Inside the tiny parks building was a serpentine line with perhaps 50 people and by the time I made it to the table, 30 minutes after the polls opened, I was number 93 or 94. There have been elections in which I've voted after work and had a number much lower than that!
Although voting appeared to be proceeding smoothly, the line wasn't moving especially quickly and a few people grumbled a bit about being late for work. Overall, most voters took it in stride.
However, perhaps for elections in which bigger turnouts are expected -- in most elections, one can stroll in, vote and stroll back out -- the polling places can be staffed with two (gasp!) teams of poll workers to help expedite things a little.
On the way out, I felt a bit like Cosmo Kramer when I declined an "I Voted" sticker and the women proferring them appeared taken aback. "Who doesn't want to wear the sticker?!" I don't put on a sticker at 1 each day saying, "I Lunched," so I'm not sure why I'm expected to report in to friends, colleagues and passersby on this topic. But, boy, the peer pressure to wear the sticker is weighty, I'll tell you that!
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
