Representative Peter Barca (D-Kenosha), chair of the Partnership for a Stronger Economy, a group of business, economic development, and worker training leaders who are on the front lines of job creation and economic development in Wisconsin, held an outreach meeting in Milwaukee on Monday, December 14 at Palermo’s Pizza in Milwaukee. In attendance were Rep. Peter Barca; PSE Members; Tim Sheehy, President - Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Manufacturers and Commerce; Julia Taylor, President - Greater Milwaukee Committee; and Dave Latona, Vice President - Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation. Topic of discussion was job creation and new ideas to strengthen the state's economy.

The first meeting of the Partnership for a Stronger Economy met on November 18 at the State Capitol. They discussed the purpose and structure of the partnership, capital formation, entrepreneurial development, community economic development ideas, regulatory issues, tax structure and targeted tax incentives and other ideas to help Wisconsin businesses grow and expand. The partnership members consist of: Steve Baas, Director of Government Affairs, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce; James Buchen, Vice President, Government Relations of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce; Kevin Crawford, VP Business Development & Government Affairs, Orion Energy Systems; Nickolas George, Jr., President, Midwest Food Processors Association; Gerald (Buddy) Julius, Director of Government Affairs, AT&T; Steve Kennedy, Owner, Rock Roads Inc.; Kim Kindschi, Executive Director, Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, UW Extension; Carol Maria, Counsel for the Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corporation; Jerry Murphy, Executive Director of New North; Phillip Neuenfeldt, Secretary/Treasurer, Wisconsin State ALF-CIO; Phillip Prange, President and CEO of Wisconsin Business Council; Bryan Renk, Executive Director of Bioforward; Vincent Ruffolo, President and CEO of Superior Industrial Coating; Paul Senty, Executive Vice President and Counsel, The Park Bank; Dr. Laura Strong, President and COO of Quintessence; Russ Wanke, Vice President and General Manager of Thilmany, LLC.

The Milwaukee City Council PTA and Wisconsin PTA sponsored an informational hearing regarding Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) on October 6, 2009 at the Milwaukee Center for Independence. Invited speakers included: Peter Blewett, School Board Director; Michael Bonds, MPS President; Michael Morgan, Department of Administration Secretary; William Andrekopoulos, MPS Superintendent; Tony Evers, State Superintendent; and Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee.

An informational briefing on the new state law that allows Dane County to establish a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) took place on September 26, 2009 at the Lyman F. Anderson Agricultural and Conservation Center in Madison. Alan Fish, Vice-Chancellor of Facilities, Planning and Management at UW-Madison, moderated the briefing. Paul Larrousse, Director of the National Transit Institute at Rutgers University, provided an overview of RTA's from a national perspective. Scott Grosz, Staff Attorney for Wisconsin State Legislative Council, provided an overview of Wisconsin's RTA law. This briefing for elected officials of cities, villages and towns within Dane County to learn what the RTA legislation says, was sponsored by the Dane County Cities and Villages Association, the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board (formerly the Madison Area MPO) and Dane County.

An informational briefing on the new state law that allows Dane County to establish a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) took place on September 26, 2009 at the Lyman F. Anderson Agricultural and Conservation Center in Madison. Following the briefing, WisconsinEye Videographer John Schroeder interviewed: Scott McDonell, Chair of Dane County Board of Supervisors; Dave Cieslewicz, Mayor of Madison; Jay Allen, Mayor of Fitchburg; and Joe Chase, Mayor of Sun Prairie.

Mayor Tom Barrett presented his 2010 proposed budget for the City of Milwaukee at a special meeting of the Common Council on September 24, 2009 in the Common Council Chambers, City Hall, Milwaukee.

The Groundwater Work Group held its first meeting on September 24, 2009 at the State Capitol. The work group considered topics to be included in groundwater legislation. The Groundwater Work Group is a bipartisan group of legislators chaired by Senator Mark Miller, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment, and Representative Spencer Black, chair of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources.

Tribal police chiefs, tribal attorneys, county sheriffs, county corporation counsels, and members of the Joint Legislative Council’s Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations held a public meeting at the Lake of the Torches Resort and Casino in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin on August 27, 2009. The meeting focused on topics relating to mutual assistance between tribal police departments and county sheriff's departments.

Tribal police chiefs, tribal attorneys, county sheriffs, county corporation counsels, and members of the Joint Legislative Council’s Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations held a public meeting at the Lake of the Torches Resort and Casino in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin on August 27, 2009. The meeting focused on topics relating to mutual assistance between tribal police departments and county sheriff's departments.

Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas invited the public to attend a series of town hall meetings to discuss the county's operating and borrowing budgets for 2010. The third and final meeting took place on Monday, July 27, 2009 at the Waukesha County Courthouse. Residents had an opportunity to learn about the budget process and to provide input on the important decisions impacting initiatives in 2010.

U.S. Congressional Representatives Joe Baca (D-California) and Steve Kagen (D-Wisconsin) held a federal forestry field committee hearing in Appleton, Wisconsin on July 20, 2009. The Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry — a subcommittee of the Committee on Agriculture — received testimony on issues pertaining to forest resource management in northern Wisconsin. Witnesses included: Jeanne Higgins, Forest Supervisor, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Park Falls, WI; Matt Frank, Secretary, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources; Henry Schienebeck, Executive Director, Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association; Katherine Dixon, Staff Attorney, Environmental Law Policy Center, Chicago, IL; Bill  Johnson, Johnson Timber, Hayward, WI; Gary Zimmer, Regional Biologist, The Ruffed Grouse Society.

Mayor Barret held a public hearing to discuss the 2010 City of Milwaukee Budget on July 15, 2009, at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. The purpose of the meeting was to educate the public about the challenges facing the city, and gather citizen feedback. Participants included: Tom Barret, Mayor - City of Milwaukee; Mark Nicolini, Budget & Management Director - City of Milwaukee; Dale Shunk, Assistant Chief of Police - City of Milwaukee; Paula Kiley, Director - Milwaukee Public Library; Doug Holton, Fire Chief - City of Milwaukee; Bevan Baker, Commissioner - Milwaukee County Health Department; Preston Cole, Milwaukee Department of Public Works.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin held an open meeting on July 9, 2009 in Madison. Eric Callisto, Chairman of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, chaired the meeting and discussed agenda items with Commissioner Lauren Azar and Commissioner Mark Meyer.

Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman addressed the Council on Workforce Investment to provide the council with an update on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in Wisconsin and the Governor's new workforce agenda. The meeting was held at the Sheraton Madison Hotel in Madison on June 12.

The Office of Energy Independence and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce offered an outreach workshop for Wisconsin entitlement and non-entitlement communities interested in applying for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) at the Waukesha Area Technical College in the city of Waukesha on May 12, 2009.

The Milwaukee Board of School Directors held a committee on strategic planning and budget on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Participating in the meeting were the following Board of School Directors members: President Michael Bonds; Vice President Peter Blewett; Terry Falk; Annie Woodward; and Bruce Thompson. They met and heard public testimony on the Milwaukee school budget issues. The meeting took place at the Central Services Building Auditorium in Milwaukee.

The Stoughton Chapter of the WI Alliance of Retired Americans sponsored a town meeting at River Bluff Middle School in Stoughton on April 17, 2009. The meeting, titled "We're Looking for Work," was a gathering of unemployed workers living in the Stoughton, Oregon or McFarland School Districts and co-sponsored by the following: Stoughton Wellness Coalition (City of Stoughton, Stoughton Hospital and Stoughton Area School District), Stoughton Area Resource Team, Inc. (START), American Federation of Teachers WI, Stoughton Hospital, Covenant Lutheran Church, Watershed Community Church, East Koshkonong Lutheran Church, Unity Church of Madison, Stoughton Oregon Area Timebank, McFarland Federation of Teachers and United Steel Workers Local 1207.

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The Wisconsin Alliance of Cities held a meeting on March 20, 2009 from the Concourse Hotel in Madison. Attending the meeting were Police Chief Doug Pettit, village of Oregon; Bill Morales, Regional Coordinator, Mayors Against Illegal Guns; Chris Connor, Department of Administration; Brian Driscoll, Office of Energy Independence; Rod Clark and Mary Forlenza, Department of Transportation; Bob Ramharter and Susan Crawford, Department of Natural Resources; Dennis Schuh, Justice Programs Director, Office of Justice Assistance.

Rep. Annette Polly Williams and Milwaukee Public School Board Vice President Dr. Michael Bonds held an informational meeting on President Barack Obama's federal stimulus package plan and its impact on Milwaukee. The meeting took place on Monday, March 16, 2009, at the Parklawn Assembly of God Church's cafe. Rep. Williams is chair of the Education Reform Committee.

The Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups (CWAG), District 2A, held a meeting on Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Speaking at the meeting were Mike McCabe, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign; Supreme Court candidates Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Judge Randy Koschnick; Tom Frazier, Executive Director, CWAG; Carmen Pansilinan, Program Coordinator, CWAG; and Stephanie Sue Stein, Director, Milwaukee County Department on Aging.

The newly launched Wisconsin Jobs NOW Task Force held a roundtable discussion on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at the Rock Garden Banquet and Conference Center in Green Bay. Attending the meeting were several state business leaders and the following state legislators: Sen. Joe Leibham; Sen. Robert Cowles; Sen. Randy Hopper; Rep. Rich Zipperer; Rep. John Nygren; Rep. Garey Bies; Rep. Jeffrey Mursau; Rep. Phil Montgomery; Sen. Alan Lasee; and Rep. Gary Tauchen.

The Common Cause in Wisconsin State Governing Board hosted a public meeting on campaign finance and other political reforms. Speaking at the meeting were Rep. Tom Nelson (D-Kaukauna), Rep. Mark Gottlieb (R-Port Washington), and Rep. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire). The meeting was held at the State Capitol on February 17, 2009. Running time: 1hr 43min.

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The Greater Milwaukee Committee held their annual meeting on February 9, 2009, at the University Club in Milwaukee to welcome their new chair and to focus on Milwaukee's expanding water economy. Speaking at the event were Badger Meter CEO Rich Meeusen; Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Carlos Santiago; outgoing GMC Chair Ed Zore; and incoming GMC Chair Michael Grebe.

The Wisconsin Alliance of Cities held a meeting on January 30, 2009 from Country Springs in Pewaukee. The event featured Gary Goyke, of Wisconsin Urban and Rural Transit Association; Bruce Speight of WISPIRG; and Craig Thompson, Executive Director, Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin.

Continued coverage of the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities January Meeting from Pewaukee.

The Wisconsin Environmental Education Board met on January 22, 2009 at the State Capitol in Madison.

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