Why is only a little money!

 

So the City got the go ahead to spend another 500 to 600K on a study that will say we so need this arena (if the study came back and said we had no need would the consult ever work again?)

Note the word in bold ANOTHER, looks like from a commentator in the Journal Times today the City has all ready spend over 100,000 on this idea of an Arena so now the city has pissed away almost 3/4 of a million dollars on this.

I wounder how much we spent on the failed Porters project?

You know a redevelopment that would draw the rich to Downtown a mixed use idea that now is only well a field of gravel.

And lets not forget

Machinery Row

You know the project that we lost what 4 million on? That we lent the developer that he is in default on.

But now will be two housing projects!!!

Go us go Racine!

And the crime begins

Yes kinda late of a post from the Journal Times but perhaps The City Administer   Tom Friedel needed to approve the story first but to the point the pitch to steal your money for a dead Racine has begun

From the Journal Times “…

YORKVILLE — At the end of Tuesday night’s meeting on funding options for the proposed Downtown arena, Mayor John Dickert drew on a piece of wisdom he said he learned from a nun during high school.

“Go out and make the world a better place,” he said. “That’s your job. I took that seriously.”..” http://journaltimes.com/news/local/arena-cost-share-proposed/article_e820a943-184c-52f5-97b6-8cd22a927e85.html

Wow the City needing to remove street lights and cut the Bus service to almost nothing wants to pay 2/3 of the cost  of a 40+ Million Arena. Well not the city so much as you the tax payer so the Downtown Racine bar owners can make more money, after all the Bar Owners have been good to Mayor Dickert (well the white bar owners the Black-Hispanic mostly being driven from the area)

As the County Board goes forward looking at this I do hope they look at the results of other City of Racine projects:

Porter’s:  Unknown amount spent site now empty

Delta Hawk Unknown Amount spent from City of Racine and State   100 + Jobs promised: Company sold to others unknown jobs no job numbers ever given in public

Machinery Row, Millions lent State Tax credits approved Federal/State Grants given:

Legal action between partners, Legal Action on former owner, Loan not repaid, no building going on at site no activity can be seen from street, Racine County web site appears to say that the project IS NOT PAYING TAXES

Strong rumor is that a State grant will be used to buy land given to Machinery Row by the City so the property tax bill is paid …?

And the Racine County Board is thinking of doing ANYTHING with the city of Racine that’s right its not their money its yours and the right folks will benefit and that is not you.

 

And the lies are spun

From the Journal Times  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/dickert-arena-proposal-would-bring-hundreds-of-jobs/article_8e143ead-e62d-5ca0-ba8a-250698a0a399.html  “…

While that’s been taking place, Mayor John Dickert has been working behind the scenes and in tandem with the county to make the project a reality.

“This is a community opportunity,” Dickert said. “This is not a city or county thing or anything else. This is all of us partnering together on an opportunity to create jobs.”

Those jobs are a vital benefit of the arena proposal, which was presented publicly for the first time to the County Board Tuesday. The $40 million events center would add more than 300 jobs as well as 450 construction jobs during the building process, according to Dickert. …”

Well now let just look at his track record on projects our fine Mayor has talked about

Team Porters   Number of Jobs 0  Site is now a field of grass

Delta Hawk Jobs promised 100 Jobs created ??  Business sold to another local company no report ever given that I am aware of, we were that if X jobs where not created the money given by the City of Racine would be “clawed back” no idea if that was ever stared nor occurred

Machinery Row a 60 Million project city loans given Grants received for the project

so far..

The loan not paid back talks to extend loan payments, from a review of city of Racine information on line not happening and from what I can find from the City and county of Racine the properties are behind on taxes! Yes Machinery Row is NOT paying taxes (gee I thought they would have to?). We are also told that work on the Brownfield issues are being done as I type this, however the most number of cars I have seen at this site is 3 so I can only think that no this is not happening.

From what I can see and read from pubic information is nothing is going on at the site and Machinery Row like Porters is well kinda dead

Of course we have the 800K “lost” loan from a building on Main st as you know from the Journal Times the paper work securing this loan kinda of sorta got lost not filed not done in the first place.

Damn Racine is good when it comes to doing/following up on  projects

Questions that should be ask include is the Brewhouse at Reef Point Marina paying rent yet?

How many “Boaters” outside the Zip code of Racine have come to Reef Point Marina? Is it covering its own costs?

How much money has Venue Works lost in running Festival Hall last report is 300K in the red. Gee how much money can they lose on this?

Our Mayor of course is saying what a great place a arena would be for the area you know the Jobs we have the folks coming to downtown Racine etc You know the lies we have been told for years and years but this time it will be different.

Of course it will be sure you know I got this great bridge for sale in New York

 

 

Phase IV of the New Now

Well normally I wait for the same folks who claim the same things to spin about the cesspool of Racine and again get nothing done.

However I got no time for that, got things to do and places to go, you do too!

Best do any of us have the time to spend on the haters and their hate of everything most of all God Save you if you do not hate along side them every step of the way.

Can’t speak for you but I do not there is a lot of information to gather on the strange world this perhaps the most corrupt city in the Midwest if not the whole 50 States.

This information can be gathered and shared in a way that is ethical and more critical not filled with hate.

Best, far better ways to get these stories out then just waiting for eyeballs to come across a Web Page or a post to Facebook.

In fact the steps I have started to undertake will allow me access to a wide readership and resources from editing to legal aid in obtaining Open Records

Others have the same ability to do this but as I see it, far easier to hate then anything else

So I will be creating a new site to do this that.

As much as I still be writhing about the corruption is S.E. Wisconsin, I am also planing to write on efforts to fix this area of Wisconsin

I will also be cutting ties with the Equality Project of Racine, They do not speak for me nor I for them.

VOTE NO ON THE RUSD MONEY GRAB!

My view

The J-T Headline This AM

“Schools seek $8.5 million – Unified to ask voters for 15 years of additional revenue”

 

What???

 

How dare RUSD ask for 1 more $$ yet alone 8.5 Million in a time that MORE in Racine are Unemployed, The City of Racine it’s self is not filling openings on the Police Force to basically lay off 10 police officers  and the City of Racine facing a RICO lawsuit court fights over tax assessments, and not being able to keep what few events at the Civic Center coming back.

Economic turmoil going on as we speak with a long time Racine employer moving out of the city taking 300 jobs with it.

Yet RUSD is asking for more money to “run” the schools WTF!!!

Schools that cant get Minority kids to graduate, scores of the RUSD Schools should be getting “Leadership” at RUSD fired for such poor piss poor ability to teach kids have no shame in demanding more of YOUR money.

As I see it, RUSD as one of the commentators said today 8/14/14  should ask County Executive Jim Ladwig for some of the profits from Reefpoint Marina, perhaps from the restaurant that is paying NO RENT (must be nice) Maybe ask the DRC for a percentage of the millions spent on the booming downtown (Boy will they not be shocked with the higher property taxes coming via TIF 18 and Machinery Row)   I am sure the store owners will line up to chip in the stores on 6th St will insist on being first to do so!

And Porters being so so successful with Roll out the big bucks as will Delta Hawk for all the Jobs they have brought to Racine!

 

As I see it, the City of Racine is as I call this blog a City in Ruins run now by a Mayor that history will say was one of the most corrupt in the Midwest ever.

Yet RUSD wants more of your money, After all cost lots of money to pay Administration 100K+ to fail to teach kids so we have have a vast pool of unemployable workers to work at min wage jobs or become addicted to State benefits to keep the Democrats in power.

Could be worse our other elected officials could be just having one great party Oh…

 

Clingman’s Clink!

 

Back long ago talking 1960’s my father owned a bar in Baraboo WI, called Clingman’s Clink, he owned it for a number  of years I  think 62-68 or so. I was very young so do not hold me to the dates.

The name came from the fact the bar was across the street from the police station/City Hall

The Bar was right downtown and open 7 days a week from early Morning to Bar close.

The big draw he has was….. Go Go Girls! Not topless but Dancers on the bar

My Dad would tell us kids is that is how he made his money selling that Bar for it was not a game for a man with a wife and kids.

He did say time and again that if you were a young man with no wife that be the business to own if you did not become your own best customer, he go over the numbers sometimes to show me why he thought that.

This was all brought back to me during phone calls yesterday so lets to to the Twilight Zone

and do a game of let’s pretend that I own a bar in Downtown  Racine WI  or Clingman’s Clink revisited!

My bar will just sell booze light snacks with a Pool Table/Dart Bord and of course  just one Coin operated video poker, lets see how the money might be like.

Beer

I can sell by low end beer say brand x at a 100% mark up all day everyday.

I can even do better if I sell the tap version far more. If I pay $100 a keg and get only 160 12 Oz Glasses  out of  one sell a  glass for   $1.50  not too bad I do better because if your buying tap beer  your more then likely staying to play Pool-Darts or God Bless you my Video Poker Machine. !!!

Mixed Drinks is mega bank!

A bottle of cheep Rail Rum is say  $20 and I get say 15 shots out of this and sell Shots for $3.00 I am making $25 per bottle

If I am selling a name brand booze yes I am paying a bit more but now selling the name brand for more too  say $4.00 a shot I am more then making up the added cost.

If I am do mixed drinks (mostly women drink the mixed drinks I have found) I going to sell them for about $5 I may not not do so well but: 1) I am using Rail Booze and 2) If I have women coming to drink I have men stopping in. This is a good thing.

The snacks we sell at say 25% over cost we have a popcorn machine for free salty Popcorn are you thirsty? Have another drink

Soda: Good question, talking to folks in the business tell me that the cost to fill a 20 Oz glass with Ice and say Coke is about .10   sell a glass for a $1. 00 and give it away to the self Id sober drivers, not going to lose a lot and hey someone might now make it home alive

 

The games   are my bread and butter!

All cash no accounting for the cash 100% pure cash

The Pool Table Dart Board charge the price needed to pay for them and a bit more to sponsor a team a Women’s team have them come to the bar after see the men follow poor the drinks

 

The Poker Machine is pure $$$

Its going to be used as many are in this city from open to close. the users will buy drinks lots of drinks when one is done someone else will sit down.

How many times will the play key get hit? 1,000 2000, maybe 3000? Even if your returning 80% that’s 200 a day all cash your making cash.

Even at a 80% pay off that’s what $200 a day per machine  So what how much can this my my mythical bar make thinking $300-400 a day, and a good amount tax free.

Mindy you I underestimated the amount one could get from a Keg of Beer or a bottle of Booze

nor did I work out the Food income but you get the point I hope there is good money in bars

Damn good money Maybe I revisit this post and talk about how more interesting ideas can be used to make a bit more $$

And why Downtown Racine is filled with bars

 

 

How much will this cost Racine? My .02

How much will this lawsuit the one just filed by some former Bar Owners on a a long list of Local elected Goverment folks  and pals of Mayor John Dickert cost?

100,000 1,000,000 more? I do not mean if old the Bar Owners win, that I think be mega Millions  but just in the basic defense to the suit.

The defense Lawyers will get paid, the expenses of the Lawyer(s)  will be paid what might be the hourly rate 100 hr, 200 hr? I have no idea but with a case this big my guess is that it be two Lawyers a P.I. and other staff will be needed. Copies of records will have to be obtained.

Thinking that be over 200 Billable Hours just in the first few months for that group.

Will the Mayor of Racine use a PR firm to shore up fall out on his reputation? How much will that be? Who will pay for that? What will be cut from the City budget? Will Mayor John Dickert start a defense fund?

How does this impact city operations? Does this impact our Mayor’s other jobs? I think this case will.

IMHO we living in Racine for the first time ever will get access to City Records  that the Good Old Boys not like us to know about.

Info on projects from Roorworks to Team Porter’s and unlike before thinking real reporters will be very interested in this information.

Could even shine the light on Cockroaches

Be interesting how our Mayor  gets us to pay the bill, this time

Hey at least this time jobs are coming to Racine God knows how many lawyers will be needed.

That’s just for for the Mayor and Aldermen a whole issue maybe at what point if they are found at fault will the City stop pay for their defense?

However there are some who may not be able to have the City pay for their defense. How will they? Will they get a lawyer or will they make a deal or what?

Lets hope that all defendants have the money to get good Lawyers I think they they will need them.

So let’s put this out in the world will the strain of the Lawsuit and perhaps $$ issues caused end marriages? Force Businesses to close?  Maybe as records come into light cause other roles to be looked into. I just do not see this ending well for the Mayor or us the Folks of Racine who will get to pay for this.

 

Does Our Mayor Lobby for Racine or Others?

Myself, I think that the fist and most critical job of any Mayor of any City,Town or Village, is to lobby for the community s/he serves be it, the  residents who live there, Companies that operate you know those he severs in office right? That depending on the size of that community this could take up a large amount of time.

Hell, using the example of Racine, the job of Mayor could take up 40+ each week if not more. With the issues of Racine from unemployment,falling property values to the Heroin plague that’s effecting the whole State of Wisconsin, I would think that our Mayor John Dickert would be so busy at his job as Mayor that he have little time for anything else.

Our Mayor!

Well I be wrong on both counts!

You see MAYOR JOHN DICKERT WORKS FOR A LOBBYING FIRM! See look here:    http://www.heartlandsolutionsgroup.com/team/john.shtml    That’s him!   Mr. Dickert is a Senior Adviser must be nice

The Comany’s Web page said this about themself’s
“HSG: The “Go To” Group for Real World Results
Whether you are managing a crisis, trying to achieve a specific policy objective, positioning yourself in the public arena, or trying to develop a new market, the only thing that matters is results. We do a multi-faceted and comprehensive analysis of your issue because surprises have no place in the public affairs arena. This process creates the foundation for developing and implementing a strategy that results in success for our clients. HSG’s mission is to help you operate effectively in a culture where an increasingly broad array of external and internal stakeholders has a say in the decision-making process of organizations. We work with corporations, non-profits, governmental entities and trade associations across a broad range of sectors. Our skill and experience leverage your knowledge to deliver world-class results.”

and this about our Mayor the One we pay to run this city “Mr. Dickert is a Senior Advisor to the Heartland Solutions Group and is currently serving in his second term as Mayor of Racine, Wisconsin. He has served on the Government Affairs Team at the law firm of Foley & Lardner and is the former Director of Government Affairs for the Wisconsin Credit Union League.

Mr. Dickert has also held a variety of positions in the offices of U.S. Representative Peter Barca (D-WI) and U.S. Representative Les Aspin (D-WI). Additionally, he has worked for both Republicans and Democrats in the Wisconsin State Assembly, staffing both the Joint Finance Committee on the State budget and the Ways and Means Committee on taxation.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a partnership between 70 mayors and other local officials in the U.S. and Canada dedicated to protecting and restoring the Great Lakes. Mr. Dickert has also been appointed as Vice Chair to the United States Conference of Mayors’ Metro Economies Committee, serves on the Mayors’ Water Council, and is the first President of the newly-created Urban Alliance of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities.”

Must be nice to work as a lobbyist something he has done before.

I thought he was working for us you know the Tax payers who pay his wages, who have seen taxes go up up up and unemployment follow.  Mind you if he needed the cash for Xmas gifs and got a job Bar tending or wrote books on politics I have no issues heck, I am writing or trying to Ebooks, many do. More power to him but this?

We have questions like:

Is he use City Staff or Equipment for this

How many hours a week is he doing this, must the City Administrator or others cover for the Mayor as he does Lobbying?

Since he is Mayor 24/7 and get say in a Car Crash on the way to a Lobbing event are we liable to pay for that?

Can he Lobby at a City event? If he goes to D.C. to a Mayor’s event can he Lobby at that? Might he be Lobbing at those events or saying he is? Are we paying him to Lobby for others?

Are there conflicts of interest in his Lobbing? What groups  or issues is he lobby for? Do we the residents of Racine want him to lobby on the issues or for those groups?

Oh the questions!

WOW!!!

Model Municipal Fertilizer Ordinance

Racine (WI) Mayor John Dickert and Barrington Lake (IL) Mayor Kevin Richardson updated the mayors on their work to translate a fertilizer application best practice policy adopted by the Conference of Mayors into a practical local ordinance in Racine. This effort builds on previous work Richardson has completed in Illinois where he was able to bring all of the parties together and work out a policy approach that is protective of water quality, protects vulnerable habitats, includes applicator training up to best practices levels, and provides for penalties for failure to comply.

Since there are many parties that contribute to non-point nutrient contamination of waterways, but are not held responsible, the process that Richardson and Dickert are developing helps to reconcile competing interests within the community, but also allows for non-jurisdictional non-point source emitters to engage in solution discussions.

The effort in Racine is near completion, and the mayors may be reached by e-mail at: John.Dickert@cityofracine.com or krichardson@lakebarrington.org.

Richardson Is the head of Hartland this is what the web page said “Mr. Richardson is the President of the Heartland Solutions Group and a veteran corporate Government & Public Affairs executive. He has served as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for The ServiceMaster Company, Vice President of Government Relations for R.R. Donnelley, and Vice President of Government and Member Relations for the Electronic Industries Association. He is also the former Associate Counsel to the Subcommittee on Administrative Law of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and the former Assistant PAC Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Mr. Richardson is the elected Mayor of the Village of Lake Barrington, Illinois and is a member of both the Board of Visitors of the Graduate School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University and the Advisory Board of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

His civic and professional involvement includes his service on the Board of Directors of the Chicago-area Metropolitan Planning Council, the Public Affairs Council, and the Public Affairs Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he is also the co-chair of the Lake County (Illinois) Water Supply Advisory Committee and is a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Water Council.”

WOW Was this done to help Service Master?

Are there scams now that will help them get $$ from RootWorks?

 

 

Flash news! Team Porter’s is DEAD!! My 2 bits

 

Wowers! News from the J-T

”

Porters project stopped — Buildings to be removed to make clear development site”

Wowers!! Just before New Years we were told We were just days away

http://journaltimes.com/news/local/porters-project-awaiting-final-development-pact/article_ca0d9cca-638c-11e3-b1c9-0019bb2963f4.html

From the story

“There is no major dispute; it’s all wordsmithing,” O’Connell said. “… The details matter, and the attorneys are paying attention to details.”

“I think by the end of the year our development agreement will be final,” he said.     That was 12/12/13

Now just around 40 days away Team Porter’s is DEAD DEAD DEAD just like some say Downtown Racine is.

Bet Mayor Dickert is one unhappy Camper after all the time and  PR spent on the great Team Porters!  To see something going from being signed by the end of the year.

So now The new idea is to tear the whole thing down and build something new Again from the J-T Story

“Mayor John Dickert said his office will work with Waters to find a new developer for the site which is slightly more than one acre. He said it would be right for developments such as:

– A corporate office building. There have been such inquiries in the past but without a sufficiently large site, Dickert said.

– A hotel.

– Ground-floor commercial structure with housing above, as the Porters project was to have been….”

40 days from almost being a done deal to this.

Questions I have include

Did the City of Racine have any idea this was coming?

Will Waters get paid anything from this?

Will this end a police/fire investigation from the pipe leak?

How much if anything did insurance pay out?

Will the City of Racine buy this now worthless I guess lot

If so  for how much?

Will this end the TIF/BID

Who will get the contract to tear it down? I bet we already know

Does this not go to more show how worthless Downtown Racine is? Did $$ not come in as was maybe needed because of falling property values?  Recall that the old Historic Century Market sold for less then I think 10% of assessed value just a few weeks ago.

IMHO this is a big sigh the Downtown Racine is dead not coming back to life and its time to stop spending good City and County money on the pals of John Dickert and Jim Ladwig

Sure liked seeing Kaplin on Belle City TV at 7 PM but is running old TV shows what we are paying 150K + for?

Gentrification the new racism comes to Racine! Part 2

 

So now that our fearless leader (shown above) has the tools needed to run Ramshod in the Uptown:

He controls The Aldermen

Controls the local Old School Media

Belle City TV is ran by his pals

The County Goverment is busy raping the tax payers over Reef Point Marina to worry about the Mayor  and then the County and City said they work together on the Uptown pillaging

looks to me they do like each other

Party on!

and the vast majority of residents of the Uptown being Minorities and poor who will defend them? Other then God no one

So what to expect from my crystal ball

The Uptown plan that IMHO has already been done will sail to get made law of the city, as this happens members of the Bid board or fronts for them will open business to take advantage of this.

Expect to see a restoration company that will focus on historical rehabbing of old buildings some of the first jobs will be for buildings that just happen to be a focus of the Uptown Plan.

The Bank will come under close watch by the City of Racine as a first step to change ownership from the current owner to someone to in line with Mayor John Dickert

Gateway will open some type of Center in the Uptown,  as a sop   to Alderman Shields part of it will be used for helping Black kids to stay in School since IMHO the Good old boys do not want Blacks who can read/write do not expect much with this.

Since Gateway has an Open Check Book expect them to spend the money to get something going and then we see the good old boys say how great the Uptown Plan is doing in the Media the Mayor controls! Are you not happy!

The idea is to create a way to raise property values (Hear about the new City Assessor?) Not only to for more taxes BUT to sell Bonds! See Dickert needs more Bond sales to build his toy called Rootworks oh who came up with that idea?!  But with the falling property values in Racine  The city may not be able to sell more, but say the City value goes up  by a few 10’s million’s then the City can and will sell more bonds and Dickert’s pals must be paid, hell for that matter Jim Ladwig’s GOP pal’s must get paid.

Will the City be able to raise property Taxes and help to drive out the poor blacks out, creating empty houses for flipping opportunities for cronies from Builders to Real Estate folks .

In 5 years will we have as many poor blacks in the Uptown or will Mayor John Dickert have as I think, he wants a more white Racine.

End result tax payers get fucked, The Black residents get fucked the cronies get paid.

Part 3 more detailed look at the inter linking