Walker wanted to sell Milwaukee parks & privatize its airport while he was County Executive

[highplainsdem]

So it looks as though the plans for financial martial law, to have the state take over Milwaukee County and sell its parks and privatize the airport, are just a continuation of those plans.

This page on the One Wisconsin Now site lists some of the damage he did to the county of Milwaukee during his years there, and his plans for selling property and privatization:

http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/press/state-of-shock-milwaukee-county-s-suffering-under-scott-walker-s-failed-leadership-1-12-2010.html

7. Walker's failure to protect the county's park system. Walker's county parks department is $200 million behind in maintenance projects; a hole so deep a recent audit proposed selling off some of the county's park land to maintain the parks. Walker has neglected. Eleven separate county parks were cited in the audit as having extensive damage, neglect, vandalism or deterioration. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/4/10; Milwaukee Committee on Finance and Audit Report, 12/09)

8. Walker's failure to manage transit costs, resulting in huge fees hikes. Walker has raised bus fares by 50 percent, including fares for seniors and the disabled. Walker also eliminated lower fares for students, while reducing routes and service. Walker even proposed privatizing Mitchell Airport rather than make tough decisions and lead. (Milwaukee County Division of Fiscal and Budget Affairs; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/16/2008)

And this article is about his wanting to sell O'Donnell Park to developers:

http://milwaukeecountyfirst.com/?p=1936



Editing to add the link to the topic I posted Friday about Walker's plans for financial martial law, and the website they'd set up to promote this idea:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x900810

Walker's denying this now, but I don't believe him:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x916799

[TxVietVet]

1. Walker will do the same as Michigan's governor did, I believe.

Walker's a die-hard conservanazi. He'll make Milwaukee County lose tons of money and property when he's through. He wanted to destroy the workforce for the county. He was always at odds with the county supervisors. Walker is like bu$h. Wanted a dictatorship. He didn't get it. A few of his buddies made some money off the county though.

[highplainsdem]

8. Yes. This is apparently why they set up the MakeItYourMilwaukee.com website in effect recommending

financial martial law for Milwaukee:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x900810

It's clear from that astroturf website that they're planning to sell some county assets and privatize others. This isn't designed to "help" Milwaukee -- they're going to loot it.

[TxVietVet]

9. That's what Wanker wanted to do when he was elected as county executive.

He was blocked by the elected board of county supervisors with the help of the unions. Walker was not well liked in Milwaukee. I think the elections were rigged to get him in.

HE's a champion crook. He just hasn't got caught yet.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Eminent domain should be implemented on his parents' home/church.

[highplainsdem]

3. Walker was diverting money for capital maintenance and improvements to his general operating budget,

so he wouldn't have to raise taxes. He created the neglect that he then was going to sell county property to correct...

http://dailyreporter.com/blog/2010/07/21/walker-officials-spar-over-shift-of-milwaukee-county-money/

The board members charge that Walker’s “diversion” of $113.4 million since 2003 has contributed to a large and growing amount of deferred maintenance on county facilities and contributed to the O’Donnell Park tragedy.

-snip-

Under the ordinance in effect before 2003 — the year Walker took office — that $113.4 million would have been spent to pay tax-supported debt service costs for capital projects, and any surplus dollars were required to be used to finance capital improvements, according to county budget documents.

But at Walker’s direction, the county board in 2003 changed the ordinance so that these sales and use tax revenue dollars would go into the general operating budget and be used to prepay county employee benefit costs, including employee pensions and health care expenses, or to supplement the Appropriation for Contingencies, according to the documents.

County Supervisors Chris Larson and John Weishan charge that Walker directed this change in budget policy to put more money into the county’s general budget to pay for employee benefits so that Walker could avoid the need to raise taxes.

-snip-

[Ed Suspicious]

5. Is this zealotous drive to divest the commons a sickness

or is he just an evil fascist prick?

[highplainsdem]

4. Another article on Milwaukee's parks & Walker's neglect of them while county exec:

http://www.milwaukeenewsbuzz.com/?p=28426

According to this article, Milwaukee has 156 parks, about 15,000 acres. You can imagine how much developers would like to buy those parks.

This article mentions both the neglect of the parks, and Walker's excuse for the neglect -- but a reply above explains that he diverted the funds for the parks to his general budget.

[highplainsdem]

6. Another: In 2006, County Supervisor John Weisham said Walker wanted to "destroy the parks so much

that he can justify selling off prime public land to his developer buddies."

http://watchdogmilwaukee.com/jim/2006/pension-scandal-what-really-happened-and-the-results/

[highplainsdem]

7. Articles on Walker's plans to privatize Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/32434639.html

Milwaukee County panel derails airport privatization
By Steve Schultze of the Journal Sentinel

Oct. 10, 2008

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s plans for privatizing Mitchell International Airport were dealt a setback Thursday, when a County Board committee voted 7-0 to ditch his call to spend $500,000 on consultant studies.

The topic riled supervisors, who questioned the concept and complained that Walker hadn’t included them in preliminary talks on airport privatization.

-snipping paragraph about Supervisor Patriica Jursik complaining about the "big rush"-

She also strongly objected to Walker’s attempt to link Mitchell privatization with the funding problems facing the county transit system. Walker has pitched Mitchell privatization as a way to possibly generate $25 million a year for transit. He says privatizing Mitchell’s operation could generate as much as $1 billion for a long-term lease with the county.

Jursik said the transit funding crisis will hit in 2010, long before an airport outsourcing could happen. Walker has said he believes Mitchell could be privatized by then.

-snip-

http://www.examiner.com/airlines-airport-in-milwaukee/milwaukee-co-executive-scott-walker-puts-general-mitchel-int-l-airport-privatization-back-play

Milwaukee Co. Executive Scott Walker puts General Mitchel Int'l Airport privatization back in play
January 12, 2010
Elizabeth Perkins


In his annual "State of the County" address, Tuesday, Jan. 12, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker again called for privatizing General Mitchell International Airport (GMIA) operations, along with courthouse security and park maintenance.

Walker unsuccessfully sought County Board support for a study on airport privatization and outsourcing for 2009, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper. In Walker's speech Tuesday, he promoted outsourcing as a solid way for Milwaukee County to turn a profit while paying down debt and financing the county's transit system, all without having to increase property taxes.

Along with some Milwaukee business leaders, Walker has advocated leasing GMIA, long-term, to a private firm, claiming it would streamline business operations and generate budget deficit easing revenue.

-snip-

Though Walker suggested few details, his latest remarks show that he considers the discussion of airport privatization far from over.

I'd say that last sentence was an understatement, since this is almost certain part of the reason for wanting financial martial law in Milwaukee County.