The $1 Land Deal Steve Taylor Championed — and Taxpayers Are Still Paying For

County records show Milwaukee County gave up $840,000, retained environmental liability, and accepted decades of financial risk.

On December 11, 2025, the Milwaukee County Finance Committee reviewed an “informational” report confirming that the County sold a former landfill for $1 after forfeiting roughly $840,000 in land value — while retaining long-term environmental and financial responsibility. The deal, pushed through city and county government by the same elected official, now leaves taxpayers exposed to decades of costs at a time when County leaders continue to claim there is “no money” for essential services. County records raise a simple but unresolved question: how did this deal benefit Milwaukee County taxpayers?

By Dr. Richard Busalacchi, Publisher - Franklin Community News

At 9:00 a.m. on December 11, 2025, the Milwaukee County Committee on Finance convened to review what was described as an “informational” agenda item.

The item — File 25-721 — was an Annual Informational Report from the Office of the Comptroller and the Department of Administrative Services – Economic Development, summarizing the financial terms and ongoing obligations in the Contribution and Participation Agreement between Milwaukee County and Ballpark Commons LLC.

The agenda language was unambiguous:

“INFORMATIONAL ONLY UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED BY THE COMMITTEE.”

No vote was required.

No corrective action was recommended.

The report was received and filed.

Yet what the report documented should have prompted far more scrutiny.

The Committee Reviewing the Deal

The Finance Committee reviewing File 25-721 consisted of:

• Chairperson: Supervisor Willie Johnson, Jr.

• Vice Chairperson: Supervisor Steve F. Taylor

• Supervisor Sequanna Taylor

• Supervisor Shawn Rolland

• Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez

• Supervisor Justin Bielinski

• Supervisor Anne O’Connor

This committee oversees County finances, long-term liabilities, and what happens when special funds fall short.

Vice Chair Steve Taylor was not a neutral observer. He was one of the deal’s most consistent political advocates.

What the Report Actually Said

According to File 25-721, Milwaukee County transferred the former Crystal Ridge landfill to a Ballpark Commons entity after allowing the developer to offset landfill-related operating costs against the purchase price.  No other bids were taken for the sale of the property.

The stated purchase price was $840,000.

By December 31, 2023, allowable offsets exceeded that amount.

Final payment to Milwaukee County: $1.00.

But the County did not walk away.

Instead, it retained long-term responsibility for:

• methane gas control systems

• groundwater and leachate monitoring

• environmental engineering oversight

• infrastructure repair and replacement

• compliance with state environmental regulations

Those obligations continue indefinitely.

Why This Was Not Just “Informational”

Because the property is a former landfill, Milwaukee County created a special account known as the Landfill Infrastructure Capital (LIC) Fund.

The LIC Fund exists to pay for the ongoing cost of managing the landfill, including:

• methane gas extraction systems

• gas flares and blowers

• monitoring wells and probes

• leachate flow investigations

• environmental consultants

• replacement of aging equipment

These are not optional improvements. They are mandatory environmental controls.

County records show that:

• approximately $95,000 was approved in 2022 for monitoring and gas-system work

• approximately $69,900 was approved in 2025 for system testing, investigations, and equipment replacement

As of late 2025, the LIC Fund holds under $1 million.

Where the Money Comes From — and Why Taxpayers Are Involved

The LIC Fund is often described as if it insulates taxpayers from risk.

It does not.

According to County financial records summarized in File 25-721, the LIC Fund is funded by:

1. Required annual payments from the developer

2. Milwaukee County’s share of property-tax revenue generated within the Ballpark Commons TIF district

3. Interest earned on the fund balance

The second source is critical.

The County’s contribution is not new money. It is property-tax revenue that would otherwise flow into the County’s general tax base — where it could support transit, parks, public safety staffing, and health services.

Instead, that money is diverted to manage the environmental risk of a landfill the County sold for $1.

In other words, taxpayers are already paying — not just in the future, but now.

That ongoing diversion of public funds stands in sharp contrast to the fiscal warnings County leaders have repeatedly issued in recent budget cycles.

Fiscal Alarm Bells — and a Deal That Says Otherwise

In recent County budget cycles, Steve Taylor has consistently cast himself as a fiscal watchdog, warning that Milwaukee County faces severe financial constraints.

In public meetings and budget deliberations, Taylor has argued that:

• the County is approaching a fiscal cliff

• there is “no money” for expanded transit service

• parks, public safety staffing, and core services must be constrained

• difficult cuts are unavoidable due to structural shortfalls

Those warnings have been used to justify austerity across County departments.

But the Ballpark Commons deal tells a very different fiscal story.

While sounding repeated alarms about budget shortfalls, the County — with Taylor’s support — agreed to a structure that:

• forgave roughly $840,000 in land-sale value

• diverted ongoing County property-tax revenue into a special fund

• accepted perpetual environmental responsibility for a former landfill

• exposed future budgets to open-ended remediation costs

These are not abstract risks. They are real obligations that continue to surface year after year.

A Long-Term Cost Hidden Behind “Informational” Reports

Unlike a one-time budget vote, Ballpark Commons operates quietly.

Its costs do not appear as a single line item labeled “landfill liability.”

They appear as:

• diverted tax revenue that never reaches the general fund

• environmental expenditures approved incrementally

• reduced budget flexibility when new priorities arise

In that sense, the deal functions as a recurring fiscal drain — one that persists even as County leaders warn residents that the sky is falling.

The County gave up immediate revenue, retained permanent risk, and now manages the consequences through a fund that is finite by design.

Why the Contrast Matters

Fiscal warnings matter when they are paired with consistent policy choices.

Here, they were not.

The same official urging restraint and cuts supported a deal that:

• weakened the County’s balance sheet

• reduced future budget options

• and locked taxpayers into decades of environmental exposure

That contradiction is not rhetorical.

It is documented in the County’s own financial reporting.

The “Gift” That Keeps Costing

Ballpark Commons has often been described by its supporters as a gift to the region.

For taxpayers, County records tell a different story.

The land was transferred for $1.

The risk stayed public.

The bills keep coming.

And they arrive long after the ribbon-cuttings and press releases are gone.

What the County Knew — and Accepted Anyway

At the time the deal was approved, Milwaukee County knew:

• the Crystal Ridge site was a former landfill, not clean land

• closed landfills require decades of monitoring and maintenance

• environmental systems age, fail, and require replacement

• regulatory requirements tend to increase, not decrease, over time

Despite this, the County agreed to:

• forgo roughly $840,000 in land-sale proceeds

• accept ongoing environmental responsibility

• rely on a finite fund as its primary protection

• act as the financial backstop if that fund proves insufficient

This was not a short-term risk. It was a long-tail liability.

What Taxpayers Were Told — and What the Deal Delivered

In the years since the deal was approved, County leaders — including Finance Committee leadership — have repeatedly warned that Milwaukee County has “no money” for essential services.

Those warnings have been used to justify:

• reductions in transit service

• deferred park maintenance

• staffing constraints in public safety

• limited investment in health and human services

Yet the Ballpark Commons deal required the County to:

• give up immediate revenue

• divert ongoing tax dollars

• accept open-ended environmental exposure

The contrast is stark.

Who Pushed the Deal — and Who Oversees It Now

The Ballpark Commons deal did not move through government by coincidence.

Steve Taylor simultaneously served as a Franklin alderman and a Milwaukee County Supervisor during the period when Ballpark Commons approvals advanced through both governments.

At the City of Franklin, Taylor promoted the Rock Sports Complex as an economic engine.

At Milwaukee County, he supported the framework that transferred landfill land while retaining public environmental risk.

Today, Taylor serves as Vice Chair of the Milwaukee County Finance Committee — the same committee that reviewed File 25-721 on December 11, 2025 and took no action beyond receiving the report.  Steve Taylor is also the Executive Director of the ROC Foundation working for the complaint that bought Ballpark Commons thru a 501(c)(3).

Why Endorsements Matter: Controlling the Future of the Deal

The Ballpark Commons deal is not just about a past land transfer. It is about who controls the decisions going forward — especially as long-term environmental costs and financial exposure continue to surface.

That is why recent political endorsements matter.

Franklin Mayor John Nelson, a close political ally of Steve Taylor, has publicly supported Danielle Kenney for Franklin alderperson and Maqsood Kahn for Milwaukee County Supervisor. Both races sit directly at the intersection of land-use authority and financial oversight tied to Ballpark Commons.

These endorsements are not incidental.

At the City Level: Franklin Alderman

The Franklin Common Council continues to influence:

• zoning and land-use decisions affecting Ballpark Commons

• municipal cooperation on infrastructure, traffic, and public safety

• the local regulatory environment surrounding the development

Installing aligned alderpersons ensures continuity in municipal support for the project, even as questions about long-term impacts persist.

At the County Level: County Supervisor

At the County level, the stakes are higher.

County Supervisors:

• approve budgets and amendments

• oversee long-term liabilities

• sit on — or influence — committees like Finance

• determine how and when costs are absorbed if special funds fall short

The Finance Committee, in particular, is where Ballpark Commons’ long-tail risk ultimately comes due. When the LIC Fund is strained or depleted, it is County Supervisors who decide whether costs are scrutinized, deferred, or quietly absorbed into the general budget.

Endorsing candidates for these roles is about future control, not past votes.

A Network, Not a One-Off

Taken together, the relationships among Taylor, Nelson, and their endorsed candidates reflect a broader pattern:

• advancing development through aligned officials at multiple levels of government

• maintaining influence over the bodies that review, fund, and absorb long-term costs

• shaping the narrative about what the public can — or cannot — afford

This is not unusual in politics. But it becomes critically important when the same development:

• transferred public land for $1

• retained public environmental liability

• continues to expose taxpayers to future financial risk

Who occupies these offices determines whether that risk is aggressively questioned — or passively managed.

Why This Matters Now

The Ballpark Commons deal did not end in 2017.

Its financial consequences are unfolding today — and will continue for decades.

As long as:

• the landfill requires monitoring

• environmental systems age

• regulations evolve

• and costs rise

the key question is not who approved the deal years ago, but who controls the decisions when the bill comes due.

That is why endorsements in Franklin and Milwaukee County matter — and why taxpayers should pay close attention to who is positioned to inherit authority over Ballpark Commons’ future.Allegations and Active Investigations

The Ballpark Commons deal is now part of a broader accountability landscape.

A John Doe petition (2025JD000011) has been filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court seeking a judicial investigation into alleged misconduct in public office involving Steve Taylor, developer Mike Zimmerman, and others connected to the project. Those allegations have not been adjudicated.

Separately, Franklin Mayor John Nelson, a close political ally of Taylor, is currently the subject of an active investigation by the West Allis Police Department on behalf of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Public Integrity, according to published reports. No charges have been filed.

The existence of these proceedings does not establish wrongdoing, but they underscore why scrutiny of public-private deals that transfer long-term risk to taxpayers is warranted.

Who Benefited — and Who Pays

The structure of the deal delivered clear benefits to:

• the developer, which acquired County land for $1

• the project, which shifted long-term environmental risk away from private ownership

Meanwhile, the public absorbed:

• the loss of roughly $840,000 in land value

• ongoing environmental costs

• long-term financial exposure

That is not an allegation.

It is what the County’s own report documents.

The Unanswered Question

Strip away the procedural language and “informational” label, and one question remains:

How did selling public land for $1, retaining perpetual environmental liability, and exposing taxpayers to decades of financial risk serve the people of Milwaukee County?

The Finance Committee did not answer that question on December 11.

Taxpayers are still paying for the decision.

Bottom Line

Milwaukee County gave up public value, kept public risk, and continues to bear the cost.

The Vice Chair of the Finance Committee reviewing that reality was one of the deal’s strongest political supporters — simultaneously at City Hall and at the County level.

The report was labeled “informational.”

For taxpayers, the consequences are anything but.

Dr. Richard Busalacchi is the Publisher of Franklin Community News, where he focuses on government transparency, community accountability, and local public policy. He believes a community’s strength depends on open dialogue, honest leadership, and the courage to speak the truth—even when it makes powerful people uncomfortable.

🕯️ The solution isn’t another insider in a new office. It’s sunlight, scrutiny, and the courage to vote differently.

Because until voters demand honest, transparent government, the corruption won’t stop — it will only change titles.

Elections have consequences — and Franklin’s next one may decide whether transparency makes a comeback.

💬 If you value hard-hitting, fact-based investigative reporting about our hometown of Franklin — follow Franklin Community News on Facebook.

Together, we can keep local government honest, transparent, and accountable 

— for the greater good.

Join Us at:

 https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1a3NsgvAGn/

© 2025 Franklin Community News. All rights reserved.

THE REAL STORY: How Maqsood Khan Turned Educators’ Work Into His Campaign Narrative

By Dr. Richard Busalacchi, Publisher Franklin Community News

The first time I saw the Facebook post, I had to read it twice.

There was Franklin School Board Treasurer and Milwaukee County Supervisor Candidate Maqsood Khan smiling next to a set of colorful charts, proudly announcing that “under my leadership,” the Franklin School District had reached its highest student and employee engagement scores. The message was polished, tightly packaged, and clearly designed for political impact.  Kahn is challenging incumbent Patti Logsdon for Milwaukee County Supervisor of District 9.

But something felt off.

Very off.

Because the story Khan was selling didn’t match the reality I’ve lived for more than three decades in education—or the reality I hear every week from my son, a special education teacher at Forest Park Middle School, who works in the trenches with students and families every single day.

Khan’s version of events wasn’t simply exaggerated.

It was a complete rearrangement of who actually makes schools work.

And in the process, he turned the hard-earned accomplishments of teachers, staff, and administrators into campaign material for himself.

The Quiet Truth: Engagement Doesn’t Rise Because of a Treasurer

If you’ve ever met a public school teacher—really met them—you know exactly who drives student engagement. It’s the person sitting beside a student struggling to read. The one rewriting an IEP at 8 p.m. because the child needs something different tomorrow. The one emailing parents, talking to parents for hours after work, modifying lessons, attending trainings, and showing up every morning ready to meet the emotional and academic needs of dozens of children.

That’s real leadership in education.

It doesn’t happen on Facebook.

It happens in classrooms.

My son tells me stories of coordinating with parents, adapting strategies hour by hour, and fighting every day to ensure a student gets the right support. He does this not for praise, but because it’s what the job demands and what he has aspired to be, a compassionate change agent to make a difference in this world.

And he is not alone.

Across Franklin:

• Teachers are holding the line on student learning.

• Aides and specialists are providing essential support.

• Principals are building climate and culture in every building.

• District administrators are designing the systems that make improvement possible.

These are the people who move engagement numbers—not school board treasurers.

So when Khan announced those improvements as happening “under my leadership,” it wasn’t just inaccurate—it was offensive to the very people who earned those results.

The Numbers He Posted Tell a Different Story

If you look closely at the charts Khan shared, the narrative falls apart.

The so-called “highest ever” student engagement score?

It wasn’t the highest. Not even close.

Student Engagement (NPS)

• 2023–24 Spring: +40.36

• 2024–25 scores: drop sharply

• 2025–26 Fall: +36.70

A treasurer didn’t make those numbers rise.

Teachers did. And the real “high” came before the period Khan highlighted.

Employee Engagement

Slight improvement? Yes.

Historic? No.

Driven by Khan? Absolutely not.

These are the kinds of slow, steady changes driven by building leadership, district climate work, and daily staff experience—not a board treasurer’s presence.

But Khan didn’t want nuance.

He wanted a headline.

THE NUMBERS TELL A VERY DIFFERENT STORY

The most revealing part of Khan’s post isn’t what he said — it’s the data he hoped people wouldn’t actually read. His own charts show that the highest student engagement score—by a wide margin—was +40.36 in Spring 2023–24, which occurred before the period he is now claiming credit for.

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT — Net Promoter Score (FHS & FPMS Only)

School Year	Fall	Winter	Spring
2023–2024	—	—	+40.36
2024–2025	+27.78	+31.61	+29.64
2025–2026	+36.70	—	—

👉 The highest number in the entire chart is +40.36 in Spring 2023–24, before the period Khan is taking credit for.

The following year, scores dropped, falling into the twenties and low thirties. Even the 2025–26 Fall score he celebrates (+36.70) fails to match the prior year’s peak. In other words: the highest engagement score he references did not happen under his leadership at all.

The employee engagement numbers tell the same story. Small, incremental shifts from 3.86 to 4.06 are positive — but they are the natural result of building leadership, district climate work, and educator effort. They are not the dramatic “highest ever” gains Khan tries to package for his campaign message.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT — Average Score (out of 5)

School Year	Fall	Winter	Spring
2023–2024	—	—	3.864
2024–2025	4.001	4.058	3.969
2025–2026	4.060	—	—

👉 Scores increased slightly, but not dramatically, and reflect building leadership & district climate work — not governance by the Treasurer.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE / CLIMATE — Other Table

School Year	Fall	Winter	Spring
2023–2024	—	—	-21.79
2024–2025	-5.41	+1.56	-11.37
2025–2026	+3.88	—	—

👉 This metric actually shows negative scores in 2023–24 and 2024–25, improving only slightly in 2025–26.

These are not “highest scores ever.”

Khan is not reporting the truth. He is reporting the version of the truth that benefits him politically.

“This Is the Standard Families Deserve.”

But Where Is His Plan?**

In his post, Khan tells families,

“This is the standard you deserve. Let’s see these numbers go up even more.”

The message sounds uplifting—until you ask the obvious question:

What, exactly, is Khan doing to improve engagement?

As Treasurer, he has introduced:

• No engagement initiative

• No staff-support plan

• No district policy

• No measurable targets

• No climate or culture proposal

His leadership claim has no substance behind it.

It’s a story without a strategy.

A Familiar Pattern: Khan Taking What He Did Not Build

If this were the only time Khan appropriated something that wasn’t his, perhaps it could be explained away.

But it isn’t.

The public saw this same pattern during the PattiLogsdon.com domain scandal, documented in the FCN investigation.

While Patti Logsdon was serving Milwaukee County, Khan quietly acquired her campaign URL—her own name—and blocked her from using it online. He bought it, controlled it, and held it during an active election cycle.

It wasn’t an accident.

It wasn’t a misunderstanding.

It was a tactic.

And it mirrors perfectly what he is doing now:

taking something others built and positioning himself as its owner.

The Machine Behind Him

Khan is not acting alone.

He is backed by a tight political network that has been expanding its influence across Franklin:

• Steve Taylor

• John Nelson

• Michelle Eichmann

• Danelle Kenney (running against Alderman Jason Craig)

This group promotes each other, protects each other, and pushes candidates into office who support their agenda.

The domain incident wasn’t a random event—it was part of a broader pattern of coordinated political maneuvering.

And now, that same network is trying to elevate Khan.

Why Voters Should Pay Attention

If Khan is willing to:

• Present educators’ work as his own

• Misrepresent district data for political gain

• Take control of an opponent’s domain name

• Operate within a machine built on behind-the-scenes coordination

then what will he do if voters give him more power?

Milwaukee County deserves leaders who are:

• Honest

• Transparent

• Respectful of public workers

• Capable of owning their actual responsibilities

So far, Khan has shown none of the above.

The Bottom Line

Maqsood Khan didn’t deliver the improvements he’s celebrating.

Teachers did.

Support staff did.

Principals did.

Administrators did.

Special education staff—like my son—did.

They carried the weight.

They built the relationships.

They made the progress real.

THEY did the work.

HE took the credit.

And that, more than any chart or caption, tells voters everything they need to know.

This piece reflects the author’s personal opinion and experiences. All statements are presented as commentary protected under the First Amendment. Readers are encouraged to review public records, filings, and documented evidence referenced throughout this article.

Dr. Richard Busalacchi is the Publisher of Franklin Community News, where he focuses on government transparency, community accountability, and local public policy. He believes a community’s strength depends on open dialogue, honest leadership, and the courage to speak the truth—even when it makes powerful people uncomfortable.

🕯️ The solution isn’t another insider in a new office. It’s sunlight, scrutiny, and the courage to vote differently.

Because until voters demand honest, transparent government, the corruption won’t stop — it will only change titles.

Elections have consequences — and Franklin’s next one may decide whether transparency makes a comeback.

💬 If you value hard-hitting, fact-based investigative reporting about our hometown of Franklin — follow Franklin Community News on Facebook.

Together, we can keep local government honest, transparent, and accountable 

— for the greater good.

© 2025 Franklin Community News. All rights reserved.

Join Us at:

 https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1a3NsgvAGn/

The PattiLogsdon.com Scandal Exposes a Coordinated Political Machine — and Dr. Khan Is in the Middle of It

OPINION: 

By Dr. Richard Busalacchi, Publisher of Franklin Community News

District 9 voters were confronted with a stunning revelation this week:

Patti Logsdon’s own domain name, PattiLogsdon.com, was purchased and controlled not by her campaign — but by the political consultant running her opponent’s campaign.

That consultant is owner of NXTGEN Agency.

And NXTGEN Agency is the firm that built Dr. Maqsood Khan’s campaign website.

This wasn’t an accident.

It wasn’t a coincidence.

It was a calculated political maneuver — and it tells voters everything they need to know about the machine forming behind Khan.

A Campaign Consultant Buys the Opponent’s Name — That’s Not Politics, It’s Digital Sabotage

When Patti’s team attempted to connect PattiLogsdon.com, Wix showed that the domain was already owned by Gabrielle Suliga.

Not a supporter.

Not a donor.

Not a resident.

A professional political strategist.

Campaigns don’t purchase their opponent’s names out of curiosity.

They do it to block them, to hinder them, to interfere with their ability to speak to voters.

And the beneficiary is Dr. Maqsood Khan, current Treasurer of the Franklin School Board — a position that demands integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct. If he is willing to ride into this race on the back of such tactics, voters are right to ask:

How would he behave with even more authority?

Suliga’s Other Role Raises Even Bigger Questions

Suliga’s LinkedIn profile reveals another notable detail:

From December 2023 to April 2024, she served as Interim Executive Director of the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance.

This overlaps perfectly with the period when Mayor John Nelson and Supervisor Steve Taylor were aggressively courting Franklin’s Muslim community — a voting bloc they openly sought to mobilize for upcoming races.

Suliga’s LinkedIn page also identifies her as a full-time campaign manager for multiple races from 2020 to the present. That means the person who bought Patti Logsdon’s domain name isn’t some overeager supporter or inexperienced volunteer—she is a trained political strategist whose day-to-day job is running campaigns and shaping election outcomes. Someone with that level of experience knows exactly what it means to purchase an opponent’s domain. This was not an accident. This was not a misunderstanding. This was a calculated political maneuver, executed by a full-time campaign operative, and it directly boosted Dr. Khan’s candidacy at Patti Logsdon’s expense.

Now add this up:

• Nelson and Taylor endorse Khan

• Khan’s website is built by Suliga’s firm

• Suliga led a civic group tied to the very voting bloc Nelson and Taylor were targeting

• And Suliga purchased Patti Logsdon’s domain

This is not random.

This is not isolated.

This is a coordinated political structure.

A machine.

Suliga’s professional background further underscores how deliberate the domain purchase was. According to her Forbes “30 Under 30 – Media” profile, she is the founder of NXTGEN Agency, a national creative communications firm she launched in 2020 to modernize campaigns for the digital age. Since then, she has worked with over 60 political campaigns and nonprofit organizations across the country, producing rapid-response media, brand development, and video communications for races ranging from school boards to congressional seats. In Wisconsin, she has led statewide civic initiatives to register new voters and consulted for major nonprofits. Before founding NXTGEN, she organized Wisconsin’s first Blockchain conference and received the Wisconsin Inno 25 Under 25 award. This is not the résumé of an amateur or a volunteer—this is a national-caliber political strategist. Someone with this level of experience knows exactly what it means to purchase an opponent’s domain name. It is not accidental. It is not benign. It is a strategic political maneuver carried out by an expert—and it directly benefited Dr. Khan.

📸 Photo Evidence Confirms a Political Bloc Operating in Plain Sight

If the digital and organizational links weren’t enough, the photographic record makes the political alliances completely undeniable.

📷 1. Nelson speaking at Dr. Khan’s campaign kickoff

What it proves:

Nelson is not a casual supporter. He is actively promoting Khan’s candidacy and positioning himself as a political sponsor.

This reinforces that Khan is not an independent voice — he is part of Nelson’s political orbit.

📷 2. Nelson, Alderwoman Michelle Eichmann, and Franklin PR contractor Mary Christine seated together at a Khan fundraiser

What it proves:

• Nelson and Eichmann coordinate their political support for Khan.

• The presence of Mary Christine, a city-paid communications contractor, raises serious ethical questions:

  • Why is a publicly funded communications professional attending partisan political events with elected officials?

  • Where are the boundaries between public communications and political messaging?

    This photo visually confirms concerns already raised by the April 2025 FCN investigation.

📷 3. Dr. Khan photographed alongside Supervisor Kathleen Vincent at both her Greendale School Board and County Supervisor campaign kickoffs

What it proves:

• Khan and Vincent have a mutually reinforcing political relationship.

• The same bloc — Nelson, Taylor, Vincent, Eichmann — is promoting one another across races.

• This is not grassroots. This is a slate.

  These coordinated appearances show Khan is deeply embedded in the Nelson/Taylor/Vincent network.

📷 4. Supervisor Steve Taylor and Supervisor Kathleen Vincent photographed with Dr. Khan at a Milwaukee County Budget Board meeting

What it proves:

This photo shows Khan not only appearing alongside Taylor and Vincent at campaign events, but standing with them inside official Milwaukee County government proceedings. This reinforces that their relationship is not limited to endorsements or fundraisers—it extends into the political machinery and policy-shaping spaces where real county decisions are made.

Their presence together at the Budget Board meeting demonstrates:

• Khan is aligned with Taylor and Vincent in both political and governmental contexts.

• The political bloc operates as a unified team even in public policy environments.

• Khan’s involvement with them is not incidental or superficial; he is being actively positioned within their county-level political structure.

This is yet another example of the Nelson/Taylor/Vincent/Eichmann network building and promoting a coordinated slate, with Dr. Khan positioned as their next extension into county government.Together, these images confirm what the digital evidence implied:

Franklin’s political insiders are operating as a unified bloc — boosting each other’s campaigns, sharing consultants, appearing together, and deploying coordinated tactics.

It is no longer possible to describe Khan as an independent or community-driven candidate. Every piece of evidence shows he is part of a structured political machine.

It would be a serious oversight not to address why District 9 matters so much to Steve Taylor and his political allies. District 9 includes Ballpark Commons, the massive sports and entertainment development run by Mike Zimmerman. Although Ballpark Commons does not fall within Taylor’s own district, he maintains a long-standing alliance with Zimmerman and serves as the Executive Director of the ROC Foundation — a role widely understood as government relations for Ballpark Commons. This means controlling the District 9 County Supervisor seat provides strategic leverage over funding, oversight, land-use decisions, and political protection surrounding the Ballpark Commons project. In other words, Taylor has a direct personal and political interest in ensuring that a loyal ally — like Dr. Khan — wins District 9. The political machine’s aggressive involvement in this race is not just about ideology or messaging. It is about influence, access, and maintaining control over one of the most significant development projects in the region.

And layered beneath all of this is a lawsuit filed by Franklin Public Schools—with Dr. Khan as School Board Treasurer—against the City of Franklin itself. This is no minor dispute. It stems from a $145 million referendum that voters overwhelmingly approved to modernize Franklin High School, only to have the city impose additional conditions and expanded setbacks that the district calls arbitrary, unsupported, and outside the bounds of ordinance. The district says the city overstepped. The city denies it. Yet what stands out is not only the lawsuit, but the political choreography around it: Mayor Nelson’s response was released through public relations contractor Mary Christine, not City Hall. Khan is positioned on one side of the lawsuit, Nelson on the other—yet both appear together repeatedly at political events, fundraisers, and campaign kickoffs. This is exactly the kind of insider entanglement Franklin residents are increasingly concerned about: a school board treasurer suing the city, while simultaneously aligning himself with the very political machine shaping the city’s narrative about the case.

Emerging Voices and Shared Themes

Recently, School Board Treasurer Maqsood Khan has begun echoing the fiscal talking points pushed by Nelson and Taylor — almost verbatim.

Whether this is deliberate coordination or convenient alignment, the effect is unmistakable:

**Franklin politics is splitting into two clear camps:

one that invites community engagement, and one that carefully controls its messaging.**

🕵️ Questions About Communications and Ethics

In April 2025, Franklin Community News reported that a city-funded PR consultant had been posting online content defending Mayor Nelson.

Officials insisted it wasn’t done on city time — but the defense did little to ease public concern.

The episode highlighted a long-growing unease about:

• blurred lines between public resources and political messaging

• taxpayer-funded personnel appearing in political spaces

• coordinated narratives emerging from City Hall and aligned campaigns

When examined alongside the photos and domain-purchase scandal, the pattern becomes difficult to ignore.

⚖️ Two Contrasting Approaches to Leadership

The contrasts in leadership style could not be clearer:

Supervisor Patti Logsdon

• 🗣️ Hosts open town halls

• 🧩 Focuses on real, community-based solutions

• 🤝 Builds relationships with neighborhood groups

• 🔍 Emphasizes transparency and accountability

The Nelson / Taylor / Khan Bloc

• 💬 Relies on curated social media and controlled messaging

• 💼 Repeats coordinated fiscal slogans

• 🎀 Appears mainly at photo ops and Chamber events

• ⚠️ Raises ongoing concerns about public communication boundaries

One model invites the public in.

The other manages information from above.

🌟 Looking Ahead — A Choice About Values, Not Just Candidates

Voters in Franklin, Greenfield, and Hales Corners are facing a fundamental decision:

Do they want leadership grounded in open dialogue and accountability?

Or leadership built on coordination, optics, and political machinery?

For now, Supervisor Patti Logsdon continues her steady, transparent, community-focused work — meeting residents where they are, listening, and leading without theatrics.

Her approach is a reminder of what public service is supposed to be:

Not hashtags.

Not headlines.

Not hidden alliances.

But people, integrity, and trust

For the greater good.

🛑 Silence Is Where Corruption Wins — And I Refuse to Be Silent

For months, Nelson, Taylor, Eichmann, and Vincent have operated under the belief that if they just filed one more baseless lawsuit—this time through a third-party surrogate—they could finally silence me. But let’s be honest about what this really is. It’s not about protecting anyone. It’s not about safety. It’s not about harm.

It’s about shutting me up.

It’s about stopping my First Amendment rights.

It’s about punishing me for exposing the truth they don’t want Franklin to see.

For three years, they have tried to intimidate me, threaten me, and drown me in legal maneuvers designed to exhaust my voice. They assumed I would fold under pressure. That I would back down. That I would simply disappear.

They were wrong.

I’m still here.

I’m still speaking.

And I’m not leaving—because Franklin deserves better than the corrupt machine trying to take root in our community.

To go silent now would be to surrender our values.

To go silent would be to let corruption grow unchecked.

To go silent would be to let political insiders rewrite the truth without challenge.

And that is not who I am.

That is not who Franklin is.

I refuse to be silent—because the moment silence wins, corruption wins.

And I will never let that happen.

This piece reflects the author’s personal opinion and experiences. All statements are presented as commentary protected under the First Amendment. Readers are encouraged to review public records, filings, and documented evidence referenced throughout this article.

Dr. Richard Busalacchi is the Publisher of Franklin Community News, where he focuses on government transparency, community accountability, and local public policy. He believes a community’s strength depends on open dialogue, honest leadership, and the courage to speak the truth—even when it makes powerful people uncomfortable.

🕯️ The solution isn’t another insider in a new office. It’s sunlight, scrutiny, and the courage to vote differently.

Because until voters demand honest, transparent government, the corruption won’t stop — it will only change titles.

Elections have consequences — and Franklin’s next one may decide whether transparency makes a comeback.

💬 If you value hard-hitting, fact-based investigative reporting about our hometown of Franklin — follow Franklin Community News on Facebook.

Together, we can keep local government honest, transparent, and accountable 

— for the greater good.

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