Lawmakers, listening

State Rep. Bob Turner, D-Racine, didn't get home from the legislative budget fiasco in Madison until 3 a.m. this morning. But he and State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, were on hand at the Cesar Chavez Community Center, as promised, at 10 a.m. for a listening session with northside constituents.

After a few minutes to bring the dozen participants up to speed on where the budget is -- short answer: it ain't -- they fielded questions, and strong opinions, from those present.

Questions about voter ID, drunk driving, cigarette taxes, tax breaks for seniors, legislative in-fighting.

CIGARETTE TAX: Partisan wrangling over an increase in the cigarette tax -- Republicans want an additional 75 cents per pack, Democrats want $1.25 -- was particularly galling to one woman. "People are getting sick and tired of government telling them what they can and cannot do. People know smoking is bad for you." A man added, In California you can't even smoke in your own apartment or condo!"

Both Lehman and Turner responded, almost in unison: "I'm never going to vote for that!"

Turner noted, "If my mother was alive, she'd hate my guts for supporting the $1.25 tax. She smoked all her life." Lehman said this is a bigger political issue in northern Wisconsin than here, and predicted there'd be a compromise. The tax increase, on top of already existing state cigarette taxes, is expected to reduce smoking by teenagers. (Neither could remember how much excise tax Wisconsin currently adds to a pack of cigarettes. We, with the benefit of Google, learn in a fraction of a second that it's now 77 cents; Wisconsin tax on smokes ranks 29th.)

SENIORS: "Will our legislature allow retirees to stay in the state," one man asked, adding, "If I lived in Georgia, I wouldn't have to pay any school tax." Others chimed in, "When is the state not going to tax Social Security?" "Why not freeze property taxes at 65?"

Lehman said proposals to exempt the first $10,000, $20,000 or more of property tax were an effort to help all low and middle-income taxpayers, not just the elderly. And next year, exemption of Social Security benefits from state income tax takes effect.

VIDEO GAMING: A question about lax enforcement of video gaming in taverns caused Lehman to note "the struggle between Indian gaming and small taverns. Small taverns are on the decline; they're not the gathering places they used to be." Laws against such gaming devices, he and Turner agreed, are not well-enforced.

DRIVING WITH CELLPHONES was something one respondent wanted the legislature to do something about. "A lot of people have contacted me about this," Lehman said, but he cited studies showing that other distractions -- talking, drinking coffee -- are just as hazardous. "Cellphone haven't changed accident rates," he said. And then he turned the question around, noting that in the cigarette tax discussion his questioners had opposed the government regulating what they do in their homes: "Do you want government going into your car?" Turner added, "There are adequate laws regulating inattentive driving now."

VOTER ID: "Why are you people in Madison opposed to it? Today it's helter-skelter; why not just require everyone to show an ID when they go to vote?" Lehman replied that this is not really a problem in Racine, and Turner recalled that there were fewer than half a dozen vote fraud cases statewide in the last election. Both pointed out that people have to show ID when registering to vote, and said that implementing a specific voter ID card would discriminate against the poor and disabled, who would have to make a special trip to get one. "We try to balance access to the polls and showing who the person is."

THE MESS IN MADISON: Lehman waxed philosophical when asked, "Why is there so little cooperation in government?"

"Redistricting! The creation of safe seats; there are very few competitive seats in Wisconsin. Robin Vos (R-Racine) said to me, 'I'm going to be the Representative (53rd District) as long as I live.' "

Referring to his own State Senate race last fall against Racine County Executive William McReynolds, Lehman said "Mac spent $400,000, and I spent $220,000. Including all that was spent, the race cost more than $1 million.

"There were only four competitive races like that in the state, out of 17 or 18 Senate races this year. Only 8 or 10 Assembly races are competitive.

"Could I even run against (U.S. Rep.) Paul Ryan? I don't think so; that sucker has been redistricted into a safe Republican seat."

Racine County, he said, is lucky in that the 21st Senate district is roughly 50/50, which is why Republicans and Democrats have traded control of it over the past decade: George Petak (R), Kim Plache (D), Cathy Stepp (R), and now Lehman (D). Pointing to his plastic chair in the gym, Lehman said, "You're looking at a guy sitting in a million-dollar seat."

Greenfield named head of Root-Pike WIN

Susan Greenfield, former chairwoman of Caledonia, is the new head of a local environmental group committed to protecting and storing the Root and Pike rivers in southeastern Wisconsin.

Greenfield is an award-winning environmentalist who served on the Caledonia Town Board for eight years. As chairwoman, she lead Caledonia's adoption of one of the state's first conservation subdivision ordinances.

Greenfield is a Horlick High School graduate with a master's degree from Marquette University.She is married to Jerry Greenfield, Interim Provost at UW-Parkside, and they have three grown children and two grandchildren.

The Root-Pike watershed encompasses parts of Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties, where the organization and volunteers work to protect, restore, and sustain the ecosystem through grant funding of locally initiated projects. Since 2001 the organization has awarded $297,560 in 68 watershed projects. The Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network grew out of a group convened in 1998 by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to identify critical natural resource issues in the Root River and Pike River watersheds.

Study suggests removing Sixth Street stop signs

A study presented to the city's Traffic Commission Monday night suggested that removing stop signs and traffic signals from Sixth Street will speed up traffic without endangering pedestrians.

The study, conducted by HNTB, found that four-way stops at Sixth and College and Sixth and Park are unnecessary. Instead, two-way stops at the intersections are enough to control traffic now and in 20 years, according to a report given to the commission. The report concluded, however, that further study on the issue was needed.

About a quarter-mile of Sixth Street between Grand Avenue and Main Street is scheduled to be rebuilt. The city studied the traffic flow on Sixth Street by shutting down traffic lights at the intersections along the Downtown Street in hopes of making it easier for people to drive through the area. Cross streets on the stretch of 6th Street include Villa, Park, College and Wisconsin.



Removing the traffic signals saved drivers as much as 20 seconds per trip along Sixth Street without impacting pedestrian traffic along the street, according to the study. But the study also noted this is not the public perception. People surveyed about stops signs on Sixth Street strongly favored four-way stops at Sixth and Park and Sixth and College. That could setup a political fight on the City Council over the need for stop signs along Sixth Street.

The study found that there 92 12-second gaps without traffic at Park and Sixth on a typical day - 12 seconds being the acceptable amount of time it takes someone to cross the street. There were 76 12-second gaps at College and Sixth.

According to state standards, a traffic signal should be considered at an intersection when there are fewer than 60 gaps per hour. Based on that standard, the study concluded that there was not enough traffic on Sixth Street to warrant traffic signals.

The study did find that two-way stops on Sixth at Park and College did speed up traffic along the road. When there were four-way stop signs at the corners the average traffic speed was between 17.9 and 23.5 mph. When there were two-way stops at the intersections the average speed was between 23.2 and 29.0 mph.

The accelerated traffic did not seem to sway the engineers in charge of the study. The report said:

There is strong public support for installation of all way stop control at both intersections however, surrounding property owners and the public perceive existing speed and safety concerns that are not supported by data.

Click here for a PDF of the full report.

Senate passes KRM funding; Assembly doesn't act

The Senate passed a $13 rental car fee increase to pay for the KRM commuter rail extension from Kenosha to Milwaukee.

The fee increase was included in a $5.5 billion two-year transportation budget, which included a new tax on oil companies. Because of a political fight over the oil tax, the transportation bill was broken out of the state budget.

The Assembly now needs to pass the transportation budget with the KRM funding intact, and the governor needs to sign the bill, for it to become law.

Along with the rental car fee increase, the bill allocated $1 million for the KRM extension, allowed the Regional Transit Authority in charge of KRM to borrow $50 million to build the system, and required the RTA to study extending KRM to the north side of Milwaukee.

The transportation budget passed the Senate 18-14. Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, voted in favor.

The Assembly did not vote on the transportation budget Monday night. It's unclear when they will vote on the bill.

Assembly rejects state budget

The Assembly rejected a compromise state budget Monday night, sending legislators back to the negotiating and further delaying the latest budget in the nation.

The nearly $60 billion budget was rejected 53-44 in the Assembly. Reps. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia, and Steve Gunderson, R-Waterford, voted no. Reps. Bob Turner and Cory Mason, both D-Racine, voted for the plan.

Here's the full roll call vote.

The Senate passed the budget, with Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, voting yes.

Wisconsin is the last state in the nation with a budget for next year. Local governments and school districts across the state are in limbo waiting for legislators to finalize the amount of state aid that will be distributed next year.

If no budget is passed, the previous year's spending levels are put into place - an act that would amount to a more than $2 billion budget cut.

Racine's Top 25 Movies ...

Racine's 25 favorite movies this week, according to Netflix. Two of our top three choices star John Travolta and animated cows. Maybe it's time to crack a book instead. And, seriously, Cinderella Man is No. 1? That movie was released in 2005...

1 Cinderella Man
2 Wild Hogs
3 Barnyard
4 Disturbia
5 Man of the Year
6 The Notebook
7 The Pursuit of Happyness
8 Premonition
9 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
10 The Messengers
11 Blades of Glory
12 Perfect Stranger
13 Bug
14 The Queen
15 Stranger than Fiction
16 The Number 23
17 The Holiday
18 Are We Done Yet?
19 Lonely Hearts
20 Shooter
21 Rome: Season 2 (5-Disc Series)
22 I Think I Love My Wife
23 Grey's Anatomy: Season 3 (7-Disc Series)
24 Heroes: Season 1 (7-Disc Series)
25 Lucky You

Cannon debate continues... Karas backs Gateway for historic guns

Racine Alderman Pete Karas wrote Monday that he supports putting two Civil War cannons by the Lincoln statue on the campus of Gateway Technical College. He also suggested a temporary display so the cannons can be moved if a more suitable location appears.

Karas also included a summary of constituent contacts he received on the cannons. He said most people he's heard from are opposed to putting the cannons on Monument Square, where they once resided.

Among the opinion Karas reported included leaving them behind the Public Works barn, sending them to Kenosha for the planned Civil War museum and position them on Highway 32 facing Kenosha.

Here's Karas' comments for the official city record:

October 15, 2007

Members of the Ad-hoc Cannon Committee:

In addition to the emails below, I also have had six constituent contacts on this issue. Of those, five did not want them to be placed at Monument Square and one wished that they were placed there.

All five that did not support the Monument Square location offered alternative sites (two at Gateway, two at a cemetery, and one on Highway 32 facing Kenosha.)

The individual who supported placing them at Monument Square mentioned that they would enhance the existing monument, incorporating the cannon into the name of the square, (which is of course, Monument Square,) and pay tribute to Racine veterans.

Personally, I believe that they should stay in Racine as they fit very well into the Joshua Glover story. I recently finished reading the book, The Rescue of Joshua Glover, Runaway Slave, by Ruby West Jackson and Walter McDonald which does an excellent job of chronicling Mr. Glover’s life, his quest for freedom from oppression, and the support the Racine people gave him.

The book also touches on the larger abolitionist movement in Racine and Wisconsin in the Mid-1800s, which includes a succession movement by Wisconsin over Federal slavery laws. The succession movement essentially ended when Abraham Lincoln was elected President as a third party candidate.

Local Racine people and organizations, with financial support of the City of Racine, have begun the process of showcasing the story of Joshua Glover, the local Underground Railroad, and the abolitionist movement in Racine. All indications that this, when completed, will not only honor our proud past, but also will attract a large number of history-minded tourists to the City – a demographic group that spends more dollars and stays a longer time than the average visitor, yielding an economic benefit to the City.

I believe that the cannon would best be placed at a temporary location, Gateway, next to the President and Mrs. Lincoln seems most historically fitting to me. As the aforementioned historical project continues, I feel we should be flexible in the future placing of the cannon for display – giving the option of either staying at the Gateway location or moving them to a place that is a better fit as time passes and incorporating them into the Joshua Glover project as it proceeds.

Thank you to the Committee for their work on this issue and for considering my comments.

Ald. Pete Karas

Here are the emails I have received on the issue:

----------------------------

I support keeping Monument Square AS IT IS.

I strongly request to the study committee that it considers lending the historic Civil War cannons to the soon-to-open Kenosha museum. Why has there been such resistance to joining what appears to be an exceptional historical project? This resistance needs to be investigated and talked through by the committee, the city leaders and others who are interested in this project.

The museum appears to promise to fully tell the story of the Civil War in the context of the Midwest involvement in the war, the people and issues, etc., and I presume will allow professional and amateur historians to contribute in a number of ways. I hope such a venture will REALLY educate people about this part of our nation’s history, rather than simply placing the cannons in the square or other location with no real explanation or context.

Having traveled in the cities and villages of Italy, there is something quite special about the openness of the city and village squares there. The wide open expanse – sometimes marked by a statue or fountain and sometimes not – offers the chance to gather and mingle and be part of a COMMUNITY – an important experience in this day and age, one that benefits people and cities as well as businesses that surround the area. We have enjoyed recent concerts on the square, as well as the opportunity to stroll the streets, visit a nearby book store and enjoy the ice cream shop nearby.

And please remember that the request is a LOAN only, so that if we believe that the cannons are not properly being cared for in the Kenosha museum, Racine city can ask for their return.

Karen

---------------------------------

Hi Pete,

I think Karen has the right idea. My residence is not in the City, but my business is. Hope that counts for something.

Hope you're doing really well.

TB

---------------------------------------

Subject: Cannons

Pete, You are not my alderman, but I agree 100% with Karen about the cannons. I've been very puzzled as to what the problem is with loaning them to the museum in Kenosha, which I think is the perfect place for them. They will get the care and respect there that they should, as historical objects--much more so there than in the square.

Luanne

--------------------------------------

Pete,

I don't think that this is an especially popular opinion, but one that I think you may appreciate. I think it is high time that we stop glorifying the symbols (and actual instruments) of killing people!! There is no other appropriate use for such a gun (cannon). So..."the cannons freed the slaves," then it took 100 years for them or their ancestors to actually begin to become equal citizens!

The spot behind the DPW barn was a great spot for them, in my opinion, but the museum may be a good option.

A museum that can preserve the history of such instruments would be most appropriate, especially if accompanied by descriptions and photos of the carnage so that we can learn (some day!) that we should not do this again.

Jeff
----------------------------------------

I gather the issue is one of public display of the cannons downtown or such.

I like the idea of loaning, even giving, them to a museum dedicated to that war.

Thank you.

Mark
-----------------------------------------

Property Transfers: Grand Appliance building sold for $810,000

The building that houses Grand Appliance TV at 7227 Durand Ave. was sold on Sept. 28 for $810,000. The 4,900 square-foot building was owned by NAI MSG Commercial. It sits at the corner of Durand Avenue and Oakes Road near the entrances to Menard's and Wal-Mart.



Click here for the full list of Racine County property transfers from October 3-10.

VIDEO: Ryan on C-Span

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, on C-Span Sunday:

"Our deficit is the lowest as as a percentage of GDP in about 20 years; the deficit just went down 35% this year from the last estimate, so we're making progress on the deficit. We are still spending too much money."

"When we tax our businesses, our capital, our corporations at the second highest tax rate in the industrialized world, it is inhibiting our competitiveness. So I'm very much worried that we are pushing jobs and businesses overseas and we have to be more competitive on our tax system so we can attract jobs and growth and business here at home. To the extent that we keep raising taxes to pay for ever-higher spending, that hurts our ability to be internationally competitive. It hurts our ability to win in this era of globalization."

"The problem I see with politics today at the national level, both on the Democrat and Republican sides, is that no one has proposed solutions that rise to the level of the challenges that are confronting us today. We have three enormous challenges. Islamic totalitarianism, globalization, and this pending entitlement bankruptcy with the baby boomers beginning to retire this year, and not one of these candidates is getting beyond a two-sentence answer to one of these problems."

"I haven't selected a person to support myself, not that that matters to many people."

Watch the full interview here. (If it doesn't load, upgrade your RealPlayer here.)

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Duct tape, who knew?

Sure, it holds your car and garbage can together. In a pinch, it'll patch almost anything. But who knew it was artistic?

The folks at Redline Tavern, 1200 N. Wisconsin, knew.


Click here for print version of this photo.

This weekend they're holding their Second Annual Duct-to-Do, an event fueled by duct tape (and beer, duh!), a contest in which artists of every stripe make whatever they can dream up out of (you can see this coming, right?) duct tape.

Boring grey duct tape. And blue, red, yellow, green, purple, black ... the whole rainbow, in fact.



To get the mood started, the Redline is decorated with duct tape bats hung from the ceiling, and owner Connie Nau has created a large and scary spider.

While we watched on Saturday, regular Tracey Larrin was putting the finishing touches on a life-size witch: black outfit and pointed hat, green face, red lips, complete down to a wart on her nose. The broom will be a finishing touch.

All made of duct tape. "I wanted to make a pumpkin," she said, "but there was no orange tape."

Last year, Tracey made a dress from duct tape. Very slinky, and she wore it to a party. "But I couldn't sit, and I couldn't pee..." she said, her voice drifting off. (Yeah, we've been there, done that, although not so much in a duct tape dress.)


Click here for print version of this photo.

3M donated the raw stock. There are rules, of course, and two categories: objects made with tape stuck on a base of cardboard or wire or whatever, and objects made just of tape itself.

Lots of prizes too ... all made of duct tape.

So far, entries include a purse, earings, a couple of ties, a dress, a wallet, flowers.

Hey, you can't watch football all the time!

Starbucks swallows Jo To Go

Starbucks is taking over the Jo To Go drive-thru coffee stand outside of Regency Mall. Dave Herbeck is applying for a conditional-use permit to open the third stand to sell Starbucks within a mile of each other on Highway 31.

The permit now heads to the full City Council for a final vote. Unless there's a big Alterra contingent on the council, it should pass with ease.



And say goodbye to...

UPDATE: Teen dance club approved

UPDATE 10/17: The City Council gave final approval to the club, which will open on Thursdays and Fridays at first. It could expand to Saturdays, and open as a dance hall for seniors during the day. Story here.

ORIGINAL STORY 10/12:

A teen dance club is one step closer to opening on Sixth Street.

"The Bricks," owned by Michael Rosales, received the go ahead from the Plan Commission to open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9pm to 1:30am. It will be open to 16-year-olds and up, with minors barred from the club after 10:45pm to accommodate the city's 11pm curfew. A wristband system will identify minors, and security is required as part of the club's conditional-use permit.

The club would also be used as an afternoon lounge for seniors 55 and up, and rented out for banquets and small seminars.

The approved proposal includes early-morning hours and Saturdays, which were not included in the original proposal before the Plan Commission. Part of the reason for the discrepancy is Rosales did not bring a business plan the first time he appeared before the commission. He was directed to comeback with a formal plan.

Sticky Rice, a Thai restaurant, and Blueberries, a lunch-and-breakfast restaurant, also operate in the building, which is owned by Jim Spodick.

The Bricks now goes before the full City Council for approval. It's the second dance club for Sixth Street to be reviewed by the city in recent months.

Tinita's, a proposed salsa club on Sixth Street, also wants to open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. That proposal by Tina Elmergreen will come before the Plan Commission in two weeks.

Property Transfer Averages, Oct. 3-10

Here are the average values of property transfers recorded by Racine County between October 3-10, 2007:

Burlington - $223,200.00
Caledonia - $238,928.57
Dover - $290,000.00
Elmwood Park - $161,000.00
Mount Pleasant - $237,900.00
Norway - $367,725.00
Racine - $193,560.00
Raymond - $288,750.00
Rochester - $305,500
Sturtevant - $192,511.00
Union Grove - $161,833.33
Waterford - $187,850.00

Racine County - $225,224.52


Click here for the full list of Racine County property transfers from October 3-10.

Turn lanes to nowhere on Sheridan Road

OK, we appreciate a new highway as much as the next guy, but there's something confusing about the newly rebuilt Sheridan Road between here and Kenosha.

Yes, there's smooth asphalt, a nice grassy median, good curbs and a solid four lanes from Durand Avenue south past the intersection with KR. The Kenosha County portion of the state's $6.6 million project from KR to Carthage College, is proceeding at a good pace.

But what's with all the turn lanes? Just north of KR, for example, there are no less than four sets of turn lanes, from both north and south, that facilitate turns to .... um, nowhere. They're barely 300 feet apart. There's also a useless set of turn lanes just north of Chicory.

That's right: there are five sets of turn lanes in this short stretch of new highway cut into the median, and well-marked, but if you take them the only option is to make a U-turn and go in the opposite direction. There are no intersecting streets, no driveways, no curb cuts; nothing. Just the ability to make one U-turn after another. Some of the cuts are marked with Wrong Way signs to warn motorists they've just turned into oncoming traffic, but not all of them.

Surely someone can explain this? They look to us like accidents waiting to happen.

Rifton Chair

Here is a Rifton Toddler Chair, which was reportedly used to restrain a 3-year-old autistic child at Red Apple Elementary:



Here's a link to the story.

Racine apartment building sells for $2 million

A 24-unit apartment building at 2790 Chicory Road sold Sept. 26 for $2 million (click here for Property Transfers, Oct. 3-10). The building was owned by Ronald Leggio, of Milwaukee. It was assessed in 2006 at $1.825 million with a fair-market value of $1,909,595.06. Property taxes on the building last year were $41,635.03.



And here's a photo of the building:

30 second JT...

Quick wrap on today's JT (read this and save 50 cents):

1. Interim Unified leader says district needs to succeed for county to be successful (same thing he told Standard-Press last week)

2. Biz leader announce they're going to talk about unemployment (This sounds promising. Reminds me of the city's efforts to save North Beach a few years back. Everyone said it was impossible, and now we have one of the cleanest beaches on Lake Michigan. Same for the unemployment rate ... everyone says it's impossible. Maybe this will help.)

3. Principal's house vandalized; someone steals booze (and on, and on...)

4. Gas stations sell booze to minors (those compliance checks are really working...)

5. Unified should make a decision on redistricting (does anyone understand this issue?)

Lampark retiring as Racine County public works director

Glen Lampark, the long-time head of Racine County's Public Works Department, is retiring at the end of the year. The county's Public Works committee is considering Lampark's replacement at its meeting today.

The Public Works Department oversees several essential services provided by the county, including management of county buildings, facilities, public infrastructure, natural resources and park and highway systems.

Update, 10/12: The JT reported that David Prott, a 12-year veteran of the county's public works department, is Lampark's likely successor. Story here.

Late tax payments increase 5.8 percent in Racine

A Milwaukee J-S article today reported massive increases in delinquent property taxes throughout SE Wisconsin. The reason: the crisis in adjustable rate mortgages coming due. The real surprise in the story is that it's the affluent communities that seem to be getting hit hardest. Shorewood, Fox Point and Bayside all saw a 50 percent increase or more in delinquent taxes, even with median incomes well above the national average.

The article sent me looking for Racine and Racine County's rates. The Racine County treasurer is out of town, so those numbers won't be available until next week. But the city saw a relatively modest 5.8 percent increase in delinquent taxes over the 2005 tax year. That translates to 2,615 late-payers in the city, up from 2,471 last year, and $2.36 million in unpaid taxes.

The J-S interviewed finance experts and concluded:

Much of the blame has been levied on the mortgage crisis, in which a proliferation of nontraditional mortgages and predatory lending practices over the last two years have put many buyers - even those in higher income brackets - in over their heads.

In Racine County, delinquencies increased 18 percent countywide - three times more than the city's delinquency rate. Waukesha County saw a 12 percent increase in late taxes this year, and Ozaukee County recorded a 30 percent increase.

City property taxes are paid in quarters. The last quarter for the 2006 tax year ended on July 31. All late bills are turned over to the Racine County Treasurer for collection.