by | April 4, 2011 · 9:57 pm

An Interesting Look at the Political Divide

Update: Be sure to weigh in on this issue by voting in the poll question on the right-hand side of this page.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has an interesting story about the changing landscape of local politics — or, as the story puts it, how “what was red is now blue, and vice-versa.”

Check out the story here. From it:

In recent decades, the North Shore suburbs that were once bedrock Republican have grown steadily more liberal and Democratic-leaning.

The suburbs in southern Milwaukee County once dominated by blue-collar and union Democrats have grown increasingly Republican.

What was red is now blue, and vice-versa.

That is the case in South Milwaukee.

A chart in the story above shows 61 percent of South Milwaukeeans voted Democratic for governor in 1966. In 2010, that figure stood at 47 percent, a 14-percentage-point swing that is in line with changes in Greenfield, Cudahy, St. Francis, West Allis, Oak Creek and Franklin.

For further proof, consider local results from the spring primary and the November gubernatorial election.

What do you think of this data? Is South Milwaukee blue, red or somewhere in between? My take: We’re purple, somewhere between liberal and conservative, somewhere in the middle, somewhere like where I am.

Post your comments below.

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by | April 2, 2011 · 8:00 pm

South Shore Lifeline: Ensuring the Future of the Hoan

Update: Check out a draft of the Hoan Bridge inspection report here.

The one-time Bridge to Nowhere will be the Bridge to Somewhere for decades to come. And that’s great news for South Milwaukee.

State officials on Saturday announced a potentially $350 million project that calls for redecking the bridge, stuctural modifications, repainting the bridge deck and other upgrades.

Check out the full story in the Journal Sentinel here. From it:

Plans are to focus on three segments of I-794.

The Hoan Bridge will be rehabilitated between Lincoln Ave. at the south and the Lake Interchange at the north. The project calls for the removal and replacement of the existing bridge deck, structural modifications, as well as repainting the bridge steel.

Concrete work and surface repairs on existing structures will be made at the Lake Interchange.

Old bridges will be removed and replaced with new structures on I-794 east/west between the Milwaukee River and N. Milwaukee St.

“This is a long-term repair,” said Mark Gottlieb, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. “When we’re all done here we anticipate a useful life of the deck and the structure for 40 to 50 years for the Hoan Bridge.”

My reaction? As someone who takes the Hoan Bridge to and from work everyday, I’m glad to finally see a decision made on the future of this vital link between the South Shore and downtown.

As I’ve written about, I have always been in favor of studying all options for the future of the bridge — supportive of making sure that the state was making an informed decision about what’s best for this road before we, as taxpayers, spend hundreds of millions of dollars on fixing it.

I had been a bit concerned that the rhetoric in this debate was getting ahead of the facts.

Well, I am confident that due diligence has been done, and the end result will absolutely deliver on the only imperative in my mind since this discussion started: that a quick and seamless connection from the South Shore be maintained, even enhanced.

As South Shore Supervisor Pat Jursik put it in the story linked above: “The south side is the place to be.”

I can’t agree more!

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by | April 1, 2011 · 10:36 pm

An ‘eVentful’ Approach to Keeping Residents Informed

I launched this blog in 2009 as a way to keep residents better informed on local news, information and key issues. That said, I usually don’t do much writing on local events.

Why? Jim Shelenske has those covered.

The city clerk’s (and former alderman’s) monthly eVents newsletter is an invaluable source of information on local happenings, from church dinners to shows at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.

You can sign up for Jim’s newsletter at his strong local website: www.southmilwaukee.org. And I strongly encourage you to do so, as Jim looks to increase his email list to more than 1,000.

He published his latest, and newly redesigned, issue this week, with details on Saturday’s South Shore Noon Lions Spaghetti Dinner, the April 9 Divine Mercy Card Social and various South Milwaukee Library activities, among numerous other events.

On a related note: Another good source of local news is County Supervisor Pat Jursik’s monthly Enews. Check out the April edition here.

In an era where we are barely covered by the mainstream local media, these outlets become even more valuable. I hope you agree.

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by | April 1, 2011 · 2:01 pm

Voting Primer: Tuesday is Election Day!

Of course, Tuesday is election day, and I would appreciate your support as I run for a second term as 4th District alderman.

While my race is technically uncontested — only my and David Bartoshevich’s names will appear on the ballot for two seats — there is plenty of intrigue around the Milwaukee County executive and state Supreme Court races. And there is a contested aldermanic race in District 1.

So please do your civic duty and get out and vote. Your vote does make a difference … and you need not look any further than to what’s happening in Madison these days to see why.

Please note that all 4th District residents now vote at Rawson Elementary. Can’t make it to the polls on Tuesday? Residents can actually vote at City Hall during regular business hours through end of day Monday.

To learn more about that and other important election information — including regulations around voter ID — check out the Election Information page on the city’s website. Access a sample District 4 ballot here.

Also, check back to my blog on Tuesday night for complete local election results, and some perspective.

You can learn more about my campaign on my campaign website: www.brooks4alderman.com.

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by | March 31, 2011 · 11:46 pm

Report: South Milwaukee Police Investigate Holdup

Two men told South Milwaukee police that they were robbed at gunpoint last weekend, according to a South Milwaukee NOW story.

Check out the article here. From it:

The two victims, ages 22 and 23, told police that they were walking south after leaving the Speedway gas station at 10th and Michigan avenues shortly after midnight when the suspects approached them on the street. One of the suspects displayed a rifle and the other a handgun. One of the victims handed over his wallet, which contained less than $15. The two victims were then instructed to turn around and start running.

I will keep you posted if I learn more.

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by | March 31, 2011 · 3:27 pm

Investing in Infrastructure: City Committees Back $9.1 Million Capital Plan

The City Council is prepared to make a big investment in South Milwaukee’s infrastructure.

The council’s Finance and Public Works and Public Property committees jointly approved a more than $9.1 million capital improvements plan for 2011-12 on Wednesday night.

The plan includes dozens of items, from big expenditures like flood prevention upgrades and road projects to much smaller items like an emergency generator for the library and minor remodeling for the fire department … and everything in between.

Projects will be funded through a 10-year borrowing to be executed in coming months — money that will come “cheaper” to us than other communities because of our stellar Aa2 bond rating. That, combined with historically low interest rates, make now as good a time as any to move ahead with this. And there is another good reason to do this now: We didn’t do a general borrowing in 2010, leaving us with essentially two years worth of major capital items and projects to fund with this initiative.

Of the $9.1 million, about half will be general fund debt, with the remainder being paid back through our water, wastewater and stormwater utilities (perhaps through rate increases for the last two).

The capital plan includes nearly $2 million for projects in the 4th District. Among them: 

  • More than $1.1 million in road and flood-prevention projects in and around Parkway Drive and 17th Avenue.  This includes $200,000 to improve stormwater flow and another $250,000 to improve the efficiency of the Oak Creek wastewater lift station during major storms. Another$675,000 is being earmarked for reconstruction of 17th Avenue from Rawson Avenue to Hemlock Court later this summer and fall, to coincide with the stormwater work and to ensure that the road will serve as a sufficient alternate route for traffic impacted by the Nicholson Avenue widening project planned for 2012.
  • $640,000 to cover the city’s share of the estimated $4.5 million widening project of Nicholson between College and Rawson Avenues; and
  • $150,000 for new water main installation on Monroe Avenue between 17th and Nicholson.

Among the other spending approved for the next two years:

  • $1 million for the installation of automated water meters;
  • Approximately $800,000 for new garbage trucks and accessories;
  • $575,000 for water main replacement;
  • $538,000 for various street and alley improvements;
  • $300,000 for hazardous sidewalk replacement and miscellaneous concrete work; and
  • $150,000 for police radio upgrades.

Keep in mind, however, that these are all cost estimates, and some of these projects, especially those involving the wastewater utility, will require much more study and could change in size and scope — or ultimately not be done at all. In that case, the money can be “re-programmed” to other capital projects as needed.

The capital improvements plan will now likely be taken up by the full council at its meeting on Wednesday, April 6, with the vote on the borrowing anticipated for our April 19 meeting.

I’ll keep you posted as this plan moves along, and as some of the projects come to life. Of course, as always, post your comments below.

I close with this: I believe strongly that cities must regularly invest in projects like this, even in times of economic struggle. Yes, times are tough. But there is a cost to not doing these types of projects, and it can be far greater than the size of the investment we make today.

In other words, invest in infrastrucure now. We will be stronger for it in the future.

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by | March 30, 2011 · 4:41 pm

Budget Approved: School District Cuts Total $1.1 Million

The South Milwaukee School Board has passed the district’s preliminary 2011-12 budget … with most of the cuts proposed earlier this month intact.

Check out the final list of budget assumptions here.

You will note that the pool is now off the chopping block, as well proposals to reduce an instrumental music position and reduce police liaison services.

The budget, passed at the district’s March 23 meeting, also assumes the “budget repair bill” officially goes into effect at some point – and its mandated health insurance and pension contributions.

It also assumes a more than $1.8 million decrease in revenue due to the revenue caps proposed in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget.

So, what’s next? Good question.

There are still a number of moving pieces, including efforts to negotiate union contracts for 2011-12 to better take advantage of the so-called “tools” in the budget repair bill, Superintendent Rita Olson tells me.

You’ll recall that the unions ratified 2009-11 contracts less than a month ago.

And the budget won’t truly be final until the district’s annual meeting in September, when the tax levy is formally passed. So stay tuned.

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by | March 30, 2011 · 9:58 am

Post Office Non-Update Update

The news is  more of the same for the U.S. Postal Service facility proposed for the southwest corner of Nicholson and College Avenues.

In other words, there is no news.

Oak Creek Patch has an update story here. From it:

As the economy went south in late 2008, the U.S. Postal Service suffered massive losses and the Oak Creek project stalled. 

To this day, it has never gotten back on track. The U.S. Postal Service owns the land (after purchasing it for $8.1 million, according to the South Milwaukee NOW), but it still has not decided if it will construct the facility.

“At this point it’s still on hold. No decisions have been made either way,” USPS Spokeswoman Marge Oehlke told me Tuesday. “We have seen billion-dollar losses in the last few years, and we are streamlining our operations and looking at ways of making ourselves more viable for the future.”

I will keep you posted on this if and when I learn more.

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by | March 29, 2011 · 9:12 pm

No Tolerance: Grants Help Police Department Step up Enforcement

Pedestrian and bicyclist safety. OWI enforcement. Underage consumption.

Those are just three of the areas that South Milwaukee police will be watching closely through the summer thanks to a variety of grant-funded enforcement programs. The programs are detailed here.

The common denominator? Zero tolerance when it comes to safety in school zones, driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol, underage drinking and other problem areas.

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by | March 28, 2011 · 9:51 pm

Caterpillar Inching Toward a New Home?

Update: Well, that was fun while it lasted.

The Business Journal of Milwaukee — and good friend Rich Rovito — has an interesting blog item about the CEO of Caterpillar complaining about the business climate of Illinois.

From the posting:

Various media outlets, including the Pantagraph in Bloomington, Ill., stated that Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman sent a letter to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn informing him that at least four other states have approached the company about relocating.

“I want to stay here. But as the leader of this business, I have to do what’s right for Caterpillar when making decisions about where to invest,” Oberhelman wrote in the letter reportedly obtained by the Lee Enterprises’ Springfield, Ill., bureau.

Wisconsin has not been officially listed as one of the states courting Caterpillar. But it makes sense if it was. And it would make doubly good sense with the company’s acquisition of Oak Creek/South Milwaukee-based Bucyrus International.

Could this be a win for the South Shore? Too early to say.

But it’s nice to dream …

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by | March 27, 2011 · 4:55 pm

Help Wanted to Spread the Word

I’ve promised to avoid campaigning on this blog, so I will keep this short …

With the election fast approaching on April 5, I am planning a lit drop for this Saturday and Sunday. My goal? Deliver a one-page flier to everyone who voted in the 4th District in the last mayoral election.

Of course, I could use some help with this. If you can spare an hour or so to walk a neighborhood or two, I’d certainly appreciate it.

We’re unofficially meeting at my house, 1713 Cedar St., at 10 a.m. on Saturday, but I’d welcome help at any point during the weekend.

If you’d like to take part, please post a comment below, or email me at erikbrooks32@yahoo.com.

Thanks, and vote Brooks!

Now, back to regularly scheduled blogging …

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by | March 27, 2011 · 4:04 pm

Seeing Orange: College Avenue Construction Update

The much-needed College Avenue reconstruction project between Pennsylvania and Packard Avenues begins this week.

The stimulus-funded work is expected to wrap up by the end of July, according to a letter sent to area residents. Check out the mailing here.

South Milwaukee City Engineer Kyle Vandercar tells me that College Avenue will remain open to through traffic — albeit with lane closures and other restrictions — throughout the project.

Additional work on College west of Pennsylvania — much more significant than the work in South Milwaukee — will also continue in 2011. That is expected to lead to a complete closure of that stretch of College starting later this spring.

I will keep you posted as I get more information on both projects.

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by | March 27, 2011 · 4:01 pm

Caterpillar Strength, Child Care Fraud, Heroic Student and More

Check out the following headlines from around the South Shore:

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    by | March 23, 2011 · 11:04 pm

    Taking a Brief Break from Blogging … and Thanks for Reading!

    Due to work commitments, I will be taking a few days off from blogging, but I will return on Sunday, March 27, with new posts and information of interest to the 4th District, South Milwaukee and the Shore Shore.

    As always, I appreciate your readership, and I hope you find the blog thought-provoking and informative. 

    This website has been a labor of love since I launched it in October of 2009, and it would be nothing without my loyal readers.

    So thank you! And you’ll hear from me again in  a few days …

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    by | March 21, 2011 · 10:09 am

    South Milwaukee’s State Aid Cut: Bad, But it Could Be Worse

    Southeastern Wisconsin communities will feel the pain of shared revenue and other cuts in state aid more than others in the proposed state budget. Yet, for us, that pain won’t be quite as severe. 

    That’s according to a story in today’s Journal Sentinel. From it:

    Most municipalities in the four-county area, and all three suburban county governments, would face the maximum reductions in state-shared revenue, local road aid or both, according to calculations by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. As a group, all area governments together would bear a larger-than-average share of the statewide cut in road aid, and all suburban governments together would be hit with a disproportionately large part of the statewide cut in shared revenue, Walker administration figures show.

    However, regarding shared revenue, according a separate Journal Sentinel story: “Within Milwaukee County, smaller reductions would be limited to less-affluent communities – Milwaukee, Cudahy, St. Francis, South Milwaukee, West Allis and West Milwaukee – except for a 35% cut to wealthy River Hills.”

    Don’t forget that any shared revenue cut is in addition to proposed cuts to local transportation aids and recycling funding. And “tools” like increases in benefit contributions for local employees will help, but not nearly to the level they need to, to offset all of the cuts.

    Check out my previous post on this for more information on potential impacts for South Milwaukee.

    I will keep you posted as more specifics become available and the local budget debate unfolds.

    Until then, the Journal Sentinel has it right: “The bottom line: less money for most area communities and counties to run police and fire departments, patch potholes, maintain parks and keep libraries open.”

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