The barrage of political issue ads from front groups of major political players continues this week as the Wisconsin Realtors Association debuted its new alias, the Wisconsin Homeowners Alliance. It's target: Gov. Doyle's proposed increase in the real estate transfer fee, which kicks in when property is sold.

Doyle's budget calls for a hike from $3 to $6 per $1,000 of property value. The Homeowners Alliance television ad menacingly asks the rhetorical question: "How do you feel about double taxation?"

The new Homeowners Alliance has the same brain trust as that behind the Realtors Association, but, assures the Alliance Web site, "The Homeowners Alliance is focused only on ISSUES -- NOT on candidates or political campaigns. The Alliance won't engage in partisan elections, but only work on issues at hand." (Their emphasis.)

Of course, the Realtors Association is already carrying the partisan political water already. The Realtors Political Action Committee gave $154,950 to various state campaigns in 2005 and 2006 -- tops in the state. The campaign finance watchdog group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reports that the Realtors PAC gave Republican governor's candidate Mark Green $42,000. And Doyle? Zero. And while spreading the rest of its political largess across a slew of candidates, there is a decided Republican lean towards its contributions.

And that money got results. The Realtors Association wielded its clout over pier regulations in the state, nearly single-handedly getting lawmakers to reel in DNR restrictions on lake homes.

Funding for the new project will be from Realtors' dues and, of course, through the Realtors Association itself.

"The goal of this new entity is to provide a public resource and watchdog for advocating and protecting homeowners' interests in the state of Wisconsin," notes the Web site, HomeownersAlliance.org.

The group has also put on its agenda: Preserving the mortgage interest deduction; promoting a statewide property tax freeze and "scores" of land-use related issues.

Fraud Conviction Canceled: Another high-profile voter fraud case in southeastern Wisconsin was tossed out on appeal this week. An appeals court found that an organizer with the group Project Vote was guilty more of bad supervision than fraud when he was overseeing voter registration efforts in Racine and Kenosha counties. Damien Jones, 27, was charged by the Racine County District Attorney's office with eight counts of election fraud and misconduct for his work in Project Vote. He made a guilty plea deal and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and two years probation. He withdrew his plea to appeal.

Workers under Jones were leaving voter registration sheets in public places and coming back to pick them up after they were signed, a violation of election laws. The fact that workers were paid by the signature was an obvious incentive for the fraud. That practice has since been made illegal in Wisconsin..

Republicans have been drumbeating since the 2000 election that massive voter fraud was taking place in the Milwaukee area and Jones' case -- he was charged just days before the election -- was cited as proof. Still, only five of 14 Milwaukee residents charged by federal prosecutors were convicted.

One Project Vote worker pled guilty to charges of forgery for his work in falsifying voter registration signatures in exchange for a reduced charge. Another was found guilty in a jury trial of election fraud and misconduct charges last year.

Building Plan Bombs Again: A key element to reviving the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and 27th Street has stalled again, because the developer was not approved for state tax credits it claims are needed for the project to go forward.

The Grand Avenue Lofts, a $12.4 million housing and retail effort featuring 60 apartments and 20 condos was rejected by the state for $750,000 in tax credits that are used to encourage developers to build housing for low income residents. The credits are usually sold by the developers to finance the upstart of buildings. It's the second rejection for Minneapolis-based Sherman Associates, planners for the project.

The corner of 27th and Wisconsin has long been a bane to the near West Side, since a hotel there bailed out of its high-rise building. The city has since paid for the destruction of the building and the reclamation of the lot, yet has continued to watch it sit vacant for the better part of a decade.

Ald. Bob Bauman, who represents the area, has tried to get more retail and housing on the site -- crucial to getting the neighborhood on the rebound from what's become an area in decline, unless of course, the pool room on the corner is considered economic development. Bauman considered the building a catalyst.

The tax credits would have been allocated because of the rentals, housing that Bauman didn't exactly favor.

"The main reservation was with the rental units, given the huge number of rental units that already exist in the neighborhood. What is needed most is a major grocery/retailer and more owner-occupied units whether they be single family, duplexes, townhouses or condos," he said in an e-mail. "The main advantage was that the project developed a long dormant site and would serve as a catalyst for additional development in the area. The architecture was also attractive."
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