Fire Department Discussion...

The Village Buzz of January 6th concerning the Christmas day fire has drawn some intense response.  There is more to the story and I learned that from others yesterday.  I have agreed with village officials to wait until later today to post that information.

It will most likely be somewhat in conflict with the original information I received from another individual and I believe it important to print the 'official' version of this incident.

Please stay tuned.

Village Board Races...

The trustee positions that are up for election in the spring (Tuesday, April 7th) and the people who are candidates are as follow:

District 1:  Incumbent Michael Bech not running.

Bill Steitz vs. Terry Kaminski

District 2:  

Jim Langer (Inc.) vs. Dan Wing

District 3: 

Al Vanderheiden (Inc.) vs. Dennis Meiers

District 4:  Incumbent Art Zabel is unopposed.

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School Board Races...

The board positions that are up in the spring and those who are declared candidates include:

At-large Seat 1:

Jayson Stemo, Shad Young and Kim Fischer

At-large Seat 7:

Tom Bowe (Inc.), Robert Banner III, Brian Palzkill and Erin Jex

A primary election will be held on Tuesday, February 17th with the top two vote getters in each race moving on to the spring election to be held on Tuesday, April 7th.

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We will see new faces on both the Germantown Village Board as well as on the Germantown School Board.  It is good to see that only a single seat is uncontested.  Obviously Art Zabel must be seen as unbeatable and that is fine, but it is good to see fresh blood in the game every so often.  That tends to keep everyone a bit more on their toes than might otherwise be the case.

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Finally, if you've not visited the Village of Germantown website recently, take a look at the newly refreshed site.

Fire Department Staffing Question...

I received an e-mail from a concerned citizen (whom I know, who has no axe to grind and who isn't a 'crackpot' in any way) yesterday who raised the question as to whether we might be at the point where we needed to add to our full-time firefighter staffing numbers.  He was talking about the Christmas day fire and his e-mail read like this:

"I can't believe that our Village leaders will not provide us with full-time fire protection.  We have many dedicated on-call firefighters upon whom we rely for protection, however, on that Christmas day fire were 3 people who showed up on the 1st truck that went out, and they had to pull an EMT person from the ambulance to be the 2nd person on the other truck that went to the fire.  So Germantown had 4 firefighters at the fire and had to rely on mutual aid from surrounding communities.  As a result, the home sustained a lot of damage.

I think its time to really push the Village to upgrade the paid fulltime fire positions.  As our community has grown, we have seen the increased tax dollars gladly taken in, but not spent on the essential services like fire and police protection, and improved roads."

I recall having broached this subject some months ago with nothing much coming from it at that time.

What are the thoughts from those in the community?  Is it time for this subject to be aired fully?  Are you willing to see some of your tax dollars put to this use?

School Board Action...

The Germantown School Board has taken steps to bring a 'personal finance' course to the system in the 2009-2010 school year.  This course would be, as discussed so far, a half-credit course running for a semester.

What a great idea!  It is, in my estimation, the rare student that emerges from his or her educational process (even including college) that understands personal finance, knows how to balance an account, recognizes the dangers inherent in credit, etc.  I would lobby for this to be a required course were I on the board, with a test-out provision so that students that were already sufficiently conversant could pass the test and be able to avoid the semester course in favor of other courses.

According to the Express News article by Thomas J. McKillen, Managing Editor, there was discussion with some resistance to the idea noted.  In the end, the board has instructed the Instructional Improvement Council to return a proposal for such a course in April, 2009 for further consideration.

Germantown/Menomonee Falls Discussions...

On the same subject, education, I was very pleased to see that the administration of both communities' school systems were engaged in discussions concerning Germantown's possible use of an existing, but available, school building in Menomonee Falls.  The Falls board had already determined that it would close this building.  That seems to represent a possible solution, at least short-term, to the space needs expressed in Germantown.

I am sure there are numerous issues that would need to be resolved if this were to be put into place, but this represents that "outside the box" thinking discussed on these pages some time ago.

Let's hope that something comes of this outreach.

Happy New Year Germantown...

2009 is upon us and brings with it hope for a better year.  Those of us who are optimistic see the new year as containing many exciting new challenges and opportunities.  Those of us who are pessimists tend to dwell on the problems of last year and see those continuing.  We each have the personal decision to take as to how we'll view the start of this year.  I have always been of the belief that each new year will be as good as I make it...no better and no worse.  I am also a firm believer in attitude making a big difference in our lives.  If we pursue each day with a positive attitude, we're much more likely to end each day feeling good about how we spent it.  The choice is mine, and not anyone else's.  Obviously, we'd define some days as being better than other days, but each has its special lesson for us if we search that out.

New Bank In Germantown...

Actually, it is the same bank that has been in Germantown for many years and that we most recently knew as the National City bank.  It is now owned by the PNC Financial Services Group based in Pittsburgh.  I am not aware of the branding changes we may see but expect that PNC will become a very visible presence in our community and in our area as logo changes are introduced.

I happen to do my banking, such as it is, in that bank here in Germantown.  The employees who make that bank what it is will continue to make it that no matter the logo that appears on the signage.  As I've mentioned earlier though, they will probably need to expand their clothes closets to handle yet another set of bank logo clothes.  I confess that I marvel at the number of times the veterans in that bank have had to endure re-training on products and systems.  I can only hope that the transition from National City to PNC goes as well as that from Mid-America to National City.

Village People...

We lost an employee in the village hall a short time ago who had been on an extended leave of absence about which we'll likely never know the details since those things are never made public.

Now the report of Fire Chief Pollpeter having been on a medical leave since December 1st surfaces in the Community NOW news.  Again, since these things are sealed and not made public, there will likely be no way that we'll learn the nature of this situation.  Given the somewhat rocky tenure of the chief, I find myself wondering if something more might be afoot.  Time will tell. 

I read an article over the time off following Christmas that puzzled me...not that many don't have that same effect...but this one said that we, Germantown, "thirst for comprehensive water plan".

As I went a bit further, I noted that the vaunted Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission was behind this 'movement' that would result in at least $352 million in construction expense and 53 miles of new water pipe.

Germantown, and other communities would be forced to shut down their water facilities and would buy the Lake Michigan water from the Milwaukee Water Works.  The costs are estimated to be as much as $8.5 million per year...BUT, we'd no longer need water softeners  and the attendant salt and we'd all SAVE at least $8.7 million.

Several things come to mind...

...will our water facilities be purchased from us or will we simply close the doors and the wells and the pumps and the towers and continue to eat those costs until everything is paid off?

...will this result in a fiasco on the order of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District with the high prices over which no elected board has control?

...why should we do this?  Are we starved for water?  Do we have radium issues that are not resolvable?

...would we be included simply to provide additional funding?

...who says we "thirst for comprehensive water plan"?

...what will happen when, twenty years from now, our former water facilities will be beyond re-use, and we have a Great Lakes problem that threatens to shut down the Milwaukee Water Works?  We'll obviously have no practical alternative at that point, and will be more victimized than I suspect we'll have been for the first twenty years.

How many of our trustees have been briefed on this and who are they and where do they stand on this issue? 

The only thing I've heard anything about are Menomonee Falls with its recent deal done, New Berlin with the radium issues and Waukesha with its radium issues.  Were we involved in these discussions?  Or are we simply being lumped in because, like the MATC, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) needed more money to even begin to make this boondoggle appear to be affordable?

I am growing very weary of being the flea on the tip of the tail of the doggy.  It is plain that we'll be unable to 'wag the dog' because we've no leverage; to my knowledge, we're not even represented on this Commission...but I guess that's okay since it works well for the technical college system.

Every time that tax eating dog wags its tail, we get whipsawed...if we don't end up being tossed to the ground and run over.

This report is found on the SEWRPC website by clicking here. 

Wow!  It's Snowing Again (Still)...

The last prognostication I heard from the weather professionals this morning indicated that we could have another foot of snow between now and Christmas.

I visited with Dave Schornack, Village Administrator, yesterday on another subject and he mentioned that Germantown had burned 1,200 gallons of fuel just on snow clearing over the past week-end.  That also required that our village crew members were on the job for sixteen straight hours at one point.

Dave did mention that as soon as there was a sufficient break in snow falling, the village will begin to haul the accumulated snow banks away to make room for more.  It doesn't sound very promising for that activity in the next few days.

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Property Tax Bills...

That reminded me that I had planned to mention our community tax bills.

My property taxes, in total, increased $5 year over year.  I can live with that quite nicely, thank you!  There is a growing interest within Wisconsin to see the property tax system relieved of the ever-increasing pressure felt by property owners.  Among other things, that would see increases in sales taxes and in numerous fees.

An organization called Wisconsin Way has presented its plan for accomplishing this and we'll likely write about that plan in coming weeks.

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Winter Safety...

The snow that is costing us all money for road maintenance has more serious effects.

First, the rate of accidents, most relatively minor thank goodness, has increased even after we've gotten the 'hang' of winter driving.  The powdery dry snow falling this morning on top of snow-packed streets has certainly made for slick streets.

The huge piles of snow that have accumulated are making our intersections more hazardous and causing youngsters out enjoying winter to be more difficult to see.  We really need to adjust our driving habits and our driving speeds around the community to preclude loss of life in addition to damage to and loss of property.

Germantown Streets...

Our village employees are doing a great job today on the remains of the snow storm that appeared to dump about 12 inches on my house.  Our street had a swipe taken by about 6:30AM today so that it was passable.  I have resorted to paying to have my driveway plowed and that had been done before 7:30AM.  After some clean-up shoveling, I decided to drive to my office only to find that parking lot full of snow and just beginning to be cleared, so I deferred until later.  The traffic was sparse at that time.

The main streets are very passable considering the snowfall and the wind, and the side streets appear to be a good shape, too, although there is some touch-up remaining to happen.  If I'm not mistaken, I think I noticed that sidewalks on Mequon were being addressed with the small maneuverable plows the village deploys.  If not, they were certainly clear for having had the snowfall that we had.

Germantown People...

On the same theme, when I did go out again about 11:00AM, I was reminded of how nice it is to know that you live in a place where people take the time to help neighbors, and where you can almost always count on a smile in return for yours to others.  Even today, with nerves maybe a bit frayed, that seemed to hold true.

Of course, smiles tend to have magical qualities about them.  They provoke thoughts of kindness in others who almost always have to smile back; such a great payback for so little an investment.

Shopping in Sendik's was easy.  There were still just a few people who had ventured out, but the store was ready and the staff was friendly and helpful...as always.  The parking lot was quite well cleared just prior to noon, and had looked to be quite passable during the Fox 6 reports that were aired from their parking lot during the early morning hours. 

We had free run of Menard's, as well, where employees outnumbered customers by two to one or better, although that parking lot left a great deal to be desired. 

Snow days always seem to have something special about them, even for me as an adult.  Maybe it is the idea that I can justify not being in my office or being a little lazy in the morning until the driveway gets plowed.  And, if we but look about at the youngsters having so much fun when they can be out of school on a school day, maybe that is infectious, too. 

All in all, it is a great day in Germantown!   I hope you feel the same way about your town, too, if it isn't Germantown!

John Doe Investigation Follow-Up...

My Blog of December 10th dealt with the  John Doe investigation ordered by Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez at the request of a prisoner by the name of James M. Hermann.  Mr. Hermann had been arrested in a disorderly conduct-domestic violence situation and claimed his rights were violated by Germantown Police officers.

That John Doe hearing occurred today and was dropped after Hermann refused to answer the questions posed to him by Judge Ramirez.  Ramirez said he believed that Hermann had requested the John Doe simply to harass the police officers involved.

Hermann claimed he feared that he might incriminate himself if he answered the judge's questions.  The questions concerned whether or not he was on illegal drugs when arrested, and whether the drugs found in the black box in his safe were his.  The judge advised Hermann that he had no credibility since he'd been arrested nine times prior with eight of those arrests involving crimes of dishonesty and thievery.  He was ordered to pay restitution to one of the officers who had incurred $2,000 in attorney's costs as the result of this investigation.  I suspect pigs may be flying about as soon as the restitution is paid.

My point in the first piece was that these things have become habitual and are used by prisoners too often in frivolous ways.  It appears that once again this was the case.  The fear of self-incrimination appears to have been warranted based on the questions he refused to answer.  It seems that most thinking people would understand the non-answer was likely a very positive statement.

I would think that our legislators, who seem to jump at the chance to pass new laws, could craft some kind of law that would help to reduce or eliminate the frivolous actions while still protecting the rights of the truly aggrieved.

Armed Bank Robbery...

I would also expect that crooks are re-thinking any plans to hit banks in Germantown.  That doesn't seem to produce very good results as was proved once again.

Kudos to the Germantown Police for another apparent success!  One person remains to be captured but that'll probably occur reasonably soon since the other one is in custody and will likely get lonely.

Officer Bosco Fund Well-Supported...

A morning press release from Chief Pete Hoell brought good news.

Officer Bosco is back to work and doing well.  And, the fund raising effort has met with success.  The goal of $4,000 has been surpassed although the department will happily continue to accept your donations if you desire and add that to the K-9 Fund for future Bosco needs.

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Village Races Shaping Up...

District 1 - Michael Bech has indicated he will not seek re-election and former trustee Bill Steitz is planning to run for that seat according to reports.  Rumors indicate that he may have a challenger in that race.

District 2 - Incumbent Jim Langer will run again for a third term and will be opposed by Dan Wing, a Plan Commission member, who has run before.

District 3 - Incumbent Al Vanderheiden will run for a third term and will be opposed by Dennis Meyers, a member of the Police and Fire Commission.

District 4 - Incumbent Art Zabel is running for a seventh term and is, so far at least, unopposed.

Nomination papers must by filed by 5PM on Tuesday, January 6th.  Primary elections will be held on Tuesday, February 17th, with the general election set for Tuesday, April 7th.

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Officer Bosco Update...

I received an e-mail today from Chief Pete Hoell who had this to say:

"I am pleased to inform you that Bosco is back on the job and we have raised $2,420.00 so far.  Thank you everyone for your very generous donations and kind thoughts and words."

With the goal of $4,000 in mind, the Germantown Police Department K-9 Fund is still in need of $1,580.00.

Remember that you can make a contribution by mailing a check made out to the Germantown Police Department K-9 Fund to the department at P.O. Box 96 , Germantown, WI 53022 or by stopping at the Police Department building at N112 W16877 Mequon Road to drop off any contributions. 

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Germantown Sidewalk Clearing...

Is it just me or did it seem to you, as well, that the sidewalks normally cleared by the village very promptly after a snowfall were left untended for a while this time?  I noted this morning that they had been cleared.  Maybe it was simply that the week-end fell at an awkward time.  The weather doesn't always cooperate.

Speaking of which...please take care to be sure that you aren't one of the reasons for an ambulance run during and after this next storm being forecast for us.  We've had the opportunity to re-learn our winter driving skills, and to remind ourselves of just how heavy snow can be.

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"Normal" Winter Pattern?

We seem to have a good start at what came to be last year's normal winter pattern...several inches of snow, colder weather for a few days...and then more snow.  We have friends who are avid snowmobile riders (or should I call them "snow machines" now?) and I know they're probably excited.  But, let's not get carried away!

The current "big storm" appears to be a "for sure" happening as I listen to the weather reports, with the only real question being that of who will receive what in terms of snowfall.

I really hope we're not on our way to breaking last year's record snowfall so soon.  Once those records are set, we normally would have some time to brag about how we handled "that record-breaking" year.  People aren't going to believe our stories if we repeat the same ones year after year.

Open Seats...

Dave Magill has confirmed that he has filed papers indicating he would not be standing for re-election to the Germantown School Board's At Large Seat #1.  His term expires in April, 2009.  So far, I am unaware of any person filing to run for that open seat, but there is still plenty of time for that to happen.

Michael Bech has also filed papers indicating that he will not be a candidate for Trustee in District 1 of the Village of Germantown.  The rumor mill has it that Bill Steitz, a former trustee, will be filing papers soon.

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Officer Bosco Update...

Chief Pete Hoell provided the following information today:

On Tuesday, December 2nd, our K-9 Officer Bosco had been placed on a light anesthetic for the first procedure.  When the doctor increased the anesthetic for the biopsy procedure, Bosco's heart rate elevated.  Additional anesthetic would have caused Bosco to go into cardiac arrest so they stopped the biopsy procedure.  It is unknown why his heart rate would have increased while on the anesthetic.  Due to the three doctors' previous examinations, they are confident and concur that it is not a cancerous mass; however, the mass will have to be watched very closely.  The doctors believe Bosco can be treated with medication without having to undergo surgery at this time.

To date, we have incurred $1,300 in medical bills.  The monthly costs for the medication could be as high as $500 a month.  We have at least a $4,000 fund raising goal in mind to pay for the medical bills and future medication(s).

On the whole, we are optimistic that Bosco will recover, however we will have to monitor the mass and hope the medication works.  We are in a day by day situation to see how things work out.  The way it stands now, we believe Bosco will be back to work on Monday, December 8th.

I'll continue to keep you posted on his status.

I would also like to thank every one for their support and kind words and thoughts.  It means a lot to us here at GPD but it is especially meaningful to PO Jeff Schnell and Bosco.

K-9 Officer Bosco is supported by contributions from the community without tax money involved.  This occurrence has obviously started the run-up of medical bills that will need to be paid from the Germantown Police Department K-9 Fund.  If you can find it in your heart to help Bosco with a contribution of a dollar or ten dollars or a hundred dollars, that can be made by mailing a check as indicated below or by simply stopping at the Germantown Police Department and walking into the lobby to make the contribution.

Remember that you can make a contribution by mailing a check made out to Germantown Police Department K-9 Fund to the department at P.O. Box 96 , Germantown, WI 53022 or by stopping at the Police Department building at N112 W16877 Mequon Road to drop off any contributions. 

Thanks in advance for your help! 

Meeting With Assembly-person Elect Dan Knodl...

I enjoyed a meeting and cup of coffee with Dan Knodl on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  He had indicated a willingness to meet since we hadn't yet had that opportunity.

We discussed his campaign 'issues' and he appeared to be very contrite, wishes that it hadn't happened and indicated that he was ready to face the penalty.  I felt that he was being honest and forthright during this discussion.  He recognizes that this will dog him for a good long time to come, but wants to do a good job for the district and hopes to eventually move beyond this chapter in his elected life.

His purpose in our meeting was to indicate that he wanted to "stay grounded" and open lines of communication with people throughout the district.  He indicated that he had already tendered his resignation from the Washington County Board; I'm not certain of the effective date of that resignation.  I believe that spot will be filled by appointment with the full Board's approval.

We joked about the 'broom closet' he was likely to be given as his Madison office since the 'newbies' who are also in the minority are not among the favored.  He said that he would qualify to have a single staff person and that he was already involved in the interview process and hoped to have made his decision by December 15th.  His choice will likely be made from among seasoned staff people who were working for a member that lost his or her re-election bid and were seeking a new position.

He said that he intended to spend a lot of time in the district so that he could keep himself abreast of its needs, and so that he didn't fall into the "trap" of being caught up in the position where people are all trying to make you feel good so that you'll support their position on this and that.  He is working now to identify issues that he can begin to work on hoping that this will help him establish his credibility even as a minority freshman assembly-person.

He professes to be a conservative.  He mentions his business experience and indicates that he is a 'property rights' believer.  He mentioned that he will remain a member of the Wisconsin Tavern League but will not be involved in leadership roles as he had been.  He understands that it will be very difficult for him to establish his credibility especially since the Republicans are in the minority in both the Assembly and the Senate.

He has developed a list of issues that he hopes to become involved with, and indicated that he was open to people's suggestions for additions to this list.  Among the items already on the list are spending reductions through things such as the sale of some state-owned property that could benefit both the state treasury and the communities that would acquire newly taxable property within their borders.

I would invite readers to offer their thoughts for Mr. Knodl as to issues that are important in this coming two-year period.  I'd also like to encourage his periodic contributions to this Blog as a guest writer if his schedule permits.  He was stung by some of the comments (relating to his family) that were posted to my earlier Blogs.  I indicated that I am not permitted to edit comments, but that, had I that opportunity again, I'd probably have decided to pull the offensive comment in its entirety, which I am permitted to do.

All in all, we had a good first visit.

Police dog Bosco undergoing surgery

The health of a beloved canine contributor to the community could be at risk.

Germantown Police Department police dog Bosco is having surgery this afternoon to remove a mass that may be cancerous.

Officer Bosco, used by the department for the last four years to detect a variety of drugs and search for suspects and endangered people, has been experiencing health problems, and doctors discovered the mass during an examination Nov. 26.

Germantown Police Chief Peter Hoell said the surgery, at an estimated cost of $2,000 to $3,000, could be the first step in saving the 6-year-old dog.

"We are going to hope for the best and prepare for the worst," Hoell said.

It is unknown whether additional treatment will be necessary, so the department is seeking any help the public is willing to offer to offset the cost of Bosco's medical bills. Checks made payable to the Germantown Police Department K-9 Fund can be mailed to the department, N112 W16877 Mequon Road, Germantown, WI 53022, or dropped off in person.

"At this point we'll take things day by day," Hoell said, adding that the department is committed to doing everything it can to cure Bosco.

For information, call the department at (262) 253-7788.

(Article courtesy of Ty Finke)

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Winter Wonderland...

Germantown has taken on the look of Christmas with the eight or so inches of snow that fell on us overnight.

Our snow plowers and salters appear to have been on the ball given the state of our roadways this morning.  I've heard the sirens that always seem to announce the first major snowfall of each season.  We can hope that the only injuries suffered were by fenders and bumpers.

Isn't global warming an amazing phenomenon?

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Village Board Reconsiders Hotel Tax...

The Village Board meets tonight and among the agenda items is the possible reconsideration of the 2% bump (a 33% increase from 6% to 8%) in the hotel room tax in Germantown.

Public comments had indicated that all the hotels in Germantown were in support when this was originally passed, however a storm of criticism erupted following the vote.  Apparently there wasn't the support thought at the time.

Surprise, Surprise...

I'm sure this must come as a great shock to us all.

The Wisconsin Technical College System Board voted 12-0 in favor of denying the petition request made by the Germantown School District to be permitted to leave the MATC district and move into the Moraine Park Technical College district.

We'll just have to shut up, pay our exorbitant MATC tax load and wait for another twenty years and try again.

In a very selfish way, I can at least look forward to many more opportunities to ridicule the MATC decision-making apparatus as well as the silly ways this group finds to divest themselves of our money.

When will we have a state government that wakes up to the folly of none-elected (appointed) boards that have taxing powers.  This is truly taxation without representation...and there seems not a thing we can do about it.

Maybe current MATC President Darnell Cole will eventually find another school that is willing to take him off our hands; I feel confident that he'll continue to look for more money and more people to tax.  After all, the goose that is called the MATC district is just about finished laying larger eggs.  I wonder if technical colleges also have powers of annexation?  That wouldn't come as too great a surprise, either.

I also wonder if we'll see more "free" laptops being donated to the library; and if we'll see that "splendid" cooperation between our industry and the MATC get even better.  We'd probably be wise to not hold our breath until that occurs.

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Knodl Konundrum - Chapter Two...

Dan Knodl has entered a plea of not guilty in Ozaukee County to the charges lodged against him over names published without the permission of those named.

I suspect that, at worst, he'll be fined a modest amount and life will go on.

I have to say, though, that I'd be very embarrassed if that were my campaign and I let that happen when I would've known I had a comfortable lead in such a dominant Republican stronghold.

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Mequon Road/Pilgrim Road Intersection Construction...

It seems that the construction in this main intersection in Germantown has gone on longer than had been expected.  I certainly hope this ends very soon so the roadway and traffic patterns can be restored prior to the Winter weather descending upon us.

Sheriff's Department Gathers Kempinski Records... 

JSOnline and the print edition of the Journal Sentinel have an article by Don Behm discussing a search warrant that was used to pick up records that included campaign finance reports and receipts.  According to that article, some 30 documents were removed from the Village Hall on Friday, November 7th.

A search of the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access site shows that Case Number 2008GF000978 was filed against Thomas Kempinski on November 7th in Branch 3 of the Washington County Circuit Court with Judge David Resheske named as the Responsible Official.

The affidavit requesting the search warrant alleged that some of the campaign documents had been altered.

I had looked at the campaign finance file of President Kempinski some time ago, following the resignation of Trustee James Langer from his position on the Kempinski campaign, and noted that pages had been altered using correction fluid and questioned whether or not this was permissible given that the original documents didn't appear in the file at that time.

It is unfortunate that innocent parties will likely be involved as this is unraveled, but that appears to have been felt to be necessary by officials in order to get to the truth.

I suspect that involved parties may be unable to comment, but, if that is not the case, we would welcome any 'guest blogs' on this subject so long as the individual(s) is/are willing to identify themselves.

Reminder:  MATC Secession Hearings Tomorrow

My apologies for this re-hash concerning the MATC public hearings but it is important that anyone interested in making comments is in attendance at one or the other of the two sessions scheduled for Tuesday, November 11th:

• Tuesday, November 11th from 2:00PM to 5:00PM
• Menomonee Falls Public Library
•  Tuesday, November 11th from 6:00PM to 8:00PM
• Menomonee Falls Community Center

Comments should focus on things other than the tax rate if the Wisconsin Technical College Board is to be convinced of the need for approval of the petition to secede made by the Germantown School District.

Among the things that might be discussed would be:

• Convenience of the West Bend campus operated by the Moraine Park Technical College
• Easy commuting, safety considerations for students, wealth of courses from which selections can be made, willingness of the College to work in unison with employers' special needs
• The fact that communities in Washington County would be unified under the change
• The Germantown School District includes parts of  the Town of Polk, the Town of Jackson and the Village of Richfield
• The balance of those communities are already served by the Moraine Park Technical College while those portions in the Germantown District are served by the Milwaukee Area Technical College
• A favorable decision would provide for each of those communities to be unified as part of the same district

Frankly, if the reason for the petition were based on the taxation issue, then the petition would've more properly identified the Waukesha County Technical College district as the desired new district since it has a lower tax rate than does Moraine Park.

Sendik's Food Market 60 Days Later...

I have yet to encounter a Sendik's associate who wasn't happy to be there and who wasn't happy to help me.

I have noted that the facility remains bright and cheery with a very clean floor, which I thought might be problematic given carpeting.  Winter will be a bigger challenge.  Shelves are always fully stocked; delicious samples are scattered throughout the store.

I don't know about you, but I am happy Sendik's selected Germantown as the site for one of their beautiful grocery facilities.

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Veterans Day 2008...

Remember that the 2008 Veterans Day ceremony will be held at the Veterans Memorial at the corner of Freistadt Road and Park Avenue on Sunday, November 9th at 10:30AM.  If you've not seen the memorial, it is worth your time.

A little history...

Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day when proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson for November 11, 1919 to celebrate all veterans of World War I.  It finally became known as Veterans Day on November 8, 1954 when Congress amended the act to change the name and to have the day honor all veterans who have served their country.  The President was Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The American Legion will also conduct a flag disposal ceremony following the program so that you can properly dispose of any torn, tattered and/or faded American Flag you may have.

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County Supervisors Cut Property Tax Levy...

The supervisors agreed to take half of the county's sales tax revenue into the operating budget for 2009.

Unfortunately, this budget cuts the $35,000 for the County Convention and Visitors Bureau and cuts $15,000 from the Fair Park.  The Village of Germantown is working to assist the Convention and Visitors Bureau since it receives significant promotion from that organization and felt that the funding cut by the county would have consequences for the community and its merchants.

The county set a 2009 tax rate of $2.71 per $1,000 which is down about $0.10 per $1,000 from this year.

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SRO Officer In Schools...

I had the pleasure of meeting SRO Tim Miller during the Citizen Police Academy session this past Wednesday evening.  He gave us an overview of his duties in the schools and discussed the changes that have been brought about since this program was initiated.  "SRO" means School Resource Officer.  The SRO is a sworn officer and funding for this position is paid jointly by the school district and the police department on a 75%-25% ratio, respectively.

Our high school is a much quieter place of learning than before the initiation of this program several years ago.  Student fights seldom occur now; the SRO has formed relationships that help both students and administration.  And, students develop, I suspect, a much different view of police officers having had this experience.  The SRO is available for class instruction whenever the subject matter entails.  SRO Miller, in this case, can 'tell it like it is' during driver education and health classes, for example.

This strikes me as a very good use of taxpayer dollars that provides both a current payback as well as future benefits.

GEA Members Protesting...

I have learned that teachers in Germantown, members of the Germantown Education Association, are apparently protesting by wearing black clothing, or black armbands and pins over their lack of a contract that expired a few months earlier.

The offer from the Board/Administration was in accordance with the QEO (qualified economic offer) rules still in effect in Wisconsin that cite a maximum of 3.8% compensation increase including benefits according to my information.

I Blogged yesterday about the QEO going away in Wisconsin given Democrat control and WEAC support.

Could this be the first salvo in that battle?  Is it just coincidence that this occurs the day after the election, or is it part of well-planned scenario to force that issue sooner rather than later.

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GOP Voter Turn-Out Down In Washington County...

I learned from an benefits industry newsletter this morning that voter turn-out on the GOP side of the race for president were off from the most recent similar race.

Washington County showed 50,641 votes for Bush in 2004 while there were a total of 47,725 votes cast for McCain.  Waukesha County showed 9,837 fewer votes for McCain versus Bush in 2004, and Ozaukee County reported 2,744 fewer votes for McCain versus Bush.

Given the intensity of the campaigning and other races that were involved, this would seem to suggest that conservatives were really 'put out' over being forced to cast votes for the least desirable of the Republican candidates that started the race.

These three counties are solid conservative counties typically.  Maybe this was a backlash or maybe there were more casual Republican voters who were swayed to cast their ballots for Obama because they liked him rather than as a protest of their selection.

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MATC Response Opposing The Germantown School District Petition Filed...

A 54 page response is available for your review on the MATC website if you like.  I've gleaned some of that information as follows:

• "MATC offers the highest quality and greatest variety of programs and learning opportunities in the most diverse college in Wisconsin.  Germantown has benefited enormously from MATC's resources."
• "As discussed below, reorganization would certainly not be in the best interests of the hundreds of Germantown residents who attend MATC, utilizing programming and coursework that is unavailable at Moraine Park."
• "...Germantown has not presented any compelling reason to sever its productive, long-standing relationship with MATC and realign Germantown with Moraine Park.  To do so would-in effect-place an unfunded mandate upon MATC by reducing its revenues without any corresponding reduction in costs.  Programming and enrollment data strongly suggest that Germantown residents will continue to attend MATC and utilize its resources, even if reorganization occurs."

This could, and does, go on and on through the course of the 15 page letter signed by the MATC President, Dr. Darnell E.Cole, and the MATC Board Chairperson, Lauren Baker.

It asserts that there is no real reason for the petition other than our desire to get out from under the $5.7 million annual tax burden (that MATC fails to acknowledge has climbed exponentially over time).  It complains that the sole reason for the petition is financial and it says that isn't permitted as a reason for consideration.

I was struck by the fact that MATC can decry the petition on the basis of the financial havoc that would be visited on MATC but the citizens of the school district are denied the same opportunity.

MATC brags about the unique courses available, and the commuting distance differences.

That rings hollow to me since there has been no indication that Germantown students, as few as they are in total number, are seeking out MATC for those "unique" courses.  The discussion of "distance" rings hollow for me since I can drive "more quickly and more easily" from Germantown to West Bend than to either the Mequon campus or the downtown campus.

MATC points out the $2.7 million investment made in the Mequon campus over the past ten years but fails to acknowledge the $40 to $50 million in taxes paid by us citizens over that same time span.  Again, the point of money is made by MATC but cannot be used to defend the petition.

MATC says it would have to engage in "substantial" program/job cuts" if the petition were to be approved.  What a novel idea for this organization contrasted with the endless tax increases that have been and will continue to be levied.  Once again, they can use the fiscal fact set they create to defend against our petition but we cannot use the fiscal fact set we create to auger in favor of our petition.

I  have long maintained that the likelihood of a ruling favorable to the Germantown School District in its petition to move to Moraine Park was a long shot, at best.

Reading the story put together to defend the poorly run MATC organization makes me ill, as it also helps me see that the likelihood of a favorable ruling is probably much more remote than I had ever supposed.

This is such a classic case of a non-elected governmental body with taxing authority being judged by its own parent to the detriment of us citizens.  This simply has to change...but that isn't going to happen for the time period during which the Democrats control state government.  I'd simply better come to understand that and forget trying to tip windmills.

Wow, voting day is finally here and my telephone will quit ringing so much, my mailbox will be less cluttered and I can either celebrate or cry in my proverbial beer.  This election 'season' has seemed to go on forever.  Several things are at top of mind this morning...

Milwaukee Police Unit Disbanded...

The special investigative unit of the Milwaukee Police Department that generated the 67 page election fraud report has apparently been disbanded some five days prior to today's election.  The detective who led that operation has, according to the Wall Street Journal, been relegated to the sidelines today.  John Fund of the Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Detective Michael Sandvick had predicted that Wisconsin could see as many as 55,000 illegal votes cast.  He cited the cross-border flow from Minnesota and Illinois since Wisconsin is one of only eight states that have 'same day' registration coupled with the weak verification of eligibility.  His estimate was that as many as 30,000 votes could be cast today in that manner. 

There are only two people of whom I'm aware who could've caused this 'stand down' and those are Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and/or Police Chief Flynn.  Neither has been available for interviews today to my knowledge.

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My Voting Site...

I drove past the site where I vote at about 7:20AM today and was astounded at the number of vehicles parked and at the length of the line of people waiting to move into the building to vote.  I plan to vote in the 9:00AM range and we'll see if this surge was simply caused by people on their way to work as I suspect.

At any rate, it certainly seems that our voter turn-out will be in the range predicted by the Village Clerk's staff which I recall was in the 73 percent range.

On top of this was an inordinately high number of absentee ballots being cast based on my casual observations of parking lot loads during the preceding couple of weeks and of anecdotal comments from people working in village hall.

UPDATE:  I voted at about 9:20AM and was number 580.  The people were still streaming in and there was about a ten minute wait at that time.

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Media Hype...

I am angered with what now seems to pass for the mainstream media so far as their seeming promotion of Obama's 'inevitable' victory.

We have been fed the 'facts' for many days that there is no way for McCain to win.  There are, unfortunately, too many voters who are swayed by this 'stuff' and who don't think for themselves.  If just 1% of potential voters were dissuaded from 'wasting' their time voting, the swing could become a 'self-fulfilling' prophecy.

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Direct Legislation...

Finally, we are witnessing direct legislation in Milwaukee concerning mandatory sick days from employers.  This would create a burden for many businesses that would force them to close or move thus negatively impacting the residents.  But, there are too many who can't or won't think these issues through and simply vote because they like the idea that they can have sick days. 

We are witnessing some 25 to 30 communities across the state that have ballot questions concerning 'mandatory health care plans similar to those afforded state employees'.  These types of issues are done at the state level but grass roots groups have begun to work at the local levels to bring some pressure to bear on state legislators.  The simple fact is that there isn't enough money in the state to provide that level of health care coverage for all the residents.  We would bankrupt ourselves.

Having family members in Colorado, I am reminded of the folly that those voters are subjected to in the form of ballot initiatives.  There are something on the order of fifty individual questions on ballots in Colorado today that require some real effort to understand.  The majority of voters do not take the time to do their own research and, instead, follow the direction of their associations or unions or professional affiliations.

This is a very dangerous thing, in my opinion, that lends some credence to the old saw about us voters getting the government we deserve.