"There are so many variables," he says. "Each application is so unique and so different from all the other ones. There's no way you can take a brush and go across the board."

Zielinski points to the Highbury Pub, 2322 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., as an instance of a "slam drunk" liquor license.

"That place was a hole in the wall before they bought it," says Zielinski. "They sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars in there, fixed it up with its soccer theme. It has its own unique ambience."

Recently, the alderman went to bat for two of Highbury's neighbors, Café Centraal and the soon-to-open Tonic Tavern, 2335 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

"(Owner Paul Jonas) will have some live music, and it's on KK, not in a residential area. It's going to be a very vibrant, high-energy area, which is what people want."

When it's time to decide whether a new bar gets its license, the Common Council hears arguments from both sides. It also gets input from the City Attorney's office, which provides the Licensing Committee with a legal opinion on all applications.

"I have people who come and testify, one way or the other," says Zielinski.

In the case of Tonic Tavern, neighboring bar owners from Highbury to Lulu went to bat for Jonas. And, when Jonas was interviewed for the preview story on OnMilwaukee.com, he admitted that felt nervous throughout his hearing -- but Zielinski says he didn't need to be.

"That's the type of business I envisioned coming into (the neighborhood)," he says.

Of course, every bar in Milwaukee isn't adding to its neighborhood's value, but Zielinski says it's hard for a tavern to lose its liquor license once it has one. These businesses have a "legal property right interest in that license," he says.

Says Zielinski, "It's very difficult to not renew or to revoke that license. You have to establish a strong record of illegal or problematic activity with respect to that particular establishment. If you're a new application, you do not have any such legal property right interest in that liquor license.

"A lot of the new ones get turned down," says Zielinski, but the reason aldermen have a good success rate in passage of bars they vouch for is because they know the neighborhood's dynamics and have already spoken with the potential applicant.

That's why Zielinksi suggests a bar owner talk with his or her alderman first. "They should get a feel as to what the lay of the land is," he says.

Of course, an applicant can ignore the alderperson's advice and go straight to the Common Council, but Zielinski notes that most of the time, the council defers to the member most familiar with his or her district.

"If someone has a good business plan, and is willing to spend some money and it's the right location, they shouldn't have a problem," he says.