Franklin Today

Swine flu: Some thoughts

Yesterday the news was abuzz over several suspected cases of Swine Flu in the metropolitan area. WTMJ 620 AM reported in the mid-afternoon that 2 cases were at Elmbrook Memorial Hospital in Brookfield and 3 were "in Oak Creek". In the back of my mind I knew Oak Creek didn't have any major hospitals, so that left me thinking about something which later was confirmed by FOX 6 news at 9pm last night.

At least one of those 3 cases was reported at Franklin's new Wheaton Franciscan outpatient facility/hospital on 27th Street. It seems that whenever something is discussed along 27th Street, it automatically gets linked to Oak Creek even though the buildings are within Franklin city limits.

With that in mind, it became clear to me that Franklin could be on the frontlines if/when Swine Flu breaks out in the metropolitan area. There are always cons that come with the pros, and in this case the Wheaton facility brought in highly qualified medical professionals and high paying, white collar jobs. On the other side of things, it also brought potential viruses knocking on our back doors.

Now this entry isn't geared for residents to panic; this entry is geared for and should stir up discussion on the procedures Franklin health officials would take to ensure such an outbreak stays contained at the Wheaton facility. The last thing anyone wants to hear is a potential Swine Flu case going to the facility to get tested and then is later seen at Culver's on Ryan Road with who knows what.

The protection of the residents of Franklin should be at the top priority, and I suppose now is best time to take a look at the situation and see if our health officials a) have a plan b) is it effective and c) if any modifications should be made to it.

Scott Walker announces run for governor online

So much for next Tuesday's "special announcement" by our county executive. Scott Walker has announced his candidacy for governor on his Twitter and Facebook accounts. Right now the atmosphere on Twitter is a little bit of confusion, since no one was expecting any announcement from Walker's campaign until Tuesday.

Yesterday, former US Congressman Mark Neumann stated his intentions to run for governor in an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal. This puts Neumann and Walker against each other for the Republican nomination in 2010.

In the April, 2008 elections, Walker handily won in Franklin with 78% of the vote against Democratic State Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee).

Governor Doyle's potential recall and flashbacks in Franklin politics

As I was working on a story for Metro Milwaukee Today, I looked over a map that Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) has up with regards to their possible recall against Governor Jim Doyle. The map shows off volunteers, organizers, and leaders where those interested can look to for advice. While Oak Creek only displays one such individual, Franklin has four. This makes sense to me, since CRG "brain" Orville Seymer lives in Franklin...in CCP Taylor's district near 27th Street, to be exact.

While Seymer's was a given on the list, a name (along with the Google pin associated with it) sparked my interest. "O'Malley" is listed as a circulator for such an effort, and the pin is located near the Root River Parkway along 68th Street, between Drexel and Puetz. Well, one of our seemingly many hometown developers by the name of Jim O'Malley lives in such a high-end subdivision between the Root River Parkway and 68th Street, between Drexel and Puetz.

Now I'm not going to go to any lengthy extent, but it would be my opinion, based on where the Google pinpoint lies, that "O'Malley" on the list matches with Jim O'Malley the developer.

It would be interesting to find out if any other influential members of Franklin's political past signs onto this particular endeavor. While you might ask how Jim O'Malley would be in Franklin politics, the answer is quite simple: all the hometown developers are! In the April 08 elections, O'Malley contributed to Pete Kosovich's campaign. Other hometown developers, such as Mark Carstensen and Icon Development, also contributed to the other campaigns for the April 08 elections: Al Hammelman, Ken Skowronski, and Mayor Tom Taylor. They're also extremely likely to contribute to incumbent aldermen in the April, 2010 elections as well. Those up are Aldermen Steve Olson, Lyle Sohns, and Tim Solomon.

It was Olson, Hammelman, Kosovich, Sohns, Skowronski, and Mayor Taylor, combined with individuals like Orville Seymer, Jim Rhiner, and Ted Grintjes who organized Franklin Citizens for Responsible Leadership. Due to the hometown developers' interests in making political contributions to these individuals, I believe they played a huge part in the past (and present) regarding their own influences. I personally made note of Olson's overly-friendly attitude towards Mr. Carstensen at Tuesday night's Common Council meeting, going to the extent of waving goodbye to Mark prior to him leaving the council chambers.

Don't you just love Franklin politics?

Have you taken the poll yet?

In what seems to be a miracle for Franklin residents, a governmental entity has uploaded an online survey for you to take!

Franklin Public Schools is looking for citizen input on the potential future of its 4K program. Go to www.franklinpublicschools.org and the survey should be easily accessible from the webpage. It’s not too lengthy, and asks some general questions.

On a sidenote: Franklin Public Schools is also on Twitter! You can follow them @ twitter.com/FPSDistrictWI

Perhaps the City of Franklin can take this example and create some surveys of their own, especially with regards to hot-button issues like road projects and developments. Recently projects such as the St. Martins Trail extension and the application for stimulus dollars for 51st Street stirred a lot of controversy amongst the population due to various concerns.

Regarding Twitter accounts, I'd be easily amused if I saw CCP Taylor or Alderman Olson tweeting away from their homes after council meetings! For the record, you can follow this site (as well as Metro Milwaukee Today) @ twitter.com/mmtoday.

What should be considered a true enabler for citizen participation?

Prior to the meeting’s end this past Saturday, the discussion amongst the aldermen was the thought of how to tackle several other important items for Franklin’s future. In light of this, Common Council President (CCP) Steve Taylor made it known to both the council and those in the audience that he would like to see these meetings continue on a regular basis until the job is done. He appropriately noted that it’s best to take care of scheduling future meetings right then and there, with all the aldermen present, instead of working through e-mail and/or phone channels outside of city meetings. CCP Taylor waited several months (if not almost a year) for a joint meeting between the Common Council & Plan Commission to take place. Taylor made it clear that wasn’t about to happen again.

Earlier in the meeting, it was noted several times that citizen participation is important to get these items accomplished. Franklin residents should be allowed a say in what they’d like their community to become in the future. What are their thoughts on things a vision, mission statement, future growth, or conservation practices? While the aldermen represent roughly 6000 constituents at this time, without keeping those constituents informed it turns into a community of apathy. Prior to April, 2007 apathy was very heavy among the population in Franklin, and I firmly believe that the blogs and linking of residents via e-mail and Internet has made the entire community more unified.

So, when the thought of future meetings begin to take up discussion amongst the aldermen, what would some of you, the readers of this site, suggest? Would it be a repeat of this past Saturday, which was from Noon to 3pm? Would it be a weeknight, perhaps after work at approx. 6-6:30 – 8 or 9pm? Well, decisions had to be made right then and there, and after Aldermen Olson and Sohns spoke about tending to personal/family needs over the weekends, as well as Alderwoman Wilhelm noting her unavailability for next Saturday morning, well…you guessed it!

The next special meeting of the Common Council will be next Saturday…in the morning…from 8am to approx. 11am. 8am on a Saturday morning will have our council wide awake, ready to tackle things such as vision & mission statements and thoughts on a full time Mayor.

But wait, some of you might be asking. What happened to our thoughts? What happened to citizen participation in these meetings? I suppose you have ample time to set your alarm clocks to 7 or 7:30am on Saturday morning to get up for a meeting at City Hall, but to be honest I’m not expecting it…and I don’t blame any of you one bit for saying, “screw that!”

Perhaps it just drills a hole in the space where all my pet peeves lie, but I get rather irked when I hear of things like citizens should be welcomed to participate only then to make that participation literally become a chore for them. OK, maybe I can understand if now isn’t the proper timing for such citizen thought and participation, but then when would it be? After the council approves motions and makes their final decision(s) and thought(s) on the very issue(s) that they’d be seeking citizen opinions?

Ultimately, I think it should be made a little more clear just when City Hall is ready for residents to speak up. Otherwise, confusion will reign and people will just drop the issue(s) altogether. Maybe that’s what some aldermen want, but I certainly hope not.

The 27th Street Steering Committee: My thoughts

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be present during the special Common Council meeting, which was held between Noon and 3pm at City Hall. While there were many items on the agenda, the Mayor & Council decided to take focus on the biggest one of them all; the restructuring and/or replacement for the Joint South 27th Street Steering Committee. This committee currently has one representative from Franklin (Alderman Steve Olson) and two from Oak Creek (Alderman Tom Michalski & real estate expert Marie Myszkowski).

Why is this being discussed now? Well, from what I took note in the overall scheme of things, it looks like the entire "ways of doing things" is about to get a tweaked up. I'll note the coincidence to these tweakings with the 1st anniversary of Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm and CCP Steve Taylor taking their oaths of office, which was April 15th, 2008. It seems to me that while some heavy debate goes on regarding what the heck the "New Day" has done, these potential tweakings should be a primary point to make in anyone's argument.

So what should happen to this committee? While I understand that the now-3-person subcommittee of the Franklin Economic Development Commission is working on several things to get more wheels turning for the corridor, it seems that things aren't moving as fast as truly expected. With the whole Boomgaard controversy, which is nearing its own first anniversary (next Tuesday, I believe), the steering committee lost a lot of "love" from both residents and elected officials. Soon after the controversy simmered down, both committee members representing Franklin (Ted Grintjes, the Chairman, and Jim Rhiner) stepped down from their roles. This stepping down also included saying adios to the Franklin Community Development Authority and Economic Development Commission. With Boomgaard's heat, and the loss of the two influential "powers-that-be" for the committee, it seemed to me that it was pretty much doomed.

What really makes its mark is the overall goal of what the corridor will become for both communities, and how it will begin being a major attraction with regards to retailers, restaurants, and other amenities in the metropolitan area. While kudos and congratulations go out to aldermen for their successes at landing Northwestern Mutual and Wheaton Franciscan, I think they forgot the potential catalyst that both of these could have been prior to the massive economic recession that hit us last Fall.

Meanwhile, today's Journal Sentinel has a feature story on the numerous successes going on up in a community that Franklin leaders like to compare to on a decent basis, Grafton. Their interchange at I-43 and Hwy 60 has boomed into something that will be extremely fruitful for the people of Grafton and Ozaukee County as a whole. The JS notes that in-between the 9/11 attacks and the recession that slammed us in Fall, 2008, that particular interchange went from farmlands to a 400,000 sq ft shopping center anchored by Costco, Best Buy, Michaels, and Kohl's. Across the street from that showcases a new full-scale Aurora hospital under construction. Look across the interstate and a hotel, Colder's, and some restaurants are taking form. Put all of that with original retailers Target, Home Depot, and OfficeMax and that interchange has become a powerhouse in the northern metropolitan area. All of that was accomplished in roughly 8 years.

That sets an interesting bar for 27th Street. While the entire corridor isn't bordering I-94, there will be a future interchange at Elm Road, and there currently is one at 27th Street & County Line Road. In the same timeframe, Franklin & Oak Creek can respond with Northwestern Mutual's campus, Wheaton Franciscan's outpatient hospital, Staybridge Suites, and the Lowe's "mixed use" complex that includes Gander Mountain, Omega, Goodwill, and in the future a Golden Corral. Oh, and of course Arizona Grille and the Ryan Road Pick n Save, as well as a remodeled Judy's restaurant are on Oak Creek's side of things.

Hmmm...who beats who in this particular game of economic development? Northwestern Mutual in this case could be the factor that could top 27th Street over the I-43/Hwy 60 interchange, but it seems to me that this would be the only factor, and that is because Northwestern Mutual is a top-rated company highly sought after by tens (if not hundreds) of communities nationwide.

This all plays a part in my thought process as I'm hearing the debate(s) as to the future of the 27th Street Steering Committee. Have they done their job well up to now? Will they continue to be an effective economic engine to drive development in the future? How is that "wheel" of sorts - broken or running smoothly? I believe the issues today have to do more with how effective the committee can be with its current representation. Sorry, but I don't agree with having a singular representative for the entire City of Franklin on a subcommittee that should have some meaning. Furthermore, that sole representative should not be an alderman that represents a district on the opposite side of the city than where the corridor is located. The committee needs several more members and perhaps a stronger oversight from its founders over at the Economic Development Commission. To be frank, while aldermen scold and slap down the steering committee, the reality is that if the steering committee is a failure then the EDC needs to be noted of this and, well, that commission could be a failure, too. If that's the case, then perhaps the commission that truly needs the tweaking at this time should be the EDC, since there already seems to be difficulty for the current body to even get together once a month.

Since the EDC has control over the steering committee, I'd like to see them exert some thought and possible control over the matter. The EDC can appoint new members and take old ones off (representing Franklin, that is). With that said, it can be easily done to eliminate Alderman Olson from the committee and instead place Alderwoman Wilhelm and CCP Taylor in his place for Franklin's representation. Furthermore, depending on state law and Franklin ordinances, if the EDC feels compelled to add-on business stakeholders to the committee, or perhaps a member of the Chamber of Commerce, then they should do so! Ladies and gentlemen (and those members of the Council who take the time to read this!), if you feel the EDC is inept at making the changes you'd like to see, then make changes of your own! Remove commission members that aren't "taking care of business", so-to-speak. Replace them with members that are along your viewpoints. While the Mayor has the power of making appointments, the Council has to approve of them. If the membership isn't the issue, then perhaps some direction and recommendation needs to be given to the EDC for its next meeting. Maybe the concept of having the EDC meet more than once a month is necessary.

The ball right now is in the Common Council's court as to what should happen in the future with 27th Street. I just hope they can handle making the right decisions instead of aiming to play politics where political scheming is not necessary to get this particular job accomplished.

CCP Taylor addresses “New Day” in Franklin politics

There has been a decent amount of talk over the last year about “A New Day” in Franklin. The two people that haven’t really talked about it have been Alderman Wilhelm and I. This discussion for the most part has been left to the bloggers until now. The election that took place last April was important even though a certain individual, who will not be named, won’t admit it. Something must have happened last April because I have become a focal point of one bloggers life. Not only does this individual scrutinize any issue I bring forward, he also has spent time researching my voting record in La Crosse and puts words in my mouth as to my future intentions. By now you should know that if I have something to say I would let you know.

Incumbents rarely lose an election unless they have broken the public’s trust or had major negative issues during their term in office. The two incumbents who lost last spring do not fall in either category. Franklin has a history of recall elections and neither lost their seats due to one. So why did a dedicated volunteer and a newcomer defeat two incumbents? Maybe the people in Franklin wanted something different than the status quo. Maybe they wanted someone who would listen to them and carry their voice to City Hall. I guess to find out those answers you would need to talk to each and every voter and ask why they voted the way they did.

I am not going to spend any more time on the election of 2008. If people want to call it “A New Day” they can but like anything else it is debatable. We can talk about the fact that I defeated Lyle Sohns for Common Council President on the day I was sworn in. I would place a wager with anyone who believes the results would have been different if Alderman Olson weren’t in Italy. Did “A New Day” in Franklin lead to my selection? This too can be debated like I said earlier.

What needs to be addressed is how the Common Council operates. There is more debate than before and those who had their way in the past are not getting a rubber stamp of approval any longer. The bloggers who actually attend our meetings are reporting what occurs which helps keep you informed and us accountable. I have been trying since last summer to have our meeting digitally recorded in order for you to have better access to the issues important to you. Going to City Hall to get a cassette tape is unacceptable and archaic. This issue along with a more user friendly website will heading to the Common Council for debate in the near future. There is nothing more important than transparency of local government.

In the upcoming months we will be discussing the long-term vision of the City, which includes the discussion of a full time mayor. The Common Council can have this discussion but ultimately it is up to you which path we choose because this is your City.

It is hard to believe that it has been one year since I was sworn in as Alderman of the 4^th district. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve you and I look forward to the next two years. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every moment and I hope that over the course of the past year you have been able to come to me with your questions and concerns. Please call or email me if you would like to know where I stand on an issue or want me to know how you feel. Thank you for your time and interest on this matter.

Steve F. Taylor

Congrats, Janet!

I'm sure this entry is one of several posted today on the Franklin blogosphere for Janet Evans. Yesterday, Franklin voters ensured her victory to a spot on the School Board by giving her the first place nod with 41% of the vote.

What frustrated me a little was the fact that Guy Balistreri, an individual who dropped out early on in the campaign but was still mandated to have his name on the ballot, nabbed 28% of voters yesterday. Apparently many Franklin residents didn't realize that Guy wasn't interested in the School Board seat, and didn't notice that there was no campaign literature from him. In fact, there was ZERO campaigning from Mr. Balistreri prior to yesterday's election!

I hate to say this, but this could go to show just how much apathy is currently breeding in the city as a whole. Perhaps there should have been more notice in the Franklin media regarding Mr. Balistreri's intentions of not wanting the position. Maybe the blogs should have covered it better. I honestly cannot tell you what the reasoning would be if I discovered that readers of publications like the FranklinNOW or even sites like my blog or Fred Keller's Bullseye cast their ballots for Balistreri. I suppose the only answer I could obtain would be that the particular reader didn't have confidence in either Janet or Judith, and thus voted for "the other guy".

Residents should know that if Balistreri would have won and not took the seat on the School Board, the Board would have appointed someone to it. That someone could be anyone, regardless as to whether or not they ran for the seat. It's just scary to see that 28% of the populus cast their ballots for the Board to hand-pick an individual of their liking to take a seat on an elected position.

Busy night ahead for aldermen

Did you see the Committee of the Whole agenda for tonight? Wow! It's packed with items that after close review could lead to intense debate in the Council Chambers. The first several issues deal with the Common Council President, including his (or her in the future) relation to the mayor and other council members. It also aims at making the CCP the chairman for the Committee of the Whole meetings.

Also being discussed tonight are the various options regarding city administration. What does Franklin do with its current status, that being a part-time $20,000/yr Mayor and a full-time, $100,000+/yr City Administrator? Should Franklin maintain a strong administrator and low-pay Mayor? Should the administrator's spot be eliminated in favor of a full-time Mayor? Should there be new openings with regards to administration? Personally, I've always been in favor of the City of Franklin having a full-time Mayor. In essence, I suppose this means I'm in favor of scrapping the City Administrator's job, since the full-time Mayor would cover these duties.

Tonight also looks like the 27th Street Steering Committee is receiving a lot of heat. The topic for discussion relates to its future, and whether or not it should be replaced. This, I'm sure, will get Alderman Olson tensed up; the steering committee is now his "baby", so-to-speak, and can definitely be used on a political resume. To replace this committee would, in my opinion, be a big blow to Olson.

Finally, the last two items are topics from Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm. She took advantage of last week's special council meeting and placed on the Committee of the Whole a discussion on the future of Franklin's pedestrian transportation options. I know many residents would like to see something around Franklin High School relating to bike trails or sidewalks for students (and our children!) to get to/from FHS.

My gut tells me the meeting won't end until way after 9pm, given all the topics to be discussed. But hey - - I think this meeting will be well worth observing for that length of time.

1-year anniversary of the "new day" in Franklin

It was April Fools Day, 2008 when Franklin residents elected Kristen Wilhelm and Steve Taylor to be their representatives in the 3rd and 4th Aldermanic Districts, respectively. Taylor would, 14 days from now, become Franklin's new Common Council President at the urging of Wilhelm and Alderman Ken Skowronski.

With the anniversary of their election today, what has transpired over the past year? Have you been so far impressed with their work? We might not be in Franklin High School, but grading our elected officials on the work they do is commonplace. And last night, for the first time on a crucial issue in the city, the "newbies" on the council split. CCP Taylor voted opposite of Alderwoman Wilhelm on the issue of 51st Street's application for stimulus funds.

On this note, I believe this will be the first of many crucial issue votes where Wilhelm and Taylor will be splitting votes on. Remember, there are still 2 years in their terms...and hundreds of items yet to come forward to the council.

As for my thoughts on last night's approval, be sure to read up on my views over at Metro Milwaukee Today. I'm honored with having that particular post being linked on today's WisOpinion entries, which covers the top editorials in the State of Wisconsin.