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Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely baby daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.
Frankin vs. Steve Hanke: What's next?
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge John Franke has upheld Franklin’s restrictive ordinances on sex offenders, stating in his ruling that the “defendant’s (Steve Hanke) constitutional objections are without merit.”
The ruling is a major victory for families and their children all across Wisconsin. But this case isn’t over yet.
Franke in his ruling directed the city of Franklin “to submit a proposed order” for Hanke to abide by the ordinances, that is, to move to an area that is not within 2000 feet of any of the restricted places mentioned in the ordinances. Franke also called for the scheduling of “a hearing on the amount of any forfeiture to be imposed. “ Hanke can be fined $1-$2500 for every day he was in violation of the ordinances. He moved into Franklin in June of 2007, so he’s been in violation for over a year. As Franke wrote in his ruling, “The facts necessary to establish Hanke’s violation of the ordinances are not in dispute.”
I would suspect the Franklin Common Council must take action on any proposed order to force Hanke to obey Franklin’s ordinances. The aldermen must determine the forfeiture Hanke must pay. For guidance, the Common Council will turn to the expertise of City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski who was instrumental in crafting Franklin’s ordinances. When Franklin Alderman Steve Olson called WISN during my talk show on this topic, he called Wesolowski the best municipal attorney in the state of Wisconsin.
Here’s hoping that an order for Hanke to move is drawn up soon, in advance of the start of the next school year. Hanke currently lives 538 feet from a Franklin middle school.
The forfeiture against Hanke should total in the thousands rather than hundreds of dollars. There’s no telling just how much fear Hanke put upon neighbors and their children for over a year. A reasonable but clear message must be sent that violators of Franklin’s ordinances will be dealt with swiftly and severely.
THE DETAILS OF THE FRANKE RULING
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