With the resounding victory by conservative Supreme Court candidate Annette Ziegler, expect an even more emboldened campaign effort next year from Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state's big business mouthpiece and lobby group. WMC pumped in millions on behalf of the Ziegler camp, producing inflammatory position papers and, of course, a plethora of TV and radio air time.

The latest lobs from WMC were an extension of the group's effort to support Mark Green against Jim Doyle for governor in November. But WMC is clearly getting better in the realm of being a political player and independent expenditure group. And they have no qualms about getting in the dirt and slinging mud for their anointed ones.

We should expect an even larger hyperbolic push from WMC next year as Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler faces voters for the first time. Butler, a former Milwaukee judge, was appointed by Doyle in 2004 and for the most part, represents everything that WMC finds evil. A key vote by Butler -- to the disdain of WMC -- was to overturn caps on medical malpractice suits. That issue was used to galvanize the conservative faithful against Linda Clifford in her race against Ziegler.

And expect WMC to get into the gutter, as it has in its past two political efforts. Don't be surprised that they'll go after Butler with racist innuendo, being the only African American on the court. Likely it will be through continuous use of his picture in ads throughout the hinterlands, since unfortunately in the fields of Wisconsin, that stuff still plays against a candidate. Butler was soundly defeated in 2000 when he ran against then-incumbent conservative justice Diane Sykes, who bested him nearly 2-1 in vote totals.

One candidate that WMC would drool over would be Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Michael Brennan, who has repeatedly opined that the state Supreme Court is too activist in its approach. That jives with his membership with and the belief system of the Federalist Society, which includes the likes of the notorious Robert Bork, Orrin Hatch and Ed Meese. The Federalists say their doctrine is one of original Constitutional intent yet try to insert conservative values into the law.

Brennan has aired some trial balloons in the past regarding his interest in the high court, but his Federalist credentials could land him on the federal bench instead. Sykes' appointment to a federal court of appeals was considered well greased because of her membership in the Federalist Society.

The scenario for Brennan looks like this: Rudy Randa, currently a judge for the federal court that governs eastern Wisconsin, is reportedly looking to assume senior status, which gives him the lovely set-up of getting a full salary while hearing virtually no cases until death does he part. Randa is also a Federalist and with Brennan a leading Federalist in these parts, he could easily be the top candidate for the Bush administration to pick as a successor to Randa after he gets bumped into paid vacation land.

Courthouse wags say Brennan also wants the job. After all, it is a lifetime appointment and he wouldn't have to run a campaign ever again. Brennan just won another six-year term as a county judge after running unopposed.

If the Randa pseudo-retirement doesn't pan out, expect Brennan's name to be one of those tossed around the most for the high court. But with millions at its disposal and a take-no-prisoners approach to in-the-face campaigning, any candidate WMC fields will make Butler's re-election a serious uphill jaunt.

Euro Yanked from Downtown: It was a classic case of Downtown condo dwellers-vs.-tavern and in this instance the tavern lost. Mason Street was the showdown between residents of the Grain Exchange condo building, 741 N. Milwaukee St., and the owners of the Euro Café Bar, 324 E. Mason St., which put up shop across the street to the north of the building about two years ago. And the old adage that says you can't move next to the airport and complain about the noise doesn't seem to work anymore. It's an adage that should also apply to new Downtown residents preferring to live in a cavernous concrete environment that echoes every noise imaginable.

Five tenants of the Grain Exchange told the city's Licenses Committee that they were at their wits end due to loud music and patrons coming from the Euro Bar. No matter that the Milwaukee Street club scene of Eve, Three, Kenadee's, Tangerine, Carnivore, Metro Hotel, and Saketumi is right around the corner, these folks knew for certain that the masses of loud people on Mason Street were directly the result of the Euro. They wanted the bar closed. And they had the backing of Ald. Bob Bauman, who claimed no other Downtown bar has as many complaints.

Residents told the committee that they were bothered a couple times a month on the weekends by noise on the street. They also said they could hear the music inside their units, which could be more of a statement about the quality of the insulation and sound-proofing of the windows in the building.

"I expect to be able to be in my home without hearing music from the club across the street," said Jodell Swenson, a Grain Exchange tenant. "I expect to not have crowd noise, crowds standing outside for 15, 20, 30 minutes after bar time yelling, screaming and shouting at each other."

Bar owner Spiro McKopolos and building owner Patty Keating Conn said they had taken steps to reduce the noise by closing the windows all night, putting a foyer onto the front door of the bar and removed outdoor seating.

And in a rare occurrence for a tavern license hearing, two police officers testified on behalf of the bar that they couldn't hear loud music coming from the Euro nor was there any proof that rowdy people were only coming from the Euro Bar. One officer referred to the bar's clientele as the "hoity toidy crowd" and that it was not a problem.

Nonetheless, the Licenses Committee recommended suspending the bar's license for 15 days and the full Council considers the recommendation April 17. The bar has been closed since Feb. 21 after its license ran out due to a dispute between the Common Council and the bar owners.
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