You may remember Fred from his blog on FranklinNow, as one of three conservative bloggers here in Franklin. Fred pursued his own personal blog BATTLE JOINED, when he found the FranklinNow when they brought about too many rules for their bloggers.  

Finally in co-editorship with good friend and former Alderman Basil Ryan, Fred brought to fruition the local e-paper The Franklin Independent Journal where he brought to light many of the stories of Franklin’s underbelly of local politics along with his many other stories of patriotic valor.  Fred was a true American Patriot and strongly believed in constitutional rights.

Fred was not afraid to speak out publicly either, with his voice being heard at both Franklin Common Council meetings and at the Franklin Board of Education meetings. Not always to the delight of those politicians.    

I can say I am proud to have known Fred Keller and to have called him a friend. Both his son and my daughter were in the same grade while attended the same Franklin Public Schools. Fred and I had the opportunity to see our kids graduate together along with having our friend FPS Board Member, Janet Evans congratulate them on stage.

Franklin High School Graduation 2010 – Maersch, Keller, Evans

Fred had a unique sense of humor I will not soon forget.  Fred took his cancer on with that unique sense of humor too. He once told me how cool and freaky it was to see the doctor operating on his brain while he was awake. That was Fred! He will be missed.  

Fred is survived by his brave bride Kathy Keller and his two children. 

A memorial visitation will be held Saturday, April 27th from 1:00 PM until the time of service at 3:00 PM, at CHURCH AND CHAPEL FUNERAL HOME 15250 W. National Ave, New Berlin. 

Memorials may be made to Stars & Stripes Honor Flight or The American Brain Tumor Association.

Kowalski, who narrowly lost to Olson in the 2010 election, said he was upset with fliers that were distributed - by members of Dandrea’s campaign, he assumes – throughout the city last weekend that were full of misinformation.

“The bottom line is that there was a negative piece that was circulated last minute and obviously the people didn’t have much of a choice,” Kowalski said. “There were a bunch of lies and incorrect statements about me in that flier. And that’s basically what I think was reflected in today’s election.”

Dandrea called the fliers a “comparison piece” that put his qualifications side-by-side to Kowalski’s.

“It was a very truthful and candid piece about (Kowalski’s) involvement with different political groups compared to mine; my business and marketing expertise, compared to his lack of expertise,” Dandrea said.

“He was disappointed,” said Dandrea, referring to Kowalski. “If I was in that position, I would have been disappointed, too. I was the strongest candidate running for the 1st District, and the voters recognized that.”

Unfortunately Greg Kowalski misconstrued factual information for lies and misinformation. If what Greg says is true and these are lies and misinformation, will Greg Kowalski be taking this issue to the Government Accountability Board or are these just the rantings of a LOSER!

61% of the 1st District apparently disagree with Kowalski and his qualifications!

Sour Grapes?

• Mark Dandrea     473 votes           61%
• Greg Kowalski           303 votes             39%

Franklin’s 2nd District 

• Daniel M, Mayer      630 votes        68%
• Curt Bolton                    298 votes            32%

With 1oo % of the vote in at City Hall, Franklin has two new aldermen. In the 1st District we have Mark Dandrea who commanded 61% of the vote against Greg Kowalski who lost last election to Alderman Steve Olson.

In the 2nd District we will see Dan Mayer take over Alderman Tim Solomons place on the council.

There is still hope for Franklin’s Common Council with these two new Aldermen taking their seats next to each other.

Thanks again Steve and Tim for all your hard work over the past years.

Congratulations to Mark and Dan!

Lets go through his statements one by one.

• First Kowalski is claiming his opponent is Mudslinging.  - Is it mud-slinging if it’s the truth? Factual information to compare candidates positions are not mud-slinging. Aren’t candidates responsible for past actions and statements? Kowalski doesn’t think so!
• Kowalski says he will Launch EDC initiatives - What kind of initiatives does he propose? Who will do the work? To whom would you launch? A part-time group of people that have only come up with a glossy brochures and have no expertise in economic development? Is he saying that current AlderVisor Steve Taylor (a supposed political endorser and member of the EDC) has done a poor job in EDC initiatives and needs Kowalski’s guidance?
• Kowalski says he plans to restart discussions with the community and owners on the civic center - What would he talk about? Cost of the land? Sidewalks? Remember Kowalski was part of this group that raised money for a Civic Center that never happened! Would anyone listen to someone with Kowalski’s credentials?
• Work on solutions for pedestrian safety on Puetz – Kowalski never states how he plans to pay for it? Will he be doing the “work” himself? Does he plan to do it twice? Once now and once when the street gets rebuilt?
• Work on reconstruction of Hwy 100 and 76th st.  – First off, these are Milwaukee County projects. Aren’t these already designed and scheduled?  What would Kowalski do to change the plans and design?
• Kowalski says he plans to connect 76th and Rawson to the Rock Sports Center - Another grandiose plan by Greg Kowalski!  What is he going to do to connect it?  Fly helicopters? Build Bridges? Who will pay for it in the end?

Greg Kowalski is following in the footsteps of his favorite liberal AlderVisor Steve (don’t cut my salary so I will actually have to work) Taylor who will tell voters anything they want to hear and then doesn’t do a thing when elected. Kowalski and Taylor are your typical liberal Democratic candidates. The only difference is Taylor is known as a REPUBLICAN IN NAME ONLY.

Kowalski, has made claims that “he is the best candidate” due to his experience on commissions and boards. He makes claims to “knowing what business wants” in Franklin. However the problem is that candidate Kowalski has absolutely nothing to back up his claims.

I have know Greg since 2007, I know what his experience with the city of Franklin is, what his background is and  it comes down to this…. Greg is a spoiled boy-man, who when people point out the truth about him he screams “You are Picking on Me” over and over again until someone believes him. Now he is calling this factual literature “slanderous”. (please see the actual definition of Slanderous at the bottom of this posting)

Please review the piece of literature that was distributed in the 1st District today that Greg Kowalski on his FaceBook Campaign page states  “My opponent, Mark Dandrea, has just taken us back 10 years. Those of you that remember past politics have seen this type of slanderous literature before. It is from the same type of people who have been involved in this tactic in the past, who can’t stand not being in power.”

Here is that literature:

Dandrea3_30_13

Definition of Slanderous:

slander n. oral defamation, in which someone tells one or more persons an untruth about another which untruth will harm the reputation of the person defamed. Slander is a civil wrong (tort) and can be the basis for a lawsuit. Damages (payoff for worth) for slander may be limited to actual (special) damages unless there is malicious intent, since such damages are usually difficult to specify and harder to prove. Some statements such as an untrue accusation of having committed a crime, having a loathsome disease, or being unable to perform one’s occupation are treated as slander per se since the harm and malice are obvious, and therefore usually result in general and even punitive damage recovery by the person harmed. Words spoken over the air on television or radio are treated as libel (written defamation) and not slander on the theory that broadcasting reaches a large audience as much if not more than printed publications. (See: defamation, fair comment)

Greg, if you want to be an Alderman, you really need to choose your words more carefully.  

He is now claiming to have taken the lead to encourage city and business leaders to direct development into centralized areas according to Kowalski. I’m sorry, how many business leaders take seriously a person who has not been able to complete an Associate of Business at MATC since graduating High School in 2005. Maybe it is those same business leaders who look for him to guide them through the turbulent economic times with all his suggestions of spending property tax dollars, for aquatic centers, sidewalks, community centers, parks, all of which he has never paid cent one for as he is still living with his Mom, Step Dad and two sisters.  Could it be the same business leaders that look to him in guidance with selling beanie babies on ebay with his mom?

Kowalski goes on to say that he brought new concepts to the city as a city commissioner on the Environmental Commission, a Commission he became the chair of because no one else wanted it. Then like a little child, publicly quit (see the FranklinNOW about that one) because the Mayor did not like how he was running it. Later he begged the Mayor’s forgiveness and promised not to write any more blogs that put the city and the Mayor in a bad light. The mayor then put him on the Trails committee, a place where he could do no further harm.

Kowalski now claims that a group (that he founded) Citizens for Community Development were the ones who prompted Franklin developers to create the transformation of the Crystal Ridge Ski Hill into The Rock Sports Complex. When Mike Zimmerman, the developer of The Rock Sports Complex was asked at a Common Council meeting if he was aware of the CCD’s efforts in trying to get the Central Park concept off the ground. Zimmerman replied that he was not aware of those efforts but would be willing to listen to what they found.

I guess we have to remember when it comes to running for a political office, embellishment is just a fact of life.

For Kowalski, it is a “Way of Life“!

Greg Kowalski – Pants on Fire

There are four residents who have chosen to run for 1s District Alderman, but only one shows the true qualifications to take Franklin’s never-ending issues, head on, to getting us back on track, just as Alderman Olson has in the past. That person is Mark Dandrea.

Dandrea, a long time resident of Franklin and the 1st District, is being endorsed whole heartedly by Alderman Steve Olson. I think that speaks volumes to the 1st district residents who in past elections voted for Olson in complete confidence.

I feel I should pass along Marks recent endorsement for your consideration as 1st District residents go to vote at City Hall on Tuesday, February 19th. I like many others who support Mark, hope the District 1 residents vote for Mark, putting him one step closer to giving us an equally qualified Alderman who will help Franklin actually move Forward.
Alderman Steve Olson’s ENDORSEMENT:

MarkDandrea_64847 by

In a condescending speech to the Mayor and the Council the AlderVisor Taylor had much to say about the results of that referendum. The following is taken virtual verbatim from the Common Council meeting on April 17, 2012  in the first meeting following his coronation as a Supervisor.

 Lets talk about a number of things here. First being there was an election and you had 13 incumbents that ran…. All 13 were re-elected! Some were unopposed obviously, but what that tells you is that every single one that was opposed voted AGAINST the downsizing of the board. YET ALL THOSE BOARD MEMBERS WERE RE-ELECTED! It’s the same thing in Congress that you hear all the time…. Congress has an approval rating of 10% yet 87% of the individuals get re-elected. So this issue which was on the ballot and people overwhelmingly were for. People still put the same Supervisors back in place.

So in my conversations  down there (referring to the Court House), with every single supervisor, you know …. there’s no momentum that this referendum question did anything coming from that. I can tell you that RIGHT NOW they definitely don’t care for meddling in municipalities  and their business. Which is no shock! You know we don’t like when the County meddles in our business, so that one comment I’ll make on these questions…..  I don’t expect anything to come from the board based on those (referendum questions).

It is now almost a year later and former County Supervisor and now State State Representative Joe Sanfelippo has proposed a binding referendum that if passed would cause a major cut in Milwaukee County Supervisors salaries from $55K to $15K. Now Steve Taylor after trying to unsuccessfully schmooze with his supposed friends in Madison has put together propose cut back to 13 Supervisors from the current 18, with his fellow Supervisor Mark Borkowski. Please remember Steve Taylor’s diatribe back in April 2012.

This is a quote from Aaron Rodriguez’s The Red Fox blog:

Milwaukee County Supervisors Steve Taylor and Mark Borkowski endorsed a plan, in a stunner of a press release, that would reduce the County Board Supervisors from 18 to 13 and cut the board’s budget by 40%. The plan surprised many because it was endorsed without consulting constituents, county colleagues, State Representative Joe Sanfelippo, and minority groups. That’s a whole lot of “not consulting.”

The issue of minority groups raised the specter of the county redistricting battle two years ago which resulted in Hispanics in the south-side gaining a second majority voting age population (VAP) district – one that reflected their explosive growth in Milwaukee. Neither the NAACP nor Hispanics for Leadership were contacted by Supervisors Taylor or Borkowski to see how their plan would affect their minority districts. Reducing the size of the County Board to 13 districts would not properly reflect Hispanic population growth in Milwaukee and would likely lead to a redistricting lawsuit.

Rodriguez further says:

I called Supervisor Steve Taylor twice yesterday and left two messages inquiring about their newly hatched plan. Taylor stopped returning my calls since he first ducked the question about supporting Sanfelippo’s bill on January 13. (Who knows, maybe Taylor feels Senate Democratic Leader Chris Larson tugging at his leash from his Madison office. I hear they’re “besties” now.) Taylor was the special guest of Chris Larson to Walker’s State of the State Address and had even attended the Governor’s Mansion at his side.

Interesting Further Information:

• Audio of the April 17, 2012 Franklin Common Council Meeting
• Aaron Rodriguez’s The Red Fox blog – A plan that tells their constituents to stick it
• Aaron Rodriguez’s The Red Fox blog – The silence of conservative County Board Supervisors is deafening
• Mark Belling rips Franklin’s county supervisors - This Just In (FranklinNow)

It was through hours and hours of uncompensated work that Grintjes and Rhiner were able to promote the 27th street corridor, convincing Northwestern Mutual and Wheaton Franciscan Hospitals to locate to Franklin along this corridor. Kowalski discounts their opinions and recommendations in favor of Alderwoman Kristen Wilhelm’s, who’s expertise is in the area of environmentalism not development.

 In this article Kowalski states that the Drexel interchange is needed only by Oak Creek for their Delphi plant redevelopment at Drexel & Howell  and asks “what does Franklin need the interchange for?”  Could it be that more access to 27th street will continue to grow this area as a “Franklin destination area” such as Brookfield’s Bluemound road?

So lets examine Kowalski’s experience and education that allows him to make these statements?

 Simply said, Greg Kowalski is a 2005 graduate of Franklin High School, he has been attending MATC, (apparently part time since graduation), since the MATC associate degree’s are geared for completion in 2 years. His business expertise is in selling Beanie Babys and stuffed toys on E-bay.  Greg’s basis his life experiences from living with his parents since high school graduation while working on his “exceptional?” career track toward being the 1st district alderman.

Here is his opine on the Drexel interchange and 27th street development from Franklin Today:

Franklin Today – Opposition to 27th Street by

Jump forward to 2013 and his current run for Alderman.  Now Kowalski is boasting on his FaceBook campaign page that he is an expert on the HWY 100 & Loomis Area. It is the one thing that sets him apart from his fellow candidates.

Here is an exact quote from Candidate Kowalski from is Candidates FaceBook page:

I’m probably more informed on this parcel of land and its development history (or lack thereof) than any of my opponents. Since I haven’t heard any views from any of them, I will save some of my thoughts on this for when the primary gets a little closer. As for the city buying the parcel outright, Alderwoman Wilhelm was challenged to convince her colleagues on the Council to purchase only 500 ft to complete a school access road. It would be a significant uphill battle for the city to be convinced to purchase something in the magnitude of the Meijer parcel. An additional problem for the development of this site is the cost to purchase the parcel is too high given the multitude of water and drainage challenges and road access costs. The fact is, a TIF District may be the only reasonable cost-effective method to develop this property.

OK so what has Kowalski written about about the 27th Street TIFFs?

First and foremost, I’m not a fan at all over the city spending millions of dollars for the 27th Street Corridor. While some will just point out and say it’s TIF (tax-incremental financing) money, meaning that those businesses in the TIF will pay it off via property taxes, I still get a little bothered by it. The TIFs along 27th Street do nothing to impact the property tax base that truly needs the additional revenue, the Franklin Public School District. In the meantime, City Hall has been consistent on approving funds and more funds to facilitate a roughly 10-year-long vision to turn 27th Street into the next Mayfair Road. This just extends the TIF Districts that were created for Northwestern Mutual and Wheaton Franciscan drag on longer, and doesn’t provide tax relief for residents.

1st District residents will have to choose which Kowalski they choose to believe!

Barrett by Greg K on June 14

More to come as this race shapes up and we will share with you his views as he has stated them in blogs he has written in the past.

Stay tuned!