Louisville successfully merged its city and county into one metropolitan government and now Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan wants our fair city to do a light version of that.

Donovan suggests that the city, county and school district can merge some agencies and services to save money. Functions such as finance, human resources, public works, employees' retirement, health and legal counsel are duplicated by the governments and could be merged he says. He's going to offer a resolution to that effect for the Common Council to consider next week.

"At a time when we're furloughing police officers and ordering brown-outs for fire department personnel, it's critical that we study possible consolidation and / or merger of services," he said.

"We not only need to look at streamlining and creating efficiencies at how we deliver services, we need to return our focus to core services such as public safety, public works, infrastructure and sanitation," he said.

But Donovan stops short of calling for a full-scale metropolitan government, which could really save money and streamline government. Imagine how much money could be saved if police, fire, public works and other agencies were consolidated. But parochial interests would make that idea dead on arrival.

Tom's two cents: Mayor Tom Barrett's plan to take over the Milwaukee Public Schools may be chilling in the state Legislature, but that hasn't stopped him from giving his two cents' worth on how MPS is being run when it comes to picking a new superintendent.

His latest missive takes issue with the process, contending that community representatives on the search committee aren't being given enough say.

In the interview process, committee members aren't being given full resumes but just candidate overviews -- and get only 30 minutes before the interviews begin, he asserts.

"Participants will not be able to tailor questions for specific candidates and follow-up questions will only be allowed if time permits," he says in a letter to the school board.

For the record, here's what the mayor wants in a new super:

• Experience in a diverse, urban community and a genuine understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that environment presents.
• Strong leadership and the proven ability to identify talented individuals empower and encourage them to succeed, and hold them accountable for success.
• Demonstrated negotiation and problem-solving skills. The next superintendent must not only be able to identify strategies for success, but also be able to bring the necessary stakeholders together to implement those strategies.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to garner the support of teachers and parents.
• Experience managing large, complex and diverse entities and demonstration of sound business practices.
• Focus on research-driven strategies and the commitment to using research-based evidence to drive education reform.
• Ability and willingness to be proactive and innovative and not allow excuses to stand in the way of success.

Russ wants Jacksons: Sen. Russ Feingold's re-election campaign seems to be taking a more aggressive approach than when we first saw him as the nice guy in front of his garage using his hand as a road map for the state.

His camp's latest message attacks one of his opponents, Terrence Wall, for of all things, putting $250,000 of his own money into his campaign, and garnering cash from the usual high-powered Republican wallets.

"We have been expecting this for months and now that it's official, there's no doubt that his campaign will continue to be primarily funded by high-dollar contributors and the head of the ‘Senator's Club' -- Mr. Wall himself," goes the message. It quotes Wall as saying he'll need "somewhere between $7.5 to $10 million to run the race."

Then, of course, it asks e-mail recipients to send the Feingold camp $20.

Wall reports that he raised $500,000 in the last quarter.

Getting our Phil: Forget about Walker vs. Barrett for governor, it's Phil time.

Phil Miller, 74, is running for governor as a Republican and the man from Thorp, in northwestern Wisconsin, is a little full of himself, according to a story in the Dunn County newspaper.

"Miller ... is marketing a recently self-published memoir titled 'The Journey.' In it, he presents himself as a cancer survivor, pilot, Korean War veteran, underworld operative, private detective, entrepreneur, manufacturer and salesman," according to the report.

"In the past few years, Miller has faced some difficult times. He lost his wife in an accident in which she was hit by a falling tree at their former home. He has had bypass surgery and survived a bout with cancer."

Like many candidates come and gone, Miller says he's going to run the state government like a business. He says he will only accept donations of $2 per person.

Playing the tragedy card: Republican strategists wasted no time taking advantage of a spate of fires in Milwaukee to blame Mayor Barrett for budget cuts that closed a North Side firehouse which would have been responsible for responding to several recent fires in the area.

"Mayor Barrett seems to care more about raising taxes than he does about providing the people of Milwaukee with adequate fire protection," said GOP exec director Mark Jefferson. "The consequences of Barrett's skewed priorities should not be ignored."