The issue of the United States' involvement in Iraq has spread from beyond the heat and sand of the Middle East to the cold and wind of Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Common Council's Judiciary and Legislation Committee voted 3-1 Monday to place a referendum addressing the United States' involvement in Iraq on the ballot for April. The Common Council will vote on the referendum on Dec. 13.

Alderman Ashanti Hamilton, representative for the 1st aldermanic district and committee vice chairman, said the decision to place the issue on the referendum was not initiated by the council, but by constituents who felt their voices were limited on this issue.

"This is the principles of our country at work," Hamilton said. "It is important as an elected official to give those we're representing a voice."

Alderman Jim Bohl, who represents 5th aldermanic district, said he opposed the referendum for various reasons, including his concern that residents are trying to politicize a national issue at the local level.

"There's a time and place for everything, and I don't think we should be spending our time in a forum about a national issue," Bohl said.

There are a substantial number of city issues, such as increasing murder and poverty rates and unemployment, that need to be addressed and debated before the issue of Iraq is tackled, Bohl said.

Alderman Mike D'Amato, 3rd aldermanic district and Judiciary and Legislation Committee chair, said that working on local issues has become more difficult as more of the city's monetary resources are going toward the war in Iraq.

According to D'Amato, the federal governement held about 20 percent of block grant funds, or $4 million, in order to fund the war effort. Block grant funds typically go to the city and are used to develop different policies and programs based on local needs. Hamilton agreed with D'Amato in his view that Iraq directly affects Milwaukee.

"If that is not a direct influence on our local government, I don't know what is," he said. "Our money is being redirected to build infrastructure and reduce crime in Iraq, not Milwaukee."

Milwaukee is one of a number of cities across Wisconsin to bring the Iraq issue to the local level. Shorewood and Madison will both place the issue on their ballots in April, D'Amato said.

Many Milwaukee residents feel the military action never gave them an option to debate and that they were misled by the Bush administration, D'Amato said.

"Anytime that our constituent group feels shut out or disenfranchised, it is our duty to give them an open and public debate on an issue this important," D'Amato said.

Ruth Weill, co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party, has been collecting signatures in Milwaukee to petition the Common Council to address the war in Iraq.

"We want the referendum on the ballot so people have a voice," Weill said. "This war affects people locally whether that's through the economy or if they have family members serving" in the war.

Weill said she is confident the Common Council will vote to put the referendum on the ballot on Dec. 13.

According to Weill, about half of the needed signatures to put the referendum on the ballot have been collected. The deadline for the petition was Tuesday. However, with the committee's vote this is no longer a concern.

Weill has been working closely with Alderman D'Amato on the issue.

Not all Milwaukee activists oppose the war or embrace the Common Council's efforts to add the issue to the ballot.

Conservative news radio talk show host Charlie Sykes, has spoken out about the benefits of the war in Iraq.

In a piece titled "The Story in Iraq the Media isn't Reporting," Sykes criticized the Common Council's position on the issue.

"What you recognize there (in Iraq), you recognize couage, incredible skill, but also incredible compassion. What these guys are doing is truly remarkable. What they have done is amazing and the Milwaukee Common Council… has brushed them away as occupiers. You know, it's a slander on these guys."

The anti-war movement is having an effect nationally, according to Hamilton, and thus the Milwaukee referendum is pertinent.

"This is a backlash of people's attitudes at the beginning of the war," Hamilton said. "Before it was unpatriotic to debate and ask questions about our involvement in Iraq. Now many people feel they've been misled. They want to make a point and we're giving them a platform."

Bob Bauman, representing Marquette in the 4th aldermanic district, also voted in favor of the referendum.

"Normally I'd say the Milwaukee Common Council wouldn't need to take a stance on national issues, however given the significant concern raised by the public and the amount of tax dollars they have contributed to the cost of the war—close to $200 billion—it's important for us to give the public a voice," Bauman said.