This Just In...

Basil Ryan has a “history” in Franklin. That history probably didn’t do him any favors in his bid to unseat Franklin mayor Tom Taylor.

In early January, sparks started to fly after I blogged about Ryan’s past, as documented by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and I received a response from Ryan’s spokesman, my friend Paul Bucher. You can read that blog here.

Both candidates accepted my invitation to write guest blogs. Taylor wrote exclusively about his accomplishments, avoiding any mention of Ryan’s past. Here’s a portion:


“As Mayor, I have chaired the Common Council, the Committee of the Whole, the Plan Commission, and the Community Development Authority (Business Park). I also served as an Environmental Commissioner, a Technology Commissioner and an Economic Development Commissioner.

I am pleased to report that the City of Franklin still has one of the lowest municipal tax rates in Milwaukee County. In 2006, I proposed a budget that reduced the tax rate in a non-reassessment year and some residents received tax bills that were lower than the previous year. I went over my last three years of tax bills and my wife and I paid an additional $111 in new city taxes for years 2005, 2006 and 2007 even though the assessed value of our home went up. As you know, the mayor and the Common Council are only responsible for the City taxes and not the school district or other taxing units of government.

I am also pleased to state that we have new restaurants. Some of these restaurants are opening and many are being constructed. Places like Gus' Restaurant are now open.

In the last few days the opening of the Wheaton Franciscan Medical Center, a new five story hotel near 76^th and Rawson and a new multi-million dollar AZANA Spa for the Fountains of Franklin were announced. All of these new commercial developments will help pay for expenses for the city and our schools.

Since I have been mayor, we have many new shops like Sendik's, Lowe’s, a Target and many smaller stores. We will have hundreds if not thousands of new family supporting jobs created with the new addition to NML at a time when other communities are losing jobs.

In the last three years, the city has moved forward, and its reputation as a place to live and work has increased significantly.”


The pattern over the past several years in booming Franklin has been one of taxing and spending. While Taylor can’t bear all of the blame, I thought it was wise strategically for Ryan to stress taxes in his campaign. Here’s a portion of his guest blog:


“Since Mayor Thomas Taylor took office, city property taxes have risen 16% and spending is up almost 30%, according to the city's own records. I think that's too much. We can do better without sacrificing the quality services that Franklin residents appreciate. Most other cities have done better, and there is no reason Franklin can't do so as well.

Numbers compiled by the respected, non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayer Alliance found that three fourths of Wisconsin cities had lower tax levy increases than Franklin during Mayor Taylor's tenure. 135 cities did better than Franklin, and only 55 cities did worse. I will reverse that trend.

When you add in schools and other taxing entities, Franklin's overall tax increase was the worst in Milwaukee County and also one of the worst in the state. But, even when looking at only the city in isolation, as one must do in a mayoral race, we are still shouldering one of the fastest growing tax increases in the state.

Taylor also recently underscored on his campaign website that he never promised to NOT raise taxes. This is where we differ. I AM promising to not raise taxes.”


Ryan also made this accusation:


“As a Milwaukee County labor official, the mayor accepted a pension buyback and lobbied for workers trying to get them. The media reported that the buybacks are in apparent violation of IRS rules. They could cost taxpayers another $50 million.”


Both men signed a pledge to submit budgets that did not exceed a property tax levy increase of 3%.

The final result? Not even close. Taylor got 67% of the vote.

But the Taylor-Ryan dispute wasn’t and isn’t over.

Late this summer, Taylor was charged with election violations that are still pending.

Who complained about Taylor?  Ryan.

It appears that there were four violations, all on March 11, 2008, all within a few hours of each other or less.

We need to put the charges in perspective. Taylor’s been charged with .........election violations. I don’t dismiss the allegations, but Mayor Taylor isn’t guilty of graft or any incredibly serious offense. If, and I emphasize the word, “IF” he’s guilty of anything, it’s this:

HE’S A POLITICIAN ENGAGED IN POLITICS!

Maybe he even wrote a press release in his office. For shame!

I submit that these allegations were made before the April elections. Tom Taylor still won by a hefty margin and I believe would have won even if these charges had been officially issued prior to April 1, 2008. Why? Because the vast majority of Franklin residents remembers Basil Ryan and rejected his brand of politics and political behavior.

When you boil it all down, Mayor Taylor has been hit with…….a possible fine.

Major political scandal? No way.

The Journal Sentinel reported on September 16, 2008, “According to the claim, Taylor asked finance director Calvin Patterson ‘to provide information that would be useful in responding to’ a flier by his opponent in this past April’s election, former Franklin Ald. Basil Ryan. The flier stated that during the ‘Taylor Years’ — 2005 to 2008 — city property tax levies and expenditures 'rose significantly.' The claim further alleges that Patterson provided Taylor with information on city tax levies and expenditures during Ryan’s term on the City Council. It also noted that Patterson provided Taylor a copy of council minutes that indicated Ryan was absent for the vote on the 2004 city budget. Taylor used the information on his campaign Web site to respond to Ryan’s flier, according to the claim.”

I repeat a statement I made in a previous blog: “So let me get this straight. A mayor cannot ask his very own budget director to do research, essentially looking up numbers, on budgets the mayor prepared and actually worked on? “

Taylor will survive these allegations. It's clear the electorate is pleased with the job he's been doing. Holding the line on this year's city budget is also a huge feather in his hat.



THE TOP 10 FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2008

1) ?
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
5) TOM TAYLOR IS RE-ELECTED....AND HOW
6) TWO INCUMBENT ALDERMEN LOSE RECOUNTS
7)  BOOMGAARD OR BUST
8)  THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL BOARD GETS TWO NEW MEMBERS
9)  BUCKHORN LIVES TO SERVE ANOTHER DAY, AND ANOTHER, AND ANOTHER...
10) MAJOR OPENINGS AT THE SHOPPES AT WYNDHAM VILLAGE