This entry is done by Greg the Green Knight Kowalski, who has taken over In the Race for a time frame that could be forever. Muahahaha

Since this has been a special week for me, I decided to have a little fun this Halloween! I'm sure a lot of people are curious as to what their elected leaders could be comparable to if they had to wear a costume. Roll your mouse arrow over the pictures to see who it represents!

Mayor Taylor is a great singer, just like Barry Manilow. He sings regularly and does annual singing events for our senior citizens around Christmas. Maybe this year Taylor will honor us by singing Copacabana.

Steve Taylor is truly The Punisher. He knocked Peko Pete off the Franklin aldermanic map and had many Franklin nonprofits feel the wrath of no fee waivers for 2 weeks. Tax dollars better watch out - - because they're next!

The ultimate (wannabe?) fiscal conservative: Tim Solomon. It's fitting to see him want to be Franklin's Henry Paulson.

C'mon. How is Kristen Wilhelm NOT Wonder Woman? Dubbed in the past as a "hyper-enviro" and thus a "liberal" by those who wanted to smear her, she dazzled 3rd District voters this past April to knock off Al Hammelman and thus putting her in charge of the district. KA-POW!

Since I'm a Trekkie, this was the only thing I could relate to with Lyle Sohns. Chief Engineer Miles O'Brien of Deep Space Nine fits Sohns perfectly. Hey - - Lyle should take this as a compliment...I'm a huge fan of Chief O'Brien!

Franklin's very own Bob the Builder, Ken Skowronski. Where would this community be without Ken and his influence on Franklin politics for many years? KS Remodelers is still running to this day, and Ken is still busy hammering away at projects.

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You might be asking, "Where the heck is Steve Olson!?" Well, unfortunately this was all Olson wanted to be or needed to be (you decide):

It looks like Olson is simply Franklin's "hot commodity" and doesn't need a costume. You see, people should want to be like him! Bummer.

Lastly, for those who want to know my "gig," here it is:

Have a safe Halloween!!!!!

Everyday I drive past the now-abandoned Coyote Bar & Grill on Hwy 100 & Loomis at least 4 times. For many 1st aldermanic district residents, it's the main way in and out for their daily routines of work and possibly play. Unfortunately, everyday we're all constantly reminded of what I view as a failure from Franklin leadership on trying to produce something positive and potentially unique for our community.

Since 2004, some sort-of development has-been proposed for the intersection, affectionately dubbed "The Crossroads" by community leaders who've been around in city government for quite sometime. Originally slated to be a Wal-Mart Supercenter, residents effectively pushed the big box away from the location. Since the Wal-Mart, a proposal has been in front of residents for several years called The Shoppes at Legend Creek. Disappointingly, there seems to be no motivation to develop that project, and Alderman Steve Olson (who represents me and several thousand 1^st District residents) notes on his website October 1^st of this year, "The city has received no new communication from the developer since the meeting in July, 2007."

While individuals like Olson supported the Crossroads plan (11/4/06 entry at the following link), which is essentially what the Legend Creek proposal is, I feel it stops way short of what the intersection could truly become. For the past few years, I've tried my best to keep informed about the development, only to be briefed in a few words on several occasions, "Nothing new." What I see here is the lack of a vision that could indeed provide a new light and perspective on one of our community's busiest intersections. Instead of doing any deep thought and/or lobbying on/for this potential prime real estate within the Franklin Public School District, I have to watch my alderman go off and become a hotshot on 27^th Street, which is way outside of his aldermanic district. I'm not impressed.

The City of Franklin needs its priorities changed. Our leaders need to begin putting heavier focus on lands west of 27^th Street (aka 31^st Street & beyond) and start promoting now-vacant parcels of land that could easily become the next Glen Town Centers or Greenway Stations. Instead of noting that the status-quo of the past is no longer acceptable presently or in the future throughout Franklin, we have aldermen, including Olson, drooling over the "bullet train" that apparently left the station on South 27^th Street.

A word to the wise (or a little preaching to the choir): 27^th Street has done a fine job at promoting itself. It's proximity to I-94 and Chicagoland make it prime territory for any business to build. With Northwestern Mutual and Wheaton Franciscan now anchoring the corridor, one can easily note that the corridor can build on its own now. If 27th Street was a child, it'd be a young adult. But even with the anchors, self-sustainability, and self-promotion, aldermen refuse to look away even for a brief second from the corridor. Meanwhile, projects like Legend Creek sit barren, empty, and comparable to a wasteland for years with little-to-no discussion on it, only the simple "Nothing new".

It's this visionless leadership that concerns me the most for Franklin's future as a strong and competitive suburb in the metropolitan area. You only need to drive 10 minutes into Muskego to see Moorland Road transform before your eyes. It only took 10 years for the I-43 & Moorland interchange to turn from grassy fields and farmland crops into a vital economic hub for the City of New Berlin. While the other suburbs play catch-up to us, what are we doing to make our community different from theirs? What are we implementing into our community regarding vision and future planning that will make Franklin stand-out amongst the crowd of southern suburbs? That's the only way we'll be able to self-promote ourselves to companies who might want to move here and to people who might want to live here.

While I try my best to communicate with all aldermen in my blog entries, this particular entry is dedicated and aimed at Alderman Olson, who is elected to represent my district until 2010. Steve, we need a vision for Franklin and its future. We need a game plan for open parcels of land within our community outside of the 27^th Street Corridor. We need to stop our lusting for one single road to max out in development and instead begin looking at the broader picture in Franklin. Steve, the Crossroads plan is going to be 5 years old in just over 2 months. Citizen hearings on the Crossroads done years ago, I feel, are no longer valid since so many residents moved in (and out) of the district surrounding the proposed commercial center. We need a new vision and a new plan for several areas in Franklin, and in my opinion there's no better area than the Crossroads intersection to kick it off.

The above entry was done by guest blogger Greg "the man with some sorta plan" Kowalski.

By guest blogger Greg Kowalski, who could be considered "poorer" than Sandi

For the past several weeks, our City Clerk Sandi Wesolowski has been working her butt off on the election coming up next Tuesday.

• Sending out absentee ballots
• Receiving absentee ballots
• Registering people to vote
• Informing people where to vote

I'm sure that the list could go on. What could be considered as "sad" for Sandi is the fact that all the election stuff is ON TOP OF what she does on a regular basis as City Clerk. Talk about a massive load of work and countless hours at City Hall.

So it amazes me that two aldermen got miffed when Mayor Taylor's budget proposal allowed for the Clerk's office to use the funds that'll be opened up by the Mayor's secretary's position being vacated. Aldermen Olson and Sohns, of whom I could dub the two amigos for this year's budgetary session, don't seem to want the Clerk to get extra funds...even though the absence of the secretary will put more burden on the Clerk's shoulders. Personally, I don't find that very kind by the aldermen toward her. Furthermore, the aldermen are pushing for further (and deeper) cuts into Staff in every department. The thought of this led to a giggle out of me because if I'm not mistaken, just several months ago I remember aldermen and the Mayor saying we don't have enough Staff to handle all the issues in our city. 

How are we supposed to take care of issues that we can't seem to take care of now if we're going to cut away the budget into oblivion?

Anyways, this entry is intended to support Sandi through these rough n tough times. I'm sure she could use the kudos and brownie points from residents.

Oh, and finally I got good news for all of you: I was told several times already by Sandi that Franklin WILL have enough ballots on November 4th! A primary concern of mine for two months now has been the thought that we might run out. While it's never 100% that we're safe from that situation, at least it's pretty darn close.

By guest blogger Greg Kowalski, who definitely gives a hoot about Franklin!

OK folks, it's been well known in Franklin that we have a severe restaurant shortage. Due to this, I used to blog about restaurants I'd like to see here when I was a FranklinNOW blogger. While my original desires have not faded away, there are always room for new entries. I'm here to tell you of two chains that Franklin could get in the future: Hooter's and Dave & Buster's.

Hooter's is probably the easiest prediction for this community, considering that Hooter's wants to expand in the metropolitan area and because Franklin seems to be on the "winning" end of such chains - - Golden Corral, anyone? A Hooter's in Franklin can also go pretty much anywhere; there's no restrictions with them and they easily blend in with any development going on in the city. It can go in a strip mall or a shopping center...it can even stand alone! Talk about verastile... How long will it be before we get an application before the Plan Commission for a Hooter's? I'll say 2 years...if not less.

Dave & Buster's just announced their entry into the Milwaukee area with a proposed location in Wauwatosa, near Mayfair Mall. Keeping close eyes and tabs on development, I can only say one thing to that proposal: It makes sense. Mayfair is still the hotspot of the metropolitan area, luring new tenants and retailers on a regular basis. What's disappointing to Dave & Buster's is the fact that Tosa DENIED them access to the premier retail, restaurant, and office strip at this time. Even though the police chief gave the chain a green light to build, aldermen didn't agree with it. They felt the chain would draw too many cars and create a scenario similar to Chuck E Cheese in Brookfield. That's sure to leave a nice mark on the entertainment and arcade restaurant focused on adults. So since Dave & Buster's isn't "Tosa material," it could be "Franklin material." You see, I don't see how Dave & Buster's is any different regarding alcoholic beverages than, say, a Buffalo Wild Wings. In fact, Dave & Buster's would be 10x better than a BW3, because there are more entertainment options available. Amusing enough, BW3 is down the street on Mayfair Road from the proposed Dave & Buster's...and Franklin (naturally) has no such chain restaurants like BW3. If the city and/or developers make Franklin enticing to D&B, I could see them applying for a Franklin location within 5 years. Regarding location, I'll predict D&B to put themselves along the Boomgaard.

Yes, the above might have given you a hoot, or it could spook you out if you don't want to see either of those chains in Franklin. Regardless, it's sure to ignite some debate and discussion in the near future.

For the past 14 hours I've been faced with a dilemma. I get the honor of donning a red cloak on Janet's blog, but by golly what will be my first "official" topic to discuss!? There are a lot of issues going on in Franklin that if they each represented a singular letter we could have Alphabet soup.

I decided that the first topic should be the first issue that's on everyone's mind, and will be showcased in an envelope going to your home in a few weeks: Property taxes.

In a rare moment, I support the Mayor's budget with a 3% levy increase. He kept his word, and I respect that. Unfortunately, the budget shrunk to the point where we have to eliminate jobs, but it's happening everywhere...public and private. The cuts shown by the Mayor were recently highlighted in recent discussions among Council members who now want to take larger and potentially deeper cuts into the budget. Not at all surprising, the alderman who pushed for those cuts was Lyle Sohns. Sohns believes that another $242,000 can be cut in the budget from further job cuts or halting redistribution of funds from one position to another, such as the funding scenario proposed for the Mayor's secretary: Eliminate the position but transfer the funds to the City Clerk.

While Sohns should be commended for at least saying and doing something other than giving the Mayor's budget a rubber stamp of approval, I don't think deeper cuts are the answer. Franklin taxpayers want to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely and for good reasons. We pay a lot of money out of our pockets into the city and expect something in return. Yes, we have a great police department and fire department...I'd argue they're some of the best in the metropolitan area. But how about other issues of concern, like children's' safety if they want to walk to school, or setting some funds aside for capital projects like a community center.

We never hear much of anything out of our aldermen regarding community issues other than the discussion about the sex offender ordinance...which has been put into law for years now. Personally, I think if several aldermen put the time and efforts similar to what they did about the sex offender ordinance on another important community-building project, such as the community center, we'd get something accomplished. The biggest overall issue regarding the proposed center is funding for it. There's only $1.7 million in the kitty right now to use to build a center, and as several members of the ad-hoc Community Center Committee noted, that'll hopefully be enough to purchase the land for the center. OK...now how about focusing on actual center construction.

The Mayor's levy is 3%, and I've heard from several sources that the levy will be maintained at 3% when it's all said and done. That's wonderful news for all the residents, but hopefully the increased dollars going out of their pockets are being used responsibly.

The following entry was done by guest blogger (and huge fan of Alphabet soup!) Greg Kowalski

Do not attempt to refresh your web browser.

I am now in control of In the Race.

Who am I?

Well, as Kevin Fischer would do:

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The rock'em sock'em blogger from the Cheesecake Factory...

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The Green Knight...

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Who makes no sound comparable to the Pillsbury Doughboy when his stomach is pushed in...

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GREG KOWALSKI!

It's definitely great to be back on FranklinNOW, especially during this time frame! Huge thanks goes to Janet for giving me this opportunity to talk to all of you about Franklin issues, metropolitan issues, and even national issues all the way up until Election Day. However, per my agreement with Janet, I promised one thing and one thing only - - I wouldn't talk about my support for Barack Obama. I can just hear all of you express disappointment over that! ;)

For those of you who don't know me, I'm the primary blogger of Metro Milwaukee Today and founded a blog underneath MMT called Franklin Today. I am also a contributing blogger on Blogging Blue, which recently landed on the Journal Sentinel's picks for liberal blogs. I had my blogging roots here on FranklinNOW, and I know all of the fellow bloggers very well.  In working with my "comrades in writing arms," we publicized Boomgaard, made the public aware about the 27^th Street Corridor and the Steering Committee for it, and discussed many other issues such as fee waivers, Mayor Taylor's allegations with the DA's office, and the at-times pompous attitude of Franklin's famous alderman, Steve Olson.

For those that do know me and the content I discuss, I look forward to talking to you again on this site. Hopefully during my tenure as the guest blogger you'll become more in touch with Franklin government and the happenings going on all around our community. It has been this constant mission of mine that irked so many at City Hall, and I have no regrets over it.

So stay tuned to In the Race for the next several days, for it's sure to get interesting!!

 Think it's cold here?...

This is what I have to look forward to:

Today...Snow showers this morning...Then snow showers likely this afternoon. Additional snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches. Highs in the mid 30s. West winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. Chance of snow 90 percent.

Tonight...Cloudy. Snow showers likely until midnight...Then a chance of snow showers after midnight. Total snow accumulation of 3 to 9 inches. Lows in the lower 20s. West winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of snow 70 percent.

Thursday...Cloudy with a chance of snow showers in the morning... Then partly sunny in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 30s. Northwest winds around 10 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of snow 30 percent.

Thursday Night...Mostly clear. Cold with lows in the lower 20s. Southwest winds around 10 mph.

Friday...Sunny. Highs in the upper 40s. Southwest winds around 10 mph.

Friday Night...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.

Saturday...Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 30s. Lows in the lower 20s.

Saturday Night...Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 30s. Lows in the lower 20s.

Sunday...Mostly clear. Highs in the lower 40s. Lows 15 to 20.

Sunday Night...Mostly clear. Highs in the lower 40s. Lows 15 to 20.

Monday...Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 40s. Lows in the upper 20s.

That’s what I call a vacation…

President George W. Bush entered the White House after one of the closest elections in U.S. history. His Presidency began with the worst terrorist attack ever on US. soil. 

Way to go Wal-Mart!

With the economy the way it’s going, we should be thinking “buy American” more than ever.

Although you wouldn’t know it.  We really haven’t heard about them as they’ve been overshadowed by the many young Obama supporters.  But they are there.  And, it’s nothing new for conservatives to be in the minority on college campuses, even in non election years, anyway.

"Tanya [Renicker] has been smitten with politics ever since her first real lesson in American history, in sixth grade. She can’t explain why, but the story of how the United States was founded, how the Constitution was written, fascinated her. That evolved into a passion for politics, since “it all comes together there.”

“Back then,” she recalls, “all my friends’ families were liberals except one, my friend Kinsey, and me. We used to say, ‘We love George Bush’ when we really didn’t know that much about politics yet. My interest has just grown since then.”

Tanya and her younger sister were raised on a family farm, the same one where their mother grew up, in the rolling hills of eastern Ohio. The family grows Christmas trees on some of their 300 acres. Her father is a sheet metal worker, a union man. Her mother stayed home and raised the girls. Conversation at the dinner table occasionally touched on politics. Tanya would go to the polls with her mother when she voted, but most of her life revolved around dance, theater, cheerleading, and the everyday activities of school and church. “I definitely don’t fit the Republican stereotype – I was really artsy in high school,” she says.

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The events of 9/11 in 2001 galvanized Tanya, transforming an interest in politics into a genuine, daily concern.

“I was in my fourth-period reading literature class when I found out,” she says. “At that moment I didn’t really realize what had happened. We had a football game that night and they canceled it, and I thought, ‘I don’t understand why they did that.’ ”

At home later that day, the full implication of the attack hit her. “That made me that much more interested in politics and national defense and all of the other countries in the world that aren’t like America,” she says."


from the Christian Science Monitor Continued HERE

Well, this is scary.  With the polls off and on indicating that Obama has the lead in the election race, people are starting to panic regarding anti-gun regulations.  And they should.  So they are heading out in droves to purchase guns.

Besides that, it’s a common trend that when the economy is in trouble, people tend to by weapons.

"More than three dozen interviews with gun dealers and buyers in Virginia and Maryland and with experts nationwide indicated that the increase in gun sales appears to be driven predominantly by concerns about the presidential election and the economy.

Most buyers who emphasized the economy said they thought the worsening situation could lead to an increase in crime and jeopardize their safety. A few said they were buying guns as an investment.

"Look at the political situation and the financial situation," said Fred Russell, owner of Russell's Gun Emporium in Hagerstown, Md. "It's common sense. People are scared."



Read the complete article HERE

AP photo

WFTV-Channel 9's Barbara West conducted a satellite interview with Sen. Joe Biden on Thursday. A friend says it's some of the best entertainment he's seen recently. What do you think?

West wondered about Sen. Barack Obama's comment, to Joe the Plumber, about spreading the wealth. She quoted Karl Marx and asked how Obama isn't being a Marxist with the "spreading the wealth" comment.

"Are you joking?" said Biden, who is Obama's running mate. "No," West said.

Article continued HERE


 

Liberals, pay close attention:

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

• The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
• The fifth would pay $1.
• The sixth would pay $3.
• The seventh would pay $7.
• The eighth would pay $12.
• The ninth would pay $18.
• The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

• The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
• The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
• The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
• The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
• The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
• The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

NObama.  Bye.  (I will get through the next few days...sigh)