http://onmilwaukee.com/rss/rss_politics.xml Milwaukee's Daily Magazine Politics en-us Sun, 8 Nov 2009 11:45:03 CST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://onmilwaukee.com/images/layout/omc_rssfeed_logo.gif http://onmilwaukee.com 204 67 Kudos to Tom Barrett and the M7 Water Council for at least discussing a way to discount water for businesses looking to come to Milwaukee. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/rowenwaterblog110709.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/rowenwaterblog110709.html?20773 Sat, 7 Nov 2009 12:13:00 CST County Executive Scott Walker has suggested putting parking meters at popular Lakefront spots like Bradford Beach, Veterans Park and McKinley Marina in an effort to help close a growing budget gap. But, considering how well the LUKE meters have worked at times -- including this week's issue with daylight savings tme -- is it really a good idea? http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/hissom110609.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/hissom110609.html?20756 Fri, 6 Nov 2009 13:13:00 CST We may never find out why Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton abruptly dropped out of the race for governor this week. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/lawtonmystery.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/lawtonmystery.html?20688 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:01:00 CST Richard Rothen, who operates Cupid's Toys at 27th and Rawson, has an inkling that local officials don't want his business to thrive. Rothen has had license issues and believes that officials covet his location on the northeast corner of a busy intersection, for development. When a recent road repair was underway, Rothen found his store had been removed from a planning map. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politics103009.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politics103009.html?20682 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:02:00 CST Should Commerce Secretary Richard "Dick" Leinenkugel run for governor? Why not? http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/Leinenkugelgov.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/Leinenkugelgov.html?20667 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:45:00 CST Officials say they want input from citizens about the application for a Great Lakes diversion, with return flow flushed back to Lake Michigan via Underwood Creek. But, the decisions likely have already been made. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/waukeshawater102709.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/waukeshawater102709.html?20651 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:15:00 CST Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, the only major Democrat in the 2010 governor's race, has announced that she is dropping out of the race for "very personal reasons." http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/lawtonout.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/lawtonout.html?20643 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:22:00 CST While Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn spent most of his time in the spotlight asking that his officers not be furloughed for four days, the Common Council's Finance Committee essentially glossed over a report that the MPD has spent $17.5 million on a radio system that doesn't work and won't be fixed. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politics102309.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politics102309.html?20617 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:11:00 CST How can federal officials, especially after the change in administrations in Washington, give SEWRPC a pat on the head and another four years of power over jobs, land-use and housing development in our region when the ACLU of Wisconsin documented practices institutionalized at SEWRPC that routinely favor whites and suburbanites in hiring, spending, and key advisory committee memberships? http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/sewrpcjamesrowen.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/sewrpcjamesrowen.html?20610 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:20:00 CST Democratic insiders believe Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will decide not to launch a campaign to be Wisconsin's next governor, and some say Gov. Jim Doyle is "shopping" for another candidate to challenge Barbara Lawton for the party's nomination. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/gov09.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/gov09.html?20564 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:28:00 CST A long-time Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor once said that if he woke up, called the office and the governor wasn't dead, he would have fulfilled the constitutional duties of the office. They don't call it Lite Governor for nothing. Every once in awhile, there's even talk of abolishing the position, most recently with a proposal by state Sen. Alan Lasee (R-De Pere). Democratic Senate President Fred Risser told a Madison TV station that he has supported the idea in the past, but hasn't made up his mind on the current proposal. Yet a line is forming to run for the job. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/ltgovernor.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/ltgovernor.html?20540 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:07:00 CST A discussion about guns proved to be a blazing topic this week at a special meeting of the Common Council's Public Safety Committee. And sure, there was plenty of room for grandstanding and collective hand-wringing. "There simply is no excuse for the gun violence in our communities and residents will no longer stand for it. It is high time we take serious action," Ald. Bob Donovan said. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politics101609.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politics101609.html?20512 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:09:00 CST The water wouldn't begin to flow for five-to-eight years, but the beginning of the process is just around the corner. That means the pressure is on Milwaukee, Waukesha's preferred seller; Milwaukee has the highest quality drinking water and its pipes are closest to Waukesha. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/waukesha.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/waukesha.html?20511 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:16:00 CST If you think it's difficult not to picture a Scott Walker-Tom Barrett general election for governor in 2010, a recent poll by the Wisconsin Public Research Institute (WPRI)/UW-Madison Department of Political Science makes it tougher -- at least for now. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrettwalker09.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrettwalker09.html?20469 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:42:00 CST No political or environmental question in this region has gotten more attention in the last few years than the City of Waukesha's desire to pipe in Lake Michigan water. A diversion to a community like Waukesha that is entirely outside the Great Lakes Basin is permissible under certain conditions laid out in a 2008 agreement with the seven other Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/waukeshawater.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/waukeshawater.html?20442 Fri, 9 Oct 2009 13:02:00 CST So Scott Walker wants to close six pools -- several on the North Side -- to build one large aquatic center on the South Side? How does that make budgetary sense? It does to County Exec Walker who wants to spend $11 million to build the aquatic center while closing Pulaski and Noyes indoor pools and the outdoor pools at Washington, Holler and Jackson Parks and Pelican Cove. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/milwaukeepublicpools.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/milwaukeepublicpools.html?20417 Fri, 9 Oct 2009 05:19:00 CST I heard that the state now has a law that allows football teams heading toward Lambeau Field -- actually more the opposing teams than Packers themselves -- to run red lights. After all, what could be a bigger emergency than getting to the locker room four hours early? http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/runredlights.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/runredlights.html?20410 Wed, 7 Oct 2009 10:45:00 CST Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has never been known for high drama. The genial, popular Barrett has run a steady-as-she-goes administration that has rarely created exciting political theater. But the curtain may have gone up on a performance that has gotten some brutal reviews from critics. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrettmps.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrettmps.html?20357 Sun, 4 Oct 2009 15:36:00 CST Chicago's failed bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics was a defeat for the city, the region, the country and President Obama. It also left some of Milwaukee's business and civic leaders wondering what might have been. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/chicago2016react.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/chicago2016react.html?20350 Sat, 3 Oct 2009 06:05:00 CST Riverwest residents turned out en masse this week to oppose the re-opening of Smokey's, 2425 N. Dousman St. Neighbors pointed out that there are four bars in a two-block stretch of Dousman -- which is similar to what opponents in Bay View said about a proposed sports bar -- but they were told, in essence, "if you don't like it, you shouldn't have moved into the area." http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politics100209.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politics100209.html?20328 Fri, 2 Oct 2009 16:19:00 CST I'm wholeheartedly opposed to legislation that would make it illegal to use a cell phone while driving. Yes, texting while driving is a bad idea -- and I've done it plenty -- but the act of talking on a phone and driving a car simultaneously should not be made a crime. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/cellphonedriving.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/cellphonedriving.html?20323 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:38:00 CST Talking about Amtrak this morning with a co-worker, I wondered aloud why there's no stop for the Amtrak train in Wauwatosa. The trains already pass through, why not let them pick up and drop off some folks? http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/amtrakwauwatosa.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/amtrakwauwatosa.html?20318 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:19:00 CST Nearly as many Chicago residents oppose Mayor Richard Daley's Olympic plans (45 percent) as support them (47 percent), according to the latest poll by the Chicago Tribune. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/chicago2016.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/chicago2016.html?20301 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:21:00 CST You can hardly blame Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett if he hasn't been completely focused on the 2010 governor's race. The main question for Barrett is whether he wants to put himself through what is likely to be a contentious Democratic primary and a brutal general election. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/tombarrettgovernordecision.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/tombarrettgovernordecision.html?20292 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:41:00 CST There is a pretty good chance you've seen the star-studded and satirical Funny or Die video regarding health care and insurance company executives. As a service to those who haven't, we've chosen it as our Video of the Day. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/vod092809.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/vod092809.html?20284 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:57:00 CST Milwaukee's next mayoral election isn't until 2012, so Barrett2010.com must mean that Tom Barrett is running for another office next year. Right? http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrett2010site.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrett2010site.html?20262 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:47:00 CST Should the mayor be allowed to take over MPS? If so, what would the impact be? How have mayoral takeovers of public schools worked in other cities? What kinds of new ideas from the private sector could be replicated to help MPS improve its results? http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mpstakeoverdebate.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mpstakeoverdebate.html?20180 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:17:00 CST Louisiana Rep. Charles Boustany delivered the Republican response to President Obama's speech on health care. Here is the full text of Boustany's rebuttal: http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/boustanyresponse.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/boustanyresponse.html?20144 Wed, 9 Sep 2009 23:17:00 CST President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress Wednesday night, a nationally televised speech that addressed his hopes for reforming the country's health care system. Here is a transcript of the speech. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/obamahealthcarespeech.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/obamahealthcarespeech.html?20145 Wed, 9 Sep 2009 23:15:00 CST Citing curriculum concerns and the threat of protests from partisan parents, several area school districts have decided not to show President Obama's speech to school children on Tuesday. Here is the text of the speech, from the White House Web site, www.whitehouse.gov: http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/obamaschoolspeech.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/obamaschoolspeech.html?20125 Mon, 7 Sep 2009 20:20:00 CST Milwaukee Ald. Tony Zielinski got the brush off from Mayor Tom Barrett after Zielinski's challenge to debate the mayor's plan to take over running the Milwaukee Public School system. The mayor wants the authority to appoint the currently elected school board and the superintendent, as well. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mpsdebate.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mpsdebate.html?20105 Fri, 4 Sep 2009 11:25:00 CST A recent Milwaukee meeting with U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore and Paul Ryan, unlike many other town hall-like settings taking place across the country, was civil, polite and informative. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/jaglerblog090209.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/jaglerblog090209.html?20094 Wed, 2 Sep 2009 11:15:00 CST Proponents and opponents of changing the way the Milwaukee Public Schools are run were lining up in droves this week as some public events were held to draw attention to a plan by Gov. Jim Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett to allow the mayor to oversee the schools. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mpstakeover.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mpstakeover.html?20052 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:14:00 CST The question is being asked at dinner tables and water coolers throughout Wisconsin: Why would those union workers at Mercury Marine's Fond du Lac plant vote against the company's last contract proposal? http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mercurymarine.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mercurymarine.html?20021 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:22:00 CST As a new MPS parent, trying to figure out the basics of starting school is hard enough. Staying on top of the misinformation and lack on information flying around at the moment about Wisconsin's largest school district seems nearly impossible without making a full-time job of it. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mpsschoolboard.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/mpsschoolboard.html?20022 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:23:00 CST The practice of parents allowing their children to tip back a few in their presence could be finished as the state legislative assault on drinking continues in the form of Senate Bill 30. The bill would ban parents from letting their kids drink until they are 18. There currently is no such prohibition. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/parentalalcoholcontrol.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/parentalalcoholcontrol.html?19978 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:11:00 CST The frenzied public response to this week's online BizTimes Poll provides a foretelling glimpse into the intense political ground game that is shaping Wisconsin's Republican primary gubernatorial race between Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann (R-Janesville). http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/govgopjagler.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/govgopjagler.html?19971 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:35:00 CST At his first press conference since being released from the hospital Monday after a brutal attack Saturday night, Mayor Tom Barrett appeared with his hand in a cast, stitches on his cheek and was visibly tired. But his message was strong. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrettattackresponse.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrettattackresponse.html?19970 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:36:00 CST Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is recovering at Froedtert Hospital today after being attacked by a man wielding a metal pipe last night outside the Wisconsin State Fair. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrettattacked.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/barrettattacked.html?19936 Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:07:00 CST A Crivitz supper club owner will get help from a bevy of lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin as he sues the village for denying his right to fly the U.S. flag upside down. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/crivitzflagcontroversy.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/crivitzflagcontroversy.html?19917 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:17:00 CST Lost in the heated political rhetoric surrounding the debate over American health care reforms are some simply human dramas that can be framed in Constitutional and Judeo-Christian contexts. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/healthcareblog.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/healthcareblog.html?19896 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:33:00 CST Milwaukee County Supervisors Patricia Jursik, Marina Dimitrijevic and Christopher Larson, along with State Rep. Christine Sinicki, have formed a Coalition to Save the Hoan Bridge. Things are heating up over the Hoan after the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce asked for further studies involving either repairing the bridge for millions or replacing it for millions more. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/hoanbridgepolitics.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/hoanbridgepolitics.html?19867 Fri, 7 Aug 2009 14:29:00 CST We've been told on talk radio for years that Wisconsin is a terrible place to do business. You know the drill. Wisconsin is a tax hell hole. Wisconsin does nothing to encourage entrepreneurship or development of new businesses. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/wibizparadise.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/wibizparadise.html?19806 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:11:00 CST Among the plethora of fee increases passed by the Milwaukee Common Council this week is a hidden one that will not effect the city coffers at all -- a substantial increase in taxi cab rates. Milwaukee already has among the highest cab rates country -- including, for a period of time, more expensive than rates in Chicago and Toronto. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/milwaukeefeehikes.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/milwaukeefeehikes.html?19798 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:37:00 CST So, President Obama is having beers with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass., police department tonight, in an attempt to ease racial tensions he riled up with a somewhat irresponsible comment at press conference last week. That's kind of cool. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/obamabudlight.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/obamabudlight.html?19794 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 10:50:00 CST The Wisconsin Business Council (WBC) is a new organization formed to work with citizens and policy-makers to develop a pro-business, pro-employment agenda that makes Wisconsin a better place to start a business, expand a company and find exceptional investment opportunities. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/wbcblog.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/wbcblog.html?19779 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:25:00 CST The city is looking at raising water rates as a way to put more money in its general fund, going beyond the traditional water bills being used to cover the cost of running the Water Works. Water Works and city administration officials are looking to raise rates an additional 6.5 percent for suburban users of Milwaukee water and 5 percent for city residents on top of a 3 percent increase that takes effect soon. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politicswaterfees.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/politicswaterfees.html?19755 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:23:00 CST Political battles aren't always waged on the biggest stage. Sure, plenty of folks will be watching the fur (and dollars) fly when Democratic State Sen. Jim Sullivan faces off against Republican Rep. Leah Vukmir next year. But, a controversial sheriff recall election is rocking Price County and a group closer to home is concerned about what the Zoo Interchange project will do to the Monarch butterfly (pictured). http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/pricecountysherrif.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/pricecountysherrif.html?19638 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:35:00 CST Should a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court recuse himself or herself from cases involving litigants who donated $1,000 or more to the judge's election campaign? The court has the authority to amend the state judicial code without having to run it past the state legislature. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/recuse.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/recuse.html?19619 Wed, 8 Jul 2009 11:28:00 CST At lunch on Monday I wandered the halls of the County Courthouse and stumbled (not literally) onto the Register of Deeds office. The result is that I spent the rest of my jury service downtime studying the history of my house. http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/househistory.html http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/househistory.html?19481 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:57:00 CST