Franklin Today

An update from Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm, including another sex offender arrested in violation of Franklin's sexual predator ordinance

Hello 3rd District,

Much has gone on since my last update and in a short period so far this year. Please forward this message to those who may not be on my e-update list. You can request to be added by sending me an email at kwilhelm@franklinwi.gov. (Your address is not given out).

One of the boards and commissions I represent is the Board of Health. Selected updates are: Flu shots are still available through the City and it is believed that they have hit the mark on the type this year, which means it should be very effective.  See www.kwilhelm.us for clinic dates. Also, please be aware that there has been a Salmonella outbreak linked to certain peanut butter products. The Center for Disease Control continues investigation; updates at http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella.

The Council meeting is Tuesday, Jan 20th at 6:30 p.m. The link to the full agenda can be found on my website's information page.  Items that may be of interest in order on the agenda are:

• Ordinance to relax natural resource protection standards.
• Special assessment for 51st St reconstruction from Rawson to 1300 ft. North.
• Direction to staff on detached garage ordinance.
• Cost sharing for the Drexel Interchange.
• Complaint against Buckhorn Inn bartenders, holders of alcohol/beverage license.

From Chief of Police, Richard Oliva, 1/12/09:  After a thorough investigation, the police department established that a registered sex offender was living within a restricted zone in the city.  The department and City Attorney have begun the process to enforce the city ordinance that restricts where registered sex offenders can reside. In addition, our investigation determined that this offender violated the sex registry law by failing to report his change of address with the state. Today, we took him into custody and will be presenting him to the District Attorney for the felony charge. Arrested was: Darren L. Logue 7855 S. Scepter Drive #8; (Convicted of 2nd Degree Sexual Assault of a Child)

Previous Council action was taken on Jan 6th for a 90-day closing of the Buckhorn Inn in connection with last year's fatal drunken-driving crash.

3rd District resident and Economic Development Commissioner, John Michlig has requested review of the Jan 6th Council action in relation to the return of $9,000 fee as part of a liquor license application at the soon to open Staybridge Suites. (Jan 26th meeting date).

4th District News: Marshall & Ilsley Bank has filed a foreclosure action against the developers of Franklin Oaks condominium project in the 4th District off 27th & Drexel Ave. The bank claims almost $4.6 million plus interest of almost $35,000 a day as well as late fees for 52-units is owed.

Your local spending power is needed! Please continue to support our local Franklin businesses.

Best,

Kristen Wilhelm
3rd District Alderman
City of Franklin
9229 West Loomis Road
Franklin, WI 53132
Home phone 414.423.1606
kwilhelm@franklinwi.gov
www.franklinwi.gov

The Political Environment examines Buckhorn decision

It's a blog entry worth reading by one of Milwaukee's finest bloggers. I believe this quote is worth repeating, and perhaps Aldermen Olson, Skowronski, Sohns, and Solomon should think about this before they go to bed tonight:

Two lives lost.

A 90-day suspension.

Begs the question of how many people does a patron have to kill for a tavern to lose its license?

WISN Exclusive video of Eddie Lynn Keck's night at the Buckhorn on Christmas

Last night, every news station was present at City Hall covering the Buckhorn incident. After reviewing the news reports online this morning, I found out that WISN 12 has an exclusive survelliance video of the night prior to Eddie Lynn Keck's deadly ride home drunk.

You can view the video by clicking here.

Buckhorn stipulation approved by Common Council. A Franklin resident fumes over the decision

I don't think I have any words to say at this time regarding the Buckhorn stipulation, because I believe friend and a fellow Franklin resident, Scott Thinnes, beat me to the punch on several points. He wrote an e-mail to all the members of the Council and the Mayor, and since it's open record I don't believe there would be any problems in publishing it for all of you. Here it is, in its entirety:

With the exception of Aldermen Wilhelm and Taylor, I cannot describe the level of anger, disgust and contempt that I feel for the Mayor and Common Council after what I witnessed tonight.

I read a complaint by the Franklin Police Chief that had 14 enumerated items contained within it. Tonight you collectively (with the exception of Alderman Taylor) accepted a stipulation without even hearing the response to one of those items in that complaint. Define for me again, just what does “due process” mean?

Why was it so essential that you accept the stipulation? After hearing the factual responses to the complaint at a hearing, you still could have come to the conclusion that the terms of the stipulation were appropriate and ordered such. The stipulation did not address any of the items in the complaint. In fact it states “the parties (??attorneys??) hereto have engaged in negotiations in an effort to resolve this matter”, and “the parties (??again, attorneys??) have reached an agreement to resolve this matter even though some issues may be in dispute”. Don’t you think it may have been a good idea to at least drive this issue to a hearing in which the facts could be addressed? After hearing the response to the complaint wouldn’t you then have been in a better position to make a fair judgment? A judgment, that speaks to the interests, safety and wellbeing of the citizens that you represent.

It has been reported by the FranklinNOW newspaper that; “Legal experts say it is rare for action to be taken against the provider of alcohol in an alcohol-related crash”. I thought that times may be changing. I also heard Mayor Taylor state at the January 8, 2007 Common Council meeting that; “Something needs to be done. If it’s Franklin that starts it, then Franklin starts it.” Mayor Taylor; I agree, but apparently that statement of yours was just empty words. At that same meeting the mayor was heard to state “I look for support from the community… to not let go of this issue… we need to make sure that these types of things do not happen again.” As I’m sure several Alderman will agree; I have not let go of this issue over the past year. As a matter of fact, I’ve been disappointed that this matter is still an issue one year later. Eddie Keck pleaded guilty on June 23 and was sentenced on September 3. Now I’m just ashamed that some of the leaders in Franklin do not care enough about the safety and wellbeing of the Franklin citizens to even hear the response to the complaint issues before rendering a decision.

Alderman Taylor, thank you for siding with the citizens of Franklin. I respect your resolve in wanting to hear all of the facts instead of just trying to see how fast this issue could be made to go away; even though I feel this issue is far from going away.

 

Scott A. Thinnes

Our State Senator's crappy sense of humor

It seems like our State Senator, Mary Lazich, doesn't give a hoot over Wisconsin's issues regarding drunk driving and alcohol abuse. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the past several months has been taking these issues strongly, and thus has opened a lot of eyes in Wisconsin. I'd like to say that primarily because of this coverage, the state is beginning to take a deeper look into the laws regarding things like drunk driving.

In its efforts to get the viewpoints of our legislators out there in the open, the Journal Sentinel asked questions to each one, including Senator Lazich, regarding drunk driving laws. If the legislators responded, the Journal Sentinel would post the responses below their question. Well, Lazich did respond to the questions, and one particular response has grabbed the attention of myself and several other bloggers. Here's the Q&A (bold = JS, nonbold = Lazich's answer):

6. Beer tax: Wisconsin hasn’t raised its beer tax since 1969, and the tax rate is among the lowest in the country. Do you support any increase in the beer tax rate?

Wisconsin taxes are so high, they likely already drive people to drink.

Now if that's not appalling, I don't know what would be. Tonight, the Franklin Common Council will be looking into what action to take against the Buckhorn Tavern regarding two deaths on Christmas Day, 2007. A drunk driver that was overserved booze hopped in his vehicle and ended up murdering two members of the Kitchen family, who were alongside the road in front of their family member's home. The Franklin Licensing Committee 2 weeks ago recommended that the proposed stipulation between our special prosecutor and the Buckhorn owners not be accepted by the full Council tonight. Due to this, it's my opinion that the Council got the indication from the Licensing Committee that the Buckhorn should receive stronger penalties, which would most likely be the revocation of its liquor license.

State Senator Lazich represents all of Franklin. For a response like that to even show up makes me sick to my stomach. How dare our State Senator make something humorous over an issue like this.

Perhaps when the Council tonight makes its decision on the Buckhorn, they should also publicly rebuke the comments made by our State Senator and chastize her for making political humor on an issue like this. Someone needs to send the message to Lazich's office that the nonsense bologna going on with her and her office needs to cease and desist immeadiately. Her office should grow up and be a little more mature than the current state of affairs, and she should make a public apology to her constituents for her pompous and apparent ignorant attitude.

Shame on you, State Senator Lazich.

H/T: Bullseye & Blogging Blue

The #4 Franklin issue: Residents take aim on legal matters

Many Franklin residents have been keeping an eye on two big legal issues throughout the year: the Buckhorn and the fight to enforce our sexual predator ordinance.

The Buckhorn Inn & Tavern has finally come forth to the Franklin License Committee on December 23rd, almost a full year after a couple was murdered outside a Franklin home by a drunk driver, Eddie Lynn Keck, on Christmas Day, 2007. Earlier that day, Keck was at the Buckhorn getting plastered and the bartenders simply kept on giving him more and more booze to down. Due to this, Franklin residents, including myself, have called for the removal of the Buckhorn's liquor license.

A few days ago, the License Committee made a HUGE step forward in that "due process" by not agreeing to recommend a proposed stipulation that was formed between our Special Counsel and the attorney for Chistopher Matecki, the owner of the Buckhorn. The stipulation called for the temporary removal of the Buckhorn's liquor license for 75 days as punishment for its bartenders not ceasing on serving alcoholic beverages to patrons like Mr. Keck. By not recommending this, the License Committee looks like it has taken the stance of notifying the other members of the Common Council at this time that Buckhorn's liquor license should be removed. This could always change due to upcoming hearings that include statements from individuals before the Council.

On the other front, the people of Franklin celebrated in victory a few months ago after a Circuit Court Judge ruled in favor of our sexual predator ordinance and ordered a convicted sex offender to high tail it out of his Franklin home within a certain time period. Steven Hanke lived just blocks away from Forest Park Middle School, and many residents became concerned about the situation. When it was discovered Hanke settled in after the ordinance was passed into law, the city pursued a case against him duly noting that due to the ordinance he had no rights living there.

After several months of litigation, we can be pleased with the outcome. By this ruling, our ordinance technically won its first legal battle against a sex offender. It will become harder and harder now for any future sex offender who chooses to violate our ordinance to fight it in court. This also gives the ordinance credibility, which now is being replicated in numerous communities throughout Wisconsin.

Therefore, both of these legal issues deserve a nod in Franklin's biggest stories of 2008.

If you're open tomorrow night, head to City Hall

Fellow Franklin blogger Fred Keller and I might not agree on all issues, but on this matter he's right on the bullseye. Lately, he has been at the forefront of the Buckhorn Inn & Tavern issue, wondering when the city's leaders were going to make a decision on the almost year-long debate regarding the Buckhorn's liquor license. As most of you know by now, on Christmas Day a drunk driver who was served at the Buckhorn killed two people after leaving the bar.

Earlier in the year, when elected officials discussed "due process" on this case I would have thought the matter would have been moving at a good pace, but due to court and legal issues it would be a little slower than the norm. Sadly I seem to have been mistaken, since it's nearly a year and we're just getting to the issue. Eddie Lynn Keck was convicted and is serving his term now for the past several months, and the city sat around and hardly discussed it.

It's about time for the Licensing Committee to take up the matter. Tuesday night has been long awaited by many, especially for another Franklin blogger, Janet Evans. She has been going to these meetings on a regular basis for the past several months just in case it would be discussed. I would sincerely hope that many of you would take some time and stop on over at City Hall also; Franklin residents have been doing a fine job at leading the way for our aldermen on many issues, and I think this one should be at the top of our "to do list."

Any establishment that serves liquor in Franklin should be aware that there are consequences to their actions. One place simply cannot go over the limit just to make the extra buck. If they do, they risk incidents like the one last Christmas to happen all over again. Personally, I don't want to see another life eliminated due to an establishment refusing to halt the sales of booze to already drunk individuals.

More ruckus on 27th & Ryan

A concerned resident informed me that the Franklin police blotter has the following tidbit of information:

A 45-year-old woman was arrested for disorderly conduct for fighting with other patrons at Buckhorn Tavern, 9461 S. 27th St., at 11:50 a.m. Aug. 7.

It's a bummer that it doesn't seem their liquor license will be up for Common Council discussion at anytime in the near future.

Thanks for the eyestrain, Kevin!

In reading the over-bloviated blog entry by our State Senator's aide, Kevin Fischer, last night, I noticed one thing about it: he could have answered his blog's title with two simple sentences!

His title reads: Buckhorn isn't on the Franklin Common Council agenda...here's why

When you go the link, you'll see that the entry starts and he just goes on.. and on...and on...and on...and on with a bunch of legal and public relations rhetoric, until (of course) he answers the point of the title!

I would submit that most residents aware of the Buckhorn controversy want swift action. That won’t happen until the special prosecutor wraps up his part of the investigation.

Folks, that quote is the last two sentences of the entry.

So instead of just getting to the meat of the matter, Fischer injects a heap of unnecessary words and self-promotion because apparently he wants to flaunt his connections with City Hall. I mean c'mon, how many of us would take up the time of our taxpayer-funded City Attorney merely to satisfy our own curiousity? Since the City Attorney is a very busy man these days, and is funded by all of us in Franklin, I'd like to know why he didn't ask his alderperson for an answer?

Just in case Fischer doesn't have a phonebook, he can look up his alderperson's number by going to this site.

Buckhorn Tavern shouldn't be forgotten

While many residents are focused on what will transpire tomorrow night with Alderman Sohns' letter to Mayor Taylor, Fred Keller once again makes a good argument on his blog, Bullseye. This time he focuses on the Buckhorn Tavern.

Residents have been doing as much as possible to be informed and to maintain communication with City Hall, but on the issue of the Buckhorn most of the discussion has withered away. We're frequently reminded of political follies or hometown developers influencing leaders, but we never seem to gather together to ask the simple question, "Why is the Buckhorn not resolved?"

Franklin Aldermen go mum on the subject, and some contend that it's still a legal issue of which they don't want to discuss it out of the Council chambers. Fine, but then at least put it on an agenda for discussion! It's the usual political tactics being used on residents - - keep it in the dark and perhaps it'll just fade away into the sunset. Once again, something like that might have worked successfully a few years ago, but I don't think it'll work now.

It's a good thing to have heavy discussions on big (at times controversial) topics. Hopefully the Sohns letter is the beginning of many other discussions on many other topics. Who knows - - Buckhorn could be on the next Council (or Committee of the Whole) agenda in September.