Last night the Franklin Sabers defeated Milton in an astounding 44-28 game. For those who almost gave up on Franklin football this season, they certainly got a rude awakening!

Fortunately, the next game is also expected to be played here in Franklin on Friday or Saturday. It's pretty cool to have these playoff games played here simply because we don't have to travel many miles to cheer on the hometown team.

Our next opponent is Verona, who's currently at 10-1 but just squeaked past Waterford in its playoff game.

This entry was done by guest blogger and former FHS student Greg Kowalski. GO SABERS!!!!!

The following entry was done by guest blogger Greg Kowalski, who has agreed not to discuss anything regarding his support for Barack Obama & Joe Biden on In the Race.

Earlier today I had a great talk with City Clerk Sandi Wesolowski about the upcoming Tuesday elections. She was in City Hall today primarily to take care of election business. Since today isn't a normal working day, she will not be paid for her services, and that is certainly commendable. Some may ask why the Clerk's working on the weekend, and the answer was very clear: Absentee voting and voter registration took up the entire week! Friday, Sandi noted, had a line that went in a squiggly fashion within City Hall and ended up out the front door. Even moving the line in an orderly, timely fashion took one standing outside City Hall 30 minutes to get in and take care of their voting issue(s).

Taking note of that, I asked Sandi what voters can prepare for come Tuesday. She told me four specific items that ALL Franklin voters should be aware of:

1. If you're planning to vote Tuesday, expect at times a line that could go for up to 30 minutes, if not longer. REMEMBER: the State of Wisconsin does allow workers time off of work to go vote. However, whether or not it's paid is up to the employer.
2. RESIDENTS OF ALDERMANIC DISTRICT 6 (Alderman Ken Skowronski): Your voting location has CHANGED from Ken Wendl Park to St. Martin of Tours Parish. St. Martins is located just SW of St. Martins Rd. on Swiss St. I believe there will be notifications put up at Ken Wendl Park that the voting location has changed, but just in case...
3. Absentee voting goes up until Monday for those who might not want to stand in line on Tuesday. However please take note that there are many residents doing this process and the lines can be similar to lines on Tuesday, so please be aware of this.
4. If you don't know where you're voting, or if you're registered to vote, you can check-up all on these issues and more by following this link.

None of my family members decided to vote absentee this year, and will brave the potential long lines on Tuesday. I hope to bump into some of you on that day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a safe Halloween!!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do not attempt to refresh your web browser.

I am now in control of In the Race.

Who am I?

Well, as Kevin Fischer would do:

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

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The Green Knight...

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

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GREG KOWALSKI!

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

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

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

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