I am seeing lots of beautiful displays out this year … make sure they are nominated for our second-annual Light Up South Milwaukee Holiday Lights Awards! More details here.
Judging is this weekend, and look for a list of winners early next week, so you can see for yourself. Entries can be submitted via:
Filed under South Milwaukee
Today, the state legislature will begin taking up a series of lame-duck session bills that represent everything wrong with government, an affront to democracy and a repudiation of the will of voters in November.
I am disgusted by it, and you should be too, no matter your party affiliation and no matter who you voted for last month.
Elections have consequences, and voters spoke that they wanted divided government and what that means – compromise and true checks and balances. But rather than listen, here we stand, with lawmakers willing to cast those results aside in favor of changing the rules at the 11th hour of an executive leadership change, simply because they can.
This power grab should offend everyone.
From a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel summary of the bills …
Among the proposals are ones to limit the governor’s powers, weaken the attorney general and restrict early voting to two weeks before an election. Currently, some communities provide as many as six weeks of early voting …
The measures would strip many powers from Kaul and eliminate a powerful office within the Department of Justice that was created in 2015 under Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel and handles high-profile cases on appeal.
Lawmakers are also considering separating the 2020 presidential primary election from an April spring election to reduce voter turnout in an effort to boost the election chances of a conservative Supreme Court justice. In another proposal, lawmakers will consider using new revenue from online sales taxes to slightly reduce the individual income tax rate.
The election date change is particularly galling, a brazen attempt to use the legislative process to influence the outcome of an election.
Don’t take my word for it; ask the leader of the Senate.
Raw party politics aside, this change would have real, costly consequences in communities across the state, including South Milwaukee, and we have rightfully joined hundreds of others in speaking out against it.
Clerks across the state are sending letters similar to this to lawmakers, working through the League of Wisconsin Municipalities …
Even if the state were to cover the substantial costs municipalities would incur by moving the election, there are significant logistical difficulties with conducting a stand-alone presidential primary in March, which will prove hard to overcome. Each election involves many weeks of intense preparation followed by weeks of post-election wrap up work. I and my staff are charged with hiring and training election inspectors, administering absentee balloting, including the increasingly popular in-person absentee voting, registering voters, securing polling locations, holding a public test, publishing notices, entering election reporting along with participation data for each elector voting and performing all of the other tasks necessary to conduct a well-run election. We barely have sufficient time to accomplish the myriad election tasks necessary between the February primary and the spring election in April. Adding another election in March risks stretching the ability of local governments to administer a smooth, secure, and error free election process.
But this is just the start. Other items in this lame duck session are worse, because they seek to roll back or limit powers previously granted to the governor and attorney general simply because they are being replaced by Democrats. This one may be illegal.
Still, that hasn’t stopped Republicans, who are trying to desperately rewrite the playbook before the clock strikes zero, before they lose their grip on full power and before — gasp! – they actually have to start working in a bipartisan way to get things done.
Incoming Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes put it best in a tweet when word of this abomination first leaked. “Just making up the rules as they go,” he wrote. “I remember a time when it was just the goal posts, but now they want to move the whole field.”
We should not let them, both parties. Yes, both parties. Democrats pull these stunts, too, including pushing lame duck legislation of their own in 2009. And it’s happened (and is happening) in other states.
That doesn’t make it right.
We need to end lame-duck sessions and move up the start date of newly elected officials to make sure nothing like this happens again. Until we do, do not accept the “Democrats would do the same thing, so that makes it OK!” argument, an all-too-popular one these days. I don’t buy it when my kids use it — “Well, she did it too!” — and we should not buy it now as lawmakers prepare to take the kind of action they are proposing.
Instead, let’s stand together for good government, and against the opposite.
We are better than this.
To our legislators, and outgoing governor: We are watching. Do the right thing.
Make sure your voice is heard! Email Rep. Rodriguez at Rep.Rodriguez@legis.wisconsin.gov and Sen. Larson at Sen.Larson@legis.wisconsin.gov. Get contact information for all lawmakers here.
Filed under South Milwaukee
What a parade! What a market!
I couldn’t be more excited about the South Milwaukee Christmas events the last two Saturdays. From Old Fashioned Christmas to our city tree lighting to our first-ever South Milwaukee Lions Lighted Christmas Parade to the South Milwaukee Christmas Market, it has been a terrific start to the holiday season in South Milwaukee.
This week, it’s Christmas show at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, the Festival of Trees, a reindeer visit and more.
Here is the full schedule.
I’d like to thank everyone involved the past two weekends, and that list is long.
I start with our city workers, led by our Street and Police Departments and Clerk’s Office. The Nov. 24 events could not happen without their support and hard work.
And thank you to all of the volunteers as well!
And congratulations to our parade float winners, as judged by our super secret judges we have placed along the route … their photos are in this post.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Check out this really cool story from NOW about a local artist painting a 7 Bridges-inspired mural at the South Milwaukee Library, as part of its ongoing upgrades. From the article about Sarah Henry …
Henry said she grew up going to Seven Bridges, shot a few college films there, and she couldn’t imagine growing up anywhere else.
Drawing since she was a child, Henry created her first comic books at age 7 – which she still has. In high school, Henry began to take her art more seriously by deciding to go into comics and animation as a career.
“What I enjoy, personally, is the mindset you drift into once you are immersed in your creative flow, and the feeling of looking at something and knowing ‘I made that with my hands,’” she said. “People’s reactions are probably my favorite part, though. Knowing you had a positive impact in someone’s life is something I don’t take for granted.”
Congratulations, Sarah! Here is a picture of her from Gallery Night, where her art was on display at Serendipitous Designs.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Now, more than ever, communities need to work together to effectively deliver their services. In an era of increasingly constrained budgets, partnering is an imperative. We must collaborate.
That is why I’m proud to announce the South Milwaukee Common Council has passed an intergovernmental agreement to allow us to provide public health services to the City of St. Francis.
The St. Francis Common Council approved the agreement on Tuesday.
The three-year deal, effective Feb. 1, is positive for both sides and builds on our already strong relationship with our neighbors, including our work on the Environmental Health Consortium.
The deal also makes sense financially. The partnership is essentially budget neutral for both parties, as St. Francis will pay South Milwaukee between $6,700 and $7,387 per month, or about $84,000 per year.
I want to thank South Milwaukee Health Administrator Jacqueline Ove and City Administrator Tami Mayzik for driving this on our end, and St. Francis city leaders for being so open to this common-sense consolidation. These deals are not easy, and it took many hours to get this to the finish line.
My pledge: We will not stop here when it comes to working with our neighbors. This is only the start.
Filed under South Milwaukee
The city portion of your upcoming tax bill will likely be smaller after the South Milwaukee Common Council passed our 2019 budget last week.
Per my previous post on this, the overall tax levy will increase 3.5% to $just under $11 million, while the tax rate will decrease 2.8%, from $9.65 per $1,000 of assessed value, to $9.38. That means the city taxes on a property assessed at $150,000 will decrease from $1,447.50 to $1,407 when you see your tax bills in the mail in coming weeks.
Check out the 2019 city budget here.
As I’ve said, I’m proud we can deliver a city tax reduction for most property owners, and lower our debt. Still, the budget does not change the economic realities we continue to face — marked by restrictive state levy limits and other mandates that make it more and more difficult to fund our first-class city services. We will continue to fight that fight. We have to.
Filed under South Milwaukee
From the South Milwaukee Police Department …
On November 27th, at approximately 11:00 AM, a robbery occurred at the Associated Bank branch in South Milwaukee. A single male suspect implied a weapon and obtained an undetermined amount of money before fleeing on foot. Suspect is described as a thin black male, 20’s to early 30’s, wearing a dark colored hooded jacket or sweatshirt, dark jeans and white and black athletic shoes.
We continue to investigate and are asking for the community’s help. If you have any information regarding this case, please call the South Milwaukee Police Department at 414-768-8060.
Additional information will be provided as we have it.
Filed under South Milwaukee
The Brooks family is proud to present a holiday tradition that continues to grow.
We’re again gathering toys, games, etc. and then delivering those Christmas gifts to several Milwaukee-area homeless/domestic violence shelters on Christmas Eve. We’ll also donate toys to South Milwaukee Human Concerns.
Our family will go shopping for toys in the next few weeks.
So here is the ask: If anyone wants to donate gifts for us to take, or donate money for us to spend on gifts when we go shopping, drop them off with Sarah or me any time before Christmas Eve.
New, unwrapped items, please.
And if you’d like to come with us on Dec. 24 — and show your kids the true meaning of the season — please join us. We’d love to have you. We leave from our house around 9 a.m. and will stop for lunch afterward.
Post a comment here, or feel free to email me at erikbrooks32@gmail.com for more information.
Thanks for helping make a child’s life more merry this Christmas.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Drafting of the Oak Creek watershed restoration plan is underway, and we’d like your feedback on some of the early work, as we continue on this journey to revitalize and reinvigorate this waterway.
From the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission …
We have scheduled an Stakeholder meeting for Thursday, December 13, 2018, in South Milwaukee. The intent of this meeting is to present Plan draft Chapter 1 (Introduction), Chapter 2 (Prior and Ongoing Studies, Plans, Projects, and Programs), and Chapter 3 (Characterization of the Watershed). Draft chapters are available for review on the project website.
Beverage and light supper will be available.
Please register for the meeting using the link here.
The meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., will held at City Hall, 2424 15th Ave.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Check out these South Shore headlines …
Filed under South Milwaukee
Answer the question in the comments below, and maybe share some hidden gems. So many options, and more on the way …
Also, be sure to follow the Shop Local South Milwaukee Facebook page I created several years ago for Facebook updates from local businesses.
Filed under South Milwaukee
I’m so excited for this Saturday, when South Milwaukee will come alive for the holiday season. Here is your schedule …
Filed under South Milwaukee
Let’s “Light Up South Milwaukee” again this year!
Visiting again this year, Santa’s Elves will be back looking to honor the South Milwaukee homes and businesses with the best outdoor holiday lights displays. Winners will receive a small cash prize, a yard sign, and recognition on the city website and Facebook pages – and be the envy of your block, and city. You can enter more than one address. The more, the merrier!
All entries must be submitted by December 10th. Judging will occur on December 14th. The Beautification Committee will be sending out a “scouting elf” during the week of December 10th – so make sure you are ready!
Entries can be submitted via:
And check out the 2017 winners in this post!
Filed under South Milwaukee
Update: Note 6 p.m. start time.
From the South Milwaukee Police Department …
Join the South Milwaukee Police Department, Health Department and South Milwaukee Unite Against Drug Abuse Coalition for a presentation on drug awareness.
SMPD Investigator Jon Rivamonte will be speaking.
Filed under South Milwaukee
I love this! From Lee Stovall, vocal music director …
Delta V and The PopRockets, two a cappella groups at South Milwaukee High School, are thrilled to announce the release of Keep Myself. Officially dropping on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Google Play on November 20th, it will be the first professionally produced high school a cappella album from the state of Wisconsin. Students recorded the album at the school, and had it edited, mixed, and mastered by professionals. Grammy award-winner Ed Boyer, who mixed this album and has mixed Pentatonix, Glee, and Pitch Perfect says, “It is fun to mix something so expressive.” The album is also mastered by Dave Sperandio, who has mastered thousands of a cappella albums over the past 20 years. “I can truly feel the message and emotion coming through!” Sperandio says.
Exploring topics of high school life, hope, regret, and identity, Keep Myself earns its title from the introductory song, based off a line of Nine Inch Nails’s “Hurt.” The 8 song album embeds the idea and emotion of “I would keep myself, I would find a way” through covers of popular songs, sometimes imagined in different ways. The process of making the album began by students suggesting lyrics that fit the theme, choosing songs, and then arranging them in the studio one singer at a time. “It was an amazing experience to record music with my friends that we could all relate to” says current senior Alexa Wilhelm, who plans on going into music production as a career. This process was part of her inspiration to continue with music. Students also developed the album art and shot and edited a music video to accompany the album prior to its release.
In 2013-2014, The PopRockets and Delta V began as extra curricular a cappella groups at South Milwaukee High School. Inspired by established groups from Port Washington, and GET High School in western Wisconsin, they have competed and performed at the regional and national level. Wisconsin a cappella has now grown to local districts such as Oak Creek, Grafton, and Brookfield, and there is even an a cappella summer camp at UW-Parkside called “A Cappella University.” This release marks itself as a foray into the recorded realm, as it is the first full length album available on all major digital platforms from its region.
Keep Myself would not be possible without up-and-coming a cappella professionals Luke Dutelle and Justin Crichfield, who helped with recording and editing, respectively. A student edit crew also worked extensively on the project, and the hardware and software was provided by SM Legacy and the School District of South Milwaukee. Administrators Blaise Paul, Beth Kaminski, and Ante Udovicic, as well as secretary Denise Roszak made the finances and paperwork for this album happen.
Check out the promo video.
Filed under South Milwaukee
