South Milwaukee -- Sharing the Word

Trick or Treat came and went. Slowly. Probably about half the ghouls, gobblins and fairy princesses  as usual. Might have been the chilly, overcast weather. Might have been not everyone getting the word about the change from the traditional Trick or Treat day in South Milwaukee. My own three grandkiddies were among the missing. Plans made before the Trick or Treat date change became known took them with their folks out of town for the day.

On the upside, realizing that the lack of a South Milwaukee paper and dwindling city resources have left an information vacuum, some elected officials are exploring ways to bridge the communications gap.

Alderman Erik Brooks, elected last year to represent the 4th District, started a blog a couple of weeks ago, which he says he updates daily with news and information about the city and his district. The URL is www.4thdistrictblog.com.

Brooks and his fellow 4th District alderman, Dave Bartoshevich, are publishing a newsletter for 4th District residents and are planning to hold a town hall meeting on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 2424 15th Avenue. Brooks says it's to be a general meeting, opening with brief remarks by him and Bartoschvich, then a discussion of a variety of subjects -- "whatever is on residents' minds." Hopefully, Brooks says, the meetings will become a regular event.

"These are small steps toward helping keep South Milwaukee residents better informed," Brooks wrote in a recent email, "and I hope they help."

Another source of information about South Milwaukee is available at the website, www.southmilwaukee.org, which is maintained by 3rd District Alderman Jim Shelenske.

Funny that in this world of ever-advancing technology and increasing ease and speed of communication, we have to work harder to stay informed. Kudos to the aldermen who are trying to help us do that.

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