What was Gary Becker hiding? $10,274.28 will provide some answers

What else was Gary Becker hiding?

Our former mayor quietly (if not secretly) negotiated a deal with SC Johnson to save the company hundreds of thousand of dollars per year and net the city hundreds of thousands of dollars for Becker's Uptown Artist Relocation program.

He also bought a $40,000 sculpture from an artist he was trying to lure to Uptown ($40,000 conveniently happened to be the amount the artist needed for a down payment on his building).

Then, setting aside his alleged Internet habits, there are series of other allegedly questionable deals and relationships he engaged in during his six years as mayor - many we may never know about. But we can still ask the question: What was Gary Becker hiding?

One existing glimpse into Becker's legacy as mayor exists on city computers, or more specifically, on city-owned data tapes. Every email Becker sent as Racine's chief executive is stored away as a public record, legally available to the public.

But while the records are open to the public, they're not necessarily available.

RacinePost filed a records request for Becker's emails and was quoted a price of $10,274.28 to fulfill the records request. Here's the explanation of the cost from Assistant City Attorney Nicole Loop:

I relayed your request ("all of Gary Becker's emails from his time as mayor (2003-2009)") to MIS Director Paul Ancona and he provided me with information on the process and costs.  Per Mr. Ancona, the retrieval will be done from backup tapes using DAT tapes.  As to the retrieval process, the department would first need to retrieve the offsite tapes and load them (1.5 hours of time).  Then, they would need to go to each year-end tape, retrieve the mailboxes, go through them and retrieve Becker's mailbox.  This process would take about three hours per tape (7 years x 3 hours = 21 hours).  Then, they would need to read through the restored mailboxes and retrieve his e-mails, process them into a form that can be read outside of exchange, and save it to electronic format.  This process would take approximately 2 hours per tape (7 years x 2 hours = 14 hours).

I would need to review all of the e-mails to prevent the release of information that may be confidential or otherwise protected by law, which is even more time-consuming than the above processes.  On an estimate of 100 e-mails per day sent and received, that's about 26,100 e-mails per year (using 261 work days-subtracting the weekends).  Assuming I can get through 8,700 e-mails in an 8-hour work day, I would estimate that it would take me 3 days per tape (8 hours x 3 days = 24 hours x 7 years = 168 hours).  This is an extremely conservative estimate.

The cost to the city to locate this information would be $51.35 per hour for the MIS Department's time, and $50.00 per hour for the City Attorney Office's time.  Wis. Stat. 19.35(3)(c) permits the city to charge the "actual, necessary and direct cost" of locating the materials if the fee is $50 or more.  In this case, I estimate the actual, necessary and direct cost of locating the materials you requested to be $10,274.28 (36.5 hours x $51.35 = $1874.28; 168 hours x $50.00 = $8400.00).  If it took less time, you would receive  a refund; if it took more time, you would be required to pay the additional costs.  If you wish to proceed with the request, we would require pre-payment of the entire estimated amount.

I believe it's within the public's interest to make these emails available to the public. If we're going to learn from Becker's mistakes, we have to bring them to light. These emails are a step toward fulfilling this critical task.

Legal or not, such a review shouldn't cost $10,274.28. It shouldn't cost a penny to review the actions of an elected official, particularly an elected official who left in a cloud of suspicion. We're asking the City Council to direct the release of these emails to the citizens of Racine at no cost. We believe it is their duty as overseers of the executive branch to undertake this exercise in the name of good and open government.

No doubt the emails will contain uncomfortable truths for powerful city leaders. Many people reading these words may have the thought: "What did I ever write to the mayor? Do I want that public? Probably not."

Others will argue that it's time to move on and leave the past as past. We have a new mayor and local officials are settling in to work on balancing the budget, reducing crime and attracting jobs and development. Looking back only promises to resurrect old wounds.

Both thoughts are misguided. Wounds fester when covered in the darkness and heal when brought into the open. But more simply, the public has a right to know. Enough question marks have been raised about our previous mayor to demand a full review of his actions. Releasing these emails to the public would be a good start.

State rejects Tingle's claims against city

Update: Click here to download the Equal Rights Division's full report dismissing Tingle's complaint.

---

Ben Hughes in his City Hall office.

City Administrator Ben Hughes has a reputation for being a "buttoned-down" manager at City Hall. In his own words, he's the "guy that wears a suit every day to the office, even on Fridays."

So sexual harassment accusations against him back in August came as a surprise. Former City Hall employee Sandra Tingle made a series of sensational, if somewhat bizarre, claims against Hughes and Mayor Gary Becker accusing them of creating a hostile work environment. The fact that those claims came a few weeks after Tingle was fired on July 18 raised some flags, but the complaint was sent to the state Equal Rights Division for investigation.

While the investigation was underway, Tingle's attorney released salacious documents to the press claiming Hughes gave her an over-night bag and the mayor used inappropriate language.

The city hired an outside attorney to investigate and found no substance to the report. Now, the state is backing up the city's findings.

An investigator with the Equal Rights Division released a report on Nov. 26 dismissing Tingle's complaint and refusing to move forward with a formal hearing. Tingle and her attorney, Nola Cross, can appeal the decision, but the ruling largely ends their case.

The complaint arrived at City Hall on Monday. In an interview in his office Monday afternoon, Hughes spoke out about Tingle's claims and the state's ruling. In a controlled tone - there were no signs of anger - Hughes described Tingle and Cross as "unethical" and as perpetrators of intentional lies designed to ruin his and Becker's careers.

"It's very sad, and also frustrating, that a small segment of our society, such as Sandra Tingle and Nola Cross, lack the integrity to use the law as it was intended," Hughes said. "Sexual harassment laws were designed for people who need that help ... anyone who considers themselves a feminist should be outraged at how they used the law."

Tingle's complaint cost the city thousands of dollars in legal bills, Hughes said. The case had to be handled by an outside law firm because a number of city employees were interviewed.

"None of this needed to happen," Hughes said. "Her (Tingle's) dismissal was caused by her own poor actions as an employee."

He added that Cross and Tingle owed Racine residents an apology for making false allegations.

"Citizens should know democracy worked here in recognizing a fraudulent claim," Hughes said.

The Division of Equal Rights report revealed the three witnesses who testified on Tingle's behalf during the complaint. They included Kay Collins-Schulz, who testified Mayor Becker swore in front of her and made a second lewd comment; Cindy Wanek, a health department employee, who testified Becker made additional inappropriate comments; and Alderman Jeff Coe, who said he had heard the mayor had used swear words to refer to women.

Investigator Christine Brunow concluded there was no evidence to support Tingle's claims.

On a personal level, Hughes said support from coworkers and city residents helped him through a tumultuous first year on the job. Despite a public grilling, including ugly accusations against his character, Hughes said he is more confident then ever that Racine is a good fit for him.

"I have not lost faith in Racine," he said. "I've chosen the right place to spend, hopefully, the rest of my career."

Hughes said he and Becker have been silent on Tingle's complaint out of their professional obligation not to address her firing. But now that the complaint was been settled by the state, Hughes said he was happy to defend his reputation on the record.

Hughes said the incident has not changed him as an administrator. He doesn't feel the need to turn into a recluse or change procedures at the office. He added City Hall didn't "miss a beat" through the turmoil.

"This didn't derail any of the good work that's going on in the city," Hughes said.

Hughes also addressed a lingering rumor Cross filed a complaint against him at a previous job. In fact, he said, an employee resigned because of a medical issue and Cross represented her in working out a benefits package. There were no charges of harassment, Hughes said.

The City Council is in the process of sorting out the future of Tingle's position. Becker asked the council to fund the full-time administrative assistant position. A retired city employee is working the job now for 32 hours a week.


Original post:

We'll have the full story shortly, but for now:

The state has "unequivocably rejected" the claims of sexual harassment filed in July by Sandra Tingle, who was fired as the mayor and city administrator's assistant at City Hall, according to Ben Hughes, city administrator.

The state's rejection came Wednesday, in a seven-page report that was just received at City Hall today.

More coming...

Our earlier story about her complaint is here.

Mayor Becker to have cancer surgery Dec. 1

Mayor Gary Becker is scheduled to have a cancerous kidney removed on Dec. 1.

Becker will have the surgery at Froedtert Memorial Hospital in Wauwatosa and, if all goes well, will be out of work for two weeks.

In an interview Wednesday, Becker described the procedure as routine. He said the cancer is contained within the kidney and has not spread. No chemotherapy is needed.

"They say taking out a kidney is the new gall bladder," Becker joked.

The tumor was discovered earlier this month after Becker spent Nov. 5-6 in the hospital with an upper respiratory infection. While X-raying his lungs, doctors noticed a mass on his kidney, Becker said.

"I was fortunate to be in the hospital when I was," he said.

Becker said his absence should not affect city operations. Becker expects to miss one City Council meeting. City Council President David Maack will run the meeting in his absence.

Here is the message Becker sent out to city staff Wednesday:

As most of you know I have had some respiratory problems, and spent a few days in the hospital on November, 5th and 6th.

That has gotten much better, but while in the hospital they did discover a tumor on my kidney. It is contained and has not spread, so it is not a big deal. However, the kidney will have to be removed.

I will be going in to Froedert on Monday December 1st for the operation. I plan on a 2 or 3 night stay and then another week or so of recovery at home.

I will keep you posted, but at this time it is not something to worry a great deal about, and I expect a full recovery without any need for follow up treatments.

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving and I will see you in a few weeks.

City budget cuts library, maintains police spending

Mayor Becker's 2008 budget is out. The JT's Stephanie Brien reports the equivalent of 5 1/2 jobs will be eliminated.

The mayor maintained all public safety positions, but there are five and a half city positions that the mayor proposed cutting. The mayor proposed eliminating one of four property assessors, one of two electrical inspectors, a half-time parks and recreation mechanic and hours equaling that of three full-time library assistants.

Part of the mayor's plan is to cutback on property assessments to every-other year, which is interesting timing because property values are reportedly falling around the state and country. Becker may be buying the city time by putting off a new assessment next year.

It's also worth noting that an unglamorous job like an electrical inspector seems like an easy target for a budget cut. But I'd be interested to learn more about the inspector's job - and their job in preventing shoddy or dangerous electrical work in homes and apartments.

As for the library, NorthStar Economics, Inc., a respected private economics firm in Wisconsin, completed a study that showed every dollar spent on public libraries led to a $4.06 return on investment. But so goes the city trend: the mayor cuts the library to spend more on police in the hopes of preventing crimes that are basically unpreventable. (Don't forget about the $400,000 police OT referendum in two weeks.)

Brien quotes Becker in her story saying it's the fewest number of jobs he's cut since becoming mayor, and notes salary costs in the police department will be reduced by senior department members retiring. Then there's odd detail:

The police department’s budget includes increased expenses for ammunition, mobile computer wireless costs, fuel and additional equipment.

Ammunition? Let's hope the increase comes from rising material costs, and not forecasts of an increase in need for more bullets.

City jumping the gun on polling place change?

Update: The City Clerk's office said that polling site is being changed at the request of Knapp Elementary. The school asked that they not be used for voting, which is understandable given the disruption Election Day would bring to the school.

But the change still appears to violate state election law and could be confusing for voters. Why not make this change two months ago?

Original Post:

The City Council is considering a last-minute change to one of its polling places less than a month before the Nov. 4 general election.

Based on the minutes from last night's council meeting, Mayor Gary Becker suggested moving a polling place from Knapp Elementary School to the Workforce Development Center. The council voted to send the idea to the Executive Committee for consideration.

But that hasn't stopped the city from listing the Workforce Development Center as the new polling site on its website.

There's some question that this may even violate state law. Here's the statute:

5.25 Polling places. (1) All elections under chs. 5 to 12 shall

be held at the polling places provided in this section. The places

chosen shall be public buildings, unless the use of a public building

for this purpose is impracticable or the use of a nonpublic

building better serves the needs of the electorate, as determined by

the authority charged with the responsibility for establishing polling

places under sub. (2).



(2) In cities over 500,000 population, polling shall be at the

places established by the board of election commissioners. In all

other cities and in villages and towns, polling shall be at the places

established by the governing body.


(3) Polling places shall be established for each September primary

and general election at least 60 days before the election, and

for each other election at least 30 days before the election.

But here's the real question: Why change a polling site less than a month before a major election?

The city's response to Tingle: All the gory details

Over the weekend, the city released its 18-page response to Sandra Tingle's complaint that she was sexually harassed and fired from her position as the mayor's administrative assistant due to her gender.

The city vigorously denies all of Tingle's charges in the brief by attorney Mark L. Olson, of Davis and Kuelthau law firm, submitted this weekend to Christine Brunow, the civil rights investigator in the Equal Rights Division of the State of Wisconsin, Department of Workforce Development. We posted Olson's response yesterday.

Today we have more: all the gory details contained in the 126 pages of exhibits that accompanied the city's response.

The exhibits include:

• city employment policies
• copies of reprimands given to Tingle
• email exchanges between her and City Administrator Ben Hughes regarding job performance issues like confidentiality and whether meetings were being convened in a timely manner)
• memos, policies, even City Hall's telephone tree, as part of a detailed back-and-forth over whether phone calls were being answered or sent to voice mail
• details of two apparently bogus sick-pay claims by Tingle
  
• the letter and filing made by Nola J. Hitchcock Cross, Tingle's lawyer, in her initial Aug. 8 Discrimination Complaint submitted to the state
  
• the city's detailed 56-page investigator's report examining one-by-one each of the 47 allegations Cross and Tingle made
• and Atty. Cross' July 16 letter --"Confidential Settlement Communication" -- sent to Robert K. Weber, City Attorney.

Be forewarned: It's a big file: a 3.5 megabyte PDF. You'll need Adobe Acrobat to open and read it, and plenty of time.

Here are some of the points worth looking for look for.

-- Exhibit 6 (Pages 17 - 18), a reprimand from Hughes to Tingle from Jan. 14, 2008, regarding the makeup of the interview committee to fill the vacant MIS Director position. Hughes wrote that Tingle spoke to an alderman and questioned why he "was not selected for the committee and you expressed concerns to him about the overall ability of this 5-person committee to make an informed decision. Later that day, your husband proactively called this same alderman... to question the composition of this committee."

"On a related matter...I recently learned of conversations you had ... in November 2007 with more than one alderman concerning the Mayor's 2008 proposed budget. Evidently, you questioned the need and wisdom behind his proposal to establish a new Grant Administrator position...This is yet another example of possible insubordination. It is my full expectations that no such behavior is displayed by you in the future."

-- Exhibit 7 (Page 19 - 20) a reprimand from Hughes to Tingle from June 23, 2008, regarding the abuse of sick time.

The reprimand states that Tingle called in sick on May 5 and 6, and when she returned to work recorded the two days as sick time. "It has since come to my attention that you lied to me on both days and that you were in vacation with your husband in Florida during this period. Indeed, your husband, Frank Tingle, helped facilitate this fraudulent use of sick time."

The reprimand says Tingle also abused sick pay on Feb. 15, by attending a Milwaukee event for Obama and claiming sick pay for it.

-- Exhibit 8 (Page 21), the May 2 email exchange between Frank Tingle and city employee Kelly Graham. Graham wrote Tingle, "Just so you know, I will be making and bringing in a trifle on Monday for Sandy T's birthday, if you would care to come in and partake at some point. :-) She's going to be 29, right?"

And Frank Tingle's response: "Shhhhh... Ummmm...she is planning on being sick on Monday and Tuesday."

-- The largest portion of the Exhibit is the Confidential Investigation Report (Pages 29 - 85) submitted by Susan Love of the Davis and Kuelthau law firm. Love writes that she interviewed all individuals named in the letter by Tingle's attorney (Tingle herself refused to participate) "and searched thoroughly for corroborative evidence of any nature." In all, Love conducted 18 interviews.

More of the points discussed after the break:

Henry and Wanda's (Page 33): Hughes said he stopped attending the Friday evening socialization after, "On one evening, Ms. Tingle pointed out another female in the bar and stated that the female was going to be the Mayor's next mistress and would be hired for the new grant administrator position. Mr. Hughes stated he believed her comments were inappropriate. He left shortly after her comments. He never went to another Friday gathering at Henry and Wanda's."

Hughes denied he ever "sat uncomfortably close" to Ms. Tingle.... "He asserted, and several witnesses corroborated, that Henry & Wanda's is very crowded on Friday after work and everyone is generally in close proximity.... Other individuals who attended the gatherings stated they never saw Mr. Hughes act inappropriately toward Ms. Tingle and never heard any inappropriate comments."

Gifts (Page 35): The box of chocolates Tingle claimed Hughes gave her. He said it came from the president of a local bank and he told the banker he would share it with the office. "Witnesses verified" that "Hughes brought in the candy at Christmas for the office."

Tingle told a witness that Hughes had given her a "tote" bag. Hughes said it was the Mayor's 'tote' from a conference. "He believes he handed the Mayor's tote bag to Ms. Tingle. It contained conference materials. He expected she would give it to the mayor."

Harassment of city employee Liz DeWitt (Page 36): Tingle alleged that Hughes was harassing DeWitt "by repeatedly warming his coffee in her work area," in the City Attorney's office. Hughes and DeWitt both said there was no harassment, and she produced records of the number of visits he made daily to use the microwave. (Yes, it seemed strange to us that she kept track! For those of you not familiar with City Hall, Hughes' office is isolated, in a far corner of a large empty room away from the Mayor's office and the coffee pot.)

Alleged affair of Mayor Becker (Page 40): "Both the Mayor and the female employee identified as being involved in an affair deny there was ever an affair. The accused female employee and her husband have socialized with Mayor Becker and his wife... The employee has never travelled with Mayor Becker. She did not travel to Oshkosh with the Mayor. City records indicate the employee was at work in Racine on the days the Mayor was in Oshkosh."

Mayor's language (Page 41): "Witnesses stated that the Mayor has used profanity in their presence, generally in meetings in his office. Witnesses denied ever hearing the Mayor use the words 'bitch.' The mayor admits that he has used profanity when in his office. He admits that he may have used the word 'bitch' ... Mayor Becker alleges that Ms. Tingle also used profanity and refereed to women as 'bitch.' " (There's another nasty word in the brief, but you'll have to read it yourself...)

Performance issues (Pages 42-47): Three of the most contentious issues between Hughes and Tingle were her "releasing confidential information which she gained from her position as an employee," her allowing too many calls to go to voice mail, and the scheduling of meetings. Attorney Scott Letteney and Kelly Graham also met with Hughes and said Tingle "engaged in behavior (which) violated City policy: making inappropriate comments at work, accusing the mayor of embezzling city funds to pay for a trip to Italy, making disparaging remarks about Hughes' sexual orientation and referring to him as "a lapdog, like a Mexican Chihuahua," sending a YouTube video of a British television show about an elected official and his gay assistant with a message, "And now it's time for another episode of Ben and Gary," and more.

Exhibit 14 (Pages 89-93) is the back-and-forth email exchange between Tingle and Hughes about phone calls going to voice mail.

Analysis of Allegations (Pages 56-85). Each of the 47 allegations made by Atty. Cross in her initial Discrimination Complaint is examined. In each case the investigator finds no fault. For example: Allegation 44 which charges, "Respondent maintains a sexually hostile working environment in which some female administrative employees must maintain a social relationship with the City Administrator or be held to higher standards and threatened with discipline while those female administrative employees who agree to have a social relationship with Mr. Hughes are rewarded and held to lesser standards." The investigator concludes: "There is no evidence of a sexually hostile work environment."

Settlement Communication (Pages 110-116) from Tingle's attorney to the city. In it, she asks that Hughes be removed as her supervisor, that other secretaries must conform to the same phone call answering rules as she, that reprimands from Hughes be removed from her personnel file and not used against her, that other female employees be protected from Hughes' "quid pro quo sexual harassment and the sexually hostile working environment he has created," that the city investigate whether there were complalints against Hughes at his previous employers, in Wrightstown, WI, and New York, and that the city reimburse Tingle's attorney fees and costs. "In the event the city is unable or unwilling to take these steps, Ms. Tingle would consider a severance package as resolution of this matter."

Discrimination Complaint (Pages 117-126): The formal complaint filed with the Department of Workforce Development.

More money for police, but churches must step up

City and county press conference on rising crime:
Zarzecki, Carlson, Nieskes, McReynolds, Wahlen and Becker

County and city officials presented a united front today, promising more resources to fight crime in Racine.

Mayor Gary Becker said the city will provide an additional $200,000 to cover Racine Police overtime; County Executive Bill McReynolds said the county will give $150,000 to County Sheriff Bob Carlson, who said it will provide an extra deputy, another criminal investigator and support staff for a "suppression effort." Mount Pleasant Police Chief Tim Zarzecki said the village will cover overtime for his forces to patrol the four-blocks on the east side of the village that abutt Racine's crime area.

"I want to relieve the fears of the community, which has been fed a steady diet of crime in the local media," said Racine Police Chief Kurt Wahlen. "I want to reassure the community: we have things under control. Members of the community should not live in fear."

Becker said, "I stand 100% behind this chief and the police force. He's been creative and aggressive."

McReynolds said, "Public safety is the No. 1 job of any elected official. Racine County will not tolerate lawlessness."

But the "six white men" - as one person in the audience referred to Becker, McReynolds, Wahlen, Zarzecki, Carlson and District Attorney Michael Nieskes - got into trouble with some in the audience of about 70. The press conference at City Hall got heated after the officials called one too many times for help from the "faith-based community," and more action within the African-American community.

Wahlen said, "The long-range solution: it's a community problem. The faith-based community must step up. Where are the African-American males?" he asked rhetorically, referring to a peace march he attended Saturday at which no more than a half-dozen of the 100 adults present were black. Becker, too, called upon the "faith-based community" -- PC code for black churches: "Others have a responsibility to provide opportunities, to give people hope."

Added Wahlen: "Good people do not steal from one another; good people do not shoot one another." He said, "We all have our part to do. Kids are not being taken care of; they're sleeping in their clothes on the floor, watching violent videos, playing violent video games." There's been, he said, "a breakdown of the family, no dad in the house. We need family and the faith-based community to solve it."

Journal Times reporter Janine Anderson asked, "Why lay so much on the faith-based community?" Wahlen responded, "Only a spiritual endeavor can change a heart. They need to step forward and put their money where their faith is."

Former District 1 alderman Keith Fair, who is now the local NAACP's political action chair, called Wahlen out on his statement that blacks must step forward. Wahlen replied, "It's a fact they're not stepping up to the plate." Fair responded, "We never call for those black men until there's an event like this. Don't make an indictment against this community."

The discussion also touched on poverty, joblessness and economics, and the culture of our times.

The chief said he saw the new Batman movie. It was good, he said, but part of "a very violent culture, a gun-toting culture."

Poverty and unemployment were major themes. A woman from Mount Pleasant spoke up and said, "We need jobs. You can't support a family on $5 and $6 an hour."

Becker replied, "There are 600 to 700 jobs posted at the Workforce Development Center." But they're not for the unskilled, as in years past, when he said hard work was enough.

"This is a brutal economy, and there's nothing I can do to change it," the mayor said.

But he insisted, "Crime is not kids stealing to help mom." And Wahlen noted, "We've not had anyone busted for going into a grocery store stealing bread."

Other points discussed:

Sheriff Carlson: "This used to be a rural county; no longer. We are going to redeploy a number of our patrol staff to the City of Racine. We cannot go on like this; it creates a climate that is unacceptable."

District Attorney Nieskes: "There are a lot of initiatives, a lot of efforts under way. Two shootings in one week: that really, truly is not the norm." But he said it's not as bad compared to '92-'96. "This is not something that occurred overnight; it took decades...and in two decades, the new mayor and county executive will still be dealing with the problem."

Chief Wahlen said, "Obviously, I'm not happy about the 2008 statistics." He said the crime stats are well above 2007's, "but that year was the lowest since 1967." robberies are on a six-year trend up, unemployment is up. But vehicle theft has dropped 40%, he said, "perhaps because people cannot afford gas."

He said he has been patrolling the streets, visiting neighborhoods where the latest shootings occurred. "I want to reassure the neighborhoods that these are not random acts." He pointed out that the two latest slayings started "behind closed doors." The implication was that police could not have prevented them.

Mayor to hold community meeting at King Center July 30

Mayor Gary Becker will hold a community meeting at the MLK Center on July 30 to talk plans for the surrounding neighborhood. Topics include:

1. The redevelopment of the Homeward Bound location. There's some interesting talk about this site being a "green" development with affordable housing. It could be another environmentally solid idea from the mayor.
2. The potential to convert Marquette Street and MLK Drive into 2 way traffic. This idea looks all but dead after city committees sat on the proposal for months. It may also be too expensive.
3. The construction of a new COP house on Hamilton Street. Neighborhoods like COP houses. This could be interesting improvement to the area.

Here's the official description of the meeting:

Neighborhood Meeting at the MLK Center with the Mayor

The Mayor will conduct a neighborhood meeting for those residential areas near the MLK Community Center (in the areas of State Street to High Street and various side streets off of Marquette, MLK, and Douglas). The meeting will be on Wednesday, July 30 at 6:00 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Community Center. The discussion will provide updates for the following topics amongst others:

Finance committee stalls $19K study on two-way streets

The Finance and Personnel Committee meets July 21.

Mayor Gary Becker seems to get most of what he wants from city government. But when it comes to one-way vs. two-way streets, his political reach isn't quite long enough.

The city's Personnel and Finance Committee took a step worse than rejecting the mayor's request to study making MLK Drive and Marquette Drive two-way streets off of State Street. The committee voted to table the request, more effectively killing it than actually killing it.

By refusing to take an up-or-down vote on the $19,000 request to study the streets, the committee simply held the proposal. That means it can't advance to the City Council (the proposal had passed another committee) for at least another month.

Director of Public Works Rick Jones told the committee a decision was needed soon so any changes to the streets could be worked into the state's plans to rebuild State Street. The committee was unswayed.

Alderman Michael Shields was the most vocal critic. He said the $19K seemed like a waste of money on two streets that seem to be working fine. City resident George Meyers agreed, telling the committee it should leave the streets alone.

The committee itself was stuck because it had to come up with the $19K. There seem to be no obvious places to take the money from.

Committee Chairman Tom Friedel explained that tabling the proposal would bury the request, which first came before the group in March. The Traffic Commission deferred the proposal twice before approving it in June. The Public Works and Services Committee approved the $19K in May.

Shields said the committee should hold onto the proposal because he didn't trust the full council. "They might just rubber stamp it because it's something the mayor wants to do," he said.

The committee voted on unanimous voice vote to table the motion.

The proposal will next come up at a neighborhood meeting the mayor is holding on July 30 at the MLK Center. Becker will ask residents at the meeting about converting the streets into two-way traffic.

Black leaders left out of Obama event?

Update, 7:20 a.m.: The Journal Times is on the story.The J-S, too.

Update, 10:20 p.m.: We're hearing now that several black leaders in the community (not Lumpkin) are not being invited to sit on the stage during Obama's talk.

Update, 12:30 p.m.: Just heard from County Board Supervisor Ken Lumpkin who was trying to get involved with the visit. The response he got from local organizers: "You can volunteer." Lumpkin's response: "I'm not holding doors open for anybody."

A representative from the Obama campaign is scheduled to meet with local black leaders this morning. The lack of outreach to the black community will be one of the issues they discuss. "Isn't this supposed to be a campaign of inclusion?" Lumpkin asked.

Gaynell Dyess, Michael Shields and Donnie Snow have also not been contacted regarding Obama's visit. Lumpkin is working to organize a local black leaders group in support of Obama.

Original post: We're hearing that Racine Mayor Gary Becker and State Rep. Cory Mason are under fire for not reaching out to African Americans ahead of Barack Obama's visit to Racine on Wednesday. There's apparently some movement to include local black leaders, but only after the black leaders asked to be included. It'd be interesting to know what Obama thought about including minorities in his town hall meetings, particularly in a diverse city like Racine.

Becker, Mason holding Obama party on Super Tuesday

State Rep. Cory Mason and Racine Mayor Gary Becker are holding a Barack Obama watching party Tuesday as results come in from primary elections across the country.

The two local leaders will be watching the results at Buckets Pub, 2301 Lathrop Ave., from 7 p.m. into the night.

"State Representative Cory Mason and Mayor Gary Becker invite you to watch as the returns come in and Barack Obama makes history on Super Tuesday," read the announcement sent out Monday.

Sen. Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton are expected to split the 24 states up for election on Tuesday. Obama has been surging in recent days, and he's expected to do well. But Clinton remains the front-runner in a number of states, it's likely the Democrats' primary won't be decided for a couple of weeks.

That's at least interesting news for Wisconsin voters, who will head to the polls on Feb. 19 to vote in the presidential primary and local elections.

RacinePost poll

If you haven't seen the poll results in the upper right corner, Obama was the runaway winner among our readers for president. He nabbed twice as many votes as Hillary in our highly scientific and researched poll. On the Republican side, it's Romney over McCain by 3.

Public hearing tonight on Artist Relocation Program for Racine's Uptown

The City Council will hold a public hearing tonight at 7 p.m. on Mayor Gary Becker's Artist Relocation Program for Uptown in Racine.

The program would rehab buildings in Uptown and encourage artists to move into the neighborhood in hopes of reviving Washington Avenue from Phillips Avenue to 10th Street. So far, the city has bought two buildings and is renovating one of them.

Last week, the city received a $196,000 federal grant to assist the program. It's based on a program in Paducah, Kentucky.

The public hearing is a chance to voice support or opposition to the program, which has been approved by the city's Plan Commission. It's likely to pass the full council.

Our earlier story on this grant is HERE.