Wednesday, May 15, 2024
spot_imgspot_img
Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Milwaukee Press Club 'Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism' 2020 & 2021 Award Winners

Chris Abele Urges County to Reconsider Milwaukee Museum Funding, Focus on ‘Critical Needs’

spot_img

Chris Abele says the county’s money is needed for more critical needs.

Former Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele is urging Milwaukee County’s elected officials to “re-think” its $45 million grant to the new Milwaukee Public Museum project, saying he believes the money should be shifted toward more critical needs, such as the public safety building and parks maintenance.

“If the County has the opportunity to re-think such a big and (now more) expensive grant, I would strongly encourage them to do so,” Abele said in a statement to Wisconsin Right Now.

The former county exec is not anti-museum; in fact, he’s been a major donor to the museum before for other projects there, such as a solar wall. But, as he pointed out to WRN, “That was with my money, not yours.”

We were curious about what he thought of the new museum project, so we reached out and asked, and he sent us a statement.

Chris abele
Chris abele

“It’s disappointing,” Abele said of the museum’s request for such a large amount of public funding. He pointed out that, due to rising interest rates, the $45 million county grant for the museum “is going to cost taxpayers many, many millions more now.”

“If we were going to borrow $45 MM for anything, I would MUCH rather have it go towards higher priority County needs,” Abele said.

The county also recently agreed to a regressive sales tax in order to fix its budget problems. And it’s facing the possibility of a state Republican Legislative mandate to fund a new Brewers stadium.

Abele’s comments come as the museum project continues to languish in private fundraising; the $240 million project is about $92 million short, according to its website, with groundbreaking supposed to begin in December. The museum has raised more money from taxpayers (the $45 million from the county, and $40 million from the state contingent on the county funding) than it’s raised from private donors.

We exclusively reported on Tuesday that the county auditor told County Supervisor Ryan Clancy that she couldn’t find any signed agreement between the county and the museum. The problem with that is that Clancy wanted to seek an audit of the museum’s fundraising, which was a condition for the museum to get the money in a draft agreement. But it wasn’t signed, so the condition is not operable. The money hasn’t been disbursed yet.

The current museum is packed with beloved historical and artistic treasures, including the Streets of Old Milwaukee, European Village, and murals that would be demolished in the move. The museum says it will offer a reimagined Streets exhibit in the new museum, which will be smaller than the old facility.

See all of our investigative reporting on the new museum project here.

According to Abele, any large new check to MPM would come at the cost of further cuts and delays to more direct and crucial county needs.

Here is Chris Abele’s full statement:

“Look, when I was County Exec, we re-structured the agreement with the Public Museum twice. In both cases, the goal we sought was something that would be a net positive for both organizations. Personally, I’ve been a donor and supporter to the museum a number of times over the years, including $270 K for that big solar wall on the south entrance. But that was with my money, not yours.

County taxpayers, independent of any grant they do for the new museum, are already the largest annual donor, providing over $3 MM a year, as well as millions in capital project support over the years. But the museum, like the Marcus Center, the Zoo, the War Memorial, etc is not one of our federally or state-mandated services. The Sheriff’s Department, the courts, the House of Correction, our support for the DA’s Office, and everything we do around public safety is.

I spent almost a decade trying to find ways to finance a replacement for the Public Safety Building which houses so many of those public safety functions and which we’ve known for years is woefully overdue to be replaced. We’ve had numerous studies and reports showing why, demonstrating how a more modern design would dramatically improve safety and efficiency in that building and make our interaction with all the city, state, and federal partners we work with much easier and more effective.

When I was County Exec, I knew that the public museum wanted County taxpayers to be a big part of a future capital campaign and I regularly said no and reminded them that the County is having a hard enough time just maintaining all the other services we provide AND still giving the museum about $3 MM a year.

The Parks Department alone has probably $250 MM in deferred capital maintenance, along with about the same amount elsewhere around the County. If we were going to borrow $45 MM for anything, I would MUCH rather have it go towards higher priority County needs. Ellen and others at the Museum heard that from me and knew that’s where I was on the issue and that I wasn’t going to bend.

It doesn’t surprise me that they pushed for it hard once I was out of office, though it’s disappointing because they always assured me they understood when I said that with our finite and shrinking resources, any large new check to MPM would come at the cost of further cuts and delays to more direct and crucial county needs.

Apparently, that didn’t matter that much. And what makes matters worse is interest rates – remember, the County would be borrowing to provide that $45 MM. In Jan of ’21, a 30 year mortgage was maybe 2.8%. Now it’s closer to 7.8% or more. The bonding rate at the County differs a bit but the increase has been basically the same. That might not sound like much at first but what it means is that $45 MM for the museum is going to cost taxpayers many, many millions more now than it would have just a couple of years ago. If the County has the opportunity to re-think such a big and (now more) expensive grant, I would strongly encourage them to do so. NOT because they – or anyone – is ‘anti MPM’ but because they’re pro-taxpayer and pro-constituent elected officials who are making the most responsible decisions they can with the resources entrusted to them.”

Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson Endorses Jim Piwowarczyk for Assembly

Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson has endorsed Jim Piwowarczyk for state Assembly, saying he believes...
Shale Horowitz

Leadership Must Go: UW-Milwaukee Officially Endorses the ‘Genocide’ Blood Libel Against Israel

By: Shale Horowitz, Professor, Political Science - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee leadership, on...
Trump Holds Cash Special Counsel Jack Smith Iowa Victory for Trump Remove Trump From Primary Ballot

The Phony Show Trial Against Trump [Up Against the Wall]

I have to admit, this NY trial of Trump over how a legal bill was...

Jewish Groups Slam UW-Milwaukee’s Encampment Agreement as Offensive, ‘Dangerous’

Three major Jewish organizations are slamming UW-Milwaukee's agreement with pro-Palestinian encampment activists, saying it is...
Jay Rothman

UW President Jay Rothman Expresses Disappointment With UW-Milwaukee After Agreement With Protesters

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman criticized UW-Milwaukee leaders on May 14, saying he was...
Evers Drew Congressional Maps Eric Wimberger Republican’s Second Tax Cut evers vetoes evers budget

Senate Republicans Override Evers’ Vetoes

(The Center Square) – On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate voted to override nine vetoes from Gov. Tony Evers, including the vetoes that scuttled PFAS clean-up money, millions of dollars that were earmarked for hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls and a plan that would allow advanced practice registered nurses to work more independently.

“The legislature has passed hundreds of bills to solve problems facing Wisconsin businesses and families. Most of these bills were signed into law, but many were vetoed by a governor more focused on politics than policies that help everyday Wisconsinites,” Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said Tuesday. “Overriding the governor’s obstructive vetoes is the last, best way to address these critical issues.”

The override votes came one day after Evers sued the legislature over nearly $200 million that is attached to some of his vetoes.

Most of that money is the $125 million that’s supposed to go toward PFAS clean up in Wisconsin.

“For the fifth time this legislative session, I voted to provide Wisconsin families with the largest investment in clean drinking water in state history – five more times than every Democrat legislator in this state combined. The bill that Gov. Evers vetoed (SB 312) would have created a grant program that targets this critical funding to areas of the state most heavily impacted by PFAS contamination while protecting innocent landowners from financial ruin,” Sen Duey Stroebel, R-Cedarburg, said.

Evers has accused the legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee of obstructing his plans to clean up Wisconsin’s drinking water, and of delaying his other actions across the state.

LeMahieu said Evers is simply playing the game.

“While Gov. Evers plays politics, the legislature will continue to do the right thing on behalf of the people of our state,” LeMahieu added.

Senate Democrats responded with game-playing accusations of their own.

“Coming in to do all these veto overrides was clearly a stunt to try to appeal to voters ahead of the fall election,” Den. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, said. “Clearly Republicans were hearing from things in their district and wanted political cover. I don't think they got political cover today. I think what they got was people realizing just how afraid they are.”

But Tuesday’s veto overrides are largely symbolic.

While Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate have a veto-proof majority, Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly do not.

trump vs biden

Trump Holds Lead Over Biden Heading Toward November

With less than half a year until the 2024 presidential election, former President Donald Trump holds a sizable lead over incumbent President Joe Biden in several swing states.

While the overall national polling varies and shows a tighter race, Trump holds significant leads in several swing states.

According to Real Clear Politics, Trump leads in a slew of key battleground states like Arizona (+5.2), Georgia (+4.6), Michigan (+0.8), Nevada (+6.2), North Carolina (+5.4), Pennsylvania (+2.0), and Wisconsin (+0.6).

Other polling has shown Trump with a dominant lead in the Sun Belt while performing less well against Biden in some rust belt swing states.

“As the old saying goes, good gets better and bad gets worse, and it’s clear President Biden is in bad shape right now,” Colin Reed, a Republican strategist, former campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and co-founder of South and Hill Strategies, told The Center Square. “Five and a half months is an eternity in politics, and there’s theoretically still time to right the ship, but it’s getting late early for the president, especially when Father Time remains undefeated and doubts about his age continue to grow. “

According to the Real Clear Politics’ national polling average, Trump leads Biden 46.1% to 44.9%.

A New York Times poll released this week showed leads for Trump in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania but slightly trailing Biden in Wisconsin, raising concerns among supporters.

Trump’s lead has been in large part fueled by minority voters flocking to his side.

Meanwhile, Biden’s approval rating has plummeted since taking office. While that is not unusual for incumbents, Biden’s approval is lower than recent presidents.

Gallup recently released polling data showing that in the 13th quarter of Biden’s presidency, he averaged a 38.7% approval rating, worse than Trump at the same time in his term.

“None of the other nine presidents elected to their first term since Dwight Eisenhower had a lower 13th-quarter average than Biden,” Gallup said.

Axios reported this week that Biden and his team think the polls don’t represent Americans’ actual feelings and that the president’s position is strong.

“They're still 50% (well 45%) to win, per betting markets,” pollster Nate Silver wrote on X. “But Biden has been behind Trump in polls for a year now. His approval is in the tank, and voters have been clear they think he's too old. If Trump wins, history will not remember Biden kindly.”

Meanwhile, Trump spends valuable campaign time in a series of court appearances for his myriad of federal prosecution court dates.

“I’m under a gag order,” Trump told reporters after a court appearance Tuesday. “Nobody has actually seen anything like it ... I'm beating him in every poll and I have a gag order, so I think it's totally unconstitutional."

Republicans have blasted Biden for Trump’s prosecution, accusing Biden of using the Justice Department against his political opponent.

“Despite Far Left Democrats’ illegal election interference, President Trump is beating Joe Biden in the polls!” Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., wrote on X Tuesday. “Voters see right through the sham Biden Trials and know President Trump is the best choice for president.”

uw-madison

What UW-Madison’s Graduation Got Right & Wrong [Up Against the Wall]

I have a love-hate relationship with the UW-Madison. On one hand, I love the university;...
Eliminate the State Income Tax

Unity Among Conservatives: Eliminate the State Income Tax

By: Courtney Gustafson Wisconsin is a middle-class state with coastal-elite taxes, and working-class families know it’s...
uw-milwaukee encampment ends

UW-Milwaukee Calls for ISRAEL to Release Palestinian ‘HOSTAGES,’ Enter Ceasefire

Where can taxpayers, faculty and students opt out? In an "agreement" with pro-Palestinian activists who...
uwm encampment

UW-Milwaukee Encampment Posts ‘Rules’ Banning Speaking to Police; Is to End Tuesday

UW-Milwaukee now says UWM leadership and the student protesters have reached an agreement, and the...
Senator Tammy Baldwin palestinian refugees

Senator Tammy Baldwin Voices Support for Bringing Palestinian Refugees to the U.S.

"Sen. Baldwin's support for bringing thousands of Hamas supporters into America and making taxpayers bear...
Brad Schimel

Judge Brad Schimel Endorsed by 21 Wisconsin Sheriffs in Supreme Court Race

Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, the former attorney general of Wisconsin, has been endorsed...
franklin mayor john nelson

Franklin Mayor John Nelson On Administrative Leave From Waterford Police Department

Wisconsin Right Now has confirmed that Franklin Mayor John Nelson is on administrative leave from...

Knife-Carrying Man Told UW-Madison Student, ‘Jews Shouldn’t Be on Campus,’ Police Say

A student displaying a pro-Israel sign told police she was approached at UW-Madison's Library Mall...
Reduces $464M Bond Leaked Trump's Taxes Michaela Murphy Shenna Bellows Kicking Trump Off 2024 Ballot Fake Electors Lawsuit Classified Documents Trial Donald Trump Poll Documents Trial Trump’s Poll Numbers Spike After Indictment

The Dishonest New York Show Trial Against Trump [Up Against the Wall]

What can I say about the NY show trial that is out to get Trump?...
UWM Protesters

UWM Pro-Palestinian Occupiers Rename Mitchell Hall After Man Who Praised Oct. 7 Terror Attacks

UW-Milwaukee leaders have lost control of their campus - at least part of it. Pro-Palestinian occupiers...
uw-milwaukee protesters

UW-Milwaukee Protesters BAN Cops From Campus Lawn Owned by Taxpayers

UW-Milwaukee's pro-Palestinian protesters have erected a sign outside their fenced-in encampment on a prominent campus...

Jewish Groups Sue Palestinian Groups, Hamas Supporters

As rioters take over college campuses setting up encampments, committing acts of violence, vandalism and antisemitism forcing some graduation ceremonies to be canceled, a coalition of Jewish groups has sued Palestinian groups arguing they are “collaborators and propagandists for Hamas.”

The global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, the National Jewish Advocacy Center, the Schoen Law Firm, and the Holtzman Vogel law firm sued AJP Educational Foundation Inc., otherwise known as American Muslims for Palestine, and National Students for Justice in Palestine. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Virginia, Alexandria Division.

The plaintiffs are nine American and Israeli victims of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. They include survivors of the attack, family members of those Hamas murdered, and civilians still under fire from and displaced by Hamas’ continued aggression. The lawsuit alleges the plaintiffs continue to be injured by AMP and NSJP organizers who are knowingly providing “continuous, systematic, and substantial assistance to Hamas and its affiliates’ acts of international terrorism. AMP and NSJP are thus liable to Plaintiffs for the damages they incurred because AMP and NSJP aid and abet Hamas’s terrorism.”

They say they’ve experienced “a wide spectrum of physical and emotional injuries” as a result of the violence allegedly orchestrated by AMP and NJSP and are seeking compensatory damages.

“It is time that Hamas and all of its agents, like AMP and NSJP, be held responsible for their horrific actions,” they said in a joint statement. “We want to go on record to expose these groups for the terrorists they are and make certain that they are stopped from operating in the United States and other countries they infiltrate.”

Hamas, the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement), was designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. “It is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories’ two major political parties,” according to the National Counterterrorism Center.

The lawsuit alleges AMP and NSJP are “collaborators and propagandists for Hamas” because on October 8 they responded to a Hamas founder’s call to hold “resistance” events on college campuses. The NSJP published a “tool kit” for Palestinian students in the U.S. to use against Israeli “occupiers” and “Zionist media campaigns,” The Center Square reported.

AMP and NSJP maintain Hamas’ attack was justified, call for the destruction of Israel and death to Jews, and have targeted American Jewish students with acts of violence.

After Oct. 7, antisemitism and violence escalated against Jews in America by nearly 400%, The Center Square reported. Since then, violence has increased on college campuses with leaders failing to stop it, another report found.

The call to violence was responded to differently by Republican and Democratic governors. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an emergency declaration, instructed the state university system to deactivate pro-Palestinian student groups on campuses, and Florida law enforcement officers proactively cracked down on protestors.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott advanced efforts to combat antisemitism and state troopers quelled rioters attempting to take over the University of Texas in Austin. Unlike campuses in California and New York that were taken over by pro-Hamas encampments and in-person instruction and graduation ceremonies were canceled, no campuses were taken over in Texas and Florida, rioters were arrested, and graduation ceremonies are going forward.

After “day-of-rage” protests occurred last October, a poll found that a majority of Muslim-Americans surveyed, 57.5%, said Hamas “was justified in attacking Israel as part of their struggle for a Palestinian state,” The Center Square reported.

Included among them was U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, who was censured by Congress for her unapologetic support of Hamas. She claimed, the phrase being used by rioters, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” means it’s “an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.”

Hamas disagrees. Its preamble to the 1988 Hamas Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement includes the famous claim, “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it,’” The Center Square reported.

White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby has also acknowledged, “Hamas does have genocidal intentions against the people of Israel. They’d like to see it wiped off the map. They’ve said so on purpose. That’s what’s at stake here.”

“This case is very simple: When someone tells you they are aiding and abetting terrorists—believe them,” Mark Goldfeder, CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center said.

Richard Edlin, Vice Chair of Greenberg Traurig, said free speech doesn’t include hate speech. “It is deeply ironic that the same people carrying signs saying, ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Jews’ claim they are protected by free speech,” he said. “They are not. Free speech has never included the active support of terrorism, and it has never protected the destruction of private property or the brutalization of innocent men, women, and children of many faiths, not just Jews.

“If the defendants believe they can set up operations in America to create a mass culture of fear, threats, violence, and intimidation to undermine our cherished educational institutions, affect our governmental policies, and force Hamas’s evil ideology on American or Israeli soil, they are about to find out how mistaken they are.”

madison election

Milwaukee Mayor Replaces City’s Election Commission Director

(The Center Square) – Six months before Election Day, Milwaukee’s mayor has made a change at the top of his city’s elections commission.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Monday announced Paulina Gutiérrez as the new executive director of Milwaukee’s Election Commission.

“Paulina’s integrity and capabilities are ideally suited to this position. She will lead the office at an important juncture when public scrutiny of the work of the department will be extremely high,” Johnson said in a statement. “I have confidence in her, and I will make certain the department has the resources it needs to fulfill its duties.”

Johnson’s statement was silent on the fact Gutiérrez’s promotion means the former head of the commission, Claire Woodall, is being replaced.

The mayor told WISN TV that Woodall was offered a different position at the city, but he added that she apparently doesn’t want that job "as it stands right now."

Johnson also said the decision to make the change has more to do with the latest cycle of mayoral appointments than anything else.

Woodall has been in charge of the commission since 2020. She was appointed by former Milwaukee Mayor Tim Barrett, and she came under intense scrutiny for how she handled the 2020 election.

Woodall also faced questions after one of her chief deputies, Kimberly Zapata, mailed three fake military ballots to a Republican lawmaker.

Zapata said she mailed the ballots to warn State Rep. Janel Brandtjen about a weakness in Wisconsin’s electoral system. Zapata was convicted in the case, and last week a judge sentenced her to probation and a fine.

Gutiérrez has served as Milwaukee’s deputy director at the elections commission since early 2023. She begins her new position immediately. She sent an email to the Elections Commission staff over the weekend.

"Change, especially when it is unexpected, can often be unsettling," she wrote. "The experience of changing leadership is demanding and uncertain as we navigate uncharted waters and relearn to collaborate and communicate as an organization.”

Johnson made four other appointments Monday. He named Jim Bohl as city innovation director, as well as naming Jordan Primakow to be Milwaukee’s new legislative liaison director.

Johnson named former alderman Khalif Rainey to be Milwaukee’s new director of the office of African American affairs. And finally, the mayor named Veronica Rudychev as city labor negotiator.