Franklin Today

And a campaign begins...

Last week Monday, I filed campaign finance paperwork with the City Clerk's office with the intention of seeking the office of 1st District Alderman.

For more information, please go to my campaign's website. That will be the place where anything relating to the campaign will be posted.

Authorized & Paid for by Friends of Greg Kowalski, Linda Richter, Treasurer.

Some discussion on the House of Corrections

This week's FranklinNOW is covering the Milwaukee County Farm & Fish Hatchery at the House of Corrections and how it was saved, yet again, by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors during the budget debates.

For some reason, the NOW decided to include discussion that would promote the selling of the farm in favor of economic development in the City of Franklin. Mayor Taylor was quoted in the article saying that he wouldn't mind if the entire House of Correction complex "went away".

I don't believe anyone in Franklin wants the House of Correction in the community. In fact, having the facility in Franklin has generated lots of controversy, especially in the past when government entities were considering a sexual predator facility on the lands abutting the correctional facility.

Without any plans to move the House of Correction, I believe any talk of eliminating the farm & fish hatchery is premature. I'd personally like to know what new economic development would locate itself so close to a huge negative like that. It's either all or nothing, and as of right now any sale of the House of Correction and a move to a location in Milwaukee would require approval by Milwaukee County and perhaps even the City of Milwaukee.

Right now, our two county supervisors are in the minority on the County Board, and to top it off I believe they aren't exactly the most popular on the Board, either. As for the City of Milwaukee, while I agree with Mayor Taylor that the House of Correction should be consolidated in a larger facility downtown, I don't think the Milwaukee Common Council would approve such a project if they had a say in the decision-making. With that said, however, I think starting the discussion wouldn't hurt anything - and maybe something can be agreed upon to get the concept moving forward.

Mayor Taylor revitalizes debate on 27th Street's future

Back in April, Mayor Taylor called a special Common Council meeting to discuss the future of the 27th Street corridor, in particular the 27th Street Steering Committee. Back then, discussion amongst the council members included several options:

1. Keep the current status-quo with the committee in place and keep trudging forward
2. Eliminate the committee and create a new entity that will have more oversight and attention to the development of the corridor
3. Modify the committee and possibly its membership

At that time, option #2 seemed to really have support from the mayor and Common Council President, and was strongly opposed by the current Chairman of the committee, Alderman Steve Olson. The council at that time debated the issue, to which Alderman Sohns proposed a motion to "determine which members of the Common Council are willing to delegate their authority, including control over the money that is available to spend, for the implementation of the development of the 27th Street Corridor area to a separate entity." All voted YES to that motion. However, nothing came of it. That is, until now.

Another candidate emerges for 2010

Franklin blogger Bryan Maersch has announced that he will be seeking Alderman Lyle Sohns' seat in 2010. With Bryan in the race, it makes the 5th Aldermanic District somewhat of an interesting district to watch this election season.

Bryan has announced that he will be funding his campaign mostly with his own money (the only exception being his "80-year-old uncle"), and his wife has taken the role of being Treasurer. It's truly a homegrown campaign and candidacy!

For those in the 5th District interested in Bryan, here is his website.

Some easy ways to help the community!

Lately, a lot of things have been coming up where Franklin residents can make a big impact from a little effort here and there. An example of such is the current contest going on with Red Gold tomatoes, which is currently looking to give a high school's athletics department $5000. All we need to do is provide the company with the most "Spirit Points".

Now we are aware of two other programs that will benefit everyone if we all can take a few minutes out of our day.

Budget passes deadlocked council with mayor breaking a tied vote

After several hours of debate in a packed council chambers, the Common Council approved a budget with a levy increase of 2.9% last night. The votes are as follows (aldermen are in order of district):

1. OLSON: NO
2. SOLOMON: YES
3. WILHELM: YES
4. TAYLOR: NO
5. SOHNS: NO
6. SKOWRONSKI: YES
7. MAYOR TAYLOR: YES

Kudos to Alderwoman Wilhelm on the Photo ID ordinance for hotels and motels

Last night after the budget was approved, Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm put forth an ordinance which would require anyone paying in cash at Franklin hotels and motels to provide their photo ID. The hotel or motel would then photocopy it and keep it in their records, which some (including the police department) argue will lead to less obstructed investigations.

While both hotels and motels are mentioned in this ordinance, in my opinion it has been some of our motels that have caused some community concern over the past few years. In particular, the Park Motel has been on the police blotter regularly for incidents, and a serial killer from Milwaukee was arrested there a while back. Obviously these issues lead a community to ask for tougher enforcement, and I'm glad that the council approved this measure unanimously.

I believe Wilhelm took the ball on this matter primarily because of the incidents at the Park Motel, which is in her district. Her success at the council level can hopefully put some ease back in residents and her constituents. Because of these efforts, the NOW reports that our ordinance is similar to those in place in Brookfield and Glendale.

Budget set for approval Tuesday night

The public hearing on the 2010 City of Franklin budget is set for tomorrow night at 6:30pm. As of right now, the location is still City Hall but if there's an indication that residents are going to be attending in numbers, it could be moved elsewhere.

It will be interesting to see how aldermen work out a deal to hire a firefighter and police officer while keeping the levy at-or-below 3%, which is the state-mandated cap for tax increases this year. I would hope a compromise is able to be reached.

If you have concerns about the budget, or would like to see an additional firefighter, police officer, or both on the budget, contact your alderman via e-mail! Here's a District Map via the city's website.

D-1 - Alderman Olson: solson@franklinwi.gov*

D-2 - Alderman Solomon: tsolomon@franklinwi.gov*

D-3 - Alderwoman Wilhelm: kwilhelm@franklinwi.gov

D-4 - CCP Taylor: staylor@franklinwi.gov

D-5 - Alderman Sohns: lsohns@franklinwi.gov*

D-6 - Alderman Skowronski: Contact City Clerk Sandi Wesolowski at swesolowski@franklinwi.gov with your e-mail and ask it to be placed in Skowronski's mailbox at City Hall

Mayor Tom Taylor: ttaylor31@wi.rr.com

*Denotes incumbents in Spring, 2010 Elections if they decide to run for re-election.

Help Franklin High School's Saber Pride!

From a reader...

Might be nice to help Franklin HS, check out

Red Gold Tomatoes Wants To Feed Your School Spirit!
Company offers chance to win $5,000 for a Milwaukee-area, high school prep sports program

ORESTES, IN –High school sports are an important part of many families and communities. Red Gold, producer of premium quality canned tomatoes and tomato-based products today announces its "Feed Your School Spirit" contest for Milwaukee-area high schools.

“Red Gold is proud to be a third generation company built on family values with a focus on community, including our own hometown football programs,” says Greg Metzger, director of marketing for Red Gold. “It’s a natural fit for Red Gold to get involved in activities enjoyed by the families and communities where our quality tomato products are sold.”

The contest is simple: the Milwaukee-area high school that gathers the most Red Gold School Spirit points from September 14 through November 30, 2009, has a chance to win $5,000 for their sports program.

There are three ways to earn the school spirit points in the program:

1. Sign up for the Tomato Country e-newsletter at www.redgold.com/Milwaukee. 
By signing up for recipes and special offers, you can designate one point towards the local high school of your choice.
2. Mail in Red Gold tomato product labels. For every label mailed back (see address below), we will designate one point towards your designated high school (must include UPC barcode).
3. Mail a vote to Red Gold. Hand print your full name, complete home address, city, state, zip code and the eligible school, city and state it is located in on a 3 x 5 note card and mail to the address below:

Feed Your School Spirit Contest
c/o Impact Proven Solutions
Attn: Dan Goodenough
4600 Lyndale Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55412-1408

The Milwaukee-area high school with the highest number of points at the end of the contest will be eligible to win the $5,000. Contest ends on November 30, 2009, and all mailed entries must be postmarked by November 30, 2009, to qualify. The winning high school will be notified by January 31, 2010. The official contest rules can be found at HERE.

Red Gold is a premier full-line tomato processing company with its corporate headquarters located in Orestes, Indiana. Red Gold produces premium quality canned tomatoes and tomato-based products for the retail, foodservice, private label, and club channels of distribution. The Red Gold family of consumer brands includes Red Gold, Redpack, Tuttorosso, and Sacramento. Exceptional quality and operational excellence are the shared values that contributed to the employee-created mission statement: “To produce the freshest, best tasting tomato products in the world.” Visit www.redgoldtomatoes.com to learn more about Tomato Country and for delicious tomato recipes.

Astronautics looks elsewhere

Back in September, 2008 I wrote an entry simply titled, "OK Franklin EDC, we need you!" It was in reference to the desire by Milwaukee-based Astronautics Corporation of America looking for a new headquarters, and seeking proposals from potential communities.

Now, over a year later, it was announced in today's Journal Sentinel that the former Pabst Brewery site downtown and a former printing plant in Brookfield are in the company's "short list". How unfortunate. I wonder what (or if) Franklin officials did to encourage the company to relocate in our community.

Remember those who fought for our freedom on this day

Veterans Day Tribute - Watch today’s top amazing videos here