Franklin Today

The true winners in 2008

As all of you have seen, we can all do out Top lists for the past year. However, what really makes those items truly a "top" item is the fact that they all have something in common; they're noticed and create discussion among people like you and I. Due to the fact that every item on my Top 5 had to do with Franklin residents taking action in one way or another, I declare that the real winners and heroes in the City of Franklin are every one of you out there, reading the blogs and keeping in touch with what's happening around you.

Because of persistence and insistence by the people of Franklin, the following things happened in 2008:

• Two new aldermen, which led to a new Common Council President
• Two new school board members, which led to a curb in spending
• The Mayor signed a tax pledge to maintain a tax levy of only 3% until 2011
• The elimination of the name "Boomgaard District" as the replacement for the South 27th Street Corridor
• Franklin High School's Marching Band was brought back into the 4th of July Parade, providing a better sense of community for residents attending the parade with their children.
• The Environmental Commission was granted more flexibility on items relating to the commission's responsibilities
• The 27th Street Steering Committee has been knocked down from being one of the strongest (if not the only strong) subcommittee(s) to near death
• Open government practices by bloggers convinced some individuals to simply resign their posts, such as Ted Grintjes whose wife most likely had a conflict of interest due to 27th Street real estate
• Plan Commissioners became more aware of the desires of the residents and Council before making final recommendations
• The tiny beginnings of discussions regarding digital integration into City Hall
• The Drexel interchange was killed due to lack of funding support from Franklin

Congratulations, my fellow neighbors - - you truly had a strong and signifcant impact this past year. I sincerely hope it doesn't diminish as we roll into 2009, where the following issues could sprout up:

• Expanded membership of the 27th Street Steering Committee
• The City's court date with the Foxes (January 23rd)
• A new plan for the Fountains of Franklin overall
• Additional retail outlets for the Shoppes at Wyndham Village, as well as how Sendik's Fine Foods is doing next to a Target
• Proposals for the Shoppes at Legend Creek
• Additional development along 27th Street
• A massive School Board campaign, depending on how many individuals sign up to run
• Final decision on the community center & spending of impact fees
• Final revisions and submittal of Franklin's Comprehensive Master Plan

...and finally, a certainty:

• The beginnings of aldermanic campaigns in the 1st, 2nd, and 5th districts

The #1 Franklin issue: "A New Day" has arrived

As much as I'd like to say that Boomgaardmania was the #1 issue in Franklin for 2008, I couldn't simply look past the fact that the beginning of the end started a few weeks prior to Boomgaard's announcement. On April 1st, 2008, two incumbent aldermen lost their bids for re-election and thus paved the way for further changes.

3rd District Alderman Alan Hammelman and 4th District Alderman Peter Kosovich were the two aldermen of which I personally didn't see much happening from on the Council. Both were rather silent in Council meetings, and there were times where I swear I saw Kosovich nod off to sleep on an issue or two. Simply put, it wasn't pretty and many viewed them as rubber stamps. What both candidates never expected was two candidates who were experienced challengers and felt that they were ready to serve in a broader role for the Franklin community.

Steve Taylor arrived in Franklin about a year and a half ago, and prior to announcing his candidacy he was appointed to serve on the Environmental Commission, of which I was Vice Chairman at the time. While a year and a half might not be long for the average resident to "get acquainted" with the community, for Steve it was no problem. His political knowledge, in my opinion, is 2nd only to that of Mayor Tom Taylor with experience. Steve served as an alderman for La Crosse while attending UW-La Crosse to obtain a Political Science degree. He then moved to Lansing, Michigan where he served on the Board of Zoning and Appeals. After Lansing, he moved closer to his family in Muskego by buying his current home in Franklin.

Kristen Wilhelm was well known in the Franklin political realm. She has been rather outspoken on many issues, with the most recent being the Shoppes at Wyndham Village project. Kristen served on the Environmental Commission as Vice Chairman for 8 years before finally becoming Chairman in mid-2007. She was a perfect fit for the EC because of her background and work experience as an employee of the River Revitalization Foundation. For those who don't know of RRF, they've been the organization largely in part with aiding on the creation of "Milwaukee's Central Park" along the Milwaukee River on the East Side/North Shore. Due to Kristen's ability to work with officials and residents alike, she decided to take the plunge into politics.

Both incumbents (Hammelman and Kosovich) were members of the now-defunct Franklin Citizens for Responsible Leadership (FCRL). FCRL was the organization that ousted several aldermen and successfully recalled then-Alderman Basil Ryan, of which the victor was Peter Kosovich. FCRL members have been heavily supported by developers, who believed the organization would provide better rubber stamps on their projects. Furthermore, FCRL members were appointed to key spots on the Economic Development Commission, Community Development Authority, and took both spots representing Franklin on the Joint South 27th Street Steering Committee. I don't think I need to go into further length as to how powerful this tight group was in our community. Taylor and Wilhelm faced a tough battle.

Fortunately for Taylor, he formed a bond with Kosovich, and thus residents received no harsh language from Kosovich regarding Taylor. In what made me feel like I was in the Twilight Zone, both Kosovich and Taylor were patting each other on the back with compliments and praise all the way til April 1st! While that can be considered a plus, I was surprised that there wasn't at least one critical comment said of the opposition on either side.

On Wilhelm's front, she made strong connections with many 3rd District families. Hammelman was noted as rather cold and his achievements and accomplishments weren't really that impressive. Residents wanted someone to hear their voices up at City Hall, and from many reactions on the street that just wasn't the case regarding Hammelman.

April 1st arrived, and by less than 10 votes on both districts, Taylor and Wilhelm won seats on the Council. What's never noted in this was the fact that even though they both won by less than 10 votes, the numbers that turned out were extremely impressive. In looking at the previous election cycles, less than half the numbers that turned out in 2008 showed up in 2005. So after noticing those numbers, that's an amazing turnout of residents looking for new leadership to represent them...and thus it began.

The blogosphere rang out that "a new day" arrived in Franklin, and after several months of this "new day" I'd have to say something's going right. FCRL is now just an archive in Franklin history. The 27th Street Steering Committee has been chopped down to near nothing. Franklin blogger Fred Keller's efforts landed residents with a guarantee that until 2011, the tax levy won't be above the rate of inflation (this year's was 3.3%). And to be frank, all of that is just on the city level!

Our school board also received a big kick in the pants on April 1st. With no incumbents running, newcomers David Works and Linda Witkowski won seats to take the places of Sue Huhn and Scott Bauer. While perhaps this election wasn't as significant, residents can attribute their solid opposition to a blank check referendum and massive levy increases last year to the fact that taxes this year only went up 3%. The "new day" also eliminated what I believe was the only member that was close to FCRL. Mary Karolewicz has decided not to run again in 2009. She was joined by current Board Vice President Jim Ward, who was also up in 2009. This means that the Board will have 4 new members in roughly one year. That's amazing!

This is why I'll continue to note that "a new day" came to Franklin. It opened up new doors to travel down, and knocked FCRL members out of their seats. Because of this, Franklin residents have got a more transparent government and a government that is beginning to look out for those who elected them instead of those who gave them the biggest campaign contributions. To further the new day, residents will have to wait until 2010, where three more FCRL members will be up for re-election; most notable of the three is Alderman Steve Olson.

FranklinNOW's Top 5 Franklin Stories

#5 (TIED): Sendik's & Target open in the Shoppes at Wyndham Village/Drexel interchange funding concerns
#4: The Boomgaard District "Boomgaardmania"
#3: The terrible winter of 2007/2008
#2: Major construction completions on 27th Street - - Northwestern Mutual & Wheaton Franciscan
#1: The April elections

Read why they put them in those spots by clicking here.

Janet Evans is now truly "In The Race"

Janet Evans informed me during a conversation last week that she had submitted her Declaration of Candidacy papers in early December for School Board member for the April 7, 2009 election. She said she had also attended the December 18th informational meeting presented by Franklin Public Schools on “What Does It Take To Be A Board Member?” Also in attendance were three other individuals but none of them, as of that night, had submitted papers. Janet also noted that School Board President, Dave Szychlinski, mentioned he had received a phone call from one other interested citizen as of the 18th.

Since Janet’s papers had already been submitted, and she already attends most School Board meetings, she didn’t really have any burning questions for Dave Szychlinski or Dr. Steve Patz, who were running the session. Most of the questions presented were concerns from one attendee regarding time commitment - - how many emails and phone calls does a Board Member receive, how long meetings last, and how long does it take to learn the ropes, so to speak. She quoted Mr. Szychlinski as saying that being a School Board member was “a fun job” and believes he glossed over the responsibilities.

Janet said that after spending the past year attending meetings and following this School Board before and after the last election, if she had been telling the group “What Does It Take To Be A Board Member?” she would have said, "If you run for this position, you had better be committed to representing every student…and every taxpayer.  You had  better plan on listening and communicating.  You had better plan on being committed to the job, and you had better plan on thinking carefully about everything that comes before you.   Because in the end, you want the students to achieve and succeed, and it’s the citizens who will pay for it, and it’s you who will be held accountable, especially if you fail. This is a serious job."

On a personal note, I warmly welcome Ms. Evans into the School Board race as a candidate. I will be supporting her and thus endorsing her right now for the April elections. One thing I noticed about Janet is that her heart is definitely in the right place, and that she does have a passion to maintain a high quality education for our students. Keep in mind folks that I don't take School Board endorsements lightly; while Ms. Evans and another new Board member are in office for the next three years, both of my sisters will be attending Franklin High School. I certainly would hope that their education would be similar if not better than the education I received several years ago.

On another note, I'll also go on record by saying that I believe due to her current attendance at Common Council meetings she will be a strong catalyst in getting city/school district relations back on track. This is an absolute MUST, especially with regards to a potential community center, rec projects, and beginning to help promote various nonprofit organizations trying to get community wellness and beneficial projects, such as the Briscoe Family YMCA and the Franklin Cultural Arts Center.

I hope many of you will keep Janet in mind for the next few months, and in the end cast your vote to have her represent you on the Franklin Public School Board.

Criticism continues on Kevin Fischer's accuracy and credibility

I received the following e-mail from Franklin citizens. The e-mail to them was from Equitable Development, the developer of the Fountains of Franklin, regarding several things stated by State Senator Mary Lazich's aide, Kevin Fischer:

Dear Neighbors,

It has come to my attention that a Franklin blogger, Mr. Fischer, has published, once again, an entry with inaccurate insinuations and numerous factual errors regarding myself and/or the Fountains of Franklin project.

For example:

Mr. Fischer states that I purchased land just west of an illegal business operation in 2006 to build a retail/office complex. It is very apparent that Mr. Fischer doesn’t value accuracy since I did not purchase the land in 2006, but rather in 1999, well before everyone knew that the business operations next door were illegal.

Mr. Fischer stated that I announced an upscale salon and spa with a Dairy Queen, and continues to state that the Dairy Queen never received final approval. However, I never announced a Dairy Queen, I never proposed a Dairy Queen, and therefore I never sought approvals for a Dairy Queen. It is my understanding that another party proposed a DQ Chill & Grill.

Mr. Fischer tries to make me a villain by quoting the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Developers began wooing the elderly couple (The Foxes) – one even approached the city about having their property condemned – but they resisted.” Mr. Fischer’s assertion to connect me or my company to this event is baseless. This was another entity – this was not me or my firm. I am not interested in acquiring the Foxes property. It is my understanding that there has been at least two other entities recently seeking to acquire the Foxes property should they be interested in selling.

Mr. Fischer has declared that I have taken pictures of Mark Carstensen’s Cadillac at our neighbor’s illegally operating business. Mr. Fischer was wrong again - I have never taken one picture of Mr. Carstensen’s SUV. However, I do find it interesting that Mr. Fox asked the City Attorney to have a meeting with the Mayor, himself, and Mark Carstensen to help him through his issues.

Mr. Fischer has stated that I regard Mr. Carstensen as a competitor; however, he is wrong again. I have not, considering there was a Sendik’s Food Market open a year and a half in our area before his area, a discount department store doesn’t fit on my property, and we are and have been working with a different level of prospective tenants than a Cousin’s sub shop. Furthermore, our site benefits from 116% more population in a three mile radius and 127% higher population within five miles. Our site also is much closer to multiple highway systems. I do respect Mr. Carstensen very much for his business success.

Mr. Fischer continues to complain about our project, considering it has been on hold. It is interesting that he chooses to not complain about the Crossroads retail development that has been discussed since 2004 with community meetings, much planning, and attracted three major developers. Yet, nothing has been built on that site. On October 31st, 2006, the Target center was pitched to be an upscale town center like Greenway Station (in Middleton, WI) and the Brookfield Towne Center. However to date, three frontage buildings resemble a one-story strip mall, not what was initially presented. Furthermore, the only tenant that is under interior construction is a Cousin’s. It is very telling that Mr. Fischer elects only to complain about my project. I can only surmise that Mr. Fischer’s attacks on me relates to the fact that I laid off his wife after I contracted for services through a temporary employment agency.

I am still waiting for Mr. Fischer to use his vast development knowledge and experience to be productive and maybe even develop something himself instead of criticizing others from the ‘cheap seats’. Considering this hasn't happened yet, it appears that his method of attack is to over-compensate for his personal shortcomings and/or his self-esteem.

If you are someone who enjoys learning about local happenings via the blogs, but value receiving accurate information, I would recommend that you and your neighbors not waste your time reading Mr. Fischer’s blog. There is no point.

Sincerely,

David Hintzman

President

The #2 Franklin issue: Boomgaardmania

To be frank, I'm very thankful for the word "boomgaard." It did a lot more than attempt to rename a business corridor in Franklin. In fact, that one word reshaped the entire political spectrum locally, and will probably have an impact for several years to come. I firmly believe because of Boomgaard, Franklin residents began yanking back at the "old guard" that was named strangely enough "Franklin Citizens for Responsible Leadership." In looking back, we discover that there was anything BUT "responsible leadership" in terms of naming the South 27th Street Corridor.

Boomgaard District came to light for Franklin residents in late April, just weeks after residents ousted two incumbent aldermen, both of which straddle the newly named district. The announcement of Boomgaard didn't come with praise or overjoyous celebration. Instead, it came with lots of anger, disgust, and scorn from taxpayers who asked a few simple questions:

1. How much did this cost?
2. Why weren't we involved with the naming process?
3. Where's the transparency?

Since I was already being ridiculed by our State Senator's aide in joining residents with asking for the costs of this naming process, I figured I'd go all the way and file an open records request on the matter. Just a day or two after I filed the request, I met with 27th Street Steering Committee member Jim Rhiner over at 5 Star Coffee, where I was dumped with a pile of documents relating to the corridor from the Zizzo Group, which was hired with the task of this naming process. After overlooking the documents and figures, I discovered that both communities paid Zizzo roughly $160,000 a piece to get them onboard with this process, which included naming, branding, a website, and other odds and ends. When it was all said and done, my discovery rattled throughout the metropolitan area, and residents of both Franklin and Oak Creek demanded answers. It went as high was having the two talk radio giants, Mark Belling and Charlie Sykes, discussing the issue on the radio and then-Chairman Ted Grintjes phoning in Sykes to debate him on the matter.

The costs were enormous considering that residents in a naming contest could have came up with something a lot more realistic for extremely reasonable prices. Furthermore, because residents weren't involved with the process it just added more criticism on the issue, since people felt they weren't represented. I think individuals like Rhiner and Grintjes forgot that back in 1776 Americans fought a revolution because they felt the British weren't properly representing them. This cloak over transparent government knocked doors down and people were extremely frustrated over the entire matter.

Sadly, we couldn't look anywhere in Franklin government to provide taxpayers a way out of this boondoogle. The Common Council refused to discuss it...not even in a Committee of the Whole. The Mayor originally denied any such strong negativity towards the project, and actually met up with me personally to try and persuade me that Boomgaard wasn't too terrible of a name. In our discussion we came up with stuff that would blend in with the Boomgaard title, with streets named Macintosh and other varieties of apples. 27th Street could have been renamed Apple Blossom Boulevard and the streetscaping could have included a line of crabapple trees along the median. Heck, we could have even had an apple cart or two on 27th & Rawson as a "Welcome to Franklin's side of the Boomgaard" statement. In the end, however, the Mayor received enough criticism on the district to finally tell Grintjes and Rhiner to scale back on the plans and to put the Boomgaard on hold until further discussion.

What I did find amusing throughout all of this was the fact that Franklin residents had to depend on Oak Creek leaders to give it the final death blows. You see, the Oak Creek Common Council was very open in noting that their vote to approve of Boomgaard was done in closed session. Franklin leaders couldn't make up their minds as to whether or not a vote actually took place! You see folks, a vote in closed session on something like this could have been very illegal...Franklin leaders didn't seem to be in the mood to possibly implicate themselves. So in the end it flipped and flopped in Franklin - - the Mayor told me there was a vote in closed session, while Alderman Olson told our State Senator's aide in a teleconference no such thing happened. I guess my question to Franklin leaders would be: How did Zizzo know you were OK with the name if there was nothing to substantiate Council support for it? Ultimately, the Oak Creek Common Council voted to nix the name, and thus came to end a word that'll live on forever in many minds of residents, including myself.

Shortly after the name was rejected, both Jim Rhiner and Ted Grintjes resigned from their posts on the Franklin Economic Development Commission, Community Development Authority, and 27th Street Steering Committee. Franklin cooperation with Oak Creek took a turn for the worse, and it doesn't look like Franklin is committed to the Steering Committee that leaders once hailed as the pinnacle of all suburban cooperatives. With only one individual on the Steering Committee from Franklin, Alderman Steve Olson, we're outnumbered 2-1...and the Mayor nor the EDC (which oversees this committee) seem to give a hoot.

What really shakes my head in disbelief is the fact that it seems the Steering Committee was more geared for behind the scenes work in getting some goals achieved without the need for public forums or thoughts. The Committee served as a ways and means to get things accomplished without too much attention, wherein the Common Council would quietly get it on an agenda and approve of their recommendations in haste. Once the secretative nature of the Committee was blown apart into many little pieces, everyone associated with it was scattered across the spectrum. No one wanted to be part of it, and what was once one of the most powerful subcommittees in Franklin has turned into nothing more than the tagline of a joke or two. Remember that this committee was formed to take in projects like Northwestern Mutual and Wheaton Franciscan's hospital "back in the day." Now, it can't even move forward on a proper naming process for the corridor, and Franklin (or at least its Mayor) is less than enthused to continue it.

Boomgaard was at the same time the pinnacle and the deathknell for the 27th Steering Committee and former members of Franklin Citizens for Responsible Leadership. Personally, I haven't seen anything this powerful in the Franklin political world in my time as a blogger. This is why Boomgaard will always be in our minds - - as a reminder of what we don't want to ever happen again.

An outsiders questionable look on Franklin, thanks to our state senator's aide

This comes from a blog named The Chief, which I believe is based out of Oshkosh. The Chief has lately been focusing heavily on Kevin Fischer, who sadly is part of our package in representation in the Wisconsin State Senate. He works under Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin). In his latest entry, he discusses the recent heavy criticism coming out of multiple Franklin blogs towards Fischer. I think it's fair to put a link to it for all of you to read. WARNING: Some "naughty" language is used in the post.

Here's an excerpt:

I've never been to Franklin, WI. I've never had any reason to go. I don't know anyone who lives there. In fact, I've never met anyone from Franklin. In my mind, Franklin is just a really big chunk of real estate with a stately name.

Really, the only way I know much of anything about the city of Franklin is via Fischer's tedious ****fest, This Just In... and my impression of the city has suffered greatly as a consequence. One thing I've noticed that happens among local bloggers is that their discussions quickly become insular and how their conversations appear to outsiders rarely becomes a consideration. Since I'm an outsider to the Franklin blogosphere, I'm going to interject a small thought from a foreign perspective.

Fischer is quite probably the single worst municipal ambassador in the state of Wisconsin.

By golly, I think I found Milwaukee's version of Alderman Olson!!

H/T to Zach at Blogging Blue and Capper at Cognitive Dissidence for reminding me about this press conference held a few days ago.

Milwaukee Alderman Bob Donovan, even after receiving a response to his complaints about the snow plowing in his south side district a half hour prior, held a press conference to slam Mayor Barrett and his administration for the handling of the snowy December. As Capper wrote:

This time, he is complaining that the DPW isn't moving fast enough for him. Never mind that we have already had the second or third snowiest December on record. Never mind that parking restrictions were lifted for Christmas.

But instead of being quiet, and letting people simply think he is a goofball, he has to go on and prove it

and Zach followed:

Over the years, Donovan has been one of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s harshest critics, and I’m wondering why Donovan hasn’t put his money where his big mouth is an run for mayor himself. If Donovan thinks Mayor Barrett has done such a poor job as mayor, then why hasn’t he taken the initiative to run for mayor?

and lastly, Mayor Barrett's Chief of Staff, Patrick Curley, only had one thing to say:

Bob thinks he's the smartest guy in the room, and that's only true if he's the only guy in the room.

It's amazing, because I remember such things being said about Franklin's very own (and favorite alderman) Steve Olson! Olson's one to stand out among the crowd, and several months ago tried to grandstand on behalf of those who lost their jobs by trying to be the man who saved the day. Olson attempted to eliminate the inky-dinky paycheck from the taxpayers that goes to the aldermen to cover such things as mileage during city business. This didn't earn him any supporters, other than of course the taxpayer-paid staffer Kevin Fischer, who I believe also gets paid for mileage expenses!

I think in the case of Olson, I'll repeat what Zach said and just change some of the names:

Over the years, Olson has been one of Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor’s harshest critics, and I’m wondering why Olson hasn’t put his money where his big mouth is and run for mayor himself. If Olson thinks Mayor Taylor has done such a poor job as mayor, then why hasn’t he taken the initiative to run for mayor?

Or perhaps I should change a word in the Curley quote:

Steve thinks he's the smartest guy in the room, and that's only true if he's the only guy in the room.

Hmmm...I seem to like both!!

The #3 Franklin issue: The Fountains & the Foxes

The City of Franklin needs commercial development outside of the South 27th Street Corridor. This would be geared to aid taxpayers who are overburdened with their Franklin Public Schools taxes, since the commercial developments would help balance the taxes between residential and commercial.

In light of this need, two years ago city officials welcomed with open arms a development that would revitalize and completely change the scope of what Rawson Avenue was going to become. At that time, Rawson from 51st westward was zoned for industrial and manufacturing uses. This was due to the fact that the Vulcan Quarry was directly across the street. However, a developer showed up in Franklin and they weren't interested in building factories or warehouses. Instead, the aim was for upscale and high end retailers.

Equitable Development worked with the City of Franklin to change the zoning ordinances from M-1 to OL-2, which paved the way for projects like Sendik's Food Market, Bank Mutual, and the now approved CVS Pharmacy. It also allowed for the Fountains of Franklin project to get underway. Under this ordinance, buildings as tall as 3 stories can locate on the site, and the amount of land available is in the tens of acres.

Unknown to Franklin residents and some elected officials at the time, the site that contains the Fountains of Franklin and Sendik's West currently has the demographics to be a lot more than just a meager strip mall with a food store. In fact, the demographics point towards a completely different directon altogether; the sites are comparable to Bayshore Town Center and Brookfield Square in population and household income. Because of this, Equitable Development reported to residents and elected officials earlier this year that several national developers have come forward with bigger plans for the site; images I received at the time showcased a Bayshore Town Centerish atmosphere with the potential of being a 3-story mixed use shoppingtown. Obviously, my jaw dropped and like many other Franklin residents, I looked deeper and was trying to figure out what was halting the project from moving forward.

Enter in Leonard and Verna Fox, the owners of several businesses on one site along Rawson Avenue. Among their businesses are a concrete facility and a storage center, where even items like RVs sit out and bask in the sun. Just looking at this from an average Franklin resident's perspective, I'd see nothing wrong with this place. However, after looking deeper into the uses and approvals, I discovered that they never received approvals on several items, including the outdoor storage. These were primary reasons on a complaint that was filed with the City of Franklin back in mid-2007, of which received little-to-no notice until just a few months ago.

Prior to the April elections, Mayor Tom Taylor spoke highly of the Fountains of Franklin, even dubbing it a "downtown" and "civic center" for our community. Such high praise and recognition went against the Franklin Civic Center District, but that didn't phase the Mayor's goals. During the public forum between him and Basil Ryan, Taylor went on record as wanting Franklin to aim to become the "next Palo Alto" and promote higher end businesses to come to the city. Sadly, several months after he was re-elected he shifted gears and now has become a primary obstacle in the legal process between the city and its filed complaint and the Foxes.

Being the obstacle, the Mayor was accused of withholding documents from the Common Council and in particular, Alderman Lyle Sohns. Sohns represents the district that has the Fountains of Franklin project. In a detailed and somewhat lengthy letter sent to the Mayor, Sohns believed the Mayor ultimately was doing questionable behavior. At the subsequent Common Council meeting, Sohns deepened his concerns by suggesting that the Mayor was violating State law in this situation. As any politican would do, the Mayor fought back against the allegations and at a later date told the Council he would personally oversee the Fox issue. What was never answered was why the complaint took over a year to come to light, and why the city was dragging its butt to enforce its ordinances. If the Foxes were sex offenders or served booze to drunks knowingly, I submit that the city would have been much quicker to take care of business.

I believe the answer to the obstacles and delays comes from one man who loves to toot his own horn regarding city dominance. Mark Carstensen, the developer of the Shoppes at Wyndham Village, has been seen over at the Foxes' residence roughly a dozen times since the city began being somewhat serious to the Foxes. It intensified after the Sohns letter to the Mayor and when the city began seeking a court hearing on the subject. Why Mark's vehicle, a pristine white Cadillac Escalade, would be making the Foxes a second home is beyond me...unless it's to provide the Foxes with legal advice and opinions to assist in delaying a competing project, which is the Fountains of Franklin.

Equitable Development went on record saying that they are deeply concerned with the violations next door to their property, and noted that these national developers share their concerns. They also told all of us that national developers were sought after by the Foxes, and shortly after the first hints of selling came out regarding the Foxes property an offer was made to them for $3 million, which is roughly double their current selling price. Then like a timeline, the Cadillac Escalade arrived and the Foxes quickly changed their minds and decided not to sell, even though they were fully aware of the complaint and the upcoming legal issues with the city regarding ordinance enforcement.

This is a big issue for 2008 because what happens presently will determine how the future will be played out for Franklin residents. If it turns out a victory for the Foxes, you will probably hear the roar of Mark Carstensen throughout the community. This would be due to the fact that he would truly control and run the city, since his ego would be intensified due to the halt of what could be Franklin's largest retail project in its history - - a project worth an easy $200 million and God knows how much worth in taxes to aid residents.

Don't be surprised if you see this matter become one of my big issues in 2009, since the court hearing for the Foxes will be held on January 23rd, 2009 in the South Milwaukee Municipal Court.

2008: The rise and fall of Kevin Fischer

I wouldn't want to make this part of my "Top 5" for 2008, but I certainly believe it deserves some notice.

Our State Senator's legislative aide, Kevin Fischer, has enjoyed a relatively comfortable spot on FranklinNOW. Being on the site since it's creation in January, 2007, Franklin residents could rely on a daily dose of conservatism...of which at times was rather extreme. Fischer enjoyed that comfortable role due to his "high ranking" as a conservative media player, which includes being a fill-in at WISN and a panelist on the MPTV political show "InterCHANGE." The addition of a FranklinNOW blog, I feel, had the intentions of planting a seed for future grandness...perhaps as a paid columnist for the Journal Sentinel.

When I first came on FranklinNOW in 2007, I was met with harsh criticism and extreme opposition from Fischer. My viewpoints were too much to handle, I guess, and I was right away painted a target for constant and repeated attacks. As the months went by, other bloggers emerged on FranklinNOW, and all but two were of the conservative background, which Fischer played upon to ensure supporters. The group of bloggers was so solid and one with Fischer that other bloggers ended up dubbing the group "Team Fischer." Due to the team, 2007 became an era of dominance by his thoughts and opinions. Little did he realize that was all going to change.

2008 rolled out and became the year where he was at an all-time high, a king of political bulliness, in January. Slowly by surely, however, it then fell apart to where he became nothing but an average Franklin blogger with his attitude revised to casual behavior and his mean sense of humor all-but eliminated by December.

It all came down to this: When both liberals and conservatives in Franklin cannot stand or tolerate the attitude or behavior of an individual that is paid with their tax dollars, you know there will be problems. That's exactly what happened after what some Milwaukee-area bloggers labeled a bit of late-night rowdiness in late January, where I was pinned against a wall and repeatedly taunted, attacked, and demoralized by Fischer. These comments were saved for all of the metropolitan area to read, and boy did they read! The childish actions by Fischer were plastered on tens of Milwaukee-area blogs, both liberal and conservative. Milwaukee Magazine ran two articles sharply criticizing Fischer's actions and his boss, State Senator Mary Lazich, for keeping such an individual on her staff. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if some politicians discussed the matter behind closed doors with their staff members, encouraging them to not repeat what just happened with Lazich's office. Simply put, Fischer was on his way tumbling down.

Perhaps the biggest nail in the coffin for "Team Fischer" was the time when Boomgaard hit. Sometimes I think it was simply a miracle that the whole thing just "happened," but other times I just look back to pure arrogance and self-indulgence that did him in. After Boomgaard came out, and all the Franklin bloggers were soundly in opposition to such a name for a business district, Fischer originally opposed the name but then flip-flopped and began criticizing bloggers that chose to publish negative opinions about the name, the Steering Committee, or the elected officials who refused to do anything about it. By going on the side of what seemed to be piss-poor politics, Fischer alienated himself from those who supported him and gave him the "credibility" he needed to make points on FranklinNOW. Now, it seems every opportunity Fischer has he rails the Franklin blogosphere and provides his own views as the correct ones for the public to believe in. By doing so, he effectively killed off any support among Franklin conservatives and, ironically, became the man in the corner that I once was in back in 2007.

The rise and fall of Kevin Fischer is a well-documented case of an individual who thought that no matter what he said or what he did, there would be no consequences to rest on his shoulders. If he would have continued to maintain the solidarity he had with other Franklin bloggers, the whole political spectrum in Franklin could have been very, very different today. As with many mean-spirited individuals with a nasty attitude, Fischer ended up doing himself in. To be honest with all you, though, I don't have a sense of pity or remorse for what he ended up to be.