Cracking down on troubled taverns is the theme next week at the City of Milwaukee Licenses Committee. Two taverns on the South Side, including Bay View's venerable Chaser's Pub on Kinnickinnic Avenue, will find their licenses on the block due to various nefarious activities such as drug dealing, illegal alcohol and prostitution. The other South Side joint is the Camelot Lounge, on South 13th Street.

Ald. Tony Zielinski has targeted the two South Side taverns in his district, filing the revocation complaints himself.

Chaser's, 2155 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., first came under fire after police bought crack and cocaine six times at the bar, including once from an off-duty bartender. The bartender told the cop at the time "she only sold crack cocaine while at Chaser's Pub. The bartender then stated that customers would ask for cocaine and she would go into the bathroom and get it for them," according to the police report. When one customer was busted after selling crack to cops, police found 11 rocks; when another was busted, police found 13 rocks.

In a follow-up check earlier this month, state revenue agents looked behind the bar and found 55 bottles of illegally purchased alcohol and 26 bottles contaminated with insects. Taverns have to purchase alcohol from licensed beverage distributors so that state taxes are adequately covered.

At the Camelot, a strip club at 2714 S. 13th St., prostitution and the fact that dancers can't get along seems to be the problem. Police began looking into prostitution at the club after they were called following an argument between two dancers that resulted in a stabbing. That same day, police were called after two other dancers got into a fight because one accused the other of
"running off" a trick. Police made at least two arrests for prostitution there this year. Police also report that dancers are going totally nude and not hiding their nipples and other parts, which is against city ordinances.

Revenue agents also showed up at the Camelot and found 40 bottles of illegally purchased alcohol and a case of illegal beer as well as a contaminated liquor bottle.

A North Side tavern, Tap Whatever, 3716 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., is also up for revocation after a shooting outside the place last month. An organized effort by neighbors put that license on the agenda. One complaint about the tavern referred to the shooting as a "mini-war."

The Party Has Spoken: The Milwaukee County Democratic Party has weighed in early on the Milwaukee mayoral contest. Perhaps thinking about scaring off would-be challengers -- or heeding that old adage about changing horses in mid-stream -- the party this week endorsed Mayor Tom Barrett for re-election.

Sweat Free Milwaukee: The City of Milwaukee will require vendors providing goods and services to pay employees non-poverty wages. Milwaukee already has a ban on buying clothes from sweatshops, but the new ordinance covers any purchase over $30,000. Ald. Tony Zielinski calls it contracting with "responsible manufacturers." Non-poverty level wages will be determined using the Central Intelligence Agency's fact book, which adjusts for purchasing power parity, whatever that means.

"If large purchasing entities like municipalities make their money talk in these ways, we can have a very serious impact on human rights abuses and sweatshop labor," Zielinski said.

The alderman had been working to get the ordinance passed for the past nine months.

Healthy Insurance Debate Avoided: In the "timing is everything" category, we have to wonder if news that the country's leading CEOs were calling for a revamp of employer-paid health insurance system was released earlier, perhaps the so-called Healthy Wisconsin plan might still be on the table.

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