The first visions of what the City of Milwaukee could put in place of the now-former base housing the 440th Air Wing at Mitchell International Airport have been committed to paper and the living color of Power Point presentations.

Aldermen got a look at what could be at the site along S. Howell Ave. It's the place where concrete barriers and razor wire have prevented casual observers from taking a peek at Milwaukee's last official Air Force base until it closed in September. (The Air National Guard has a small base on the other side of the airport.)

Consultants said the city could reuse the 100 acres or so for anything from education office, commercial, industrial, a little aviation and, surprisingly, the Hunger Task Force. One big problem, though, is that the airport itself wants to put a new runway down the middle of the land.

Nonetheless, consultants RKG project about 400,000 square feet of rentable space, giving whoever ends up running it a potential windfall of $2.4 million a year. They also report that about 500 jobs could be created at the site, replacing the 300 jobs lost when the Air Force bailed out moving the unit to North Carolina. They expect expenses to operate the buildings at about $1.5 million a year, down from the Air Force's $2 million per year. They left three years as their maximum predicted break-even point.

The time frame they offered to get things moving has clean-up beginning in May and ultimate development starting in late 2008 or 2009.

Do Walker's Vetoes Lead to Lack of Leadership? Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway brings up a fundamental issue regarding County Exec Scott Walker. In a statement released before the board voted to overturn nearly all of Walker's budget vetoes, Holloway asked: Has the no-tax levy increase chanted by the exec's office affected his ability to lead? It's an issue that will certainly be repeated by his two opponents time and again during his re-election effort.

The board overrode 19 of 22 Walker vetoes, adding back an extra $8.8 million to the budget. Walker likes to say that higher taxes will lead to businesses leaving the area, or not settling here at all -- a point disputed harshly by Holloway.

"The County Executive chose a home on Milwaukee's South Side as the backdrop for announcing his vetoes to the local media. Under the budget adopted by the County Board, which would preserve these important programs demanded by our citizens but vetoed by the County Executive, the tax levy would rise by 3.73%. That translates into a $4.74 increase next year on the County portion of the property tax bill for that particular home in Milwaukee.

"Does the County Executive really think an extra $4.74, or 40 cents a month, will force someone out of their home?" Holloway says. "Imagine the impact on property owners if the County Board didn't play the responsible role, leading to our courts system deteriorating, or residents not getting the necessary treatment for substance abuse or mental illness.

"We had to step up to the plate, because the county executive's no tax increase campaign pledge paralyzes him from doing the right thing. The county executive's no tax increase mantra would make Milwaukee County bop up and down like a ball in water, with no progressive vision to move the county forward."

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