Settlement ends Becker-Tingle era in Racine politics

Sandra Tingle's allegations of "physical contact" by former Mayor Gary Becker led the city to settle her sexual harassment lawsuit.

The settlement approved by the City Council last week gives no details of the alleged contact, and the city denied all knowledge of the contact in the settlement. But the allegation was strong enough to convince the city to pay Tingle $20,000 in compensatory damages, $5,000 for lost wages and another $25,000 in attorney fees.

Tingle's attorney, Nola Cross, will make as much money as Tingle on the settlement.

The city also agreed to provide Tingle with a letter of recommendation from Mayor John Dickert, and accept Tingle's resignation from her job as Becker's administrative assistant effective July 18, 2008. The agreement effectively reverses the city's decision to fire Tingle and leaves her with a clean employment record. (Read the city's previous 126-page document explaining why she was fired here.)

In exchange, Tingle agreed to drop any current and future lawsuits against the city and she will not seek further employment with the city. She also agreed not to disparage any current or former city employees or officials. The city also agreed to advise its aldermen and officials not to disparage Tingle.

Neither Tingle nor the city admitted to wrong doing in the settlement.

"The parties have entered into this Agreement to buy their peace and to avoid the cost of litigation," the settlement said.

You can read the full settlement here. Below is the letter of recommendation Dickert was required to write for Tingle:

To Whom It May Concern,

Re: Sandra Tingle

Dear Sir/Madame,

Sandra Tingle was employed as the Mayor’s Secretary for the City of Racine, Wisconsin from June 9, 2003 through July 18, 2008. Ms. Tingle resigned from her position to relocate to London, England, where her husband had accepted employment.

In her capacity as the Mayor’s Secretary, Ms. Tingle was responsible for all office support and administrative duties for the Mayor including scheduling appointments, answering phones and working with the public, preparing communications for the City Council, creating Council handbooks and other office literature, maintaining records and communications for City Council proceedings, and reconciling financial data for the Mayor’s travel expenses.

Ms. Tingle demonstrated effective communication and people skills and was able to handle difficult people with ease. In addition, she was organized, reliable, and skilled in a variety of computer programs. Ms. Tingle worked independently and was able to follow through to ensure that jobs were properly completed. She was flexible, willing to work on any project that was assigned to her, and often volunteered to work in areas outside the scope of her primary duties.

I recommend Ms. Tingle be given full consideration for any position for which she may apply.

Sincerely,

John Dickert, Mayor

And here's the official statement the city released after reaching the settlement:

Sandra Tingle and the City of Racine have resolved her claim of a hostile work environment and retaliatory termination to their mutual satisfaction. While the City denies any liability or wrongful act towards Ms. Tingle, the City regrets any difficulties Ms. Tingle encountered during her employment with the City. 

The city's settlement wraps up a tumultuous period in the city's history. Tingle walks away with $25,000 and a clean employment record, Becker is in prison for three years and former City Administrator Ben Hughes has a new job in Michigan.

We'd be remiss if we didn't point out Dickert and Tingle had a close relationship before she left the country. Dickert was the Tingle's real estate agent, and was selling their Park Avenue home, until he ran for mayor and transferred the property to another agent. Tingle attended Dickert's victory party at Salute and it's no secret the Tingles were friends of Dickert's going back several years.

That said, people close to the negotiations strongly refuted the mayor was involved in the Tingle settlement. The decision was driven by the City Council, which felt Becker's guilty pleas and other circumstances with the case, made going to court a dicey - and potentially expensive - proposition. The city had already spent $70,000 on attorney's fees on the case, with the potential for tens of thousands of more dollars if Tingle and Cross pushed the case.

No city officials are now talking about the settlement, even off the record. They're likely scared off by the non-disparagement clause in the agreement, but they won't even say that.

With that, it appears the Becker-Tingle era in Racine city politics is over.

Judge sentences 'brain-dead' Becker to three years in prison after former Racine mayor caught buying women's underwear

Handcuffed Gary Becker being led off to jail

Gary Becker's mind-numbing stupidity got him arrested, and then it got him sentenced to prison.

Judge Stephen Simanek sentenced Racine's former mayor to three years in prison Wednesday for charges related to the Internet sex sting that nabbed Becker in January of 2009. Becker was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom and is on his way to Dodge Correctional Facility to serve his sentence.

Becker was so close to walking away with probation. Simanek said as much during the three-hour hearing that produced a number of bombshell developments a Hollywood screenwriter would struggle to invent.

The biggest, at least for Becker, was the revelation that 15 days ago he went shopping at Boston Store in Racine for young girl's underwear. District Attorney Michael Nieskes disclosed Becker bought nine panties and bras - some with butterflies and puppies on them - in small or petite sizes on his credit card. The Boston Store clerk recognized Becker and reported the purchases to police, noting Becker spent an unusually long amount of time for a man browsing in the lingerie section.

Nieskes even presented a display in court, left, showing the girlish-looking underwear.

Patrick Cafferty, Becker's attorney, tried to beat back the report by providing an affadavit from a 46-year-old woman who claimed the underwear was for her. The woman was 5-foot-3 and 103 pounds, small enough to fit the underwear.

But Simanek was having none of it. He said up to Monday he was prepared to give Becker probation for his crimes, but the disclosure about Becker's Boston Store shopping changed his mind. In his decision, Simanek pounded Becker for "a sense of arrogance and invincibility that is astounding to the core."

"Mr. Cafferty does everything humanly possible to avoid prison, and two weeks ago, Mr. Becker goes and purchases all of these items, knowing it's exactly, exactly what got him in trouble," Simanek, right, said. "It's almost like a death wish. It's almost like you have to be brain dead to not understand the significance of that."

In a near empty court room after the hearing, Simanek told Cafferty he would have given Becker probation. "If you would have told me on Monday this would happen, I wouldn't have believed you," he said.

Even with the three-year sentence, Becker got less time than the District Attorney and the state were recommending. The DA's office requested a five-year sentence and the state, which ran the sex sting that caught Becker, recommended a four-year sentence.

Becker's Boston Store shopping was only one of several major developments in the dramatic hearing.

Nieskes revealed Becker ran out of gas on the way to his fateful meeting at Brookfield Square Mall with an undercover state agent posing as a 14-year-old girl. He said Becker was so determined to reach the mall to meet with the girl that he first called his secretary to ask if she could call the State Patrol and ask them to bring him gas. He then got a friend to bring him gas so he could finish his trip to the mall - and his eventual arrest.

Nieskes also said Becker admitted to having an affair with his secretary and another city employee. Becker's secretary was Sandra Tingle, who sued the city for sexual harassment after she was fired from her job.

Becker scowled during most of Wednesday's sentencing hearing

Based on past cases, Becker may not go to prison on sex sting charges

Think Gary Becker will get a long prison sentence? Think again. He may not go to prison at all.

That's the finding of the Journal Times' review of 27 cases similar to Becker's over the past 11 years. Most men (and it's all men) arrested in Internet sex stings served no time in prison, according to the JT. Only seven of 27 people caught by state agents posing as minors went to prison; of those seven, six were given sentences of three years or less in prison. (See the JT's chart here.)

Most people convicted in the Internet sex stings - 75 percent in Racine County - received a lengthy probation sentence with the potential to go to prison if they fail to follow rules set by the court, according to the JT.

What's this mean for Becker, who is scheduled to be sentenced on March 3? Odds are good he could avoid a prison sentence all together, But if he does go to prison, he'll likely spend less than two years there (with time off for good behavior).

Becker hearing in photos

(Photo - above) Gary Becker waits for Tuesday's plea hearing to start in the (ironically?) Juvenile Court Room. He was there to plead guilty to child enticement and attempted sexual assault of a child. He's sitting next to Channel 12's Colleen Henry.

(Photos - above, below) The media out-numbered lawyers, judges and plaintiffs in the courtroom Tuesday. All of the Milwaukee TV stations, the JT, the J-S, WRJN, WGTD and (of course) RacinePost were all represented at the hearing.


(Photo - above) Becker's fate now rests with this man. Judge Stephen Simanek will sentence the former Racine mayor on March 3. Simanek is leaving the bench in April after deciding not to seek re-election.

(Photo - above) Following the hearing, Henry asked Becker "Do you have anything you want to say to the people of Racine? How about to your family?" Becker stormed past without saying a word.

Becker admits to child enticement, attempted sex assault of child; former Racine mayor looking at 45 years in prison

A fairly empty courtroom for a high-profile hearing

Former Racine Mayor Gary Becker could receive 45 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to one count of child enticement and one count of attempted sexual assault of a child.

Becker appeared before Judge Stephen Simanek to change his not guilty plea to guilty on the two felony charges. In exchange for the plea, District Attorney Mike Nieskes agreed to dismiss six felony counts against Becker, including possession of child pornography and misconduct in public office.

Gary Becker and his attorney, Pat Cafferty, watch DA Mike Nieskes

Becker was arrested Jan. 13 at Brookfield Square Mall after attempting to rendezvous with a 14-year-old girl he met in an Internet chat room. The "girl" turned out to be a state agent who lured Becker to the mall and busted him. The arrest brought national attention to Racine, abruptly ended Becker's second term as Racine mayor and led to his wife divorcing him.

With the guilty pleas, Becker could be sentenced to 20 years in prison for the attempted sexual assault and 25 years for child enticement. Simanek is scheduled to sentence Becker on March 3. Becker remains free on parole bond pending sentencing.

Following the hearing, Nieskes, left, said he was happy with the plea and would recommend prison time for Becker.

"He has 45 years of possible exposure," he said. "I think that is adequate."

The surface of Tuesday's hearing was mundane. Becker appeared with his attorney, Patrick Cafferty, and Nieskes appeared as the lone representative of the DA's office.

Simanek ran through a series of procedures to ensure Becker understood what he was admitting to and that there would be no trial. Becker answered most questions with, "Yes, your honor."

Attention now turns to the sentencing hearing, where Becker could receive anything from 45 years in prison to probation, depending on Simanek's ruling.

The sentencing hearing will be a mini-trial in itself. Nieskes said he intended to introduce into court further evidence of Becker's online habits, including child pornography and additional online chats.

Nieskes also laid out a potential strategy for Becker to argue for a lesser sentence. He asked the court to require Cafferty to provide any of Becker's medical records he intended to enter at sentencing. The records would include any findings of the doctors at the Philadelphia clinic where Becker was treated for sex addiction.

Judge Stephen Simanek

Ostensibly, Cafferty could argue Becker was suffering from a medical condition at the time of his arrest and should, because of treatment, receive a lesser sentence.

Nieskes said he was satisfied with the plea deal because Becker plead "guilty" instead of "no contest" to the charges. While it's something a semantic difference, Nieskes said Becker's plea means he accepts responsibility for his actions.

If he plead no contest, Nieskes said, it would mean the prosecution could prove its case, but he wasn't actually admitting to the crimes. Tuesday's hearing means Becker admitted to the crime and will now be sentenced for it.

District Attorney Mike Nieskes answering reporters' questions after the hearing

Becker to enter a plea next Tuesday, avoiding trial

Update: Today's the day. Two big questions will be answered at today's hearing. 1.) What is Becker pleading guilty to? 2.) How much prison time will the prosecutors go after?

Judge Stephen Simanek is presiding over the trial. For the conspiracy buffs out there, Simanek and Becker were friends before the ex-mayor was arrested and Simanek isn't running for re-election this spring.

But before the comments get going with the "Becker won't go to prison" thought, it's safe to say the former mayor will spend time behind bars. It's the appeals process that'll be worth watching.


Original post: Former Mayor Gary Becker's journey through the court system, which began last Jan. 13 with his shocking arrest on child enticement and child porn charges, may end soon.

Instead of the trial he was facing on Feb. 1, Becker is now scheduled to enter a plea to at least some of the charges on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Stephen Simanek.

Becker was arrested in Brookfield Square Mall when he attempted to meet up with a 14-year-old girl he had been sex-chatting with online -- except "she" turned out to be a Department of Criminal Investigation agent. Computers he had turned in for repairs to city workers were also found to have child pornography on them.

The Journal Times has a little more HERE, mostly background.

Becker in court Thursday

Former mayor Gary Becker will be in court Thursday for a motion hearing on charges that he tried to hook up with an undercover state agent posing as a 14-year-old girl. Becker's jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 13.

Here's our story from July about what he's been doing this summer.

Uptown sculpture cost $40,000; Alderman: 'I'm not happy to hear about this'

Former Mayor Gary Becker spent $40,000 in city money to buy a sculpture from a Texas artist planning to move into Uptown's arts district.

The city used Community Development Block Grant money to purchase the bright red sculpture now placed the corner of 10th Street and Washington Ave, according to Kristin Niemiec, corridor specialist for the Racine County Economic Development Corporation.

The Uptown project received $50,000 in CDBG money in 2007, $100,000 in 2008 and $75,000 in 2009. The money was generally designated for marketing the Uptown Artist Relocation program, which was designed to attract artists to Racine.

The $40,000 figure is a stark contrast to the amount we reported following Monday's Redevelopment Authority meeting. At that meeting, I reported the sculpture was donated to the city, but apparently misunderstood. (One possibility is the sculpture didn't cost the RDA any money. Another is the sculpture was purchased with CDBG money, so it didn't come out of the city budget. In either case, the sculpture cost $40,000 and had already been purchased by the time the RDA reviewed placing it at 10th 13th St. and Washington Ave.)

I wasn't alone. Alderman Greg Helding said he believed the city purchased the sculpture for around $6,000. When told it was $40,000, he said he was upset.

"I'm not happy to hear about this," Helding said. "I assumed marketing dollars were spent on marketing, and I'm going to ask that this be looked into."

That said, Helding said he was happy with the artwork and thought it looked "cool" along Washington Avenue. He just didn't know it cost so much money.

Niemiec said it was Becker's idea to purchase the sculpture, which was created by artist NicNoblique , who considered moving to Racine after Hurricane Ike displaced him from Galveston Island, Texas. Noblique told The Journal Times he backed out of moving to Racine after Becker was arrested in an Internet sex sting.

RacinePost heard a different story from city officials, who said Noblique backed out because he couldn't afford the building. Coincidentally, the $40,000 sale price for the sculpture is 10 percent of the cost of the $400,000 building Noblique had hoped to purchase at 1526 Washington Ave. A lending program for buying buildings in Uptown requires artists to make a 10 percent down payment to qualify for the loan. Noblique told the JT he also backed out of buying the building because the interior didn't have flooring, electricity or plumbing.

Let's chalk this up to the latest questionable move by our former mayor in hopes of igniting the Uptown artist district. Becker decided to spend $40,000 in CDBG money - money that could go for any of dozens of worthy programs in the city - on a sculpture created by an out-of-town artist with no connection to Racine. (That said, Noblique has an impressive resume and could have been a strong fit for Becker's Uptown vision.)

Sadly, if the former mayor wanted to spend $40,000 on public art for Uptown he certainly could have commissioned an artist to create a piece or held a contest and attracted designs and ideas from around the country. It could have actually galvanized interest in the district instead of serving as another symbol of Becker's reckless drive to "create Uptown."

p.s. Nice work by the JT on tracking down the actual cost of the sculpture. On a minor detail, the pedestal for the sculpture cost about $3,700, and work fixing curbs and landscaping the triangle-shaped park along Washington Ave., including the pedestal, cost a total of about $15,000.

SC Johnson, city emails offer intimate lookat how company secured tax exemption

Foster+Partners rendering of Project Honor's Fortaleza Hall being built on SC Johnson's Racine campus.

SC Johnson used considerable influence, resources and ingenuity to convince former Mayor Gary Becker and Gov. Jim Doyle to approve a property tax exemption for the company's Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and the new Fortaleza Hall, according to company emails obtained by RacinePost.

The collection of emails from 2007 and 2008 provide an intimate look at SC Johnson's top executives orchestrating the deal that one email from an SCJ vice president suggests could save the company $400,000 a year in property taxes. SC Johnson Spokeswoman Kelly Semrau verified that the emails were authentic, but said some of the emails provided to RacinePost were taken out of context.

We've reviewed the emails and and are reprinting select quotes from them as they relate to Becker's deal with the company to trade the property tax exemption for money for the Uptown arts district.

The emails show SC Johnson sought the exemption to limit the amount of taxes it's required to pay on the new building under construction on the company's Racine campus. They also show a close tie between Becker's plans for Uptown and a property tax exemption, and SCJ's ability to successfully lobby the governor for the exemption.

All told, it was a remarkable effort by SC Johnson to minimize the company's taxes, and a questionable decision by Becker to support the exemption -- which ultimately will cost the city, county and RUSD a fortune -- without making it public.

For its part, Semrau said SC Johnson was upfront with Becker about its intention to seek the property tax exemption for its Wright buildings and Project Honor. State law allows the governor to issue executive orders to exempt architecturally significant buildings from property taxes. It also allows educational tourist centers adjacent to the historic buildings to be tax exempt.

SCJ used the law to secure an executive order from Doyle to exempt its Administration Building and Research Tower, and the new Fortaleza Hall next to the Administration Building, from property taxes.

"There is nothing the company did that was wrong," Semrau said. "It was a legitimate tax situation."

The Tax Exemption

The leaked emails begin in March 2007 with company officials pondering ways to limit property taxes on the new Project Honor, which was looking at a $52 million price tag (see below).

On Wednesday, March 28, 2007, Robert Randleman, vice president-corporate tax counsel, wrote an email to Jane Hutterly, executive vice president of worldwide corporate and environmental affairs, seeking guidance on "the company's desire to save property taxes on the Project Honor building additions."

Randleman wrote:

Alternatively, if we were to reduce the annual tax tax cost but agree to provide the city with a one time contribution to develop Uptown, the overall savings would be significant. Also, there is a significant possibility that once the Fortaleza Hall is completed and the plane is in place, the city could assess personal property tax on the aircraft. This would not be the case if the building received a state exemption.

Hutterly responded on April 9, 2007:

My perspective, Bob, is we should take the tax exemption that is appropriate under the law. I also will have some discomfort if this means we are really pushing the regs; while not adding any new jobs; as it could appear that the "rich (Fisk / family) only get richer" when Racine needs the tax revenue. Under the current scenario, I would assume that that would mean the community building is not tax exempt. That portion could be TIF'ed and we could also supplement that with contributions as needed.

Semrau said the tax exemption was not a requirement for Project Honor. SC Johnson would have built the buildings without the exemption, she said.

But the exemption paid off for the company. While Semrau estimated the exemption would save the company between $190,000 and $240,000 per year, one email suggested the number could be closer to $400,000 per year.

Randleman wrote to Fisk Johnson on Jan. 7, 2008:

Attached is a copy of the Executive Order - to be signed by Governor Dole (sic) ... As a result of this designation, we anticipate that the FLW buildings and Fortaleza Hall will be exempt from real estate tax resulting in an annual savings of approximately $400,000.

Racine Unified

Early on, SC Johnson was sensitive to the Racine Unified School District losing tax revenue, according to emails. SC Johnson's Brian Anderson, program manager for community development, responded to a question from Scott Frey, SCJ's director of corporate services and facilities, about Unified losing tax revenue if the Administration Building and Research Tower are tax exempt.

Anderson wrote on May 17, 2007:

The schools lose $8,234 per year if the FLW buildings are excluded. In the total scheme of things at Unifies (sic) this is not a significant amount of money. I am not sure what the district would do with 10,000 annually that is off the tax rolls. One potential idea for the schools is to provide updated technology to them annually in some amount.

Semrau said SCJ does not have a plan to reimburse Unified for tax revenue lost to the exemption of the FLW buildings.

Project Honor's Fortaleza Hall will serve as an educational tourist center for people visiting SC Johnson. This rendering from Foster+Partners shows Fortaleza Hall with Frank Lloyd Wright's Research Tower in the background.

Educational Tourist Center

SCJ carefully considered how Fortaleza Hall could be included in Doyle's executive order. State law allows an educational tourist center adjoining a historic building to be included in the property tax exemption.

Frey wrote Anderson on May 17, 2007 asking:

Is the tax exemption provision written specifically for FLW or simply any historical landmark? Will we have some requirements around displays, messages, etc in Fortaleza Hall in order to assure we are meeting the intent of the exemption?

Anderson responded: "???" But subsequent emails show the company making changes to Project Honor to secure the tax exemption.

The company did not initially call for the Project Honor buildings to be open to the public, Semrau said. But the tax exemption for Fortaleza Hall required public access, she said. (Note: Semrau contacted RacinePost after this story was published to clarify that if SCJ had not received the tax exemption it would have still built Fortaleza Hall. "But maybe we wouldn't have opened it to the public as one example since keeping buildings open to the public are expensive due to upkeep, security, tour guides, etc.," Semrau wrote in an email.)

SCJ will hire tour guides and allow visitors into the building, which will pay tribute to the story of how HF Johnson flew the Carnauba airplane to Brazil to study the carnauba palm tree that launched the company's fortune. Sam Johnson and his sons retraced the trip in 1998.

Initial plans for Fortaleza Hall did not include educational exhibits for tourists.

Randleman wrote to Kristine Banan, title unknown, on June 1, 2007 (Note: MEA is an internal SCJ acronym that Semrau declined to define):

There is little doubt that the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings are architectural landmarks. I would like to see the MEA emphasize the fact that the adjacent Fortaleza Hall will be used as an educational tourist center. This could be accomplished by changing the fifth sentence in the fifth paragraph to read:

"The Hall will provide an area for employees to informally meet and will be used as an educational tourist center for visitors to the Frank Lloyd Wright administration building, Golden Rondelle and other areas of the SCJ campus."

Randleman wrote on June 6, 2007:

Had a brief conversation with Fisk today - he emphasized the fact that he wants us to proceed with the property tax exemptions for Project Honor. He said that we could include specific displays in the exhibit if it would assist us in proving that the exhibit is indeed an educational tourist center. Next step is for Jane to send the presentation deck to Fisk and she and I will meet with him to answer any questions.

Public Relations

SCJ officials carefully considered the ramifications of the tax exemption becoming public - something that didn't happen until RacinePost broke the story on May 7. (See a summary of our coverage on this story here.) The company was particularly concerned about a planned Journal Times story on Project Honor's groundbreaking. Hutterly didn't want taxes mentioned with the story, which was given as an "exclusive" to the JT.

Hutterly wrote to Randleman on Aug. 29, 2007:

I'm confident we can weather the storm on this and any outcry over the FLW / FH application to the state, and ultimately, the time of all of this would be connected by those who are doing their homework and would want to say that SCJ is trying to avoid taxes and doing their part. That said, it would be helpful to us on the public side if we could stagger the actions on all of this.

She added: "It would be very disappointing to all of us if a side bar article on the new building was "SCJ avoids taxes."

Fisk Johnson wrote Sept. 4, 2007 to Randleman:

"... if we want to delay the action (actual filing that may become public?) in this exemption process to avoid something ending up in the papers at the same time as the ground breaking article I leave that to Jane and you to decide. I assume if it is easy enough to make a short delay of the filing (?) and not incur any financial risk and avoid the risk of this ending up in the paper at the same time... then that sounds like a good thing. I would assume the PR to be manageable either way."

Cost of Project Honor

The actual cost of Project Honor is expected to reach $52 million, according to an email. That far exceeds the $36 million figure SC Johnson had shared in the past. Semrau said the $36 million number is the cost of construction of the building. The $52 million figure is the total cost of the project, including landscaping, furnishings and items other than construction, she said.

Hutterly wrote on Aug. 31, 2007, to Scott Frey and others with the subject line, "Fisk's $$ on PH with the Press":

What number are you comfortable sharing with the press? I'm not comfortable with $52MM. How about the construction number of $36.5MM?

Lobbying for the exemption

SC Johnson lobbied the governor for the tax exemption in the summer of 2007, according to emails.

Randleman wrote to Fisk Johnson on Aug. 31, 2007:

"The Pricewaterhouse Coopers representative that will be meeting with Secretary Berk on behalf of SCJ will also be accompanying the Commerce Secretary and Governor Dole (sic) on an Asian trade mission starting September 10. The PwC representative hopes to be able to take advantage of this time with Ms. Berk and the governor to informally pursue the topics discussed during the September 5 meeting and further advocate SCJ's position. This is a fortunate opportunity."

The company also worked Becker for his support, which was secured in November 2007, according to emails. Chip Brewer, director of worldwide government relations, wrote to Michael DeGuelle, SCJ's former state tax manager, on Nov. 12, 2007:

Mike - I spoke to Gary Becker and he is prepared to support SCJ if he gets a call from the Gov's office.

Brewer also wrote on Nov. 20, 2007:

Good news. I just spoke to the Mayor. He happened to be in the Governor's office today with a group of mayors on other business. Susan pulled him aside and asked him about Project Honor and he gave his strong OK.

Becker actually pushed former assessor Tom Kienbaum to sign a letter of support for the exemption. Anderson wrote on Feb. 13, 2008, to Jane Hutterly, Chip Brewer and Theresie Bode:

The assessor has to send a letter to Mike declaring the property tax exempt which is then forwarded to State to finalize this process. The meeting went very well and the mayor was very supportive and kept asking where does Tom sign. The city assessor is retiring at the end of the month so could put this off for his replacement to do, which the mayor assures me wouldn't happen.

Kienbaum didn't actually sign the letter. His successor Ray Anderson signed it on June 2, 2008. The letter, written to DeGuelle, reads:

We have no objection to you submitting the exemption application and our Office confirms its support for the full and timely implementation of the Executive Order's intentions.

Uptown TID

SC Johnson and the city worked closely together to create the Uptown TID, which will use an estimated $166,000 in property tax revenue from Project Honor's Community Building - it's not exempt from property taxes - to make improvements to the area, according to emails.

Semrau said the city approached SC Johnson about the Uptown TID. Emails among top executives indicate SC Johnson knew about the TID in June 2007 - six months before the idea was made public.

Fisk Johnson wrote an email June 7, 2007 to Hutterly stating:

I would like to push for as low an appraised value on the community building as possible (but I am fine agreeing to putting whatever that tax might end up being, based on that lowest appraised value, into a tif).

Hutterly responded on June 7, 2007:

We will put the final plans in place to do that and further make sure that your planned meeting with the Mayor next month coincides at the right time with our approach to the State for the tax exemption. We will also prepare appropriate key messages for the Becker meeting.

On Jan. 4, 2008, Brewer wrote to Brian Anderson, Jane Hutterly and Kelly Semrau:

Mike reports that this has gone to the Governor's desk for signature, probably within the week. We do not expect any press announcement about this. After this is signed, we can let the Mayor know and he can begin the TIF process. That is a public process and it is my understanding there would be publicity surrounding the TIF and the City's plans for Uptown development. We will need to work with the Mayor on those announcements and any announcements about SCJ contributions.

Brian Anderson wrote to Brewer and DeGuelle on Jan. 10, 2008:

I believe that these are two next steps, first a meeting with the city assessor to have the FLW properties taken off the tax roll and to inform him that Fortaleza Hall is not taxable and second, inform the city that we are ready to create a spot TIF to benefit Uptown.

Becker appeared to carefully consider the value of Project Honor in working out plans for the TIF district and the tax exemption, according to emails obtained from the city of Racine. He wrote to Anderson on Aug. 27, 2008:

Brian, just to follow up on our conversation a few days ago. It is my understand that the assessment of the property will be a minimum of $20,000,000. Please confirm if I have this right.

Anderson replied Sept. 2, 2008:

Gary, we have estimated that the construction cost of the taxable portion will be in the area of $20 million, however the actual assessment is determined by the state. We have not stated any amount as a minimum but we will not challenge the assessment that the state assesses.

$500,000 for Uptown

SC Johnson originally wanted to pay the city $30,000 a year for 10 years for Uptown, according to an email. But a series of emails showed the total increase to $500,000 and shifted from a 10-year payout to a five-year payout. The shorter time frame was crafted to maximize the benefit during Becker's second term in office.

Here's Anderson in the May 17, 2007, email (the "he" refers to Gary Becker):

I would go $30,000-over 10 years that is $300,000, which is what he would receive in 20 years under the current tax bill. This grant can be used for what he would like and doesn't go against the general levy or budget.

SC Johnson Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson wrote June 7, 2007 to Hutterly:

I wonder if we have a better chance of getting the mayor's support if we agree to $100,000 over 5 years versus $50,000 over ten years (since it will be more impactful to his term in office). I leave that to you to decide.

SCJ has yet to make its first payment on the five-year, $500,000 plan, according to city emails. That fact seemed to concern Racine Development Director Brian O'Connell in an email he wrote to Brian Anderson on April 16:

The flyer for the next speaker at the Rondelle came in an SCJ envelope. I thought it might be the check for the Uptown grant. But it wasn't. Everything still OK with that?

Anderson replied April 17:

Everything is OK, but some here want to meet with you and the new mayor after the election to make sure everyone is still on the same page. It is harder with some things here than at City Hall. The money is still committed but probably won't get to you until end of June, first of July. Sorry that this has to be so complicated.

SC Johnson reviewed the TIF budget and raised questions about some of the items planned for Uptown. In an email to O'Connell on Nov. 13, 2008, Anderson asked to see marketing materials planned for the TID and raised questions about the city's budget for the district. Anderson wrote to O'Connell:

Not sure why $50,000 would be needed for the Island at 14th as it already exists and it would seem that to put plantings into the island would not cost $50,000, but maybe I am missing something.

O'Connell replied on March 2, 2009:

The Uptown Association has discussed having an "identity feature" (fountain? planter/garden?) at the island. I like the idea but it is very vague at the moment.

The marketing item is for targeted marketing of the Uptown buildings to "artists." Advertising in specialized publications is one use. This is an item that could benefit from your insights and the insights of any SCJ marketing wizards.

Tax-exempt deal will save SC Johnson at least $190,000 per year

The cover page of the 'Project Honor' plans SCJ filed with the city.

Former Mayor Gary Becker traded away at least $190,000 a year in local property tax payments for money to pay for his vision of an arts district in Uptown.

The city issued SC Johnson a $39 million building permit on May 12, 2008, to build the 60,345-square-foot "Project Honor" on its Racine campus. The project is made up of two buildings: Fortaleza Hall, designed to honor Sam Johnson, and the Community Building, which will include a cafeteria, company store and other employee amenities.

Under an executive order Gov. Jim Doyle signed Jan. 10, 2008, Fortaleza Hall will be exempt from property taxes as an educational and tourist center. The same goes for SCJ's Administration Building and Research Tower, which paid about $40,000 in property taxes last year. (To get an idea of how rare the executive order was, Doyle's order was the only executive order signed by a Wisconsin governor between January 1965 and Dec. 12, 2008 to involve Racine. It was also only the second time a governor made a building tax-exempt for architectural significance.)

But the new Community Building will not be exempt from taxes. Instead, it will be included in the Uptown Tax Incremental District, and property taxes collected on the new building will be used to pay for property and street improvements in the Uptown area. (Read our initial story on Becker's deal with SCJ here.)

So how much money are we talking about?

SCJ's building permit was for $39 million for Fortaleza Hall and the Community Building combined. The Community Building is listed at 44,000 square feet, according to company press release. Fortaleza Hall is about 16,000 square feet.

Dividing the $39 million project strictly by square feet would result in a 75-25 percent split between the two new buildings. The Community Building would then cost about $29.25 million and Fortaleza Hall would come in just under $10 million.

But SCJ's numbers suggest the buildings are closer to equal in value. The company's response to an earlier story said they would pay $166,924 in incremental tax to the Uptown TID district for the Community Building. Assuming that's per year (it's not clear from the statement), and assuming a property tax rate of $21.81 per $1,000 of assessed property value (last year's amount), it appears SCJ is estimating the Community Building's assessed value at closer to $7.7 million.

Our own reporting suggests Fortaleza Hall may be the more expensive, and valuable, of the two new buildings. SCJ doesn't have to break down how much they're spending on the tribute to Sam Johnson, but the company is reportedly sparing no expense. A world-class architect, curved Italian class and the hanging display of the Carnaúba aircraft (the one that launched SCJ's fortune) are all included. (Click here for SC Johnson's response to our initial stories revealing that the Administration Building and Research Tower are now tax exempt.)

SC Johnson Spokeswoman Kelly Semrau said the company estimates Fortaleza Hall, once complete, will be tax exempt from $150,000 and $200,000 in property taxes. An assessment will be conducted after the project is completed, she said. (That runs counter to one of our sources, who said the building won't be assessed because it's already tax exempt.)

Based on current tax rates, that would place Fortaleza Hall's estimated assessment at between $6.8 million and $9 million.

Semrau noted the construction amount and the assessed amount are not the same. She added SCJ officials reduced the square footage of Fortaleza Hall since the company applied for the building permit.

Blueprints for Project Honor taken from the plans SCJ filed with the city. Fortaleza Hall, which will honor Sam Johnson, is on the left. The Community Building, for SCJ employees, is on the right.

So let's put together some pieces.

We've reported in the past (and now have a third source confirming it) that Becker and SCJ made a deal. SCJ would receive the city's support in pursuing tax-exempt status for its Administration Building, Research Tower and Fortaleza Hall, and Becker would receive $500,000 over five years for Uptown. SCJ also agreed to include its new Community Building in the Uptown TID to help pay for street and building improvements in the area.

In other, simpler words, Becker traded away a minimum of $190,000 in annual property tax payments (and probably more) for $500,000 over five years to improve Uptown.

What's incredible about the deal is the disregard Becker showed for other local governments in making the deal. Based on the 2008 tax rate, and assuming $190,000 in annual tax payments:

• Racine Unified lost $59,000 in annual property tax payments.
• Gateway Technical College lost $10,000 in taxes.
• Racine County lost $25,000 in taxes.
• And, the city lost $93,000 in taxes.

We attempted to reach Racine Mayor Tom Friedel and Mayor-elect John Dickert Friday for comment. We'll report their reaction when we get it.

Dave Hazen, Racine Unified's finance director, didn't know specifics about SCJ's tax-exempt properties, but he said the arrangement sounded similar to the tax incremental finance districts local governments setup to attract development. New developments in TIDs pay taxes, but all of the tax money goes to pay off the loans used to build roads, utilities and other infrastructure needed to attract business in the first place. Unified only benefits once the TID's loans are paid off, usually around 15 years after the development is finished.

Case in point, the city created an Uptown TID and will capture all of the property tax from SCJ's new Community Building for the next 14 years. Instead of supporting schools, the county or the city's general fund (ie. police, fire, parks, etc.), the property tax payments will only go toward streets and buildings in Uptown. The result: SCJ is building a $39 million structure, and Racine Unified won't see a dime for 14 years.

Despite being left out, Hazen said it's hard for school officials to oppose TIDs. "It's good for development, it's how the community is going to grow," he said.

He added a key point about TIDs: They never take away tax base from local governments.

The wild card in all of this is whether SC Johnson could have gotten the property tax exemption from the state on its own. If SCJ could have, then Becker swung a deal to at least get something in return.

But two sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations told us Becker and SCJ traded support for the tax exemption for the Uptown money. Maybe SCJ doesn't build Project Honor without the deal, or maybe a great local employer simply deserves the tax break, but it's increasingly clear our former mayor gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual payments to support his vision for Uptown, and he did it without telling the City Council or making the deal public.

This map shows Project Honor's outline, just north of the existing Administration Building.

The long and winding road ... to City Hall

Our two candidates.

One-hundred-twelve days ago, Gary Becker logged on to Yahoo Instant Messenger as WISC_GARY and struck up a not-so innocent conversation with Hope_Ulikeme14.

As we all know, Hope turned out to be Department of Criminal Investigations Agent Eric Szatkowski and Becker's chat led to his arrest at Brookfield Square Mall. Six days later, Becker resigned and a political free-for-all ensued. John Dickert and Rep. Bob Turner emerged from an 11-candidate primary field to compete in Tuesday's special election. Jody Harding (lower right) also stuck around as a write-in candidate.

The reason this story exists.

It's been a long four months for the city; incredulous, sad, stirring, confusing and even exciting four months, but mostly just long. I saw it Saturday with Dickert and Turner during a radio interview for WGTD (listen here). Both candidates are so well rehearsed at this point the answers roll of their tongues without thought. They've participated in about 10 forums in three months, banged on countless doors and together spent more than $50,000 trying to convince city residents they should be the next mayor.

Turner and Dickert have given city residents a choice (click here to see where you vote). Turner ran as the seasoned veteran. He repeatedly touted his state and local government experience, and painted the more aggressive, but less experienced, Dickert as naive. Turner has the strong backing of local unions and would be Racine's first African-American mayor (and the second elected African-American mayor in the state).

Dickert ran as the change candidate. He touted an ambitious "10-year plan" to make Racine a "Top 10" city, and ran a high-energy campaign that outraised Turner by at least $8,000. While Turner talked about rolling city government back to the pre-Becker era, Dickert pushed for a post-Becker era. Dickert has support from much of the business and real estate community.

But neither candidate pulled away in the last month. Both come from a Democratic background and both were smart enough to tailor their campaigns around the city's key issues: jobs and crime. That left the race a battle of personalities: the youthful Dickert vs. the reliable Turner.

The good news for voters is there's not a bad choice tomorrow. Both candidates are capable of being an effective mayor. Dickert brings his real estate and lobbying skills to the job, and Turner brings a wealth of experience. We can't go wrong, but we have to choose. If you're undecided, here are three questions to consider for each candidate:

Dickert
1. Do you trust him as the city's chief executive?
2. Do his business and real estate ties help or hurt him as mayor?
3. Does the city need "change"?

Turner
1. How valuable is his experience?
2. Do his union ties help or hurt him as mayor?
3. Will he be aggressive enough as mayor?

Have your answers? OK, now get out vote!

Maack leads charge on expanding oversight of mayoral spending

Mayor Gary Becker’s legacy may be more paperwork for city officials planning to travel.

The city’s Personnel and Finance Committee voted Monday night to draft a travel policy for employees to get reimbursed for meals, hotel rooms and airplane tickets for city business. The proposal may set limits on travel spending and formalize oversight on travel spending.

The committee also voted to draft policies regarding the mayor’s monthly car and phone allowances, and to review expenses from the mayor’s office on a quarterly basis.

Alderman David Maack brought the proposals forward. He said he had concerns about how Becker spent money as mayor and wanted more oversight of how future mayors and city employees spent money.

“I don’t see it as good practice not to have a policy in place,” he said.

Perhaps the most serious concern Maack raised was a $300 a month car allowance Becker received. The mayor unilaterally instituted the allowance in 2008 to replace the mileage payments he had received in the past. Becker, apparently, didn’t like fill out the paperwork that came with the mileage reimbursement.

Maack said he didn’t have a problem with the allowance. But he was concerned Becker changed the policy without seeking approval from City Council members.

“What I object to is it didn’t come through the council,” Maack said. “At a minimum it should have come to the finance committee for approval.”

Finance Director Dave Braun said he “wholeheartedly” agreed with Maack’s assessment.

But Maack didn’t get a receptive audience on all points. One of the biggest problems he ran into was the lack of wrongdoing by Becker in how he spent the mayor’s budget. Braun supplied the committee with Becker’s spending records. He said there didn’t appear to be any problems.

That left the committee wondering if the new policies were a solution in search of a problem. Alderman Bob Anderson said he didn’t want to “handcuff” the mayor with unnecessary policy. Maack responded he saw the policies as oversight, not handcuffing. (That led Mayor Tom Friedel to quip: “I wish they’d stop using that term.”)

Alderman Sandy Weidner, who sat in the crowd, seemed skeptical of Maack’s proposals, and pointed out a possible discrepancy in the committee’s discussion and what was posted on the meeting’s agenda. The agenda said the committee would discuss the mayor’s spending, but conversation drifted to include all employees. Her point, while possibly correct, was ignored.

She was joined in the audience by Alderman and mayor candidate Greg Helding. Police Chief Kurt Wahlen was also there.

Friedel, former chairman of the Finance committee, supported all of Maack’s proposal except one that would have required the City Council president to sign off on the mayor’s travel spending. Friedel said there were sufficient safeguards in place for travel reimbursements, and noted travel by elected officials is an important part of their job. Becker traveled the Coastal Management Group’s meetings and brought back $400,000 in grants to the city since 2004.

Maack’s motion for the City Council president sign-off died for lack of a second by the committee.

The three proposals that did pass now need to be written and approved by the committee and the full City Council to take effect.

The city's case against Sandra Tingle

Without judgment (other than to say it makes for interesting reading), here's the city's case for firing Mayor Gary Becker's secretary, Sandra Tingle.

Bloggers give Becker an earful about crime

Mayor Becker and the bloggers, at JavaVino

If Mayor Gary Becker thought nasty, critical, anonymous bloggers would be civil and friendly in person -- well, he's been disabused of that quaint notion.

About 20 bloggers took up the mayor on his invitation to meet face-to-face at JavaVino downtown on Saturday morning. But they were no less insistent in person -- although at times they left the mayor alone to argue among themselves.

As it is on the blogs, the subject on everyone's mind appears to be crime. Whenever the mayor does anything these days -- the Uptown mosaic mural comes to mind -- the bloggers are quick to denigrate with comments like Anonymous', "Thank God. Crime in this city will finally stop because of this beautiful art!!" The mayor invited bloggers to meet because of comments posted on the JT's website in reaction to a story about the community meeting he hosted at the Martin Luther King Center earlier this week. "How do you go from a community meeting to 'this is a cover-up on crime,' " he wondered.

In person they were somewhat less sarcastic, but no less frustrated. One after another at the JavaVino meeting they said things like:

"People in this town are very, very upset. You know what the cops tell me: 'Hide.' Well, I'm sick of hiding!"

And: "You have to take the fear out of the neighborhoods."

A number of exchanges between blogger and mayor showed a pent-up anger at the police. These residents say they constantly call the police for help, and are blown off.

One woman told him: "The cops are sick of us" who call to report drug dealers. "They don't to hear it. You can see men smoking crack at 11th and College, that whole area. The police are really sick of hearing from people who keep calling them."
BECKER: "The cops should not be dismissing you."
WOMAN: "They busted someone for having a wrench in his car."
BECKER: "I don't believe this happened. Give me the details. I don't believe this is going on."
WOMAN: "This is what happened. It happens every day."

Another man said, "I'm sorry, but it's a mess. Telling us otherwise will not make a difference when I hear gunshots tonight. Once the sun goes down, I don't come out."
BECKER: "Where do you live."
MAN: "On Main Street. I got ticketed for disorderly conduct when they couldn't find the guy I reported. They ticketed me! You've got to go sit on East Park at 3 in the morning..."
BECKER: "I drive through those neighborhoods."
MAN: "You don't live there, sir. We're sick of it, sir."


Another woman -- after decrying the fact that only whites were at the session with the mayor, said: "I see many kids arrested just for being black."
BECKER: "I would argue that on the whole the police don't hassle blacks."
WOMAN: I know it's true. If four kids are on the corner, it's the three blacks who get hassled."
BECKER: "I disagree.... I would say the cops in Racine have a good relationship with the black community. If you go to Milwaukee, cops and the community are not communicating." He illustrated with two fists coming at each other.

He also pointed out that police have executed 130 search warrants this year. But one man complained: "It's obvious to me: I see drug deals going down. If it's obvious to me, it's got to be obvious to the professionals. The drug dealers are on the corner."
BECKER: "I wish we had the right to just shake them down (search them)."
MAN: "You could have a couple of squad cars drive them off."
BECKER: "They'll just move around."
MAN: "Then move with them."

At one point Becker noted that some of those present wanted much stricter police enforcement, but others were concerned about police hassling minorities. "She's telling me we're too tough on these guys. You're telling me we're not tough enough."
WOMAN: "We have to do something, take ownership of the program, not just talk."
An agitated man argued loudly, with profanity: "I'm not going to take my life in my hands. My God, where do you live?"
BECKER: "Settle down."
ANOTHER MAN, to one in a striped shirt: "You've got the stripes, you gotta referee this."
The first man continued swearing and finally stormed out of the coffee shop.
THIRD MAN: "I hope he's not a gun owner."
FOURTH MAN: "I hear his frustration. I get it."
WOMAN: "We need to solve this, get involved with our neighbors. We don't need to be vigilantes."
BECKER: "We've got to have balance."

Drugs and violence dominated the session. The two aldermen present, Greg Helding and Jim Kaplan, added perspectives of their own. Kaplan told of a constituent who brought him a baggie full of spent shells she picked up around her house. "I told her, 'Take them to the police,' but she said, 'We're afraid if we do, they'll be shooting at us the next time." So Kaplan took the bullet casings to the police and filed the complaint himself. Helding offered an analogy about drug sales: "You know all the coffee shops downtown? Well, if we all stopped drinking coffee, they'd close. Same with the drug dealers."

At one point, the mayor was asked, "Do you spend too much time and money on Downtown?" He responded, "We spend very little." Referring to all the events downtown, like First Fridays and Party on the Pavement, put on by merchants and the Downtown Racine Corporation, he said, "We don't do anything except drop off barricades -- and we charge them for that."

The mayor talked about stepped up city inspections -- "Five inspectors work in the ugly neighborhoods, the bad ... and they're on call in the good neighborhoods." -- about the half-dozen bars that have been closed down due to violence, about efforts to tear down boarded up and abandoned houses ("I hate boarded up houses," he said.), and the city's program for helping people buy their own homes. Of one major landlord, said to be trying to sell a large bloc of rental units, "The fear is that he will sell out to someone from out of town, and we'll have nobody here to go after." Becker would much prefer the units to be sold to individual homeowners. Regarding substandard dwelling units, he said: "We will be as aggressive as the law allows us to be."

A teacher said, "Crime is just a symptom. The problem is economic. We need more jobs in the city. Good, well-paying jobs is the solution." Becker said he had met with Dr. James Shaw, the current finalist to be Racine Unified superintendent. "I really hope Dr. Shaw, if he takes the job, can get things done. He really understands the achievement gap.... the community is dying for someone to come into that position and start making decisions."

The session ended after an hour, because Becker was taking his daughter and two of her friends to Chicago to see the Lollapalooza festival. But he also said he was meeting an artist in Chicago -- a potential resident for the Uptown arts district.

Anonymous, meet the Mayor

The anonymity of the internet often brings out the worst in people, as the JT has seen often in the comments posted to its news stories. ("Editor's note: Please refrain from swearing AND using racial slurs. Thanks, JT Staff" is a not unusual response to deleted comments.) Nor is RacinePost immune, although -- thankfully! -- not to the same extent.

After a while, the subject of some of this animosity manages to shrug it off, as Racine Mayor Gary Becker must have been doing since the JT's blogs began. But once in a while it gets through even the thickest skin.

Such must have been the case Thursday, when Becker posted the following response on one of the JT's blogs to nasty criticism of his promise to help improve the neighborhood around the Martin Luther King Center (click to enlarge):

Coffee with the mayor, face to face at JavaVino on Saturday! It should be interesting to see how many of those who hide behind silly avatars and "names" like "goodoldraytown," "hottieblue77," "BwzrJr" and all the gang show up and identify themselves.

Lehman, Becker, Vos on Regional Transit committee

State Sen. John Lehman has been appointed to a legislative committee charged with making recommendations on changes in state law to allow local governments to create, fund and operate Regional Transportation Authorities (RTAs). The twenty-two member Special Committee on Regional Transportation Authority will, in addition to Lehman, include Mayor Gary Becker and Rep. Robin Vos. (Two out of three ain't bad, if you get my drift.)

“Racine County is at the forefront of the debate on how we fund mass transit develop transportation alternatives. I’m looking forward to working with representatives from our area and from across the state to figure out how we can develop and fund a 21st century transportation infrastructure that offers people effective alternatives and respects their interests as taxpayers,” Lehman said.

“Our KRM commuter rail project has great potential to bring needed jobs and economic development to Racine County and give people alternative transportation as they deal with high gas prices and an upcoming freeway reconstruction. I’m committed to protecting the progress we have made and to moving forward on funding issues.”

Art on a big scale, to transform a neighborhood

Isaiah Zagar works on his mural Friday

Sometimes, things just happen.

Last January, Gary Becker was in Washington for a meeting, and he took a side trip to see an old friend. The friend took Racine's mayor on a day and a half "art death walk" the mayor recalls with a laugh, all over Philadelphia. One of the last stops was Isaiah Zagar's Magic Garden. Telling the story of the Magic Garden could take all week; suffice it to say it's an incredible yarn about art triumphing over commerce, of protests honed during the Vietnam War era transforming part of a city and preventing its destruction by yet another expressway. (You can see pictures and read all about it HERE).

But what's important to Racine is this: "Within a few minutes of seeing the Magic Garden," says Becker, "I started thinking, 'This would be great in Racine.' "

More pictures of Racine's mural HERE.

And so, the wheels started turning that brought mosaic muralist Isaiah Zagar to Racine this week, where he has been creating -- with the assistance of a host of local volunteers -- not one but two incredible mosaics on the sides of two buildings at the entrance to Uptown, in the 1300 block of Washington Avenue.

Becker was at the site Friday morning, watching the white-bearded Zagar -- his hands deep into a bucket of grout -- direct more than a dozen young people (including the mayor's daughter, Maggie, 16) as they created artwork where there had been none, out of broken pieces of tile, mirror, stones, shells, an egg plate, cups and other scrounged and donated "stuff."

And, indeed, what they were creating is art, with a capital A.

The murals are perhaps 12 feet tall and 75 feet long, a swirling mass of color and shapes. Look closely: there's a face! Wait, it's a mermaid. And over there's a fish. And ...


Almost all of it has been created by the adult and youth volunteers assembled by Kerry Turner, the project manager from Racine County Economic Development. RCEDC, the city and the Uptown Business Improvement District helped fund the $10,000 project, which with the Create Uptown Festival this weekend is aimed to kick off the Artists Relocation Program, which seeks to revitalize Uptown by helping artists buy neighborhood buildings in which they can work and live.

I say "almost" all of the mosaic was created here, because Becker recalled picking up Zagar at the airport and lifting his suitcase. "I said, 'Holy Cow, do you have bricks in here?' " No, it was just tile and pieces for what Zagar calls the "blobs" -- some of the key design elements in the murals. The face of the mermaid, for instance; some extra large eyes for another. Zagar created and then installed them on the blank wall, and then drew the rest of the design in chalk for his workers to follow.

Since Tuesday -- in between thunderstorms -- they have been sticking the broken mirror glass, tile and what not on the brick walls of a building owned by Linea Anthony, and on the Hoernel Key Shop building on the other side of the empty lot. "Sticking the mirror on is the simplest part to learn," Zagar said, after doing it for 40 years. Friday was for grouting, "the most difficult."

"Come over here and watch me," he instructed the volunteers, clearly a teacher as much as an artist. "Once you have put something on, the sponge has to go back and forth. I'm doing it with my eyes, not my heart. I'm filling in those cracks. The thing is to get a great deal of joy from finding those edges, getting it flat so there are no bumps. There is no spot you should feel is your work. You've got to dance around," he said, "If you're in one spot, you're not doing much."


I asked Zagar the "vision" question, wondering how it feels to have his design created by others. "There is no vision," he said. "What comes out, comes out. If I had a vision I would be stymied and I'd tell these people 'you can't work with me.' "

This isn't the first mosaic Zagar has made away from his Philadelphia homebase, which has scores of them. His wife, Julia (to whom he has been married for 45 years -- they were in the Peace Corps together in Peru) accompanied him to Racine, and joins him on about a dozen far-flung projects each year. (In January, they created a mural on a cinderblock changing facility by the beach in Maui. "That was nice," she said, reemphasizing "January" in case I missed it.) She was impressed by "the tremendous participation by the mayor," she said. "We've never gotten this anywhere else." She said Becker already has invited the couple back.

"You can see a whole neighborhood change with one of these murals," she said.


Friday night, the couple presented a screening, in the old M&I Bank Building on Washington, for city officials and volunteers, of a new documentary about their life. Called In a Dream, it was made by Jeremiah, one of their two sons, and already has won numerous "best director" and "best new talent" awards on the independent film circuit: in Austin at South by SouthWest, in Philadelphia and at Full Frame in North Carolina. The movie deals with the events that shaped the Zagars' life -- and everyone's -- breakdowns, an almost-divorce, raising children, as well as artistic issues.

"This is what I can get a thrill out of," said Zagar, 69, "manufacturing these large scale mosaics." And then he scooped out another handful of grout and energetically began spreading it between the tiles, smoothing the bumps and edges.

The free festival Saturday runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the municipal parking lot at the corner of Washington Avenue and 13th Street. It features music, clowns, food, projects for kids and, hopefully, completion of th murals. Our earlier schedule of Saturday's event is HERE.

City officials file economic interest reports

City officials are required to file a statement of “economic interests” each year with the city. These files are open for public inspection, so RacinePost went and reviewed the documents. Here’s a summary of the reports:

Sam Aiello, purchasing agent for the city of Racine
Income
city employee

Bob Anderson, second district alderman
Income
Century 21 Savaglio and Cape, Racine, Wis. – sales agent
Gateway Technical College - education/instructor
DOT Endocrine Center, health care/FNP
Business
Sunrise Change, Racine,Wis. - Health Promotion Marketing, LLC

Gary Becker, mayor
Income
City of Racine- government
Wheaton Franciscan- health care (wife’s job)
Valet Dry Cleaners Inc., Racine, WI, dry cleaning, C-corp

Organizations
Alliance of Cities, vice president, Madison, WI
GLSLCI, Chicago, chair
WI Brownfields Association, president
St. Catherine’s High School, board member
US Mayor’s Conference, Washington, D.C., ex-board member

Dave Brown, finance director for city of Racine
Income
city employee

John Christensen, city of Racine, plumbing inspector
Income
city employee
Business
Christensen and Associates, Racine, plumbing consulting, sole proprietorship

Jeff Coe, first district alderman
Income
Acro Metal Stamping, Milwaukee

Raymond DeHahn, seventh district alderman
Income
Retired - retirement money from Teamsters

Thomas Eeg, assistant commissioner of public works/operations for city of Racine
Income
city employee
American Family Insurance, insurance rep
Property
Owns rental property at 805 Cleveland Ave.

Kathleen Fischer, assistant finance director
Income
CR Bard, medical device manufacturer, Murray Hill, N.J.
eHealth Global Tech, Rochester, N.Y., medical records
city employee

Thomas Friedel, alderman
Income
Twin Disc
Wheaton Franciscan

Janelle Grammer, public health administrator
Income
city employee

Keith Haas, general manager water and wastewater
Income
city employee

Steven Hansen, fire chief,
Income
Racine Unified Schools, education
Visiting/Distributing Fireman, Racine, WI publication (annual)
Property
Owns a rental property at 2616 Blaine Ave. in Racine

Ron Hart
Income
Auto Excellence, Racine, WI, auto repair
S&R Consulting, safety consultant, partnership
Property
Owns properties at 4420 Republic Ave. and 1901 Carter St.

Gregory Helding
Income
Wisconsin Internet Inc., ISP
Q Research, Newark, NJ, product research
City of Racine

Richard Heller, chief building inspector
Income
city employee
Insinkerator
Racine Unified School District

Richard Jones, commissioner of public works
Income
city employee
Organizations
Director of the Transportation Development Association of Wiscosnin, director
Human Capital Development Corporation, director

Jim Kaplan, fourth district alderman
Income
Wheaton-Franciscan – infection control assistant

Scott Letteney, deputy city attorney
Income
city attorney
Elected municipal judge for Town of Geneva (wife's job)
Big Foot High School (wife's job)
Wisconsin Air National Guard
Property
owns home in Walworth County

Jessica MacPhail, city librarian
Income
city employee
Organizations
St. Luke’s Church
John MacPhail Renovation, construction and carpentry

David Maack, fifth district alderman
Income
Racine County – emergency services coordinator
Wisconsin Technical College
Organizations
Chairman of Leadership Racine

Terry McCarthy, ninth district alderman
Income
Volkswagon Credit, Libertyville, Ill., Automotive finance

Robert Mozol, 15th district alderman
Income
None listed

Brian O’Connell, director of city development
Income
city employee
Organizations
Greater Milwaukee Foundation, charitable foundation

John Rooney, assistant commissioner of public works/engineering
Income
city employee
Midwest Airlines, commercial airline

Jerry Scott, human resources affirmative action officer
Income
city employee
Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee
Ottawa University, Brookfield,
Organizations
Board member, OIC
Other
$800 honorarium from UW-Milwaukee

QA Shakoor II, eighth district alderman
Income
Twin Disc

Michael Shields, third district alderman
Income
Racine County – social services
Organizations
Community Economic Development corp., board member
Salvation Army, board member
Racine Democratic Party, chair

Donnie Snow, director of parks, recreation and cultural services
Income
city employee
Property
829/831 Valerie Court, rental
934 Grand Ave., rental, own
Organization
Sickle Cell Foundation, president

Jim Spangenberg, 13th district alderman
Income
Owns Johnson Furniture store in Racine with his wife, Elizabeth

Aron Wisneski, 12th district alderman
Income
Atlantic Search Group, Cary, NC, recruiting and outsourcing
Assent Consulting, Cupertino, CA, recruiting and outsourcing
UW-Milwaukee, university

Sandy Weidner, sixth district alderman
Income
Racine County, human services

Robert Weber, city attorney
Income
city of Racine