Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

By Matt Masterson Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — John Galanis can still remember the first time he met Maria Lazar. Over 20 years ago, Galanis — an attorney with Galanis, Pollack, Jacobs and Johnson, S.C., then a new firm that was only getting its start — watched Lazar walk into his office and apply for a job, even though the position she wanted wasn't available. "She said, 'I can do a good job for you,'" Galanis said. "Maria impressed me so with her self-con- fidence and general demeanor that I didn't want to miss the opportunity (to hire her)." Rather than interview her him- self, Galanis decided to let his partner at the firm decide if Lazar was fit for a job. She was hired on the spot. "Now that is unusual and rare," he said, "but it also typifies the qualities of Maria." Lazar worked there for two decades before moving on to the state Department of Justice, and on Aug. 6, the Brookfield resident was formally sworn as the judge for Waukesha County Circuit Court Branch 7. She replaces J. Mac Davis, who retired last month after 18 years of service. Lazar becomes just the fifth Branch 7 judge in the county's history — joining former judges Neal Nettesheim, Jess Martinez Jr., Clair Voss and Davis. During a two-week period in which three new judges were wel- comed into the county judiciary, her investiture was made all the more historic as Lazar becomes just the fifth female to be elected a circuit court judge in Waukesha. During the ceremony, fellow judge Jennifer Dorow welcomed Lazar, who was sworn in by Wis- consin Supreme Court Chief Jus- tice Patience Roggensack. Attorney General Brad Schimel, who worked with Lazar at the Department of Justice where she was an assistant attorney general for five years, called Lazar one of his "shining stars" in the office, joking that he had not yet filed her resignation letter. "But I still live in Waukesha County — I want great judges here," he said. "It is an exciting time here in Waukesha County, we are having investitures left and right. ... All of them, and Maria certainly among them, are going to continue a strong tradition of great governance here in Wauke- sha County. " The Georgetown University grad's case history includes the original Act 10 litigation, Capitol access, redistricting and voter ID. Lazar attended Brookfield East High School and still lives in her hometown with her husband, Tom, and their two children. She said she has been heading toward a career in law since grade school and has known for decades that she wanted to become a judge, but it was three cases on which she worked as an attor- ney— Act 10, voter ID and a foster care case — that solidified that desire. "That foster care case that I lost in part and won in part, that tore at my heart," she said. "That little case impacted me just as much, if not more than those other high- profile cases. It showed me how much good, or bad, a judge may do to people's lives. "It lit a fire in me, an overriding passion, to make a difference by upholding and not disregarding the law." Lazar said it is both daunting and exciting to take her place on the bench, but she is eager to begin. "I am joining a bench full of judges who respect the law," she said, "strive their best to do jus- tice every day and interpret the law as it exists." Email: mmasterson@conleynet.com Page 6 • Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove SEPTEMBER 2015 FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS IN DOWNTOWN WAUKESHA For all things Waukesha go to LiveLoveWaukesha.com Waukesha's Information Station www.LiveLoveWaukesha.com Presented by The Waukesha Downtown Business Association FRIDAY NIGHT PERFORMANCE 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Check the schedule at WaukeshaFridayNightLive.com SATURDAYS 8:00 a.m. to Noon Come to the Market for fresh, locally grown produce, hot food, great gifts and friendly atmosphere! HEAR the sounds of Friday Night Live TASTE the products of the Waukesha Farmers' Market FEEL the Love & Life of Waukesha! ENJOY Shopping & Dining in Downtown Waukesha 245858021 WAUKESHA CIVIC THEATRE Fall Lineup 2015 For More Information Visit Us At www.waukeshacivictheatre.org 264 West Main Street, Waukesha (262) 547-0708 245858022 A Little Night Music September 18 - October 4 When a fading but glamorous actress unexpectedly encounters an old flame, buried passions are rekindled in this classic from Stephen Sondheim. ACAP PlayMakers Show Of Shows II October 9 - 11 The ACAP PlayMakers Show of Shows is a compilation of favorite songs and scenes from eight years of PlayMakers shows at the Waukesha Civic Theatre. The Turn Of The Screw October 30 - November 15 A sprawling manor home. Two young, withdrawn children who seem to know more than they should. Mysterious deaths following mysterious lives. Candy Cane Tales And Holiday Carols December 4 - 20 WCT's Christmas show weaves familiar songs, carols and characters in a series of vignettes for people of all ages to enjoy. I Got Yule, Babe December 7 Local favorite Joel Kopischke and his merry band serve up hilarious, naughty and nice holiday hits in this WCT favorite. The Four Guyz In Dinner Jackets Everything Old Is New Again December 31 - January 2 Experience classic Americana that spans the genres of doo-wop and rock 'n' roll, as the Four Guyz in Dinner Jackets serve to you the best of their best! SEPTEMBER CALENDAR Call 262-542-2500 for home delivery The FREEMAN Waukesha County's Daily Newspaper Or subscribe online at: gmtoday.com/subscribe MARK BELLING Read his column every WEDNESDAY in The Freeman! See a Freeman photo you like? Then order a photo or page reprint! WAUKESHA — The Waukesha County Museum and Waukesha Rotary Club have added Rick Nielsen of C heap Trick to the lineup of talent at The Les Paul 10 0th music celebration Aug. 6 at Naga-Waukee Park in Delafield. The festival will be h eld the night before Waukesha's two-day BluesFest with proceeds benefit- in g the museum. There will be commemorative souvenirs, fr ee guitar lessons and a selection of Les Paul treasures from the muse- um's Wizard o f Waukesha exhib- it. "We are thrille d to be hosting this festival as a fundrais er fo r the museum, thanks to the coopera- tion of the Waukesha Rotary Club and Waukesha B luesFest," said Tom Constable, executive director of the Waukesha Coun ty Muse- um. "We're hoping that The Les Paul 100th will ra ise awareness — and do llars — to make the muse- um and Les Paul's exhibit better than ever." The All-Star Guitar Band honor- ing Les Paul led by Milwaukee native Gre g Koch and the Tone Controls will be the evening's headlin ers. N ielsen will jo in the band. "This festival displays every- thing that Les was about: creativi- ty, invention, intellectual curiosi- ty and, above all, music," Koch said. "Everyone makin g music today is completely indebted to Les." The show will begin with a strum-along with Koch, where guests can bring their acoustic guitars and play along with some songs, follo wed by the all-women band Eminence, which w on a Launchpad competitio n in June, securing them a spot performing at Summerfest this year. By Matt Masterson Freeman Staff WAUKESHA — With more than a centu- ry in the area, 4-H in Waukesha has been a part of some local families for three, four or even five generations. "I just have to refer back to ... my moth- er," said 4-H volunteer leader Sandie Heberling, whose mother got her involved in the group in Big Bend when she was 10 years old. "She was such a staunch 4 -H per- son. She had the letters to the editor and the governor about spending money on the 4-H program as opposed to spending money on jails." Her grandmother w as the first in the family to join the youth organization and since then, Heberling's daughters, grand- children and great-grandchildren have all followed sui t. Working for the 4-H promotion at the Waukesha County Fair Thursday, Herber- ling reflected on the "amazing experience" she has had watching her family members blo ssom within the program — which seeks to "engage youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." Jerry Braatz, the community resource development educator for the University of Wisconsin Extension, said there are 23 4-H clubs throughout Waukesha County and more than 90 different project areas — rang- ing from standards such as photography, Waukesha County's Daily N ewspaper The FREEMAN 75¢ FRIDAY July 17, 2015 Funding constraints cau sing increased taxes, sp ending cuts. >> LOCAL 3A Waukesha County Fair, 10 a.m. to midnight today and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday Wauke sha C 8 p.m. to day, Elmbrook Humane Society, 20950 Ente rpris A Starry Nights 6 30 INDEX Business...............4A Classified..............5B Comics..................7B Crossw d Fun Things To D o This Weekend See NIELSEN, PAGE 7A More from the Waukesha County Fair ■ Shark E ncounter: Peters displays denizens of the deep. 8A ■ Schedule of events at the County Fair. 8A ■ More photos from the fair. 8A MADISON (AP) — Wiscon- sin governor and Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker won a major legal vic- tory Thursday when the Wis- consin Su preme Court ende d a secret investigation of whether his gubernatorial campaign illegally coordinat- ed with conservative groups during the 2012 re call elec- tion. No one has been charged in the so-called John Doe probe, Wisconsin's version of a grand jury investigation in which information is tightly con trolled. But questions about the investigation have dogged Walker for months. Barring an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the rul- ing makes Walker's cam- paign for the White House that much smoother as he courts voter s in early prima- ry states. ''Today's ruling confirmed no laws were broken, a ruling that wa s previously stated by both a state and federal judge,'' Walker spokeswoman Ash Lee Strong said. ''It is time to move past this unwar- ranted investigation that ha s cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.'' The case centers on politi- cal activity conducted by the Wisconsin Club for Growth and other conservative orga- nizations during the recall, which was spurred by Democrats' anger over Walk- er's law that e ffectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. The justices cited free speech, ruling that state elec- tion law is overbroad and vague in definin g what amounts to ''political purpos- es.'' In the majority opinion, Justice Michael Gableman, part of the court's conserva- tive majority, praised conser- vative grou ps for challenging the investigation, saying it was fortunate that prosecu- tors targeted ''innocent citi- zens who had both the will and the means to fight the unlimit ed resources of an unjust prosec ution.'' Prosecutors alleged the groups and the campaign coordinated on issue advoca- cy, communications that do not expressly call for a can di- date to be elected or defeated, and should have reported their spending and abided by fundraising lim its. They denied any wrongdoing. The court ruled tha t regu- la tions governing coordina- tion for political purposes must be limited to express advocacy that calls on vot- ers to cast ballots for or against specific c andidates. With t hat limitation in place, Wisconsin's law does not prohibit any of the coor- dination the prosecutors believe was illegal. ''To be Wisconsin Supreme Court ends probe of Walker's recall campaign A family affair 4-H participants span generations at County Fair Charles Auer/Freeman Staff A patriotic pony WAUKESHA — Lydia Verbrugge walks with Hugo, who was painted in a patriotic motif during the horse and pony costume contest on Thursday at the Waukesha Co unty Fair. WAUKESHA COUNTY FAIR Charles Auer/Freeman Staff Sawyer Mundschau, 12, operates a model railroad in the Waukesha Expo Center on Thursday. The railroad is made up of diorama sections created by 4H participants. Tom Craig talks about the hogs he raised for the fair as part of a 4H project. Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen to headline Les Paul event Aug. 6 GAB investigations, campaign finance on tap for fall By Arthur T homas Freeman St aff WAUKESHA — The Wisconsin Supreme Court's ruling Thursday ending the John Doe investigation into coordi- nation between Gov. Scott Walker's campaign and con servative groups brought renewed interest in legislation co-authored by a Waukesha County lawmaker aimed at reforming the John Doe process. The ruling also prompt- e d Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to call for an investigation of the Gov- ernment Accountability Board. "The citizens of W is- consin have the right to know what laws are b eing broken behind closed doors at the very agency that is supposed to ensure accountability in gover n- ment and elections," said Vos, R-Rochester. Attorney Genera l Brad Schimel issued a state- ment indicating there was no doubt the John Doe investigation was over. John Doe ruling prompts new calls for reform See REFORM, PAGE 7A See RULING, PAGE 7A Aaron Warren/F lickr Rick Nielsen performs during a 2009 festival in his hometown, Rockford, Ill. See FAMILY , PAGE 8A Modern money hoarders turning to bank accounts. 8B Your posture can help your m ood. 8B School districts crunch numbers Photo Reprints 5"x7" - $15 * 8"x10" - $25 * Page Reprints 12"x18" - $10 * *additional charges may occur for special orders Call 262-542-2500 to order Lazar becomes fifth female circuit court judge in Waukesha County Charles Auer/Freeman Staff With her husband, Tom, and children, Thomas and Katthryn, by her side, Maria Lazar is sworn in as a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge by Wis- consin State Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack. 'A shining star,' says Schimel Daily: Public ice skating, noon to 2 p.m. week- days, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. weekends, Eble Ice Arena, 19400 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield. $6.50 for adults, $5 for children and seniors. www.waukeshacounty.gov, 262-784-7512. Sept. 1: At Knits End Knitting Club, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Rotary Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 2: Greater Brookfield Chamber of Com- merce Active Business Leads Exchange net- working meeting, 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., Dave and Buster's, 2201 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa. $14 at least two days prior, $18 at the door. www.brookfieldchamber.com, 262-786-1886, bcc@brookfieldchamber.com. Sept. 3: Maximizing Your Medicare Benefits, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 8: Brain Health: Can Alzheimer's be Pre- vented?, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 9: Talking About Books Book Club, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 10: Short and Sweet Book Club, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 10: "Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adven- ture," 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays through September, 2 p.m. Sundays through September, as well as 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 and 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26; Sunset Playhouse, 800 Elm Grove Road, Elm Grove. Tickets range from $12.50 to $20. www.sunset- playhouse.com, 262-782-4430. Sept. 14: "Make Some Noise for Nashville," 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15, Sunset Playhouse, 800 Elm Grove Road, Elm Grove. Tickets range from $16 to $20. www.sunsetplayhouse.com, 262-782-4430. Sept. 14: It's all Elementary Mystery Book Club: "The Mask of Ra," 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Harnischfeger Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 782-4140, option 1. Sept. 15: Armchair Travel Book Club: "Amster- dam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City," 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Rotary Club Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 1. Sept. 15: At Knits End Knitting Club, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Cal- houn Road, Rotary Room. Free. www.ci.brook- field.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 15: One-Minute Workout Presentation, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Rotary Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 16: Greater Brookfield Chamber of Com- merce Active Business Leads Exchange net- working meeting, 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., Dave and Buster's, 2201 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa. $14 at least two days prior, $18 at the door. www.brookfieldchamber.com, 262-786-1886, bcc@brookfieldchamber.com. Sept. 16: Get College Smart Presentation, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Rotary Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 17: Back in Time Historical Fiction Book Club, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Rotary Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 17: American Barn Stories with PBS' Tom Laughlin, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Rotary Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 20: Elmbrook Historical Society Museum Tour, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Dousman Stagecoach Inn Museum, 1075 Pilgrim Parkway, Brookfield. $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for children ages 6-12, free for children 5 and younger. www.elmbrookhistoricalsociety.org, 262-782- 4057, elmbrookhistoricalsociety@gmail.com. Sept. 28: Great Lives Book Discussion, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Harnischfeger Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 29: Finding Your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy Research, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Brook- field Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Rotary Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2. Sept. 30: Greater Brookfield Chamber of Com- merce Active Business Leads Exchange net- working meeting, 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., Dave and Buster's, 2201 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa. $14 at least two days prior, $18 at the door. www.brookfieldchamber.com, 262-786-1886, bcc@brookfieldchamber.com. Sept. 30: "LinkedIn: What's in it For You?," 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N. Calhoun Road, Rotary Room. Free. www.ci.brookfield.wi.us, 262-782-4140, option 2.

• Cover