The Milwaukee Common Council’s Licenses Committee today voted against a deal that would allow the owners of Silk Exotic to open a strip club at 730 N. Old World Third in downtown Milwaukee.
Aldermen Tony Zielinski and Khalif Rainey voted to allow the strip club to open but Jose Perez and Milele Coggs voted against the deal and Chantia Lewis abstained.
The committee held another vote to recommend denial of the strip club license, which Zielinski supported only to bring the matter before the full council, where he said he hopes it will pass. The Common Council will review the proposal during its meeting on Tuesday, May 9.
“This applicant has an extensive record and experience in the business,” Zielinski said referring to Silk, which has a strip club on Silver Spring Drive. “They’ve had a couple of hiccups but they are well run and there is no reason to believe with their extensive positive history, this location will not be a very well run operation.”
The club would be owned by Radomir Buzdum and Silk Exotic owners, Joe Modl and Scott Krahn. Silk Exotic owners and members of the Buzdum family have sued the city because their repeated attempts to open a downtown strip club have been denied.
After an April 17 hearing when more than a dozen downtown business leaders spoke in opposition to the city granting a license for the Old World Third strip club establishment, the matter was tabled so the Downtown Business Improvement District could weigh in on a suitable location.
The BID later said it could not in good conscience recommend any downtown location.
Brian Randall, an attorney with Friebert, Finerty & St. John, who was representing the applicants said they looked at several locations and at this point, 730 N. Old World Third is the only one that makes sense.
Randall said his clients are willing to apply for another location if one becomes available by the end of the month.
The Licenses Committee still has to consider another strip club application from the Ladybug Club, also known as 618 Live on Water, which is located in the Milwaukee Building at 622 N. Water St.
Randall said Silk owners discussed possibly leasing space at The Ladybug Club location in December 2013, but those plans never came to fruition. He did not know if those talks would resume.
Alderman Robert Bauman, who represents downtown Milwaukee, has been a vocal opponent of a strip club on Old World Third, but said he would support a strip club at the Ladybug Club.
