New Alliance Vows to Protect Milwaukee County Structures and Programs

The newly formed Alliance to Protect the Public Services held its first public action on Wednesday, August 30 protesting major cuts proposed in the 2007 Milwaukee County budget. The Alliance is comprised of groups representing park advocates, disability rights groups, bus riders, public workers, churches and community organizations.

Sixty members of the group rallied on Wednesday at Washington Park Senior Center as County Executive Scott Walker was about to hold a public workshop on the budget. Rally participants with mops, scrubbers and brooms staged a symbolic clean-up to illustrate the basic maintenance needs that will go unmet at county facilities next year and the Alliance goal to “Make County Government Clean and Strong”.

Under the current proposals, there is no money for cleaning and maintenance in the county courthouse or on county grounds. According to Cindy Heraly, a security worker at the Courthouse, “I am the first person people meet when they come in to do business at the courthouse. I have to apologize for the dirt on the floors and the filthy bathrooms. This does not show respect for our citizens. If these cuts go through, it will be much worse.”

Current departmental proposals mandated to cut $80 million from the 2007 County budget reduce programs for the disabled, people with mental illness and low-income people; raise bus fares for everyone including students and people with disabilities while eliminating and shortening routes, close swimming pools, and make drastic cuts in maintenance of parks, waterways, bike trails, golf courses, the zoo and a range of museums.

State Representative Tamara Grigsby (D-18th) called many of the proposed cuts “unconscionable” because they impact the people who need them the most, such as low-income families, the elderly and disabled residents. “The role of government is to ensure that all citizens enjoy a reasonable quality of life,” Grigsby stated. She noted that not all members of the county board of supervisors agree with the proposals and called on citizens to hold their elected officials accountable by “calling out those few who want to hurt the most vulnerable among us.”

Echoing that sentiment was Julie Alexander from Independence First, a group which works for people with disabilities. “There is already a seven to fifteen year waiting list for people with development disabilities to get support from the county,” stated Alexander. “These cuts will only make it harder for people with disabilities,” citing how crucial adequate bus service is for their day-to-day life.

Speakers at the rally stressed that the services about to be affected by the cuts are not extras, but basic and necessary. “Our children need to be able to walk to their neighborhood park for a place for activities and to be safe,” said Vi Hawkins of the Friends of Dineen Park. “We need staff in the parks to keep them safe.”

“Citizens expect and deserve roads clear of snow, safe and clean parks and a well maintained courthouse,” stated Kurt Zunker, president of the park, maintenance and security workers union. “We have a duty to the citizens of this county.”

Vince Bushell from the River Revitalization Foundation discussed how crucial clean waterways are to the health and economic development of the area. If you look at he amazing growth of taxable housing, it is along the recently cleaned Milwaukee River.”

Members of the Alliance believe that some county leaders are allowing the county’s history of

strong public structures and services to erode. Alliance spokesperson Joe Fahey said that almost all Wisconsin counties are facing the financial problems because there is not enough state aid.

Fahey emphasized, “The solution is NOT CUTTING PROGRAMS and SERVICES. The solution is to demand increased state aid and take the pressure off property tax payers. We can’t allow anti-government leaders to use these problems as an excuse to throw away generations of work that built strong public structures to support all of us.

“The County systems should not be stripped of staff and then be criticized for being ineffective. Our courts, our roads, our green spaces, our vital records, our senior centers, our museums, the zoo, our juvenile justice system, our highway safety and our programs to assist the elderly, the poor and the disabled are the components of local government. They should not be dumped for a quick fix. Past generations have invested in Milwaukee County and their investment should not be carelessly wasted.

Members of the Alliance indicated that the rally was just the first step and that the group plans to release alternative budget proposals on September 20th.