwaukee

Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic had a table. Numerous political candidates for office, both in 2006 and 2007, also walked the beat. Thanks for those who stopped by to say hi to the Compass or to suggest questions for the political candidates. We used some of your ideas to formulate the questions you will find in this issue. Our praise to the strongmen, belly dancing women, and skateboarding youth for showing us the wonders the human body can perform. And congratulations to Bash organizers for a wellorganized street festival that is steadily gaining an iconic reputation as a worthwhile gala both within the neighborhood and across Milwaukee. Suggestion: Next year publish a map of the different booth locations so Bash-goers know who’s where.

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Bay View Area Redcats Ron Bird/Jerry Fritsch, (414) 482-7264

Bay View Matters groups.yahoo.com/group/bay_view_matters

Letters

ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH & CHILD DAY CARE

Bay View American Legion Post 180 2860 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. (414) 483-0677

Bay View Neighborhood Assn. (BVNA) Stephanie Harling (414) 744-5343 stephharling@hotmail.com gobayview.org For Bay View Bash Info, see bayviewbash.org Beulah Brinton Community Center 2555 S. Bay St. Bob Gavronski, (414) 481-2494 milwaukeerecreation.net/beulah-brinton Forward Bay View forwardbayview.org PO Box 70027 Milwaukee, WI 53207-0027 Humboldt Park — Bay View Ice Skaters Greg Stilin, (414) 483-2493 Humboldt Park Fourth of July Association Carolyn Selimi, (414) 744-7095 Humboldt Park Watch Ruth Simos, (414) 483-9330 Interorganizational Council of Bay View Lee Morbeck, (414) 282-7735 Marian Center for Nonprofits 3195 South Superior St. (414) 483-2430, mariancenter.net South Community Organization Terri Toporsch, (414) 643-7913 South Shore Farmers Market Kathy Mulvey, (414) 744-0408 South Shore Garden Club Sharon Napierala (414) 769-6418 or smnsn@msn.com; Paula Grosenick at (414) 482-1256. South Shore Park Watch Dennis Schumaker, (414) 481-8274 Kathy Mulvey, (414) 744-0408 South Shore Yacht Club James Hutchinson, (414) 481-2331 ssyc.org

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St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care Sr. Edna, (414) 977-5000 stanncenter.org

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Volume 3 • Issue 10

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

October 2006

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N.E.W.S AND BRIEFS Buckthorn busters sought

The Park People are looking for a few good men and women to fight invasive species and help preserve Milwaukee County’s parks. The fall Weed-Out program is ongoing, with sessions every Saturday from 9am to noon at various parks, with additional hours at some locations. Volunteers should dress appropriately, wearing long trousers, sturdy shoes, and work gloves. For more information, call (414) 273PARK or (414) 702-7288. Weed-Out is supported in part by grants from REI Corporation and the Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network. Oct. 21 Lake Park, 3233 E. Kenwood Blvd. (meet at the warming house) Doctors Park, Dean Rd., east of Lake Dr, Fox Point (meet in the parking lot) Oct. 28 Lake Park, Menomonee River Parkway, Wauwatosa (meet on parkway south of Keefe) Nov. 4 Kletzsch Park, 6560 N. Milwaukee River Pkwy., Glendale (meet at the pavilion) Grant Park, South Milwaukee, (meet on main park road off S. Lake Dr. and Park Ave.) Also from 1 to 4pm at Grant Nov. 11 Jacobus Park, 6501 Hillside Ln., Wauwatosa (meet at the pavilion) Falk Park, 2013 E. Rawson Ave., Oak Creek (meet in the parking lot) Nov. 18 Jacobus Park, Root River, Canal Woods, 6000 W. Ryan Rd., Franklin, (meet at Milwaukee Sports Complex)

Budget listening sessions

District 4 County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic invites the public to attend her listening sessions on the Milwaukee County budget. Each meeting will begin with a summary of County Executive Scott Walker’s 2007 recommended budget, followed immediately by public feedback and suggestions on the 2007 budget. Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 5 to 7pm at the South Shore Park Pavilion, 2900 S. Shore Dr. Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 5 to 7pm at the Clark Square Pavilion, 2330 W. Vieau Pl. For additional information, call Dimitrijevic at (414) 278-4232.

Halloween at McDonald’s

McDonald’s of Bay View, 830 E. Potter Ave., is sponsoring “Halloween Fun Time at McDonald’s” Saturday, Oct. 22 from 5 to 7pm. The free event geared toward children features an art project, party favors, games, and a guessing jar. Costumes are encouraged. Parent or guardian must accompany children. For more information, call (414) 7690730.

Milwaukee’s historic movie theaters

Meet Larry Widen, author of a new book, Silver Screens: A Pictorial History of Milwaukee’s Movie Theaters, when he presents an illustrated lecture Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 6:30 pm in the first floor meeting room at Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave. Books will be available for purchase and the author will sign books following this free event.

Montessori campus at St. Augustine

Downtown Montessori Academy, Inc. has moved its campus to 2507 S. Graham St., in the St. Augustine school building. Downtown Montessori, formerly at 2319 E. Kenwood Blvd., is the city’s most ethnically diverse charter school. The academy was founded by parents in 1976 and granted charter school status in 1998. The “Montessori method” is a type of schooling that differs from traditional classroom approaches with grade levels, standardized curricula, homework, and tests. It instead provides opportunities to children of assorted ages to explore their environment, often in hands-on activities designed to encourage them to develop self-discipline rather than respect authority. St. Augustine consolidated with four other area Catholic Schools in 2004 to form St. Thomas Aquinas Academy, formerly with two campuses at St. Paul and St. Veronica. This school year, the St. Veronica campus is the school’s only site.

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Volume 3 • Issue 10

Busy October at Bay View Schwartz

at 424 E. Wells St. John Chisholm is the Democratic candidate for DA; Lew Wasserman is an independent candidate for DA.

The Great Lakes Water Wars Former Newsweek correspondent Peter Annin is at Schwartz, 2262 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., to talk about his book, The Great Lakes Water Wars, Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7pm. The Great Lakes are the largest collection of fresh surface water on Earth, and more than 40 million Americans and Canadians live in their basin. Annin asks: Will we divert water from the Great Lakes, causing them to end up like Central Asia’s Aral Sea, which has lost 90 percent of its surface area and 75 percent of its volume since 1960? Or will we come to see that unregulated water withdrawals are ultimately catastrophic? Annin’s book is a fast-paced account of the people and stories behind these upcoming battles. The Great Lakes Water Wars is a balanced, comprehensive look behind the scenes at the conflicts and compromises that are the past—and future—of this unique resource. Ambitious Brew Author Maureen Ogle will speak at Schwartz about Ambitious Brew, the first ever history of American beer Monday, Oct. 23 at 7pm. Ogle tells beer’s epic story, from the immigrants who invented it to the upstart microbrewers who revived it. Beer might seem as American as baseball, but that wasn’t always true. It was not until a wave of German immigrants arrived in the middle of the 19th century—when they promptly set about recreating the pleasures of the biergartens that they had left behind—that American-style lager beer became the nation’s most popular beverage. Trouble Author Patrick Somerville is in town Tuesday, Oct. 24 to read from his first book of stories at 7pm. In Trouble, his witty and inventive debut, including a story that was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, he charts the dangerous territories of adolescence and adulthood for the American male. Trouble explodes with wicked humor, exuberant braininess, and unforgettable style. Somerville is from Green Bay but now lives in Chicago. He has taught creative writing at both Cornell and Auburn SCF. Conservatize Me Political humorist John Moe is at Schwartz Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7 pm to discuss the immersion experience at the heart of his newest book, Conservatize Me. Moe asks: What would happen if a lifelong, dyed-in-the-wool, recycling liberal immersed himself entirely in conservative thought, culture, and rhetoric for one month? In the tradition of Morgan Spurlock’s hit film Supersize Me, which documented the dramatic effects of a steady diet of McDonald’s food on the filmmaker’s body, Moe applies the same technique to politics. Moe will speak about the one month he set his radio dials from NPR to Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, watched nothing but the Fox News Channel, and read only the Wall Street Journal.

District attorney debate

The Milwaukee Bar Association sponsored debate between candidates for Milwaukee County District Attorney takes place Monday, Oct. 30 from noon to 1pm

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

Celtic Halloween at Grant Park

The Garlic Mustard Pickers band will perform a “Celtic Halloween” concert sponsored by the Friends of Grant Park Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7pm in the Grant Park Golf Clubhouse, 100 E. Hawthorne Ave. in South Milwaukee. Donations are $5 at the door. Sprecher Oktoberfest will be on tap. The event is a fundraiser for Friends of Grant Park. Much of the money goes to Weed-Out campaigns against the invasive species of buckthorn and garlic mustard in Grant Park. For more information or to volunteer, call Don Lawson at (414) 764-0612.

Help Hunger Task Force

The Hunger Task Force is seeking potential activists dedicated to eliminating hunger.

To that end, the group is sponsoring a hunger activists training conference Saturday, Oct. 21 from 8am to noon at South Division High School, 1515 W. Lapham Blvd. Lectures by anti-hunger and legislative leaders will discuss the state of hunger and poverty in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, how the political process works, and what individuals can do to become effective citizen advocates. Workshops will discuss MPS and county legislative processes, the state of Wisconsin budget process, strategies for activists to influence legislators, a case study of the MPS universal free breakfast program, the power of nonprofits, and the impact of the 2007 federal farm bill on nutrition programs for the poor. Pre-registration is $15; same-day registration is $20; but no one will be refused participation if they cannot pay the fee, which includes light breakfast, coffee, and training materials. Register in advance at hungertaskforce. org/hungerconference_registration.html. To learn more, contact Kevin Ronnie at (414) 777-0483 ext. 124, or kevin@hungertaskforce.org.

Jack-o’-lantern carvers needed

Historic Bay View and Forward Bay View want to light up the historic Beulah Brinton House and lot with glowing gourds to celebrate Halloween. They are looking for volunteers to help carve jacko’-lanterns. Pumpkins will be provided at the carving event to take place Thursday, Oct. 26, from 5 to 7pm at Beulah Brinton House, 2590 S. Superior St. In addition to the carving event, HBV and FBV are staging family-fun activities at “Beulah Brinton Pumpkin Palace” (Beulah Brinton House) on Fri., Oct. 27, Sat., Oct. 28, and Sun., Oct 29, 6-10pm. Activities include face painting, Halloween-themed photo opportunities, refreshments, with hundreds of lighted pumpkins on view. Live music will be included Friday and Saturday evenings.

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N.E.W.S AND BRIEFS To reserve a spot or more information, contact Mark Nitka, (414) 483-8881 or consult bayviewhistoricalsociety.org or forwardbayview.org.

Library needs adult tutors

Adult volunteers are needed to provide one-on-one tutoring for adult literacy students at the Milwaukee Public Library. The volunteers will provide tutoring for Milwaukee residents ages 18 and older who want to upgrade their basic math and reading skills as well as for adults working to complete the GED or studying Englishas-a-Second Language. To become a volunteer adult tutor, call Dawn Lauber at (414) 286-3009 to register for training. There are four tutor training sessions for a total of 11 hours of training on Mondays: Oct. 23 and 30, and Nov. 6 and 13. After training is completed, tutors will be matched up with an adult learner. Tutors and students will meet in the library once a week for a onehour session. The program currently is available at these neighborhood libraries: Center Street, Forest Home, Mill Road, Tippeca-

noe, and Washington Park. For more info: mpl.org/file/news_tutors.htm.

trick-or-treat hours this year are 5 to 8pm Saturday, Oct. 28.

New liaison officer

This year’s Bay View trick-or-treat zone is defined by the following boundaries: Lake Michigan on the east, Howell/Chase Avenues on the west, Bay Street on the north, and Howard Avenue on the south.

The 2nd District of the Milwaukee Police Department has a new community liaison officer: Jose Arzaga. The former CLO, Officer Emeterio Gutierrez, was recently promoted to sergeant and moved to the 6th District late shift. Gutierrez assumed the post this summer after the retirement of former Community Liaison Officer Kevin Obremski. Prior to his appointment, Arzaga had been assigned to the District 2 early shift throughout his five years as an officer. Contact Officer Arzaga about community, crime, or safety concerns at (414) 935-7228 or jarzag@milwaukee.gov.

Trick-or-Treat Sat. night from 5 to 8

Nighttime trick-or-treat hours for the Bay View neighborhood were approved by District 14 Alderman Tony Zielinski for the second year in a row. Bay View’s

If you live within this zone, the Bay View Neighborhood Association invites you to participate in the Saturday night trick-or-treat hours even though the city of Milwaukee trick-or-treat hours are 1 to 4pm Sunday, Oct. 29.

any anticipated patrol needs. BVNA Holiday Committee Chairman Heather Ryan said the change was sought to promote a stronger sense of community. “I saw more people out at nighttime trickor-treat [last year] than I ever saw at one time on my block,” Ryan said. “That was the great thing. Everybody came out. We talked. We socialized. It was an event that really did promote neighborhood cohesiveness.” Zielinski favored the Saturday night hours over Sunday night, as last year, because it is not a school night.

Zielinski approved the nighttime hours, lobbied for by the BVNA holiday committee, after 66 percent of respondents to his aldermanic newsletter survey indicated support, according to BVNA.

Ryan encourages anyone with suggestions on how to make this year’s event go smoothly, or anyone who would commit to being outside during trick-or-treat hours, to contact her at (414) 747-9091.

“A lot of parents and grandparents want to afford kids the opportunity of what they experienced as kids,” Zielinski said. “All people who had nighttime trick-ortreating had fond memories. It’s just more fun when you’re doing it in the evening.”

BVNA does not mandate participation in the Bay View hours to the exclusion of the Milwaukee hours, as Bay View is part of the city of Milwaukee, but the point is to have the hours changed within the Bay View zone, Ryan said.

Zielinski told BVNA he will be in contact with supervisors in the District 2 police station to make them aware of the day and hours so they may adjust staffing for

For safe trick-or-treating tips, consult www.city.milwaukee.gov.

Wisconsin State Attorney General Race K a t h l e e n Fa l k / J . B . Va n H o l l e n

Kathleen Falk, Democratic Party Part I (Yes or No) 1. Do you support legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons in Wisconsin? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 2. Do you support unrestricted stem cell research? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 3. Do you support allowing pharmacists to withhold a prescription based on personal beliefs? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 4. Do you support the proposed state constitutional amendment to define marriage? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 5. Do you support the death penalty in Wisconsin? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 6. Do you support enforcement of the Great Lakes Water Agreement? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 7. Do you support establishing an independent airport authority for GMIA? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 8. Do you support prohibiting smoking in Wisconsin public places? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 9. Do you support withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq immediately? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 10. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income tax? Falk: declined to respond to Y/N portion.

Part II

1. Is this post just a stepping stone to your higher political ambitions? If not, then describe why not and what vision you bring to the post. Also describe your judicial, legal, or prosecutorial experience. Falk: My intentions are clear. I am running for attorney general because Wisconsin needs a leader who will fight for working families. As attorney general I will fight crime across the state, but I will also protect consumers and the environment.

I spent 20 years lawyering for citizens—winning cases in the state Supreme Court. For 14 years I served as assistant attorney general, 14 years longer than my opponent. As county executive for 10 years, I added 85 sheriff’s deputies, cracked down on gangs, and internet predators. I’ve added resources to the DA’s office to fight white collar crime. 2. What did Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager do that most impressed you? What will you do most differently from Lautenschlager? Falk: Peg Lautenschlager has been a public servant for many decades, as a DA, state legislator, U.S. Attorney, and attorney general. I commend her for her many years of service. For 30 years I have fought for Wisconsin families and have a strong record of prioritizing public safety. I outlined a comprehensive approach to fight gangs, fix the crime lab backlog, reduce trafficking of meth, protect children, consumers, and the environment, and get special interest influences out of campaigns. For more on my proposals, visit my website: kathleenfalk.com. As attorney general, I will fight crime, and protect consumers and the environment. 3. What will be your top priority, if elected attorney general? Falk: As attorney general, I will take a comprehensive approach to fighting crime, protecting consumers and the environment. I will initiate plans to prevent crimes before they occur, and vigorously prosecute the criminals who choose to break the law. I outlined a comprehensive approach to fight gangs, fix the crime lab backlog, reduce importation and trafficking of meth, protect children, consumers and the environment, and get special interest influences out of campaigns. For more on my policy proposals, check out my website: kathleenfalk.com.

I have the experience it takes to lead effectively as attorney general, and I’ll get the job done. 4. What do you consider the greatest challenge facing law enforcement in Wisconsin? How would you, as attorney general, address that challenge? Falk: One of the greatest challenges to law enforcement is having a leader you can work with who understands your needs and can provide your resources. I have more experience than my opponent, serving as assistant attorney general for 14 years, and county executive for 10 years. As county executive I manage a budget five times larger than that of the Department of Justice. For the past 10 years I worked closely with the sheriff and DA to prioritize public safety. I have increased the sheriff’s budget by more than $25 million annually, and beefed up the district attorney’s office. 5. If you were able to change three things about the role of Wisconsin’s attorney general, what would they be and why? Falk: The job is defined by state statute and the state constitution—and the job of the attorney general is to follow and carry out those laws. In my campaign, I outlined a comprehensive approach to fighting crime in Wisconsin. In my first 100 days I will re-prioritize resources to fix the crime lab backlog. I will initiate an environmental strike force that will identify the worst environmental crimes to bring the violators to justice. I will work with legislative leaders to toughen penalties against the sex offenders who sneak into our homes using the internet to prey on our children. 6. Do you agree with the three strikes sentencing law? Why/why not?

Falk: I believe in our justice system, and I believe that those who repeatedly commit these types of crimes should be punished. I support the recommendations of several judicial and legislative task forces that have reviewed three strikes. 7. The number of prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities in the state has increased by over 100 percent in the past decade, according to U.S. Department of Justice information published in 2006. Mid-1995, Wisconsin had 10,632 prisoners. By mid-2005, Wisconsin had 22,664 prisoners. What has contributed to the great increase in the number of incarcerated people? Falk: There are numerous reasons—changes in the laws in the 1990s, drug and alcohol addictions, poverty, and others. There are many reasons for the increase in the number of incarcerated people in recent years, but as county executive I have earned a record of being tough and smart on crime. I instituted unique programs that hold people accountable for their crimes, but also provide treatment so they don’t commit the same crimes again. These policies are smarter on crime and smarter on tax dollars. 8. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Wisconsin? What percent comes from political action committees? Falk: Less than 5% of contributions to my campaign on the June 30 official finance report came from outside Wisconsin. Between Jan. 1 and June 30, my campaign received 1,440 individual contributions, more than 75% of which came in amounts of $200 or less. In that same time period less than 2% of the contributions to my campaign came from PACs. While my opponent chose to fund his campaign largely with his own money and through special interests, I have had an incredible amount of grassroots support with an overwhelming number of individual contributions. (replied Oct. 7, 2006)

Candidates were asked to respond in 100 words or less per question. The Compass invited J.B. Van Hollen to respond but did not receive any responses by the deadline. 5

Volume 3 • Issue 10

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Anti-truancy initiative would pressure parents of truants I

am advancing an aggressive new citywide initiative to help crack down on truancy. The present system involves the police catching the truant student and then writing a citation. Cumbersome, inefficient, and ineffective describe this outdated method of citing truants. For example, truants will oftentimes evade police, and even when they don’t evade police, we don’t have the manpower to catch every truant.

A LDERMAN Z IELINSKI

ents know that they will actually be held accountable for a change, we will see improvement in attendance at our schools. We all know that Milwaukee has the fourth highest dropout rate in the country and that we also have the fourth highest poverty rate in the country. That correlation between dropout rate and poverty rate is no coincidence. This dropout rate also contributes to the crime rate and the unemployment rate. To be sure, we cannot increase our graduation rate if kids don’t attend school! As far as the administrative logistics are concerned, the police chief is considering assigning a half-time police officer position for this initiative. In the event the chief does not assign such a position, then I will introduce a resolution to get the funding for that position.

by Tony Zielinski

Under my initiative the schools will verbally notify a designated officer in the police department of all truants at that school. The officer then fills out a form for each student and submits it to the school to get the formal truancy paperwork that is needed in order to issue a citation to that student. Once a student is cited and found to be truant a certain number of times, then the parents of the truants will be issued citations. If the parent does not pay the citation, then a warrant could be issued for the arrest of the parent. It should be noted that if the parent can demonstrate that they have been exercising due diligence to insure compliance with school attendance requirements, then they would not be cited. Stated differently, thousands more citations will be written and with significantly fewer manpower hours required for enforcement. This is the aggressive approach that is needed to hold parents accountable for the behavior of their kids. Once par-

Mod Lofts proposal FROM PAGE 1 and tax credits related to the proposal’s environmentally friendly design and was “most excited about sustainability.” At 56 feet tall, the five-story building would be four feet below the current 60foot height limit within the current zoning code. Preliminary Support Rental property owners and local business owners gave enthusiastic support for the project at the meeting, which they saw as bringing more patrons to the area. Milwaukee Director of Planning and Development Bob Greenstreet, Zielinski, and DCD representatives also expressed enthusiasm. “What we want to attract to the area is people who have spending power,” Zielinski said. Some residents were more guarded, asking questions about occupancy, density, height, construction materials, quality, and architectural consistency with the surrounding neighborhood. Vetter dismissed concerns that Mod Lofts would have trouble filling the building with tenants, mainly because its units are rentals and not condominiums.

While it is the case that there are significant long-term benefits to this initiative, there also is a significant short-term benefit: reducing problems that these truants are causing in our neighborhood and for our businesses near Bay View High School. When the truancy rate is reduced then the problems related to truancy around the school will also be reduced. Tony Zielinski is the city’s alderman for District 14, which includes Bay View. He can be reached at tzieli@milwaukee.gov or (414) 286-3769.

Subscribe Today See page 2

Dear Bay View Compass Readers,

T

he Milwaukee County Board recently received County Executive Scott Walker’s 2007 recommended budget. His proposed budget puts many quality-of-life resources, which county residents depend on and enjoy, in jeopardy. It is unclear how we can reverse negative trends, such as the $150 million in deferred maintenance in our Milwaukee County Parks System, with no new local revenue. Now is the time to make an investment in our infrastructure that so desperately needs it, so that we may preserve, protect, and promote it for future generations to come.

S UPERVISOR D IMITRIJEVIC by Marina Dimitrijevic

In addition, my office has received a number of complaints about the hasty, short-sighted vision to close a large number of county pools. Instead, we must find a more inexpensive way of running these publicly-supported assets. For example, Pulaski Pool is one of only two Milwaukee County indoor pools. Senior citizens use it for therapy and it also offers affordable swimming lessons for children. A more creative alternative to closing this pool would be to invest in an energy efficiency study, which would pay for itself through energy savings and also upgrade the facility for future users. The county executive’s budget cuts funding for all of our valuable cultural assets, such as the War Memorial Center, Performing Arts Center, and the Milwaukee Public Museum.

The county executive’s proposed budget also recommends increasing bus fares for children using the bus to attend Milwaukee Public Schools, disabled paratransit riders, and bus riders who frequent the transit system most and purchase commuter value passes and weekly tickets. I know that the good residents of Milwaukee County will see through this gimmick as a hollow tax freeze promise that amounts to a dishonest way of taxing those who depend on our transit system to get to work, school, and as a means of independence. Lastly, as crime has unfortunately increased in our community, the Walker budget discontinues funding for our specialized drug units in the sheriff’s department. Public safety is a priority that is being threatened by reducing the number of bailiffs in the court system and the staffing levels on our expressways. The citizens of Milwaukee County expect the Milwaukee County Board will work with the county executive to adopt a budget that is both fiscally and socially responsible. The Finance and Audit Committee of the Milwaukee County Board is currently holding hearings on the recommended budget now through the end of November. The County Board will meet Nov. 6 to adopt its final budget. Prior to this meeting, there is a public hearing of the County Board of Supervisors Monday, Oct. 30, at 7pm in the Zoofari Conference Center, 9715 W. Bluemound Rd. Sincerely, Marina Dimitrijevic Marina Dimitrijevic is the county’s supervisor of District 4, which includes Bay View. She can be reached at mdimitrijevic@milwcnty. com or (414) 278-4232.

This building will be meticulously maintained. Our company’s reputation is on the line,” said Vetter, who expects the building to be “photographed internationally.” Some residents said the design looked like boxy dormitory-style housing and asked what controls would be set on how many people could cohabitate per unit. There were concerns about how increased density would affect street parking for those not using the structure. Vetter said he would abide by city occupancy limits, and suggested there would be no more than three unrelated persons per unit. Others asked if this building would be harmful to existing Bay View rental properties. “It’s such a different product,” Vetter said. “I don’t think we’re competing with the existing rental market because [Mod Lofts] is something that doesn’t exist.” In terms of architectural integration to the community, Mod Lofts takes as a model the integration of old and new in Europe, Vetter said.

He also said the firm was committed to a quality building in terms of tenant composition as well as design.

Vetter-Denk has been a Milwaukee architecture firm for 20 years, seven of those developing real estate, and the last two doing retail and moving into rental markets.

“This is a building we’re going to own.

Vetter-Denk would both design and de-

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The 2007 county budget: preserving quality of life?

Volume 3 • Issue 10

The 53 Mod Loft units would be prefabricated and then integrated at the site. Each is about 608 square feet and would feature operable glass windows. ~image courtesy Vetter-Denk Architecture

velop Mod Lofts, if the proposal receives a green light from the city and after there is compliance with state law with regard to the possibility of the development disturbing any human burials. Concerns & Opposition The Inter-Organizational Council of Bay View, Inc. sent Zielinski a letter in opposition to the proposed development, dated Sept. 22. The board of 10 affiliated groups, including the South Shore Yacht Club and Bay View Lions Club, argued that the development was a duplication of the Urban View condominium project and that it was a mistake to create new re-

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

tail spaces before existing retail slots along Kinnickinnic, Howell, and Delaware avenues became saturated. Jim Baker, president of the council, said he was also concerned about the density and height of the project and questioned who will control the prices of the municipal parking spaces. Baker said he understood that the city was interested in increasing tax revenue, but criticized the argument that bringing more people to live in Bay View would salve small Bay View businesses woes. He said businesses must reach outside Bay View for business.

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Important work continues after session ends

Vowing to fight Cudahy Wal-Mart, an ‘economic menace’

T

T

he 2005-06 legislative session is drawing to an end. Come next January a new group of legislators will be sworn in and the process of introducing bills and passing laws will be in full swing. It is assumed by many that the time between our last floor period in May and the November elections is dedicated entirely to campaigning. In reality, this time year is devoted to solving some the state’s most serious and complicated problems.

R EPRESENTATIVE R ICHARDS by Jon Richards

At the close of the final floor period of each legislative session, the chairs of the Joint Legislative Council Committee solicit suggestions from their colleagues for topics that may be suitable for in-depth review by a Legislative Council Study Committee. These committees are usually chaired by one member of the Senate and one from the Assembly and are composed of both legislators and citizen members. Over a period of several months these committees meet to hear testimony from experts, review research, and consider action taken by other states. The goal is to produce a work product that can be introduced as a bill at the beginning of the following legislative session. In the past, Legislative Council Study Committees have focused on a wide variety of issues from school finance to economic development to a reorganization of the state’s criminal code. This year is no exception. Nineteen committees have been established this year with topics ranging from issues like drainage ditches and the state’s trails policy to potentially hot button issues like affirmative action, nuclear power, and charter schools.

This year, working in a bipartisan manner with Republican Mark Gundrum, I was able to get a study committee established to review the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact. The committee is charged with developing legislation to ratify and implement the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact proposed by the governors of the Great Lakes states. The committee will consider the need for new or modified water resource management strategies focusing on both ground and surface water. Water diversions out of the Great Lakes basin are a serious environmental issue that will only become more contentious as communities outside of the basin, like Waukesha and New Berlin, struggle with water quality. The basin states must come to an agreement on how to protect the Great Lakes waters and what circumstances justify a diversion to communities lying just outside of the basin. Failure to address this issue will expose the states that rely upon the Great Lakes for drinking water and commerce to a tremendous risk. Clean and available drinking water will be one of the most important issues as we move through the early 21st century. From depleted aquifers used for agricultural irrigation in the Great Plains, to the burgeoning population in the arid southwest, to pressures from foreign bottled water companies, our precious Lake Michigan water is at risk. While you may not be reading articles or hearing news accounts about new laws or state policies, rest assured that work is being done in Madison that will be worth following in the next legislative session. For more information on the 2006 study committees please contact my office or go to www.legis.state.wi.us/lc/. Jon Richards is the state representative for Wisconsin’s 19th state Assembly District, which includes Bay View, the Third Ward, eastern downtown, and the East Side. He can be reached at 1 (888) 534-0019 or rep. richards@legis.state.wi.us.

Pleasure of the Text Bay View Schwartz Bookshop Picks The Road By Cormac McCarthy Unlike the action-packed No Country for Old Men, McCarthy’s newest novel is a meditation on the bonds between father and son set in postapocalyptic America. This prophetic but morally ambiguous story is buttressed by clear and muscular prose. The result is nothing short of a masterpiece. –Dan Roubik World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War By Max Brooks Max Brooks has brought zombie mythology out of the margins. He creates realistic narratives using political and historical truths while interweaving thoughtful commentary on current societal issues of class, race, and globalization. A great read! –Michele Robinson Incantation By Alice Hoffman Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors, and her new book for teens, full of lessons of faith and love, is among her best. At the end of the 15th century when Spain expelled the Spanish Jews who refused conversion, many remaining families were forced to live secret lives. The betrayal of one family led to cruel, devastating consequences. –Elly Gore, Children’s Book Buyer

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Volume 3 • Issue 10

he connection between state and local politics became plainer to me than ever last month. As co-author of three bills that dealt with the state’s “Wal-Mart problem,” I was stunned to pick up the Sept. 29 paper [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel] and learn Wal-Mart hopes to come to our neighborhood soon.

Discussion about a possible Wal-Mart Supercenter in Cudahy places the new store on a vacant lot southwest of the intersection of S. Pennsylvania and Layton avenues. Currently a city of Milwaukee landfill, the site may be sold by the Milwaukee Common Council to a developer interested in building the supercenter. The new store would be built just miles from two WalMarts already open on S. 27th Street.

R EPRESENTATIVE S INICKI by Chris Sinicki

At the state level we’ve focused mainly on Wal-Mart’s intentional policies to guide their employees to use public health benefits. These offensive practices have been well documented by Wal-Mart Watch (see walmartwatch.com) and investigative media reports, which have traced these policies to the highest levels of the corporation. Three bills I co-authored this last legislative session tried to address this problem by assessing fines on any company employing more than 10,000 full- or part-time staff where a large percentage use public health benefits. Republican leadership in the legislature kept all three bills bottled up in committees, and only one was given a hearing. None received a committee vote, which effectively killed them this session. Unless we see a leadership change in at least one house this fall, these bills will meet the same fate next legislative session as well. On the south side we must, with our local officials and our chambers of commerce, take extremely seriously the threat a WalMart store poses to the health of our local businesses and economy. While posing as a huge boon to local governments as a source of tax revenues, the truth is that WalMart’s promises turn out to be hollow. In many communities, Wal-Mart has moved its stores outside city limits just before their tax obligations kick in after an initial grace period. A good documentary detailing this and other ethically troubling practices is Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price.

The impact on our local business owners and their employees is also of paramount concern. Research done in the last two years during the city of Chicago’s controversy over Wal-Mart shows a direct impact on local businesses, their employees’ jobs and incomes, and the tax base of our communities. Existing merchants in the vicinity of a new Wal-Mart store, especially grocers and clothing retailers, will have to compete fiercely to keep their customers. Due to Wal-Mart’s merchandising practices, however, it will be the winner in drawing many, many of these customers into their stores. Chicago found that “after accounting for jobs and income lost due to competition, the overall employment and income impact of a new Wal-Mart store will be negative…a reduction in local jobs and income.” (Economic Impact of Wal-Mart: An Assessment of the Wal-Mart Store Proposed for Chicago’s West Side, UIC Center For Urban Economic Development) The same study found that a Wal-Mart store uses 51 percent fewer employees than neighboring retailers to generate the same amount of sales. And another group determined that in urban areas like Milwaukee, the presence of a Wal-Mart store causes general retailing jobs that pay 18 percent more than Wal-Mart jobs to evaporate. In fact, these researchers found that due to Wal-Mart’s presence in the economy “…in 2000, total earnings of retail workers nationwide were reduced by $4.7 billion…” (Wal-Mart and Job Quality, U.C. Berkeley Center for Labor Research) I don’t have to connect the dots for the residents of my district. They know that in the tough economy we’re enduring, the last thing we need on the south side are developments that create lower incomes, lower tax revenues, and fewer jobs. As this situation unfolds, I will continue my fight in Madison and at home to protect working families and small business people against this type of economic menace. Correction: In September’s column I erroneously stated that the Harnischfeger lakefront property was originally part of Bay View Park. In fact, the company purchased it directly from We Energies Corporation. CS Chris Sinicki is the state representative for Wisconsin’s 20th state Assembly District, which includes southern Bay View, St. Francis, Cudahy, the airport, and other parts of the near south side. She can be reached at 1 (888) 534-0020 or rep.sinicki.legis.state.wi.us.

Compass needs help with paper delivery. Also looking for a talented sales rep. Internships available: reporters, sales, editor, designer, writer, website developer, historian, & photographers. (414) 489-0880

editor@bayviewcompass.com

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Historic Bay View Stewart Allis Cemetery Burial ground resists fading into history By John Utzat

I

n 1879, workers grading Lincoln Avenue near Kinnickinnic Avenue came across something they did not expect: buried human remains. Whose were they? By the late 1800s, Bay View had forgotten that the square one-half acre of the land at the northeast corner of Lincoln and Allis Street was used as a family and neighborhood cemetery for settlers from as early as 1836 and as late as 1856. This cemetery did not have a recorded name, but because it was used by the Stewart family and the property later acquired by industrialist Edward P. Allis, it is useful to call it the Stewart Allis Cemetery. Beginnings The story of the cemetery begins with Alexander Stewart. Born in Scotland in 1799, this pioneer, settler, farmer, and businessman came to what is today Bay View when Wisconsin was still part of the Michigan Territory in 1835 and Milwaukee did not exist. He settled far south of Juneautown, south of the Kinnickinnic River, near the present-day intersection of Kinnickinnic Avenue and Becher Street in what became organized as the Town of Lake in 1838. Along with another early settler, Joel Wilcox, Stewart had a business that supplied firewood to Great Lakes ships. After claiming and purchasing 160 acres of land, in 1839 Stewart built his home on an 111-foot lot at what would become 2030 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. His original clapboard home, which once sported a wooden picket fence and stately pine trees, was razed in the 1950s. In 1835, Stewart had donated one square half-acre of his land for use as a neighborhood burying ground. In his will, dated March 23, 1865, Stewart stated his home was part of a 17-acre homestead site. The will named his sons, John S., Robert, and William, as executors. Named as beneficiaries were his wife Elizabeth, son Joseph, and grandchildren James, George, and Margaret Aker. The Stewart Allis Cemetery was significant or sizeable enough to be noted by Milwaukee pioneer historian James Buck, by historian and Village of Bay View Board of Trustee Captain William J. Donahoe, and by Paul Gauer, historical author and Bay View’s Socialist alderman from 1920 to 1936. Buck noted there were a number of burials every year there between 1836 and 1840. These continued through the 1840s with the last known interment being that of Julia Stewart in 1856. Where was it located? A property deed dated April 25, 1856 between J.B. Cross and Edward P. Allis would place the cemetery on or near the northeast

corner of S. Allis Street and E. Lincoln Avenue. Allis, a pioneer industrialist who would lend his name to Allis Street in 1870 and later to the community of West Allis, had acquired about 20 acres of land formerly owned by the Stewart family—who had neglected to pay taxes and thus forfeited the property—in the area for industrial use. However, this land was laid out into lots and later sold as residential property. The parcel of land with the cemetery at its extreme southwest corner was known as the Allis Addition and would later become part of the Butler Addition. Upon the death of Alexander Stewart in July of 1865, his sons, Robert and John S. Stewart, purchased lots at the relatively new Forest Home Cemetery, which was located about two miles west of this pioneer cemetery. This indicates the possibility that Stewart Allis was at capacity or that it had simply fallen out of favor. On July 14, 1881, seven Stewart family members and relatives who had been interred at Stewart Allis Cemetery were removed and transferred to Forest Home Cemetery. All seven now rest there under one big monument. Bones Discovered Road workers discovered human remains in December 1879 and again in October 1884 and it seemed the old burial ground had resisted fading into the pages of time and history. By 1888, Stewart Allis Cemetery was described by Donahoe as having been abandoned and not yet built upon. He noted the former grounds had become a popular picnic area. More Bones In November 1897, construction workers excavating ground for realtor Herman Hafemeister’s new building at Lincoln Avenue and Allis Street would find a quantity of remains. Hafemeister’s building stands today at 422 E. Lincoln Ave., currently housing Wild Flour Bakery & Café and nine Allis Street Flats condominium units. While the 1856 deed specifies its original location, the burial ground’s boundaries are unclear as it has not been subjected to known systematic study and there is a possibility that it extended beyond its original location. An account by Gauer suggests the burial ground extended underneath Allis Street as far as the Strnad building at 2254 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., built in 1911 and currently site of the Schwartz Bookstore. The proposal to develop the city-owned parking lot adjacent to the building may require a permit from the director of the Wisconsin Historical Society if the development is to disturb buried human remains. John Utzat’s historical work focuses on local history, his specialty. He lives in Bay View.

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Volume 3 • Issue 10

Development may require permit if burials remain By Michael Timm It was an eerie scene recalling the movie Poltergeist. In the Bay View High School Auditorium Sept. 18, two history-minded Bay View residents—John Utzat and Greg Bird—stood up to testify at the public meeting on the Mod Lofts development proposal for the city-owned parking lot at 2254 S. Allis St. When Bird asked if the city and developers knew that the site had once been a burial ground, looming unspoken in the background was the sentiment of the famous movie quote: “…you moved the headstones but you didn’t move the bodies!”

“The city’s prepared to deal with it. If you do find remains, you have to respect it.” —Greg Patin, DCD

forgotten,” according to an account in the Milwaukee Sentinel. These were subsequently “heaped beside a fence,” according to the same account. Then in October 1884, the Sentinel reports in “A Ghostly Find” that workers excavating Allis Street came across more remains. These “relics were placed in a box and will probably be buried in one of the cemeteries,” according to the 1884 article, which further alleged that “it is thought more bones will be unearthed.” Utzat said this prediction came to pass in 1897 when workers digging the foundation for the Hafemeister Building, which currently stands at 422 E. Lincoln Ave., came across “a quantity of remains.” Further Investigation At the Sept. 18 meeting, Matt Haessly of the city’s Department of City Development said the city had become aware the site had been a burial ground only on Sept. 15 and was looking into the matter. After the meeting, DCD’s Greg Patin said the city would do its due diligence.

Right now, no one is claiming special knowledge of burials beneath the parking meters—but no one has yet claimed to know there aren’t any remaining burials either.

“The records all indicate that they thought they had moved all the bodies,” Patin said. It was not clear to which records Patin referred.

What is known is that historical documents and accounts indicate there was a burial ground at the northeast corner of Allis Street and Lincoln Avenue in the mid-1800s and that by the late 1800s, it had been disregarded (see Historic Bay View: Stewart Allis Cemetery).

Patin estimated that 90 percent of the development site had already been subject to earthmoving equipment in the past.

Human remains were discovered on at least three different occasions in the late 1800s, according to Utzat, who did extensive research on the cemetery. He and Robert Felber, metropolitan regional director of the Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society, named the burial ground the Stewart Allis Cemetery in a 2003 article published in the Milwaukee County Genealogical Society Reporter. Stewart and Allis were both Bay View pioneers and modern Bay View residents may recognize the streets named after them. In December 1879, workers grading Lincoln Avenue came across “the bones of early Milwaukeeans long since dead and

“The city’s prepared to deal with it,” he said. “If you do find remains, you have to respect it.” Wisconsin has a burial law (Wisconsin State Statute 157.70) that says you cannot disturb burials without a permit, said Leslie Eisenberg, program coordinator of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Burial Sites Preservation Program. “I wanted to let you (and others) know that Wisconsin’s Burial Sites Preservation law does not prohibit development [on burial grounds] and has a streamlined process to allow a landowner the opportunity to apply for a permit from the director of the Wisconsin Historical Society to disturb if they cannot modify their plans,” Eisenberg wrote in an email to Greg Bird SEE NEXT PAGE

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T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

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October 2006

8


FROM PAGE 8 and interested parties Sept. 19. “It appears that the [c]ity of Milwaukee may be interested in hiring archaeologists to perform background archival research to try to delimit the cemetery boundaries…” Eisenberg said city of Milwaukee officials would likely be investigating available historical resources, including fire insurance maps, to learn more about the cemetery and its boundaries. She identified Haessly as the point person on the city’s investigation. Haessly did not reply to Compass inquiries by press time. Details remain unclear about the procedure regarding the site’s evaluation and what costs may be incurred by the city if professional archaeologists must be hired. In late September, cultural resource management archaeologist Jennifer Harvey said she hadn’t heard of the cemetery but expressed interest. “It is a project that we would look into possibly,” said Harvey, president, owner, and project manager of the Bay View-based Great Lakes Archaeological Research Center. If the project to delimit the Stewart Allis Cemetery were to come up for bid and Harvey’s archaeologists won the contract, it would seem very appropriate: GLARC is at 427 E. Stewart St., inside the old Louis Allis factory, started by Edward P. Allis’ son.

“The Rest of the Dead Disturbed” By grading Lincoln avenue near its intersection with Kinnickinnic avenue an old burial place is disturbed and the bones of early Milwaukeeans long since dead and forgotten are heaped beside a fence where they remind the passer that Life treads on life, and heart on heart— We press too close in church and mart, To keep a dream or grave apart. The lands on which this cemetery was situated belonged to a family named Stewart. They neglected to pay taxes and the title subsequently became vested in E.P. Allis. Then Lincoln avenue was extended through it, and, now the plow cuts to grade the once hallowed ground. —Dec. 3, 1879 Milwaukee Sentinel “A Ghostly Find” Information was received by Health Officer Martin, yesterday, that a number of human bones had been discovered by workmen while making an excavation in Allis Street, in Bay View. The relics were placed in a box and will probably be buried in one of the cemeteries. The spot was formerly used as an old burying ground, and it is thought more bones will be unearthed. —Oct. 17, 1884 Milwaukee Sentinel

Outpost faces Whole Foods with ‘local’ emphasis FROM PAGE 1 Similarly, Outpost said Whole Foods is not its only, or even its main, competition. Malmarowski pointed to restaurants, conventional retailers like Pick ‘n Save, Pick ‘n Save’s Metro Market, Sendik’s, and Sentry as competitors. “Is it affecting our business? Minimally, I would say,” Malmarowski said. Whole Foods has three core customer types, Klotz said, those interested in natural and organic foods, in gourmet and culinary experiences, and with special dietary needs. “I would definitely say Whole Foods is much more upscale,” Malmarowski said. “They’re going to tap into people who aren’t buying at our store.” Local, Local, Local The excitement of Whole Foods did fast track some changes already in the works, Malmarowski said. Sushi was recently added to Outpost’s inventory and a salad bar is planned before the end of the year at Bay View. The menu at Bay View’s Fork in the Road Café will also be modified.

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Both stores sell local products (Whole Foods boasts over 200 kinds of Wisconsin cheeses; Sven’s Organic Coffee is sold at Bay View), but Outpost has more experience in southeastern Wisconsin. Klotz said there are at least 10 Wisconsin and 25 Midwest growers represented within the Milwaukee Whole Foods store, including West Star, Organic Valley, and Avalanche Organics.

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The daunting scale and selecSeventh Generation, Free & Clear Laundry tion of Whole Foods also has Detergent, 100 fl. oz. Outpost emphasizing its local products and the relationships Pet Promise, Daily Healthy Dog Food, 5 lbs. $10.99 they represent. The co-op recently initiated a “Local & Malmarowski and Bert cited several exRegional Favorite” in-store signage program amples of local producers with whom Outthat shows customers which items—propost has developed relationships, known duce or other goods like honey—are proinformally: “the heritage turkey guy” and duced by local growers or producers. “the mushroom people.”

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And in 2003, when hail damaged apples from the Barthel Fruit Farm in Mequon, a fruit grower since 1839, Outpost made an effort to buy the apples anyway to help the local business. “We put up signs explaining to people why they looked funny,” Malmarowski said, and customers reacted positively. Part of the local pride is about keeping money in the community. Outpost said for every $100 spent, $45 remains local. It’s also about freshness and being environmentally friendly. Both retailers sell only natural products— those with no artificial flavors or ingredients, no added hormones or synthetic compounds, and derived from humanely-treated livestock with access to the outdoors. Not all natural products are organic, which carry labels indicating certification by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that they were grown or produced without pesticides, synthetic chemicals, antibiotics, or hormones. SEE PAGE 12

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~image courtesy Lee Barczak

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By Michael Timm

goers to take into the theaters.

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onstruction to renovate the historic Avalon Theatre may begin as soon as November, said Lee Barczak, the theater’s owner.

Barczak expressed interest in hosting a film festival at the Avalon, as it could potentially showcase six films at the same time, using the screening rooms.

Barczak hired Chicago architects Holabird & Root to redesign the 1929 theater at 2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. into a 21st century venue featuring four screens, two screening rooms, and a restaurant. He hopes to reopen the atmospheric theater with its midnight blue starlit ceiling in January 2008, with the Mediterranean-themed restaurant to open in late 2007.

He said that with modern technology, he wasn’t worried about sound quality inside the theater after renovations change the acoustics.

The 20 apartments surrounding the theater will be converted into rooms for a new boutique hotel, Barczak said. Some rooms would open onto private patio areas above the theater’s roof. The hotel, to open in 2008, could cater to travelers using the Lake Express ferry, he said. Barczak originally thought total renovations would be in the $2 to $3 million range; but his feeling now is that they will be in the neighborhood of $5 to $6 million. A professional estimator was to provide an estimate the first week of October, prior to project financing. Barczak said if financing proves a difficulty, he will advance the renovation in doable stages. “It would be so great to get it done in one fell swoop,” Barczak said. “But it’s a business.” Fixing a leaky roof and crumbling ceiling are some of the structural challenges. Preliminary architectural renderings show the restoration of the vertical AVALON marquee. Food and drinks are planned for movie-

The biggest interior change proposed is partitioning off the balcony seating area from the main auditorium. Preliminary renovation plans create three small theaters with 90-, 120-, and 140-person capacities respectively, Barczak said. The main floor will have a 575-person capacity. The two screening rooms would accommodate 25 to 30 people, Barczak said, and would be intended also as spaces for art shows, business meetings, or private screening parties. The restaurant would accommodate about 100. He said he will likely establish three separate business entities to run the theater, hotel, and restaurant. The construction manager is Bay View’s Hal Koenig, with Prairie Lights Architecture. Milwaukee’s Scott Georgeson is the theatre architect, SG Works will design the restaurant, and Threshold Acoustics will design the sound systems. Barczak announced a five-day magic show, Brett Daniels’ Wohscigam: Mystery Awakens from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, as the final show inside the Avalon before its renovation. Barczak, president of Greendale investment firm Morgan Kenwood, said he expects his Sheridan House boutique hotel in Cudahy (5133 S. Lake Dr.) to open in late 2006 despite delays to that project. "�#�$����%���������������&������

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10

Volume 3 • Issue 10

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

October 2006

10


Cream City moves to Brookfield A

fter seven years at 2637 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Bay View, Cream City Music owner Joe Gallenberger has announced that the south side guitar shop will be moving westward, to 12501 W Bluemound Rd. in Brookfield. He said the Brookfield location will offer more space for the growing business, which sells guitars and guitar equipment locally through a retail showroom and worldwide via internet sales. Gallenberger had been scouting new locations for months when he happened upon the Brookfield site, he said. He and business partner Paul Wehrley of WehrleyGallenberger LLC purchased the building in July, and Gallenberger plans to open the new store this fall although no date has been set. A grand opening will be announced as soon as the date is official. Cream City Music will be conducting a moving sale from now until the move is complete. See the store for more details. (414) 481-3430

Dinner by design By Michael Timm

A

Dinner By Design franchise is expected to open as early as next February in the Urban View condominiums building at 2121 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Dinner By Design is a business where individuals and families pay to come into a kitchen and prepare multiple entrees in advance, packaging them into individual containers so they can be frozen. The basic idea is that doing the preparation all at once saves time and hassle, theoretically making mealtime more convenient. According to the Dinner By Design website, assembling 12 entrees to serve four to six people each (considered one month’s worth) costs $200 or more. Dinner By Design breaks the cost down to approximately $3 per serving. The business currently has franchises in seven states. Corporate headquarters is in Grayslake, Ill., just outside of Gurnee, Ill. Randy Scoville of Big Bend Development, which owns Urban View, confirmed the tenant lease is finalized and said interior construction will begin soon. The Bay View franchise will be owned by John and Jill Corbett. They will occupy Suite 1, the southernmost 1,600 square feet of retail space on the KK side of Urban View, Jill Corbett said.

thought the food was good. I liked the concept. As a working mom, I could relate…” She said the couple bought the franchise in February 2006 and had only planned on a Bay View location near Kinnickinnic and Becher. She said the couple is discussing design plans with an architect and has yet to select a construction contractor. According to the Dinner By Design website, it costs approximately $115,250 to $170,500 to open a kitchen. “The mission is to bring families back to the dinner table,” Jill Corbett said. “We are really targeting busy families that want to provide nutritious meals for an economical price.”

Post 180 under new ownership T

he American Legion Post 180 bar and grill, 2860 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. has been under new ownership since June 23.

Lyn and Kim Graziano and Gerald Kuhnke now own and operate the business. The change in ownership has revised and refurbished the menu and accompanied remodeling to the interior. The pub offers prime rib dinner and stuffed filet Saturday, fish fry Friday, 12-inch pizza Thursday, all-you-can-eat pasta Wednesday, $.75 tacos Tuesday, and $.99 hamburgers Monday. Sunday there is free lunch buffet accompanying televised sporting events. Friday and Saturday are karaoke nights.

Allis Street Lofts By Michael Timm

N

ine condominium units, each with a gas fireplace, are for sale in the Hafemeister building at the northeast corner of Allis Street and Lincoln Avenue. Units range from $179,000 to $239,000 depending on location within the building. The building at 422 E. Lincoln Ave. was originally built in 1897 and the first floor corner storefront houses Wild Flour Bakery & Café. Five units are on the second floor; four are on the first floor; three condos are corner units. Each unit has a unique configuration because of the demands placed upon architects building within the centenarian structure.

Sean Dixon, sales executive for First Weber Group, the realtors selling the condos. “This was no rehab. It’s new construction.” The condos feature private entrances, central air, private basements, two or three bedrooms, and one bath per unit. The corner unit above Wild Flour has a view of St. Josaphat from the bay window. First Weber took over sales in late summer after the owners, Larry Kilduff and Tom O’Brien, tried unsuccessfully to sell the units themselves. “We have gotten off to a pretty slow start,” Dixon said. “That’s partly due to them [owners] not addressing the exterior of the building yet,” said Dixon. No units have been sold to date and interior work on several of the units is not yet completed. He added that construction delays had also factored into the equation. First Weber is considering incentives like a trip to Las Vegas or a flat screen television to condo buyers, Dixon said. And to showcase the units to the community, a neighborhood open house event is anticipated for sometime in November, after exterior improvements have made the building more attractive, Dixon said. The 53-unit, five-story Mod Lofts apartment building, proposed for the municipal parking lot currently adjacent to the north and east of the Allis Street Flats may cut off the light that currently streams into the condos through their east-facing windows, if it goes forward. Dixon said his main concern about the neighboring development proposal was ensuring that the parking spaces currently leased from the city remain available for condo owners. The city request for proposal calls for no net loss of spaces at the site. Dixon said he thinks the condos will attract area young professionals currently paying around $850 a month in rent, if they are able to up their monthly payments to the neighborhood of $1,200 to own a product they like. Co-owner O’Brien did not return a Compass call for comment by press time.

Milwaukee Pump House bar and marina coming H

alloween is the hoped-for opening date for a new bar and grill using the Kinnickinnic River as a location asset: Milwaukee Pump House, 2011 S. First St., inside the building formerly used as a high pressure pump house to supply the Milwaukee Fire Department with water for its fire hydrants. Partners Mike Murray and David Skwarek are at the helm of the “hip/progressive, upscale” enterprise, featuring 4,800 square feet of first floor and 3,000 square feet of second floor space, with a mezzanine, patio, and 10 boat slips. The menu will include soups, sandwiches, salad—“upscale basket food,” which Murray said means “basket food with linen napkins.” The previous owners used the space as a boat shop, Murray said. “We’ve had the building in the family for years,” he said. Murray defined the Pump House as the “northernmost building in Bay View.” The restaurant will be open early in mornings through bar time, and will feature a video bar with sound bites and clips from interesting movies, Murray said. The partners were speaking with chefs as of late September. The “industrial interior” will feature Depression-era artwork to pay homage to the structure’s origins as Works Progress Administration (WPA) Depression-era project. Asked if the establishment would compare to Barnacle Bud’s, another Bay View bar and grill drawing sustenance from the river, Murray said he would be honored by the comparison but hoped Pump House would be easier to find.

Fasten Co-op moves F

asten Co-op Clothing Gallery is set to move from 2365 S. Howell Ave. to 2224 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Oct. 18. For more information, call (414) 747-9229.

“I’ve rehabbed properties before,” said

The Bay View business will be the first in the city of Milwaukee; there are sites in Glendale, Greenfield, and Oak Creek. The Corbetts moved to Bay View two years ago. Jill is a health care professional in radiology and oncology and John is a sergeant with MPD. She said they have not developed a comparable business venture before. Jill said she started patronizing the Glendale Dinner By Design in fall 2005 and found it appealing and convenient. “I

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Volume 3 • Issue 10

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

October 2006

11


Outpost faces Whole Foods with local emphasis FROM PAGE 9 Labor Force Whole Foods’ arrival spurred competition not just for consumers but for workers. Prior to the store’s opening, recruiters came into Outpost stores wearing Whole Foods tee shirts and handing out business cards. Outpost’s labor force is unionized; Whole Foods’ is not. Fifty-five percent of Outpost’s 350 employees are full-time; 80 percent of Whole Foods’ 39,000 employees are fulltime. About 150 are employed in Milwaukee, with “team members” from stores in Madison and Chicago helping out. Klotz declined to comment on Whole Foods’ employee compensation, but the company has reportedly capped its executive compensation at 14 times the average worker’s wage. If that’s accurate, it would make the average employee annual income $35,000, or almost $17 per hour for a full-time worker. At least one former employee didn’t agree with Forbes’ 2006 assessment that Whole Foods is the 15th best company to work for. Stephanie Phillips started working in the produce department at Whole Foods making between $8 and $9 an hour, she said. “I was disgusted at the amount of food being thrown away,” Phillips said, “20 cases a day.” She questioned why the store wouldn’t simply markdown older produce, but said prices were inflexibly set from above. Phillips, a former chef, said she was told Whole Foods was working to arrange an outlet for this food. Phillips, who said she had in the past unsuccessfully applied at Outpost, left Whole Foods just two weeks later after frustrations with the “corporate” management culture following a missed shift. The Cooperative Outpost hasn’t gone corporate, but the last decade of expansion has altered the complexion of the cooperative, which recently surpassed 14,000 owners. Each owner buys into the cooperative by paying at least $25 a year toward one $200 “Full Fair Share.” Each owner gets one vote in the cooperative, special coupons, a subscription to the co-op’s Exchange magazine, and is eligible to receive patronage rebate checks when the store has a profitable year.

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Outpost has a downtown office, a far cry from the co-op’s humble genesis at 800 E. Clarke Street in 1971. But with its three stores and supermarket format, Outpost is viewed as a leader within National Cooperative Grocer’s Association, a network of 106 co-ops. As it’s grown, Outpost has emulated conventional retailers. Bay View’s manager, Bob Wiroll, came to that post with Pick ‘n Save experience. “They brought him in because of his grocery store knowledge [not his knowledge of naturals or organics],” said Nicole Penick, an Outpost owner and former employee at the Bay View Outpost deli, who said she started at $6.90 an hour and got a raise to $7.15. She left in May to take an unrelated job in ad sales, not yet having qualified for health insurance, which part-time employees qualify for after one year.

A Brief Look At Another Milwaukee Food Cooperative

BAY VIEW CALENDAR Sunday, October 15

Friday, October 27

Dog Day Afternoon, 12-3pm. Sponsored by Forward Bay View. Dogs and owners meet at Bay View Post Bar to begin parade to Church of Immaculate Conception for Blessing of Dogs. A doggy Halloween costume contest will follow.

Glow golf for Halloween thrills at Hansen and Warnimont golf courses. Tee times 6:30pm and run until midnight. Players golf with only illuminated tees, flagsticks, and holes and are challenged by the use of glow-in-the dark golf balls. Participants re encouraged to come in Halloween costumes. The best costume will win a round for 4 at a regularly scheduled 2007 NiteGlow golf event. To reserve tee time, call Hansen golf course at (414) 453-4454 or Warnimont golf course at (414) 481-1400. Private group Nite-Glow golf events may be booked on Halloween Night by calling (414) 257-8024. The cost to play 9-holes with a glow-in-the-dark golf ball is $14. The cost to play without a ball provided by the course is $9.50. More info countyparks.com or call the golf office (414) 257-8024.

Tuesday, October 17 Lecture: Bird Migration, Urban Ecology Center, 7pm. Award-winning Israeli Bird Conservationist to talk about decisions birds make while migrating. Event is free to UEC members; others $5. Wednesday, October 18 BVHS, Parent/Teacher Conference. 7:158:15am. Author Visit. Peter Annin, Schwartz Books, Bay View, 7pm. Annin to discuss his book Great Lake Water Wars, an account of people and stories behind these water battles. Book is said to be balanced, comprehensive look behind scenes at conflicts and compromises that are past-and future-of this unique resource. Thursday, October 19 BVHS, Parent/Teacher Conference. 7:158:15am. Business Social. Sponsored by Forward Bay View who invites business community to relax and circulate with local business owners and professional Lulu’s. 7pm.

Riverwest Coop & Café Established 2001 1200 members 733 E. Clarke St. 264-7933 Membership: Lifetime, called Fair Share Account Member/ Owner. $100 May be paid in full in one payment or $20 per year.

CAREGIVING SERVICES

Sharonʼs Salon Services In-Home Hair Care. 483-4420 — 483-2496.

Thursday, October 26

Friday, October 27 BVHS WEAC/MTEA Convention. No pupil attendance. Friday, October 20

Wednesday, October 25 Special Committee on Airport Authorities, 10am. Sijan and Lovell Conference Rooms, General Mitchell International Airport. Discussion of airport ownership and governance structures, and testimony by invited speakers. More info: Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic, (414) 278-4232. Forward Bay View Education Series. Learn more about the potential a Metra train station could bring to Bay View neighborhood. This new installment of series will be hosted at the Bay View Library. 6:30pm.

Cer tific1a/4% BONUS tes $500 0 or More ”

TOPS Weight Loss Group. Saturdays 9 am. St. Francis Library. Bring this ad for FREE month dues. (414) 628-7496.

SALON SERVICES

Author Visit. Maureen Ogle, Schwartz Books, Bay View, 7pm. Ogle to discuss her book Ambitious Brew, an epic tale about the development of beer brewing in the U.S.

or More”

WEIGHT LOSS SUPPORT

BVHS, No pupil attendance.

Management Style: Collective (All board members must volunteer in the store.) Total paid staff positions: 3 About 30 volunteers

ls !

New sexy slinky wave. Latest perm rage. Regular $75 Now $65.00 & up. Also Bender Perms. Sandiʼs Beauty 3608 S Clement. Milw WI (414) 744-7460.

Friday, October 20

BVHS, WEAC/MTEA Convention. No pupil attendance.

-Katherine Keller

BEAUTY

Caregiver: Fulltime teacher looking to assist the elderly. Errands, housekeeping, meals, companionship. Available after school and weekends. Laure (414) 489-0074.

Member/Owner Benefits: 5% store discount on all items Ability to pay with personal check Ability to purchase special orders at 20% above wholesale Volunteers Receive Additional Discount: Store volunteers earn 1% discount for each hour worked in a month up to a total available discount of 10% per month.

There are three managers, who are paid staff, and they operated collectively instead of reporting to a head manager. They are inventory manager, volunteer coordinator, and café manager. According to Claire Lewis, Riverwest Coop board member, the managers keep each other aware of needs of each area of the business they oversee. “We check on each other and keep each other on track.” she said. “We try to stay away from the big boss concept.”

CLASSIFIEDS

FOR RENT

Rooms for rent — Walkerʼs Point Mansion. 5star rating. Extra clean. Quiet, furnished, Shared kitchen. $63+/week. (414) 384-2428.

FOR RENT

Room for rent. 5th Ward/Walkerʼs Point. Licensed since 1955. Quiet, clean, safe. Smoke-free. (414) 384-0741. $240/month.

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS

Bay View is on the cityʼs radar screen. Show them youʼre part of the sparkle and fizz that is Bay View. Sign-on now for the Destination Bay View 2006: Business Directory and Visitorʼs Guide. (414) 774-7011 or DestinationBayView@bayviewcompass.com.

SUBSCRIBE

First class delivery in an envelope: the best way to get the Compass. Find the subscription form on page 16. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.

AUTO

For Sale 2003 VW Jetta wagon. 1.8T GL5 Black. 46,000 miles. Well maintined. (414) 350-8968. Asking $12,900.

BOOK CLUB

Book group? Seeking people interested in good fiction, critical discussion. Jenny, cell (218) 2132361.

Classified Ad Order Form DEADLINE: First Friday of the Month for the Issue that You Want Ad to Run (We publish on the 15th of each month.) RATE & Payment: 50 cents per word; PAYMENT: Your payment must accompany ad. (More info below.) YOUR CONTACT INFO:

Name:

Brewery Credit Union 2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave Mon.-Fri. 10am-7pm Sat. 10am-3pm

414-755-0047 www.brewerycu.org

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12

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Volume 3 • Issue 10

2) Calculate Cost: Number of words x $.50 x Number of Months ad will run. EXAMPLE: 20 words x $.50 per word x 3 months: 20 x $.50 (=$10) x 3 = $30 total. 3) Circle months below that you wish your ad to run in Bay View Compass: JAN

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4) Send this form with payment (a check) to:Bay View Compass Classifieds; PO Box 100; Milwaukee WI 53201-0100

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

October 2006

12


Governor’s Race

Jim Doyle / Nelson Eisman / Mark Green Jim Doyle (Incumbent), Democratic Party Part I (Yes or No) 1. Do you support legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons in Wisconsin? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 2. Do you support unrestricted stem cell research? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 3. Do you support allowing pharmacists to withhold a prescription based on personal beliefs? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 4. Do you support the proposed state constitutional amendment to define marriage? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 5. Do you support the death penalty in Wisconsin? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 6. Do you support enforcement of the Great Lakes Water Agreement? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 7. Do you support establishing an independent airport authority for GMIA? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 8. Do you support prohibiting smoking in Wisconsin public places? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 9. Do you support withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq immediately? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion. 10. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income tax? Doyle: declined to respond to Y/N portion.

Part II

1. Describe your position on stem cell research. Doyle: My mother recently passed away from Parkinson’s, so I understand how important it is for Wisconsin to continue to be the world’s leader in stem cell research. Unlike my opponent, I fully support stem cell research, and I will never turn my back on so many families in Wisconsin who are struggling with a disability or a disease and could benefit from the vast promise of this research. 2. Do you think ratification of the proposed marriage amendment would classify gays and lesbians and unmarried couples as secondclass citizens in Wisconsin? Why/why not? Doyle: I don’t think we should be writing discrimination into Wisconsin’s constitution. This amendment is unnecessary, and is only intended to divide people. It does little except make Wisconsin a less welcoming place to live and do business. Instead of dividing our state, we should find ways to bring people together. 3. Describe how you differ from your opponents on education, specifically as relates to MPS quality, choice funding, and the tension between MPS and choice/charter schools. Doyle: Education is my top priority. That’s why I’ve protected education from $400 million in cuts proposed by Republicans—and supported by my opponent—and restored the state’s commitment to pay two-thirds of the cost of our schools. Doing so allows schools a modest 3 percent increase to keep up with inflation. Because the state pays more, it helps take the burden off property taxpayers. My opponent won’t make the two-thirds commitment. I supported bipartisan legislation which increased the number of students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and brought stronger accountability standards to choice schools and invested in smaller class sizes for

all public school students in Wisconsin. The choice program was designed for students in the city of Milwaukee and doesn’t require further expansion.

Nelson Eisman, Green Party Part I (Yes or No)

1. Do you support legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons in Wisconsin? Eisman: No.

4. Describe how you will provide affordable health care coverage for every Wisconsinite. Doyle: I believe that every Wisconsin citizen has a right to health care. I have a comprehensive agenda that will both lower the cost of health care and increase access. My BadgerCare Plus program will ensure that every child has access to health care in Wisconsin. Healthy Wisconsin will address the cost of catastrophic care and reduce the cost of health insurance for small businesses by 30 percent. And I will continue to fight Congress and federal bureaucrats to protect SeniorCare, which provides low-cost prescription drugs for more than 100,000 Wisconsin seniors. 5. Describe the most important thing you have done to protect Wisconsin’s land, air, and water to date. What you will do as governor to further protect the environment? Doyle: Wisconsin’s natural resources are vital to our state’s identity and our way of life, and we must be vigilant in protecting them. When Republicans tried to gut the popular bipartisan Stewardship program, I vetoed the cuts to protect Stewardship funding and help preserve 150,000 acres of land in 71 counties statewide. I’ve proposed the Conserve Wisconsin plan, which seeks to increase research for renewable fuels, curb the spread of invasive species, and offer tax incentives for companies practicing sound environmental management. I directed the DNR to achieve a 90 percent reduction in mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants through rules and incentives. Protecting Wisconsin’s rivers, lakes, and forests is one of my primary concerns that I will remain focused on for the next four years. 6. How can you help small Wisconsin farmers? Doyle: Since becoming governor, I’ve worked to support those who have grown crops, raised livestock, and produced dairy products that help feed the nation—and the world. I signed a dairy modernization tax credit to help farmers cover expenses of modernizing or expanding a dairy farm, implemented a new “use value” formula for farmland so it can continue to be kept in agricultural use—helping to preserve that land and save farmers millions in taxes, and signed legislation to bring affordable health insurance and lower deductibles to farmers and other self-employed people. I’m also committed to supporting the expansion of ethanol fuel production and use in Wisconsin—creating new markets for our agricultural products. As we reach for economic success, farmers will be leading the way. 7. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Wisconsin? What percent comes from political action committees? (125 words or less) Doyle: This year, through Sept. 27, over 95 percent of contributions to my campaign came from within Wisconsin. About 1 percent came from political action committees. (replied Oct. 6, 2006)

Eisman: Yes.

2. Do you support unrestricted stem cell research?

3. Do you support allowing pharmacists to withhold a prescription based on personal beliefs? Eisman: No. 4. Do you support the proposed state constitutional amendment to define marriage? Eisman: No. 5. Do you support the death penalty in Wisconsin? Eisman: No. 6. Do you support enforcement of the Great Lakes Water Agreement? Eisman: Yes. 7. Do you support establishing an independent airport authority for GMIA? Eisman: No opinion. 8. Do you support prohibiting smoking in Wisconsin public places? Eisman: Yes. 9. Do you support withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq immediately? Eisman: Yes. 10. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income tax? Eisman: No.

Part II

1. Describe your position on stem cell research. Eisman: Stem-cell research is a promising area of medical advancement. It could mean jobs for Wisconsin and better health for everyone. It should not be restricted. 2. Do you think ratification of the proposed marriage amendment would classify gays and lesbians and unmarried couples as secondclass citizens in Wisconsin? Why/why not?

Eisman: I have been part of the Regional Planning Commission, the purpose of which was to plan land use, transportation, and water quality. I was also on the Madison Commission on the Environment, which set city standards for environmental protection. For years I have volunteered as a restoration ecologist with the Dane County Adult Conservation Corps, and serve as the president of the Friends of Lake View Hill Park. As governor, I would promote conservation and both public and private conversion to locally-produced sustainable forms of energy, such as solar and wind. In addition, I would work towards greater urban density and mass transit throughout the state. 6. How can you help small Wisconsin farmers? Eisman: Small farmers would benefit from a strong local economy that empowers communities, not huge agro-businesses. A diversity of non-GMO crops, raised organically, largely sold and consumed within several counties of where they are grown, would go a long ways to help farmers. Additionally, universal health care would be of great benefit to small farmers. 7. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Wisconsin? What percent comes from political action committees? Eisman: I received one generous donation from a friend in California, and a number of small checks from family friends on the East Coast. The overwhelming majority of the donations to my campaign, however, have come from Wisconsinites. I also accepted $1,000 from my own state party, which technically counts as a PAC, but with that exception, I have taken no money from PACs—not even my own union. All the rest of my campaign financing has come from individuals in the form of cash, personal checks, and online donations. (replied Oct. 2, 2006)

Eisman: It definitely would. All stable, longterm relationships deserve legal recognition, not only marriage. Stripping other relationships of this recognition does nothing to protect marriage. 3. Describe how you differ from your opponents on education, specifically as relates to MPS quality, choice funding, and the tension between MPS and choice/charter schools. Eisman: I want to make our public schools stronger through greater community involvement and eliminating employee health care as a budget item. Private schools are welcome, but no public money should go to schools that are not publicly accountable. 4. Describe how you will provide affordable health care coverage for every Wisconsinite. Eisman: We need universal health care. For not much more than the total amount Wisconsinites currently pay for health, we can expand the range of BadgerCare services and offer them to everyone who lives in Wisconsin. This is because the current system—or rather, systems—have a very large amount of overhead. Additionally, people without insurance end up going to the emergency room, which costs taxpayers more than the insurance would have. 5. Describe the most important thing you have done to protect Wisconsin’s land, air, and water to date. What you will do as governor to further protect the environment?

Candidates for governor were asked to respond in 125 words or less per question. The Compass invited Mark Green to respond but did not receive any responses by the deadline.

VOTE NOVEMBER 7th 13

Volume 3 • Issue 10

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

October 2006

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U.S. Senate Race

B e n G l a t z e l / H e r b K o h l / R o b e r t G e r a l d L o r g e / R a e Vo g e l e r Ben Glatzel,

Independent 1. If the House impeached President Bush, under what conditions would you vote to remove him from office? Glatzel: This is a pointed and ridiculous question that has no legitimate basis. He has done nothing to warrant impeachment.

2. Under what conditions will you support a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq? Glatzel: I would support withdrawal of our troops when the military leaders indicate that the mission and objectives have been completed. I believe this mission is or will be focused on the compliance or non-compliance of Iran to United Nations directives. War is a terrible thing and I do not think America should be the international police agency. We as a nation cannot allow tin horn bullies and governments, however, to throw lethal sucker punches at us and stand by idle (i.e. World Trade Center twice, USS Cole, our marine barracks and embassies, etc.). 3. Since the United States has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, what alternative would you advocate that sets a global example for more environmentally responsible burning of fossil fuels and the reduction of greenhouse gases? Glatzel: First and foremost I support clean burning alternative fuel sources, but I believe they should compete in the free market. I would not subject the United States to tighter controls than nations such as China and Mexico that are striving to kill our economy. I would be extremely supportive of a joint effort to have these countries pay their citizens fair wages and abide by agreed upon environmental standards if they are to sell their products in our market. 4. Do you think nations should be permitted to interpret the Geneva Conventions, especially in relation to the torture of prisoners of war? Explain your position. Glatzel: Did Saddam Hussein apply the standards of the Geneva Conventions when he and his sons attached electrodes to his opponents’ testicles or ground them up in adult size meat grinders? Most people, myself included, do not know what our government does to extract information. I believe just like military tactics change, so should extraction methods change to meet the needs of our country. 5. What is your position about the holding of detainees/“enemy combatants” indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay? Does the administration have the right to suspend the Constitution with regard to the writ of habeas corpus? Glatzel: Again, this is a pointed and loaded question. It is a shame that a media source would venture to not present the news, but attempt to seek self satisfaction to their bias viewpoints. These detainees are not represented by any flag or country. They are the forces of terrorism. They do not deserve the rights granted to citizens of the United States. 6. Do you agree with the conclusions drawn from the recent National Intelligence Estimate report, representing a consensus view of 16 U.S. spy agencies, that the war in Iraq has increased the threat of global terrorism? Glatzel: Absolutely not. Are these not the same sources that provided information to get us into the war in the first place? Our citizens need to face the fact that people hate us. They want to kill us and they will do everything in their power to do so. We must meet this threat head on and stop prolonging this war by allowing the media to paint false images of our country and its people. 7. Describe the foreign policy you advocate with regard to the multiple challenges of nuclear proliferation, militant extremist groups, and a shift in the global economic balance from the United States to China. Glatzel: The American economy is more flexible and robust than any other nation of the world. Freedom is what accounts for this and it is freedom that will eventually cause the Chinese economy to change or implode. I do believe we need to stop our country’s companies from leaving our borders. The reason they leave is greed and this could be America’s downfall. Perhaps the need exists to utilize persuasive measures to make these companies decide to remain in America. 8. What is America’s greatest problem? How would you address the challenge? Glatzel: The misinterpretation of the Constitution is the biggest problem that our country faces. The thought that we have the right to do whatever pleases us is not what the founding fathers intended. This is leading to moral decay in this country. America is great because she is good and if this country ceases to be good...She will cease to be great. 9. Is the federal government prepared for another Katrina-scale disaster? How will you ensure the nation’s emergency preparedness? Glatzel: We cannot answer this question until the next disaster occurs. I can say that I have the confidence in the American people to take care of what the government fails to provide. State rights still come before federal intervention. 10. Do you support work visas for foreigners wishing to work in the United States? Why or why not? Glatzel: I do not support these visas. I believe we need to pay Americans a healthy wage (determined by the market) to work American jobs. These are not jobs that Americans will not do, they are jobs that employers will not pay for. Will this increase the price of goods? Again the market will not allow for this. If you want to sell produce, you are going to as an industry do what is necessary to sell your product (i.e. improve technology and compete). 11. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Wisconsin? What percent comes from political action committees? Glatzel: I receive no funds from any sources and I will accept no endorsements. 14

Volume 3 • Issue 10

Robert Gerald Lorge, Republican Party

Rae Vogeler,

Green Party

1. If the House impeached President Bush, under what conditions would you vote to remove him from office?

1. If the House impeached President Bush, under what conditions would you vote to remove him from office?

Lorge: Such hypotheticals originate from the absurd Nancy Pelosi lunatic fringe of the Democratic party. To impeach any president, the Constitution requires that they be indicted on grounds of “Treason,” “High Crimes,” or “Misdemeanors.” As a United States Senator, I would sit as a juror in the Senate impeachment trial, and to do so, I would have to be and will remain impartial, as I am now, and weigh all evidence, if any, and then decide. This has never been done. It is not something to do or say you would do as a political election year gimmick.

Vogeler: Under what conditions?... Impeachment may be the only way the American public can finally get the truth about why we went to war with Iraq. The following are reasons for going ahead with an impeachment investigation and proceeding. I would vote to impeach President Bush if he knowingly:

2. Under what conditions will you support a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq? Lorge: Get in, get the job done, get out. The job is not done. Herb Kohl voted to get in, voted for every Iraq billion dollar budget bill, but now wants to cut and run. The job is not done, what does Herb not understand about that? Instead of Americans, Iraq should pay its own way, it has 25% of the world’s proven oil reserves. If Iraq pays up first, then they will stand up in general as stakeholders and we can stand down sooner too with the job well done and America made safer. We will never forget 9/11’s lessons. 3. Since the United States has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, what alternative would you advocate that sets a global example for more environmentally responsible burning of fossil fuels and the reduction of greenhouse gases? Lorge: I favor alternative fuels, clean burning hydrogen, fuel cells, wind power, water tidal turbine power, ethanol, biodiesel. The Kyoto treaty allows China and other Third World nations to pollute. I oppose that. I believe in total equality and total reciprocity as the foundation of all international relations, all treaties, and the Kyoto Protocol fails this basic test. America already pollutes less than these nations, they must come up to American standards, they should stop getting a free pass for lower standards. I support “American business,” not world welfare for Communist slave traders. 4. Do you think nations should be permitted to interpret the Geneva Conventions, especially in relation to the torture of prisoners of war? Explain your position. Lorge: All “sovereign nations,” the United States as well, have the right to interpret treaties, negotiate treaties, and even abrogate breached or out of date treaties, that said, I believe that the United States should treat all people as if their nation has signed on to the benefits of the Geneva Conventions, even if they have not, as America must maintain the highest moral ground, not the lowest. We should treat all war criminals and war crime regimes with swift justice also, but always according to law, and American values of justice and human rights.

Provided misinformation as a rationale for going to war against Iraq; Allowed the killing of innocent civilians in Iraq; Allowed the torture of Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison; Allowed people to be deported to secret prisons and tortured, without legal recourse; Illegally spied on Americans and foreigners. 2. Under what conditions will you support a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq? Vogeler: Conditions in Iraq today are enough to warrant a rapid and orderly withdrawal of troops, starting immediately. Each day, the chaos gets worse. The reasons given for this war were proven false: There were no weapons of mass destruction and no Iraqis involved in 9/11. Furthermore, recent polls show that 92% of Iraqis want U.S. forces to leave immediately, 72% of U.S. soldiers in Iraq support removal of troops by end of 2006, and the majority of Americans (taxpayers who’ve paid over $330 billion on this war) want it to end. Let’s heed their call, and bring the troops home. 3. Since the United States has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, what alternative would you advocate that sets a global example for more environmentally responsible burning of fossil fuels and the reduction of greenhouse gases? Vogeler: Few actions would set a better global example for environmental responsibility than the U.S.—the largest producer of greenhouse gases—joining the international community in ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. We also have to take systematic steps to both clean up the environment and drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we let into the atmosphere. That means, for example, mandating lower emissions from factories and cars, curbing individual consumption, promoting alternative energy sources, and funding the EPA to do its work to protect our health. 4. Do you think nations should be permitted to interpret the Geneva Conventions, especially in relation to the torture of prisoners of war? Explain your position. Vogeler: No. The Geneva Conventions have long served to protect the rights of soldiers and civilians from many nations, including ours, from becoming victims of torture. Nations must abide by the Geneva Conventions and not be able to interpret the Conventions in such a manner as to allow inhumane treatment and illegal activities, such as killing innocent civilians, torture, and the detention of people without due process.

5. What is your position about the holding of detainees/ “enemy combatants” indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay? Does the administration have the right to suspend the Constitution with regard to the writ of habeas corpus?

5. What is your position about the holding of detainees/ “enemy combatants” indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay? Does the administration have the right to suspend the Constitution with regard to the writ of habeas corpus?

Lorge: I oppose permanent detention of anybody. I have a simple view of detainees: Shoot them on the battlefield, but if caught alive, either treat them as prisoners of war, or as war criminals and afford them the rights of all court defendants, I oppose secret trials, I oppose torture, America is not like our barbaric enemies, we do not need to become like them to defeat them, but America must win the war on terror. Treat it as a war and proceed militarily at all stages as if it is a real war, and we will win it, we must.

Vogeler: We all want to feel safe in our homes, with our families, at work, and when we travel. It does not make us safe when any one of us could be arrested as an “enemy combatant” and left, without charges or the right to a lawyer, at Guantanamo Bay or a secret prison. The administration does not have the right to suspend the Constitution. Detainees should be immediately charged and brought to justice in an open court where they have the right to a fair and public trial with a jury.

6. Do you agree with the conclusions drawn from the recent National Intelligence Estimate report, representing a consensus view of 16 U.S. spy agencies, that the war in Iraq has increased the threat of global terrorism? Lorge: No. I do believe that Iraq should hold a referendum to allow its own people to partition the nation into “five independent democratic nations”: A Kurdistan for the Kurds, a Sunni-Land, Persian Shiite-land, Arab Shiite-land, and TransJordanianSaudi area. They hate each other, let the inalienable right of “self-determination of people” decide. Lincoln fired many generals before finding General Grant and winning the Civil War; this approach should be used in Iraq also until we find our modern General Grant. In any event I oppose using U.S. troops for police duty, troops are soldiers period. SEE PAGE 19

6. Do you agree with the conclusions drawn from the recent National Intelligence Estimate report, representing a consensus view of 16 U.S. spy agencies, that the war in Iraq has increased the threat of global terrorism? Vogeler: Those of us opposed to the Iraq war since the beginning have known and feared that unilaterally invading and then occupying Iraq would only serve to strengthen terrorists. Now the experts in 16 U.S. intelligence agencies agree. That is why we must immediately withdraw troops from Iraq and restore Iraqi sovereignty. 7. Describe the foreign policy you advocate with regard to the multiple challenges of nuclear proliferation, militant extremist groups, and a shift in the global economic balance from the United States to China. SEE PAGE 19

Candidates for U.S. Senate were asked to respond in 100 words or less per question. The Compass invited Senator Herb Kohl to respond but did not receive any responses by the deadline.

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

October 2006

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4th Congressional District Race G we n M o o r e / Pe r fe c t o R i ve ra

Gwen Moore (Incumbent), Democratic Party 1. Under what conditions would you vote to impeach President Bush? Moore: Questions have been raised about the president’s justification for invading Iraq, including allegations that he and his administration intentionally misled Congress and the American people. In addition, a criminal probe is investigating how, for their own political revenge, administration officials intentionally and illegally blew the cover of one of our nation’s very own undercover CIA operatives. First and foremost, we need to get to the truth of these matters. Since the Republican Congress has failed the American people by refusing to ask the tough questions about the administration’s conduct, I am a cosponsor of a bill to establish a select committee to investigate and find out the facts. At the very least, Congress has a responsibility and the American people have a right to know. 2. Under what conditions will you support a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq? Moore: I have been calling for a plan for withdrawal of our troops from Iraq since last year. Our brave men and women in uniform on the ground have performed their duty admirably, but the administration’s underlying rationale for invading Iraq was founded on false notions that Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and that he was harboring Al Qaeda members. And in the three years since the president declared “Mission Accomplished” nearly 2,600 of our troops have been killed, with 20,000 injured since the invasion. According to a recently released consensus view of the country’s top experts at our 16 intelligence agencies, our presence in Iraq has helped generate new Islamic radicalism and worsened the U.S. position in the global fight against terrorism. 3. Is the country doing enough to fight the global AIDS pandemic? How will you work for a cure? Moore: This is perhaps the largest humanitarian crisis of our era. Globally 4.1 million people became newly infected last year, including another estimated 40,000 Americans. Although funding to fight the disease has seen increases, we are still falling short while the pandemic threatens both communities here at home and a global catastrophe of economic and political chaos abroad that risks critical strategic U.S. interests. We can do more. It is both a moral issue and in our own national self interest to do so. For starters, I’ve tried to bring attention to the need for people to get tested by publicly doing so myself. And I’ve voted for $600 million more for the Global AIDS Initiative and $642 million more for NIH, which performs AIDS research. 4. What is the greatest challenge facing the United States today? How will you address this challenge? Moore: We need to establish spending priorities that reflect the values of the American people. One way to do this is to make our military budget smarter, not bigger. With a Pentagon budget of $447 billion next year, we spend a considerable amount producing increasingly expensive Cold War era weapons designed to fight a Soviet threat, not the actual security threats we now face. We are left no safer as a result of buying these pricey weapons systems, but are reaching the point where we’ll be unable to pay for anything else—education, health care, programs to help the elderly, infrastructure improvements,

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even troop training, you name it. I will continue to help develop smarter budgets which better meet the needs of the American people. 5. Do you support work visas for foreigners wishing to work in the United States? Why or why not? Moore: Excluding farm worker visas, most non-U.S. citizens that receive temporary work visas come here on an H-1B visa only at the request of a U.S. company. Most of these visas are granted for specialized technological or computer-related work, limited to three years, and by law the employer cannot simply reduce costs by paying them less than a U.S. employee doing the same job. Three years ago, the number of these visas that American companies could receive was cut in half. While high-tech firms say that right now the program is necessary due to a shortage of skilled tech workers, what we really need to do is better invest in math, computer, and science education so that more of our own workers can do these jobs. 6. Would you reform the Electoral College to more closely represent the popular vote? Moore: Six years ago, under our current Electoral College system, George W. Bush was elected even though he received less votes nationwide than Al Gore. As a result, some have called for the elimination of this system. But others have argued that Wisconsin benefits from the current state-by-state system because, as a “swing” state, candidates pay more attention to us and our issues than they would under a popular vote system. They have also argued that Wisconsin would lose influence under a popular vote system since presidential candidates would shift their focus and travel to the nation’s huge metropolitan areas to get the numbers they need. At the moment, I am not currently a cosponsor of bills to eliminate our current system of electing a president. 7. Do you agree with the conclusions drawn from the recent National Intelligence Estimate report, representing a consensus view of 16 U.S. spy agencies, that the war in Iraq has increased the threat of global terrorism? Moore: A National Intelligence Estimate report, or NIE, is the most authoritative summary of the opinion of our nation’s intelligence agencies. Since it reflects the consensus view of our 16 intelligence services, its judgment that the war in Iraq has increased the threat of global terrorism needs to be taken seriously. In fact, our intelligence experts wrote in the NIE that the situation in Iraq is one of the four underlying factors “fueling the spread of the jihadist movement” worldwide and said that the “Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives.” The NIE has confirmed many assessments of average citizens, myself included, that we have drawn not from classified information, but from daily news from the war in Iraq.

Perfecto Rivera, Republican Party 1. Under what conditions would you vote to impeach President Bush? Rivera: I would consider such a move if the president had committed an impeachable offense such as deliberately lying to the Congress and the American people or committing an act of treason. 2. Under what conditions will you support a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq? Rivera: When the job is done. 3. Is the country doing enough to fight the global AIDS pandemic? How will you work for a cure? Rivera: The U.S. government cannot be all things to all people. Alexis de Tocqueville commented in the mid-1830s about the unequivocal organizational spirit—private organizations working for the common good—that he saw in America. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others, has been a leader in solving issues such as the global AIDS pandemic, and I trust these foundations to continue to work for solutions on complex problems such as AIDS. Our government and the American people have contributed considerable money and research towards finding a cure for this deadly disease. Education is a major part of finding a cure. Lifestyles that encourage risky behavior and spread the infection must change. 4. What is the greatest challenge facing the United States today? How will you address this challenge? Rivera: I think that the greatest challenge is the fight against the network of world terror. It is difficult to understand and comprehend what is in the hearts of people that are willing to kill anyone that has a different set of beliefs. We must protect ourselves from the radicals of hate. We must be strong enough to protect ourselves and be willing to fight back. 5. Do you support work visas for foreigners wishing to work in the United States? Why or why not? Rivera: My own family coming from an immigrant background, I do support work visas for citizens attempting to make a new life for themselves through legal immigration. I support maintaining the laws that have allowed legal immigrants to enter our nation while also

ensuring tough border security to protect our nation from terrorists. I think the ability to better oneself is at the core of the American dream and therefore denying that dream to others who have good intentions is un-American. Working hard and dreaming large should be encouraged and therefore I support visas for foreigners. 6. Would you reform the Electoral College to more closely represent the popular vote? Rivera: At the time of the Electoral College’s installment, there were 13 large and small states very suspicious of any central national government. There were several options considered by the Constitutional Convention about how to select the president. A committee of 11 proposed an indirect election through a College of Electors. The idea was that the most knowledgeable and informed individuals from the states would select the president based on his merit. The Electoral College has performed its function for over 200 years (and in over 50 presidential elections) by ensuring that the president of the United States has both sufficient popular support to govern and that his popular support is distributed throughout the country. I don’t see a pressing need to change the system. 7. Do you agree with the conclusions drawn from the recent National Intelligence Estimate report, representing a consensus view of 16 U.S. spy agencies, that the war in Iraq has increased the threat of global terrorism? Rivera: No. I support the president on the issue of Iraq. Bringing democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan has had positive repercussions throughout the world. Significant progress has been made in advancing freedom and democracy to regions historically seen as hotbeds of terrorism. The Iraqi people, through unprecedented turnout in national elections, have proven that freedom for their country goes beyond any potential threats to their personal safety by terrorists. 8. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Wisconsin? What percent comes from political action committees? Rivera: Ninety-nine percent of the contributions to my campaign have, to date, come from individuals and friends that live in Wisconsin. No contributions from businesses or political action committees. (replied Oct. 9, 2006) Candidates for District 4 Representative for U.S. Congress were asked to respond in 125 words or less per question.

VOTE NOVEMBER 7th

8. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Wisconsin? What percent comes from political action committees? Moore: I receive campaign contributions from individuals and political action committees in the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin and elsewhere. I think it is very important for voters to know who is donating to the campaigns of their members of Congress. I report these contributions regularly as required by the Federal Election Commission and would invite any interested citizens who would like to know more to feel free to go to their website (fec.gov) to see for themselves who has given to my campaign. (replied Oct. 6, 2006)

Volume 3 • Issue 10

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

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District 7 State Senate Race

D i m i t y G r a b o w s k i / J e f f P l a l e / C l a u d e Va n d e r Ve e n Jeff Plale (Incumbent), Democratic Party Part I (Yes or No) 1. Do you support legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons in Wisconsin? Plale: Yes. 2. Do you support unrestrict-

ed stem cell research? Plale: Yes, within the accepted boundaries of the medical community. 3. Do you support allowing pharmacists to withhold a prescription based on personal beliefs? Plale: No. 4. Do you support the proposed state constitutional amendment to define marriage? Plale: No. 5. Do you support the death penalty in Wisconsin? Plale: No. 6. Do you support enforcement of the Great Lakes Water Agreement? Plale: Yes. 7. Do you support establishing an independent airport authority for GMIA? Plale: I don’t know. 8. Do you support prohibiting smoking in Wisconsin public places? Plale: No. 9. Do you support withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq immediately? Plale: No. 10. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income tax? Plale: No.

Part II

1. Do you support the carrying of concealed weapons in public places? Plale: I have supported measured, restrictive legislation to allow for citizens to receive a permit to carry a concealed weapon on their person or in their home or business. Wisconsin courts have indicated that current statute does not meet constitutional muster. I believe the legislation I have voted for in the past rectifies that disparity without jeopardizing safety. I do not support an unfettered right to own and carry a firearm. I believe the legislature under Governor Doyle had the opportunity to pass a restrictive policy that allowed adequate regulation on who could or could not carry a gun. 2. Does the cost of public education match its effectiveness? Why/why not? What will you do to improve MPS? Plale: I believe quality public education is invaluable. It is an investment with a high rate of return. Clearly, Milwaukee Public Schools face a number of challenges, but they have already achieved a number of victories. The state of Wisconsin must meet its commitment to two-thirds funding of public schools. I was a co-author of legislation passed to increase the SAGE program to fund smaller class sizes by $25 million dollars. MPS must continue to look for creative solutions. For example, the elimination of large failing high schools, replaced with smaller specialty and community based schools, has shown enormous promise. 3. Describe how you would work with Milwaukee County to confront the unfunded state mandates that have saddled the county with financial problems. Plale: I don’t support unfunded mandates, and I believe they are part of the problem facing Milwaukee County. I’m eager to work with leaders in county government to do whatever I can to help the County Board and county executive re-stabilize the county fiscally. I don’t believe, however, that there is any one cause that led to the situation we currently face. I believe serious people need to come to the table and determine the best long term course for the county to take. I anxiously await the findings of the task force chaired by Chris Abele and Sheldon Lubar.

4. What is the biggest problem the state faces and how would you address it? Plale: To select one issue as the most significant we face is difficult. I believe there are many issues we must confront quickly. If forced to pick one, I have to say that we must ensure that Wisconsin families have the jobs they need to raise families and pay for health care. If Wisconsinites continue to work, they are more able to afford health care, raise children, and contribute to the overall economy. I have been a champion of responsible economic development aimed at recruiting and maintaining family sustaining jobs.

Claude VanderVeen, Green Party Part I (Yes or No) 1. Do you support legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons in Wisconsin? VanderVeen: No.

VanderVeen: Yes.

2. Do you support unrestricted stem cell research?

3. Do you support allowing pharmacists to withhold a prescription based on personal beliefs? VanderVeen: No.

5. Under what circumstances would you cross party lines in Madison?

4. Do you support the proposed state constitutional amendment to define marriage? VanderVeen: No.

Plale: I am often willing to cross party lines. I am not sent to Madison to represent a political party. I am sent to represent the people of the 7th Senate District. I am willing to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle who support measures that benefit my district. For instance, I worked very closely with Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) on legislation to ease the parking crunch felt by the neighbors of UWM. I also worked tirelessly with Representatives Honadel (R-South Milwaukee) and Sinicki (DMilwaukee) when DHFS attempted to place a sexual predator in our community.

5. Do you support the death penalty in Wisconsin? VanderVeen: No.

6. Under what conditions would you support the sale of public parkland?

10. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income tax? VanderVeen: No.

Plale: Currently, I cannot think of a condition under which I would approve of the sale of public parkland. Green space is of such a premium especially in urban areas. Any and all steps necessary should be taken to preserve it. 7. How would you go about providing affordable health care for small businesses and the uninsured? Plale: I believe health care costs are fast reaching a crisis point. I am intrigued by several proposals that have been recently introduced, including the plan introduced by Reps. Richards and Gielow. There is currently a legislative council study being convened to discuss health care options. This is the first real debate we’ve had in a long time, and I am anxious to hear their findings. 8. Describe the most important thing you have done to protect the district’s land, air, and water to date. What you will do as senator to further protect the environment? What will you do differently from your opponents? Plale: I’m proud of my work on the Senate Utilities Committee. I worked diligently with environmental and utility representatives to make sure that the expansion of the Elm Road Generating Station produced a cleaner, more efficient plant. I also co-authored the most sweeping renewable energy legislation Wisconsin has ever seen. This package will ensure that the state leads by example when it comes to energy conservation. In addition, it calls on Wisconsin’s biggest corporate consumers of energy to commit to greater efficiency as well. 9. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within the 7th State Senate District? What percent comes from political action committees? Plale: I have taken the legally allowed limit of PAC contributions, approximately $15,000. By the end of this campaign I expect to raise about $150,000. Therefore, PAC contribution will likely total about 10%. As for the ratio of in-district contributions, I simply don’t know. I have not done that arithmetic. I know that there are a great number of constituents who support my campaigns financially. I know also that I have supporters across Milwaukee County and statewide who support my efforts. Many of them send contributions since they are unable to vote for me. (replied Oct. 6, 2006)

6. Do you support enforcement of the Great Lakes Water Agreement? VanderVeen: Yes. 7. Do you support establishing an independent airport authority for GMIA? VanderVeen: No.

the state is that so few Wisconsinites have faith anymore that their elected officials will do what they were elected to do—take care of our needs. Both the old parties are tarnished by scandals and corruption, and many citizens respond by not voting, by cynicism, and by hopelessness. Many wellqualified people see the meat-grinder the political process has become and decide against getting involved. Well, politicians, like diapers, need to be changed frequently, and for the same reason... 5. Under what circumstances would you cross party lines in Madison? VanderVeen: As a member of the Wisconsin Green Party, I will almost always be voting “across party lines.” I will vote on every bill using the priorities the late Paul Wellstone used—voting according to my conscience first, according to my constituents second, and according to my party third.

8. Do you support prohibiting smoking in Wisconsin public places? VanderVeen: Yes.

6. Under what conditions would you support the sale of public parkland?

9. Do you support withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq immediately? VanderVeen: No.

VanderVeen: I would support sale of public parkland only if there is no net loss in acreage. For every acre sold, purchase at least one acre elsewhere of equal quality.

Part II

1. Do you support the carrying of concealed weapons in public places? VanderVeen: I know from bitter experience that concealed weapons won’t reduce crime, and any increased feeling of security is false. When I ran a bicycle store in St. Louis, I was mugged by two young men, one had a gun pointing at me. Had I tried to reach for, pull out, aim, and pull the trigger of a concealed gun, I’d be dead. The person with a weapon showing first usually wins. 2. Does the cost of public education match its effectiveness? Why/why not? What will you do to improve MPS? VanderVeen: I believe the cost of public education truly matches its effectiveness, especially with voucher schools. We are paying cut rate prices, and getting cut rate results. If children really are our future, we should be willing to tax ourselves accordingly. To improve MPS, I would reduce the disparity in per pupil spending between rich and poor districts. I would increase incentives to retain the best teachers in poor districts. 3. Describe how you would work with Milwaukee County to confront the unfunded state mandates that have saddled the county with financial problems. VanderVeen: As state senator, I will work to ensure that every state mandate is fully funded. I will also create a statewide eligibility requirement for state services, and require the state to meet that obligation by raising taxes or lowering the eligibility threshold, as circumstances change. Please do not conclude that I love taxes. I don’t, but taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society. I believe in paying for the goods and services I receive; I want to get what I’m paying for, too! Its time to stop “balancing the budget” with loans and gimmicks. 4. What is the biggest problem the state faces and how would you address it? VanderVeen: The biggest problem facing

7. How would you go about providing affordable health care for small businesses and the uninsured? VanderVeen: The best first step to making health care affordable to small businesses and available to the uninsured is to replace the chaos of multi-payer health care with single-payer health care. Studies show that overhead (paperwork, finding out what is covered by dozens of different insurers, who is in this network, who isn’t, etc.) takes 30 cents of every dollar in the multi-payer system, compared to three cents for the single-payer health care. This will be a good first step. 8. Describe the most important thing you have done to protect the district’s land, air, and water to date. What you will do as senator to further protect the environment? What will you do differently from your opponents? VanderVeen: I have gotten my hands dirty picking garlic mustard. I have bicycled to work year ‘round for 10 years. I started a bicycling group at my church. I have helped set up a program at Milwaukee Boys and Girls Club to train young people to repair bicycles. As more people see bicycling as a viable means of commuting, shopping, recreation, and a family activity, the better our environment and neighborhoods will be. As senator, I will work with Milwaukee Transit System to equip busses with bicycle racks to make bus/bicycle commuting easier. 9. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within the 7th State Senate District? What percent comes from political action committees? VanderVeen: Fully 53% of my campaign contributions come from individuals in the 7th state Senate District. Believing that accepting money from PACs and corporations is a slippery slope toward corruption, less than 4% of my contributions come from this source. I encourage everyone to go to the website of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign (wisdc.org) to check the numbers candidates give. It will be enlightening, I guarantee. (replied Oct. 5, 2006)

Candidates for state Senate were asked to respond in 100 words or less per question. The Compass invited Dimity Grabowski to respond but did not receive any responses by the deadline. 16

Volume 3 • Issue 10

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

October 2006

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Milwaukee County District Attorney Race John Chisholm / Lew Wasser man

John Chisholm, Democratic Party Part I (Yes or No) 1. Do you support legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons in Wisconsin? Chisholm: No. 2. Do you support unrestricted stem cell research? Chisholm: No. 3. Do you support allowing pharmacists to withhold a prescription based on personal beliefs? Chisholm: No. 4. Do you support the proposed state constitutional amendment to define marriage? Chisholm: No. 5. Do you support the death penalty in Wisconsin? Chisholm: No. 6. Do you support enforcement of the Great Lakes Water Agreement? Chisholm: Yes. 7. Do you support establishing an independent airport authority for GMIA? Chisholm: No. 8. Do you support prohibiting smoking in Wisconsin public places? Chisholm: No. 9. Do you support withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq immediately? Chisholm: No. 10. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income tax? Chisholm: No.

Part II 1. Will you abolish the inquest jury? Will you restructure it? If so, how/why? Chisholm: No, I will not abolish the inquest jury, but I will restructure it. The first thing I will do is assign an independent agency to do a concurrent investigation. Right now the agency in question is doing the investigation—which creates doubt and distrust in the community. I have asked the Wisconsin Department of Justice to provide us with this independent investigative team. I would also like to expand the inquest jury from six to 12 jurors, like a standard jury, so it better reflects the community. The inquest process is an important tool and I feel strongly that the authority for this practice should remain with the District Attorney’s office so that we are held directly accountable to the residents of Milwaukee County. 2. Comment on the community prosecution program. What would you change about it? Chisholm: As an Assistant District Attorney, I’ve worked closely with our community prosecutors and neighborhood groups. I feel very strongly that this program must be expanded. We have already put six of our prosecutors into the community—working with law enforcement agencies and the community—and the response has been extremely positive. The community supports and values this proactive approach. It allows us to discern between violent and nonviolent offenders, so we can remove violent offenders quickly. We then have the ability to distinguish which resources to invest in the non-violent offenders. The community prosecution program allows us to work in a much more proactive way with the community. As DA, I will significantly expand this program and make it the natural way we review cases. 3. What will you do to redress the disproportionate number of Milwaukee minorities who are imprisoned? Chisholm: Our top priority must be identifying violent offenders, regardless of race. We have to identify violent criminals quickly and remove them from the community. Once we do this, we are able to identify the non-violent offenders and determine whether they would be better served with other available resources, such as mental health care or drug treatment. For many non-violent offenders, it makes sense to invest resources into helping them right away—up

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front—instead of counting on the criminal justice system to curb these problems. 4. What can and will you, as DA, do to curb gun violence and the sale of illegal firearms? To curb the production of methamphetamine? To curb excessive use of force by law enforcement officers? Chisholm: I am currently the director of Operation Ceasefire. We aggressively prosecute firearm offenders—felons in possession of firearms, drug dealers, and violent gang members. We will continue this aggressive approach, and will be even more effective through community prosecution— identifying violent offenders at the ground level. Methamphetamine is a serious issue outside of the Milwaukee area and requires collaboration by law enforcement agencies. We have begun to tackle this issue through restrictions on ephedrine purchases and it’s working. Crack cocaine, however, remains the major drug of concern in the Milwaukee area. We need to continue working with HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program) to interdict large scale drug dealers. Under my watch, any law enforcement officer that commits a crime will be aggressively prosecuted. 5. Should untaped or unsigned confessions be admissible as evidence? If so, under what circumstances? Chisholm: There are rare circumstances when untaped or unsigned confessions are admissible, such as in cases of danger or crisis, when equipment is unavailable. Currently it is required for law enforcement to obtain taped or recorded confessions from all juveniles. Beginning in January, 2007, Wisconsin Act 60 will require law enforcement to record confessions from all defendants—including adults. 6. Police Chief Hegerty has said the department doesn’t have enough officers. If the Milwaukee Police Department had the number of officers Hegerty and others desire, would the police be able to keep the city safe? Chisholm: Safer, yes. But law enforcement cannot keep 100% of people safe 100% of the time. The best strategy we can take is to work closely with the community in identifying problems early on and intervening. Our goal should be to work as closely as possible with the community to be proactive in solving problems and fighting crime, which will require cooperation from the community. The community prosecution program will assist in doing this, by putting district attorneys in neighborhoods, working closely with police and community members on a daily basis. People in the community will know who their law enforcement officers are and will be able to better identify and solve problems right at the ground level. 7. Or is there more to it than numbers? Evaluate how important you feel the culture of the police is in preventing crime and what role you as DA would have in improving that culture. Chisholm: Community based prosecution addresses the issue of changing cultures, both in MPD and the district attorney’s office. It requires law enforcement to work together in cooperation with the community. I firmly believe that it will also help people to see law enforcement as a means to prevent and solve problems proactively instead of reactively. We will be working with law enforcement and the community at the neighborhood level, but we all have to work together if we are to be successful in reducing crime. 8. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Milwaukee County? What percent comes from political action committees? Chisholm: The vast majority of contributions to my campaign come from Milwaukee County. Political action committees have contributed less than 10% of our receipts. It’s public record and can be viewed online at www.elections.state. wi.us. (replied Oct. 6, 2006)

Volume 3 • Issue 10

Lew Wasserman, Independent [operating after revocation] but not first offense OWI [operating while under the influence].

Part I (Yes or No) 1. Do you support legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons in Wisconsin? Wasserman: Yes. 2. Do you support unrestricted stem cell research? Wasserman: No. 3. Do you support allowing pharmacists to withhold a prescription based on personal beliefs? Wasserman: No. 4. Do you support the proposed state constitutional amendment to define marriage? Wasserman: No. 5. Do you support the death penalty in Wisconsin? Wasserman: No. 6. Do you support enforcement of the Great Lakes Water Agreement? Wasserman: (did not answer) 7. Do you support establishing an independent airport authority for GMIA? Wasserman: (did not answer) 8. Do you support prohibiting smoking in Wisconsin public places? Wasserman: Yes. 9. Do you support withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq immediately? Wasserman: No. 10. Do you support a flat tax structure for state income tax? Wasserman: No.

Part II 1. Will you abolish the inquest jury? Will you restructure it? If so, how/why? Wasserman: I will not need an inquest jury to issue criminal complaints against officers that have committed felonies. I will sign such complaints myself just as soon as probable cause is determined to exist from the available reports. And unlike McCann, I will insist on the cooperation of law enforcement in keeping their house clean. It’s simply absurd to believe that there hasn’t been a bad police shooting in the last 38 years, but McCann has given the cops a pass on this and OWIs and domestic abuse for decades. Chisholm’s plan to have these cases reviewed by federal prosecutors does nothing to change the perception that the DA is in the pocket of the police. 2. Comment on the community prosecution program. What would you change about it? Wasserman: Community prosecution can only be effective if the public believes the district attorney is not in-house counsel for the police. DAs in the program will have their own offices, email, and phone numbers, so that the public can have the confidence that they can contact the DA without alerting their neighbors or the police. Community prosecutors will function as liaison and ombudsmen to the community, as well as serving the function of charging cases. Trust in the DA’s office will bootstrap trust in the police if the public understands that the DA supervises the police, and not the other way around, which would be the perception if community prosecutors were embedded within district police stations, as Chisholm proposes. 3. What will you do to redress the disproportionate number of Milwaukee minorities who are imprisoned? Wasserman: I do not support enforcement programs (like Operation Ceasefire—run by Chisholm) that target minorities. I do not support automatic incarceration of persons convicted of possession of personal amounts of THC or powder cocaine, unless the offenders are using in homes where children are present, or some analogous circumstance. I do not support the sanction of criminal penalties for pure license offenses. It is absurd that we criminalize OAR

4. What can and will you, as DA, do to curb gun violence and the sale of illegal firearms? To curb the production of methamphetamine? To curb excessive use of force by law enforcement officers? Wasserman: A. Juveniles arrested with a gun will be detained and sent to Ethan Allen, no exceptions, and their home will be assessed to determine whether any other children should be removed as state wards, so that parents have the incentive to “know that he had a pistol.” B. Anyone selling guns to kids or to felons (straw buyers), goes to prison, and first will be considered for the increased federal penalties for these offenses. C. All drug dealers are violent criminals who merit removal from the community. D. Prosecution of bad cops deters others. But McCann has failed to get the cooperation of cops as witnesses, and Chisholm can’t articulate how he would do better. 5. Should untaped or unsigned confessions be admissible as evidence? If so, under what circumstances? Wasserman: There is virtually no circumstance under which law enforcement can’t tape a confession. Every cell phone can make .mpeg videos! And every internal affairs investigation is taped, so there is no valid excuse for not taping. An unsigned confession isn’t automatically coerced or the product of lack of free will, but unsigned confessions are not as compelling, so there is no incentive to use them. But some suspects just won’t sign, no matter how the confession is obtained, so I would examine each instance on its own. 6. Police Chief Hegerty has said the department doesn’t have enough officers. If the Milwaukee Police Department had the number of officers Hegerty and others desire, would the police be able to keep the city safe? Wasserman: We can significantly reduce the level of crime if we quadruple the incarceration rate. But in order to do that we would drain the city, the county, and the state of resources that could be put into a more effective long-range plan of crime prevention. If the increased patrols are focused on preventing domestic abuse, child abuse, and domestic drug use, then the mothers that we rely upon to take care of the kids in these homes might have the resources to protect their kids, get them to school, and have the incentive to know what their kids are doing. So more officers—with the right priorities—might go a long way towards keeping the city safe. 7. Or is there more to it than numbers? Evaluate how important you feel the culture of the police is in preventing crime and what role you as DA would have in improving that culture. Wasserman: As above, numbers alone isn’t the answer, unless we are prepared and willing to quadruple the incarceration rate. Preventing crime requires both community policing and community prosecution, as long as it takes the form of the model I’ve outlined above. If the community trusts the local prosecutors we can pull MPD up by its bootstraps. 8. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Milwaukee County? What percent comes from political action committees? Wasserman: As of the time of this letter, all my contributions come from people who either live in Milwaukee County or have businesses here. I have not received nor have I solicited any contributions from PACs. (replied Oct. 2, 2006)

Candidates for DA were asked to respond in 125 words or less per question.

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

October 2006

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Milwaukee County Sheriff Race David Clarke / Don Holt

David Clarke (Incumbent), Democratic Party 1. What’s Milwaukee’s biggest safety/security problem? How can the sheriff’s department address the problem? Clarke: A: The ugly truth that in a growing number of neighborhoods in the city of Milwaukee, the streets are under the control of the criminal element and that the perpetrators of crime and violence no longer fear that anyone is going to do anything about it. B: The lack of a strategic plan that is written, comprehensive, and specific to deal with the risk factors of crime, fractured families, school failure, lack of a role for the church in community life, and middle class flight out of the city of Milwaukee to the suburbs. A strategic plan to deal with risk factors has to come from city of Milwaukee leaders—mayor, Common Council, etc. The sheriff does not run the city of Milwaukee. 2. What can/should the sheriff’s department do to curb gun violence and the sale of illegal firearms? Should sheriff’s deputies be stationed at gun stores? Clarke: Demand that prosecutors and courts stop returning career criminals back into neighborhoods via low bail and watered down sentences, only to re-offend. These career criminals commit the overwhelming majority of the violent crime and disorder. No. Sheriff’s deputies should not be stationed in gun stores. Gun stores are federally licensed firearms dealers and we do not have the lawful jurisdiction to regulate them. This is the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. I assigned a detective to a task force with BATF to conduct gun tracing investigations to find the source of potential illegal gun trafficking. 3. Describe what you think is the proper boundary between city of Milwaukee and suburban police departments and Milwaukee County Sheriff tasks and responsibilities. There can’t be overlap on every issue, so where do you set the sheriff’s priorities? Clarke: The duties and responsibilities of the sheriff are codified in the Wisconsin state constitution, the state law, attorney general opinions, and case law. Other than that, I see it as my role

to supplement what the municipal agencies are doing and contribute resources. 4. What makes a good sheriff’s deputy? What would you look for when you hire a new deputy? Clarke: Someone who possesses a selfless attitude, good character, empathy, uses good judgment, puts public needs before their own, has a no-excuse mentality, is committed to the mission and vision set forth by the sheriff, has courage and accepts nothing short of excellence for themselves, their colleagues. Someone of good character and highly disciplined. I would hire a person who realizes that it is an honor to work in public service, not a right. 5. What’s the biggest problem within the sheriff’s department and how will you address it? Clarke: Eliminating the remaining entitlement mentality crowd and those who spend more time on detracting from what we’re trying to accomplish. Continuing my work on changing the culture of this organization. We want a leadership culture, a culture of success and achievement. We want a mission-focused organization. 6. What can the sheriff do to reduce the inappropriate use of force by Milwaukee law enforcement officers and to ensure the humane and lawful treatment of detainees? Clarke: Better hiring practices and then a continuing training that focuses on ethics, values, and our code of conduct. We recently purchased technology that allows us to implement an early warning system to see patterns of unacceptable behavior developing early so that interventions can be put into place. We train our supervisors to monitor and detect red flags, so to speak, in the area of unethical or unlawful conduct by our officers. 7. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Milwaukee County? What percent comes from political action committees? Clarke: More than 99% of my contributions come from individuals. For me to break it down by where they live would take a long time. Suffice it to say that 99% live in the Milwaukee area or surrounding area. Less than 1% of the contributions come from PACs. (replied Oct. 7, 2006)

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Don Holt,

Republican Party 1. What’s Milwaukee’s biggest safety/security problem? How can the sheriff’s department address the problem?

Holt: Milwaukee County’s greatest safety/security problem is violent crime caused primarily by gangs and drugs. The sheriff’s department is a countywide agency which can help weaken the problem through cooperation with Milwaukee and suburban police agencies. I will create an anti-gang unit. I will train freeway patrol deputies in drug interdiction techniques. This training will prepare them to identify (during traffic stops) couriers bringing drugs into the community. All police agencies must work together in a spirit of cooperation, collaboration, and coordination. We must maximize our effectiveness through pooling our anti-gang and drug reduction efforts. 2. What can/should the sheriff’s department do to curb gun violence and the sale of illegal firearms? Should sheriff’s deputies be stationed at gun stores? Holt: Curbing gun violence can only be accomplished by educating our children at the earliest stage of their life. They must learn respect for themselves and others. The sheriff’s department can assist by participating in early intervention programs such as DARE and TABS. There is no quick fix to this problem because it is multifaceted, made up by dysfunctional families, societal acceptance of illegal behavior, environmental conditions, education, and economics. While there are state laws placing restrictions on the use of firearms, the laws relating to sale of firearms are federal and not enforceable by local authorities. Placing a sheriff’s deputy at gun stores would do little to keep guns out of the hands of people who would use them illegally. 3. Describe what you think is the proper boundary between city of Milwaukee and suburban police departments and Milwaukee County Sheriff tasks and responsibilities. There can’t be overlap on every issue, so where do you set the sheriff’s priorities? Holt: All police agencies need to work together in overlapping areas of responsibility such as combating gang violence and drug dealing with a particular emphasis on information exchange and intelligence gathering. Operation of specialized units such as the bomb squad,

dive team, canine search and rescue within the sheriff’s department are important because they cannot be efficiently administered by the small suburban agencies. The primary responsibilities of the sheriff’s department include operating the jail, patrolling Milwaukee County expressways, providing security at the airport, and providing security in Milwaukee County parks. 4. What makes a good sheriff’s deputy? What would you look for when you hire a new deputy? Holt: A good deputy is one who has a genuine desire to help people and who has the courage to carry out his duties in the face of personal danger. A good deputy must have the character and background free of criminal behavior, has no history of domestic violence or abuse, above average education, and the high integrity. Psychological testing will be an integral part of the hiring process. 5. What’s the biggest problem within the sheriff’s department and how will you address it? Holt: There is a major morale problem within the sheriff’s department. Inconsistent application of policies, double standards, erratic and un-sustained disciplinary action, uncertain and changing promotional practices have all contributed to a breakdown in respect for the current administration. I will open a dialog with the employee’s union, establish clear rules and regulations which will be enforced in a fair and consistent manner. I will revise promotional policies that will stress knowledge, skills, and ability, utilizing competitive promotional processes. The expectations required for promotion will be crystal clear. 6. What can the sheriff do to reduce the inappropriate use of force by Milwaukee law enforcement officers and to ensure the humane and lawful treatment of detainees? Holt: Because of my strong belief in fairness I have no tolerance for excessive use of force or abusive behavior. Detainees’ rights will be respected and they will be treated fairly but firmly. There will be no double standards—I will expect my staff to maintain a standard of conduct that I hold for myself. 7. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Milwaukee County? What percent comes from political action committees? Holt: Approximately 10% comes from persons who do not live or work in Milwaukee County and they are exclusively personal friends. Less than 5% comes from PACs. (replied Oct. 6, 2006)

Candidates for sheriff were asked to respond in 125 words or less per question.

Live

Referenda

S CHWARTZ

in Bay View

Deborah Blum • Ghost Hunters Wednesday, September 27 – 7 pm talk At the close of the 19th century, philosopher William James Cambridge, philosopher Henry Sidgwick, and several others devoted themselves to the search for evidence of a life beyond. Blum explores their life-long pursuit in Ghost Hunters.

John Hodgman • The Areas of My Expertise Tuesday, October 3 – 7 pm talk Rescheduled! In the great tradition of the American almanac and in the vein of The Onion, The Areas of My Expertise is a brilliant and hilarious compendium of handy refer ence tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom on all topics large and small. Peter Annin • The Great Lakes Water Wars Wednesday, October 18 – 7 pm talk The Great Lakes Water Wars is a balanced, comprehensive look behind the scenes at the conflicts and compromises that are the past-and future-of this unique resource. Peter Annin is associate director of the Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources.

BAY VIEW • (414) 481-3401 2262 S. KINNICKINNIC AVE. DOWNER AVE.

(414) 332-1181

SHOREWOOD

(414) 963-3111

MEQUON

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www.SchwartzBooks.com

18

Volume 3 • Issue 10

Remember, we have new hours! Monday – Thursday: 9 am–9 pm Friday and Saturday: 9 am–10 pm Sunday: 10 am–5 pm

City of Milwaukee Referendum On the ballot, voters will be asked to answer yes or no to the following question. “Shall the United States commence a humane, orderly, rapid, and comprehensive withdrawal of United States military personnel and bases from Iraq?” This is an advisory referendum and lawmakers are not bound to any particular action by its results.

Statewide Referenda On the ballot, voters will be asked to answer yes or no to the following two questions. Ratification Referendum “Marriage. Shall section 13 of article XIII of the constitution be created to provide that only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state and that a legal status iden-

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

tical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state?” If a majority of voters vote “yes” Nov. 7, then the state constitution will be amended according to the language above, effective upon state certification of the election results. This referendum question follows a joint resolution (2005 SJR-53) including the above language passed by simple majority in both houses of the Republican-led state Legislature in its consecutive 2003 and 2005 sessions. If a majority of voters vote “no” Nov. 7, then there will be no resultant change in the constitution or state law regarding the legal nature of marriage. Advisory Referendum “Should the death penalty be enacted in the State of Wisconsin for cases involving a person who is convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, if the conviction is supported by DNA evidence?” Lawmakers are not bound to any particular action by the results of this referendum.

October 2006

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U.S. Senate Race

FROM PAGE 14

Robert Gerald Lorge, Republican Party

Rae Vogeler, Green Party

7. Describe the foreign policy you advocate with regard to the multiple challenges of nuclear proliferation, militant extremist groups, and a shift in the global economic balance from the United States to China.

Vogeler: The U.S. has more nuclear weapons than any other country in the world. For example, we have 10,000 nuclear missiles, while Iraq has zero. I advocate a foreign policy that moves away from aggression and dominance to one of dialogue and cooperation. We need to work with the world community through the United Nations to resolve conflicts rather than unilaterally invading countries. The U.S.—the largest superpower in the world—must set an example for stopping nuclear proliferation. This will make the world a safer place for our children, and our children’s children. Nuclear proliferation can lead to extinction.

Lorge: American foreign policy must start with “containment” of Communist China, Communist North Korea, and rogue regimes like the Islamic Republic States of Iran and Sudan, Chavez’s Venezuela, etc. America must help its American businesses compete to export and invest in owning the world’s strategic resources supply, such as oil fields and minerals, instead of abandoning these sources to the “buy up” by Communist China. At the same time America should export “American values”: democracy, free enterprise, property rights, individual liberty, and that model will curtail the influence of militant groups, who otherwise must be dealt with by swift deliberate action. 8. What is America’s greatest problem? How would you address the challenge? Lorge: The “do-nothing Congress” like my incumbent opponent “nobody’s senator at all” Herb Kohl who, he and they, have done nothing on major priority issues like health care. The Lorge Plan:100% unearned health care tax credit (refunds), instead of socialized medicine where we send our money to Washington and they make our decisions for us, the Lorge Plan does the reverse, sends our money back to us, we pick our doctors, clinics, and insurance companies because now we have what they want: the money! Keep it private, higher quality, competitive. 9. Is the federal government prepared for another Katrina-scale disaster? How will you ensure the nation’s emergency preparedness? Lorge: No, they bungled it totally, thank God we were not dealing with, for example, a terrorist nuclear device bombing or germ warfare release or the like. The entire FEMA Federal Emergency Management system needs to be overhauled, perhaps scrapped and rewritten from scratch to include local government, to ensure local control and democratic civilian control of our communities in the event of major calamity, so that what we are and stand for as Americans survives as well as our ability to protect, help, and defend our neighbors in time of need. There is much room for streamlining Homeland Security. 10. Do you support work visas for foreigners wishing to work in the United States? Why or why not? Lorge: I support “building up America,” that is what my campaign is all about, that is why I proposed the Lorge Tuition Tax Credit Plan: 100% of tuition fee tax credits over 10 years returned to the student or parent or lender that pays for the student’s tuition to any accredited higher educational institution like technical colleges and universities so that “we Americans” can obtain the training and education for high paying quality jobs instead of importing H1B visa workers, illegals, and the like. I favor legal immigration only, no butting ahead in line, that is what built America, not servitude. 11. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Wisconsin? What percent comes from political action committees? Lorge: 100% of our campaign contributions come from individual Wisconsin citizens. We have not received any contributions from PACs. Political action committees like the tobacco industry would be rejected as a matter of policy. We intend to represent the hard working families of Wisconsin, that is who our loyalty belongs to, that is who will “hire by voting” to elect Robert Gerald Lorge. Robert Gerald Lorge will fight for Wisconsin’s hard working families as our United States Senator, our motto: Robert Gerald Lorge “Everybody’s Senator, Especially Yours!”. (Replied Oct. 2, 2006) 19

8. What is America’s greatest problem? How would you address the challenge? Vogeler: America’s greatest problem is a corrupt government run by big money lobbyists and politicians who vote for corporate interests. This leads to passage of legislation that hurts working people, such as tax cuts for the rich, Bush’s energy bill (giveaway to oil companies) and the bankruptcy bill (giveaway to credit card companies). Herb Kohl, one of the wealthiest senators in the country, voted for all of those pieces of legislation. The U.S. Senate is called the “millionaire’s club” for good reason. One-half of the Senate is made up of millionaires who are out of touch with the people they’re representing. 9. Is the federal government prepared for another Katrina-scale disaster? How will you ensure the nation’s emergency preparedness? Vogeler: Hurricane Katrina highlighted our nation’s lack of coordinated emergency response. It also served as a stark reminder of how vulnerable our country is when our National Guard is fighting a war in Iraq instead of available for emergency responses here at home. To ensure our nation’s emergency preparedness, I would: 1) Provide much needed funds for emergency responses to disasters, such as tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods; and 2) Ensure that the National Guard is here in the U.S. to attend to victims of disasters. The response to Hurricane Katrina was a national disgrace, which must never happen again. 10. Do you support work visas for foreigners wishing to work in the United States? Why or why not? Vogeler: I support the policy of work visas for foreigners who want to work here. We have immigrants coming to the U.S. to work without proper documents because securing a work visa is very difficult. While trade agreements like NAFTA have lowered borders for capital and made it easier for corporations to set up shop where there are little, if any, labor and environmental regulations, nations have made it harder for people to move the same way. With such harsh work visa restrictions and no way to make a decent wage at home, many risk their lives to come here. 11. What percent of your campaign contributions comes from individuals or businesses within Wisconsin? What percent comes from political action committees? Vogeler: I am proud that 95% of my campaign contributions come from hard working Wisconsinites who want to see a real challenge to Senator Kohl. Others come from supporters who want to help elect the first woman from Wisconsin to serve in the Senate. None come from businesses or political action committees. It would be much easier to write myself a $5 million check to run a campaign like Kohl has done. But you win in Wisconsin by organizing at the grassroots, not by trying to buy an election. That’s why our campaign has gotten more individual donors than Herb Kohl. (replied Oct. 6, 2006)

Volume 3 • Issue 10

Caster’s ‘Orbit’ in film fest

By Michael Timm

I

magine nude figures floating in outer space. But not exactly Stanley Kubrick’s Starchild. Paul Caster doesn’t have to imagine, because he’s edited them there. Caster, an 11-year Bay View resident, will show his latest short video, Orbit, in the fourth annual Milwaukee International Film Festival. His video is one of 12 short films that are part of the Milwaukee Filmmaker Showcase, Oct. 26 at 7:15pm at the Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave. The 8-minute Orbit invents a new experience, Caster said. “It’s a composite of video I shot some time ago. It’s combined to one of the first NASA space shuttle voyages.” Caster said his video is a humorous commentary on absurdity of the expensive experiment that is the space program. The figures are nude, subject to elements, within enclosed spaces, and seem to be levitating. Part of the fun was playing with the audio from the NASA footage. “I use sound kind of liberally,” Caster said, recalling the dialogue about a camera lens one astronaut could not get to attach to a camera

because a part had been forgotten on Earth. The mission controller told her to use the “gray tape”—duct tape, Caster said. Orbit was shown earlier this year at the European Media Arts Festival. Caster said the Germans appreciated his nontraditional narrative. “The Germans are kind of tough. You either get applause or you don’t. I got a sustained applause.” Caster said he uses “disjunctive editing” that produces video similar to the emotionally bound narrative found in his two-dimensional works. He calls himself “a studio artist who drew for the longest time and found video to be a wonderful media in itself.” Caster is a member of the MIAD fine arts faculty. His earlier video, Where Are You Is?, was shot inside a Bay View tavern. Caster has been in the film festival all four years. Bay View resident Lilly Czarnecki is in the festival for the second year in a row with her short, Making Bed July, a two-minute film about “the story of a woman who is located between the everyday and the extraordinary,” according to the MIFF listings. Last year, Czarnecki showed Polkadiddles at MIFF.

The Orange Thief

A

Milwaukee native, Art Wilinski moved back to Bay View six years ago after 11 years in San Francisco. He is co-director with Boogie Dean and Vinnie Angel of a feature-length film, The Orange Thief, showing at the Milwaukee International Film Festival. The 82-minute English-subtitled film was voted the second best film at the 2006 PAHFest online film festival, whose judges included Francis Ford Coppola. Filmed on location in the mountains and hills of Sicily, the story follows a landless man with dreams of landownership. “It’s very kind of feudal in that way,” Wilinski said. “That was the initial inspiration behind creating the lead character. He wants to farm, but he’s poor. He can’t do it so he steals oranges instead.” His thieving lands him in jail along with a convicted murder who is incarcerated for—but remains passionate about—life, who gives the orange thief a deal: Bring him the voice of his long lost love and he will give the dreamer his land. Citing influences like Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amelie, Wilinski said The Orange Thief was composed by the “exquisite corpse” method, with the filmmakers writing and shooting a scene in a day, then coming back together to review and rough cut it. The story evolved for an intense two months in 2005 around a Sicilian hamlet, featuring local actors. “None of us had ever really used a camera before,” Wilinski said. “We just went out and shot

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

short films.” After 40 or so shorts, they gained familiarity with the people and landscape and let the story develop from there. The film’s production budget was $15,000. Wilinski is a commercial art director and production designer. The Orange Thief 4:45pm Friday, Oct. 27 at the Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave. 2:15pm Sunday, Oct. 29 at the Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Dr.

October 2006

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