Miscalculations In County Budget Now Total $3 Million

So under legislation passed by his new cronies in Madison, County Executive Chris Abele got a hot shot County Controller who gets to check out the budget…and of course County Executive Abele has his own budget director whose total absolutely most important responsibility is to get the budget right…but instead…

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Chris Abele: It’s Time To Start Acting Like A Leader

Yesterday The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s JSOnline website published two more articles that outline the dysfunction that continues to plague Milwaukee County government. Now I am not holding the county board blameless in this, but post Act 14, the county executive has consolidated powers…something he fully supported to the detriment of…

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Milwaukee’s New Desolation Row

I’ve been sitting on the pictures in this post since last October and have been mentally composing what I wanted to say about them and the area depicted. But I just never got around to writing the blog. Well today my friend Bobby Tanzilo from OnMilwaukee.com brought it back to…

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Abele Rejects Hotel Wage Provision

Developers would like to include an extended stay hotel as part of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s Innovation Campus at the county grounds in Wauwatosa. The campus is being developed by an affiliate of the UWM Real Estate Foundation who purchased the site from the county. Last month the…

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Playing the blame game

Over this past weekend, a fire broke out at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, causing an estimated $500,000 in damage. In response to the fire, there has predictably been some individuals who’ve decided County Executive Chris Abele is to blame for the fire. Although, if there was any justice in the…

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Whither MKE County: Sheldon Lubar Will Show You Whither You Mindless Plotters

Mr Sheldon Lubar, Milwaukee business icon and one of the Machiavellian triumvirate behind the gutting of Milwaukee County elective government apparently is in a snit about the County Board’s firing of County Corporation Counsel Kimberly Walker. Whether you support the boards action or not, they are within their legal right…

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It’s A Done Deal: Scott Walker Signs Bill to Gut Milwaukee County Board

Governor Scott Walker found his way to Milwaukee today and signed Assembly Bill 85 to gut the power and authority of Milwaukee County’s Board of Directors: Gov. Scott Walker said Friday Milwaukee County government should function more efficiently, under a County Board reform bill Walker signed into law. “This allows…

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Whither Milwaukee County: Why Hasn’t Scott Walker Signed THE Bill?

I would have thought that Governor Walker signing Representative Joe Sanfelippo’s Assembly Bill 85 to neuter the Milwaukee County Board was a slam dunk. Or is the governor really too busy jet setting from GOP enclave to GOP enclave? But really, I would have expected an nearly instantaneous signing with…

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Whither Manitowoc County: Board Passes Resolution in Support of Milwaukee County Board

Quite frankly I am surprised that it has taken this long for other county boards to take notice and then take action: MANITOWOC, Wis. —The Manitowoc County supervisors have passed a resolution criticizing Republican-backed legislation that would weaken the power of the Milwaukee County Board. Manitowoc County is three counties…

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WEDC Pay Ain’t Enough To Keep Talent But Proposed Supervisor Pay Is No Problem!

Last week Zach wrote about Governor Walker’s prominent policy initiative, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and their inability to retain qualified staff…particularly a Chief Financial Officer. He linked to an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that explained the situation and included this throw away quotation from Rep. Jeff Stone:…

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