Yes, Virginia, There Are Free Lunches, Courtesy Of SEWRPC

I'm pouring through some open records documents that have caught my interest in the wake of my earlier revelation that the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission has been springing for a $1,000 taxpayer-paid annual dinner at The University Club on Milwaukee's lower East side for commissioners, staff and consultants.

After the holidays, I'll post the details - - I've got follow-up requests sent by email - - but suffice it to say that SEWRPC's Executive Director Ken Yunker takes various officials and other opinion-makers to breakfast and lunch on a regular basis, with an agency credit card, even though he has a very nice office quite close to the Waukesha-area restaurants where he (tazpayers) picks up the tab.

[Note: an earlier version of this posting said that Milwaukee officials were meeting with Waukesha officials or representatives at the Milwaukee Athletic Club. That was an error and I have deleted it, but acknowledge it. The MAC meetings were purely internal to Waukesha. I have also made the headline specific only to SEWRPC, and I regret these inaccuracies on my part.]

At The University Club, SEWRPC's soiree came with cordon bleu or beef tenderloin and truffle cake for dessert.

When I get more details about precise costs (in the Waukesha/Milwaukee cases) and the guest lists (in SEWRPC's case), I'll pass them on.

Not sure whether SEWRPC will comply with the request for names to match up with the meals, as I had asked for that without the names being sent in a subsequent communication.

We'll see.

Happy New Year, readers.