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Supervisors Jursik & Haas to hold community meetings on mass transit

Zach W — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:18:28 +0000

From my email inbox comes news of two community meetings to be held in Cudahy by Milwaukee County Supervisors Pat Jursik and Jason Haas to discuss the Milwaukee County Transit System.

Here’s the details.

SOUTH SIDE/SOUTH SUBURBAN SUPERVISORS TO HOST COMMUNITY MEETINGS ON MASS TRANSIT

State cuts mean difficult decisions are ahead for policymakers in Milwaukee County

Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee County Supervisors Patricia Jursik and Jason Haas will participate in two community meetings regarding the Milwaukee County Transit System.

“We are mobilizing to educate the public about the State’s draconian cuts to mass transit in Milwaukee County,” Supervisor Jursik said. “Transit means jobs. The economy is struggling to recover and people are out of work. A severe cut to the largest transit system in Wisconsin is the last thing the State should have done.”

“Because of these State cuts, the Milwaukee County Transit System has been forced to include major cuts in its budget request to County Executive Chris Abele,” Supervisor Haas said. “This community meeting aims to describe how these potential cuts could impact access to jobs and businesses on the South Side.”

Both Supervisors will be joined by representatives from the Milwaukee County Transit System and Transit Now.

Tuesday, September 13, 4:30 – 5:30 & 6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Cudahy Library, Winter Garden Room
3500 Library Drive (accessible from MCTS Route 15)

The sessions are sponsored by the Gateway to Milwaukee, the South Suburban Chamber of Commerce, and Transit Now and co-sponsored by the Milwaukee Aging Consortium.

Abele vetoes decorative panels for O’Donnell Park, refuses to sign redistricting plan

Zach W — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 10:10:30 +0000

Yesterday Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele vetoed a measure passed by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors that would include a $1.2 million glass and metal facade as part of the O’Donnell Park garage renovation. Last week Abele had given clear signals he would veto the measure, saying at the time that spending $1.2 million on decorative panels for the O’Donnell Park garage made “little sense” considering the possibility of redevelopment of O’Donnell Park and the parking garage beneath it.

After the board approved by a 13-5 vote to spend $1.2 million on the decorative aluminum and glass panels for the O’Donnell Park garage, County Supervisor Pat Jursick, who represents the 8th Supervisory district on the Board of Supervisors, said the main reason for spending $1.2 million on the decorative panels was the “public’s perception of safety.” (emphasis added)

Now I know that as a liberal I’m supposed to be in favor of profligate government spending (at least according to conservatives) – no matter what the spending is on – but I fail to understand how it’s responsible to justify spending $1.2 million of taxpayer funds on decorative glass and aluminum panels that serve no purpose except to increase the public’s “perception of safety.” To be honest, I’d rather see the money saved by eliminating the decorative panels used for more pressing infrastructure issues (there’s certainly no shortage of those, given all the County’s deferred maintenance), but apparently thirteen members of the board feel improving the aesthetics of the O’Donnell Park garage takes precedence over deferred maintenance or general budget savings.

Given the 13-5 vote in favor of spending $1.2 million on the decorative panels for the O’Donnell Park garage, the County Board seems to have the votes to override County Executive Abele’s veto, so it certainly appears that we’ll see $1.2 million spent to increase the public’s “perception of safety,” instead of using those savings for some other project that may require more immediate attention.

Political grandstanding and the Hoan Bridge

Zach W — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:19:11 +0000

In a press release issued yesterday, State Sen. Jeff Plale and State Rep. Chris Sinicki announced they are sending a letter to federal representatives asking for funding to stabilize safety issues on the Hoan Bridge portion of I-794. Due to a crumbling roadway, it was recently announced netting would be installed to catch dangerous debris falling from the bridge, and in response, Rep. Sinicki and Sen. Plale are requesting that a portion of the $810 million in stimulus funding designated for the Madison-to-Milwaukee high speed rail project be diverted to re-decking the Hoan Bridge or that other federal funding be secured to make the necessary repairs. In speaking about the request, Sen. Plale said, “This isn’t about wish-lists or wants. This is about needs. Thousands of our constituents cross that bridge everyday. It is a vital link between the South Shore and downtown. There is a very immediate need to fix the Hoan Bridge.”

James Rowen of The Political Environment has an excellent take on the press release issued by Rep. Sinicki and Sen. Plale, noting:

Road-building has gotten virtually all Wisconsin’s transportation (sic) budgeting forever: there is no relationship between fixing the Hoan and planning high speed rail.

Would they be asking for a rail repair from highway construction dollars if the circumstances were reversed?

I didn’t think so.

Over at Playground Politics, the Recess Supervisor has a slightly harsher take on the press release:

Nothing is more annoying than politicians who play the “oh look, I tried” angle.

Sinicki and Plale go out and demand that money that’s designated for a specific purpose be re-appropriated to an unrelated project by a level of government that neither serves in. “Oh look, I tried,” they tell their constituents, knowing full well that what they’re asking for isn’t possible in the first place. The only way you’re getting this money for the Hoan Bridge is if you run a train on it.

And in the harshest response yet, County Supervisor Chris Larson, who’s also challenging Sen. Plale in the Democratic primary in the 7th Senate District, blasted Sen. Plale’s press release as a political stunt:

“People in Milwaukee County have waited far too long to see the Hoan Bridge re-decked. Now, our legislators are turning a real problem into a political stunt instead of finding a real, viable solution. Netting and far-fetched schemes are a joke, not the answer. It was bad enough when the DOT studied tearing down an artery that families in my neighborhood use everyday – now, legislators are trying to grab headlines with a scheme that would require a sign-off by the President of the United States, Congress, the Governor, and the State legislature. You’d have a better chance at solving the problem using the money the Brewers had to pay Jeff Suppan to stop pitching. It’s not going to happen.

Inaction on this issue is unacceptable. Local leaders and citizens have taken part in a strong push to keep the Hoan alive. We have been demanding change in how we treat infrastructure funding and upkeep of vital pieces of our community like the Hoan bridge. Let’s focus on the real priorities of our neighborhoods. It’s time for leadership for a change. We need solutions, not stunts.”

To be honest, I’m shocked County Supervisor Pat Jursik didn’t join Sen. Plale and Rep. Sinicki in sending out their letter, given how staunch a supporter she’s been of redecking the Hoan Bridge. Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, given the fact that Supervisor Jursik would probably rather institute toll roads in order to pay for redecking the Hoan.

Milwaukee County Board votes against cutting pensions for elected officials

Zach W — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:18:18 +0000

I smell a few recalls coming:

A proposal to cut pensions of elected Milwaukee County officials to match the same trim approved for other county workers was defeated Thursday by the County Board on a 7-7 vote.

The measure came up only after a substitute calling for a study of the county joining the state pension system also failed on a tie vote.

Voting in favor of imposing a 20% cut on future pension credit on supervisors, County Executive Scott Walker and a handful of other elected county officials were: supervisors Mark Borkowski, Paul Cesarz, Christopher Larson, Joseph Rice, Joe Sanfelippo, Jim “Luigi” Schmitt and Peggy West.

Voting against the pension cut were supervisors Marina Dimitrijevic, Willie Johnson Jr., Theo Lipscomb, Michael Mayo Sr., Johnny Thomas, John Weishan Jr. and Lee Holloway.

Kudos to those supervisors who voted in favor of the cut, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see some recall attempts against those supervisors who voted against the cut. Noticeable in their absences from the vote were supervisors Gerry Broderick, Patricia Jursik, Elizabeth Coggs and Lynne De Bruin. Broderick has indicated he was absent due to recent knee surgery, but the other three supervisors did not indicate why they weren’t present. I’ve emailed Supervisor Jursik to find out why she was absent from such an important vote, and I’ll update you on her response.

Walker “Believes in Wisconsin” yet outsources county housekeeping jobs

Zach W — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:17:31 +0000

Scott Walker wants everyone to “Believe in Wisconsin Again.”

Really, he does.

In fact, Scott Walker believes in Wisconsin so much that after eliminating 90 county housekeeping jobs right before Thanksgiving, he outsourced cleaning services for the Milwaukee County Courthouse to Mid-American Cleaning Contractors, a company based out of Columbus, Ohio. Walker’s no stranger to outsourcing, as he previously outsourced hotel accommodations during a tour around Wisconsin, in addition to outsourcing the design of his gubernatorial campaign’s website to yet another company based out of Ohio.

See, Scott Walker believes in Wisconsin; he just believes in stimulating the economy of Ohio even more.

Speaking of the outsourcing of the county housekeeping jobs to a company based out of Ohio, I can’t help but wonder if that’s the outcome Supervisor Pat Jursik had in mind when she voted to eliminate the 90 county housekeeping positions Scott Walker just outsourced.

Ed. Note: It turns out the company that won the Courthouse cleaning job is actually a local company, Mid American Building Services, based out of West Allis. However, as Dan Cody noted, the head of Mid American Building Services donated $1,000 to Scott Walker’s gubernatorial campaign right around the time Walker decided to push to privatize County housekeeping jobs.

Dan Cody has more.

Holloway shakes up personnel board

Zach W — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:23:57 +0000

In advance of upcoming contract talks with Milwaukee County’s employee unions, Milwaukee County Board Chairman Lee Holloway shook up the membership of the board’s Personnel Committee yesterday, removing Supervisors Paul Cesarz, John Weishan, Marina Dimitrijevic, and Johnny Thomas. Replacing them on the personnel committee will be Supervisors Joseph Rice, Jim “Luigi” Schmitt and Joe Sanfelippo, with Supervisor Pat Jursik – who recently voted to eliminate nearly 100 county housekeeping jobs for 2010.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Board Chairman Holloway mentioned a need for a “new direction” on union bargaining. Most of the county’s unions are working under terms of contracts that expired a year ago, and a tentative pact calling for a wage freeze coupled with a no-layoff guarantee fell apart under pressure from County Executive Scott Walker and the anti-union contingent on the Board of Supervisors. Holloway’s wholesale changes to the membership and leadership of the personnel committee make it clear the Board of Supervisors won’t settle for anything less than steep concessions from county employees, so 2010 promises to be a dark year indeed for county employees.

Let the conspiracy theories begin!

Zach W — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:09:06 +0000

Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik and State Rep. Chris Sinicki, both supporters of redecking the Hoan Bridge no matter if there’s a cheaper alternative, today accused City of Milwaukee officials of attempting to delay the re-decking of the Hoan Bridge. Jursik and Sinicki based their allegations on a copy of a letter to Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi from Milwaukee city engineer Jeffrey Polenske and Jeffrey Mantes, commissioner of the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works. One passage within the letter notes, “[I]t is also our understanding that you remain open to conducting an alternatives analysis that would help determine the most cost effective long term transportation improvement. While the timing of such an analysis may conflict with the timing to start rehabbing the bridge we sense that there may be some minimal rehab effort that could be considered if a viable alternative develops. We are supportive of this approach.”

Jursik, who has previously indicated she supports implementing toll roads to pay for redecking the Hoan Bridge, responded today to the allegations of an attempt by Milwaukee officials to delay redecking the Hoan Bridge by saying:

“At a September meeting of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Frank Busalacchi promised to begin engineering studies for the re-decking of the Hoan Bridge. The County Board unanimously approved the request for an engineering study, and the County Executive (Scott Walker) agreed.”

Jursik also noted “overwhelming support” for the Hoan bridge, noting a petition with 8,079 signatures of residents supporting the Hoan had been presented to Governor Doyle’s Milwaukee office.

What I’d like to know is what Pat Jursik’s definition of “overwhelming support” is, because there are roughly 48,000 residents living in Cudahy, South Milwaukee, and St. Francis, and only 16% bothered to sign petitions supporting the Hoan Bridge. What’s more, the petitions in support of the Hoan Bridge were widely circulated throughout those communities, so the fact that only 16% of citizens signed petitions shouldn’t be seen as “overwhelming support” of keeping the Hoan Bridge. If anything, I’m willing to bet a good number of the citizens of the communities Supervisor Jursik represents would be in favor of whatever would be the most cost effective option when it comes to I-794 and the Hoan Bridge, whether that option includes keeping the Hoan Bridge or replacing it with something else.

Is promising to give back salary tantamount to vote buying?

Zach W — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:44:01 +0000

Last week I wrote about the passage of Milwaukee County’s 2010 budget, and at the time I couldn’t help but wonder if Supervisor Pat Jursik, who voted in favor of giving County employees an extra four furlough days next year – bringing the total number of furlough days for county employees to 12 – would give back the equivalent of 12 days worth of her pay, in order to share in the pain of those of her constituents who happen to be County employees. I wrote Supervisor Jursik an email to inquire as to her plans regarding a giveback of her salary, and here’s her response:

I will forward the equivalent of 12 days pay to Hunger Task Force and ear mark it for their work at the Farm and Fish Hatchery at the county grounds; There is an older case that ruled promising voters to give back part of your salary is tantamount to vote buying, to be safe, I give my salary to an organization that is helping the poor and running this important program which benefits our parks, zoos and those in need. I did this in 09 as well.

While I certainly appreciate the fact that Supervisor Jursik says she’s going to give the equivalent of 12 days of salary to charity, I can’t help but wonder about her assertion that promising to give back part of her salary would be tantamount to vote buying, considering the fact that County Executive Scott Walker made just such a promise when he first ran for County Executive. Personally, I’d like to see Supervisor Jursik give back 12 days of her salary to the County’s coffers, so that those funds can be put to good use.

County budget done – what does it mean for Jursik?

Zach W — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:52:15 +0000

The Milwaukee County budget process for 2010 is officially finished, as the County Board of Supervisors voted on Wednesday to override 21 of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s 34 vetoes of the 2010 budget. The board’s veto overrides will increase the property tax levy by $5.6 million, which equates to an increase of 18 cents, meaning county residents will pay property taxes of $4.13 per $1,000 of a home’s value.

Several Supervisors, including Pat Jursik, had come under intense pressure from the group Citizens for Responsible Government, which encouraged its supporters to bombard supervisors with phone calls and emails “encouraging” them to vote how CRG wanted them to vote. Supervisor Jursik is also the target of a possible recall at the hands of a group calling itself “No Tax Increase for Cudahy/South Milwaukee.” It remains to be seen if the group, which was registered by James Toczyl of Cudahy, will attempt a recall of Supervisor Jursik for her failure to vote in lockstep with the wishes of Scott Walker and CRG.

Here’s a list of how Supervisor Jursik voted on some key vetoes by County Executive Walker:

Voted FOR four extra furlough days for county employees in 2010, bringing the total number of days they’ll be furloughed to 12.

Voted to FOR Walker’s veto of the County Board Office of Sustainability.
Voted FOR the elimination of county housekeeping jobs, putting 90 people out of work.

There’s a lot for CRG to like in those three votes alone, so it’ll be interesting to see if CRG and James Toczyl begin an effort to recall Supervisor Jursik.

An update on the Milwaukee-area recall groups

Zach W — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:31:19 +0000

I’ve written a little about the news that two groups have formed to recall Milwaukee County Supervisors Pat Jursik and Theo Lipscomb, and in the interest of transparency, here’s copies of the registration documents filed by each group:

The “Glendale Residents for Honest Representation” group was registered by Toni Hill of Glendale, while the “No Tax Increase for Cudahy/South Milwaukee” group was registered by James “jtozz” Toczyl of Cudahy. Neither group listed any officers besides Hill and Toczyl, so it will be interesting to see who emerges as the leaders of these doomed recall efforts, besides Hill and Toczyl.