Wake Up Milwaukee
We Need A Plan....and the Leadership To Carry It Out
By Alderman Bob Donovan

Think about it, planning just makes sense. We plan our careers, we plan for our children’s education, we plan for our retirement, and we even plan our vacations.

But what about our home, our city? Has anyone put together a plan for Milwaukee’s future?

Although it may be shocking to most readers, the answer is a clear “no.”

Without a plan on how to address key issues such as public safety, education, and taxes, Milwaukee will flounder. For instance, if we neglect planning on how we’ll address public safety issues, our streets will be unsafe, which will deter businesses and employers from expanding or opening here. The same can be said of education – if we don’t plan on how we’re going to improve the education of our children and grandchildren, we won’t have a skilled and educated (and civic-minded) work force, a critical ingredient to a successful economy and to attracting employers to our city.

For businesses to prosper and grow in Milwaukee, we need to plan for ways to attract good jobs and economic development. Successful business growth in cities often happens with energy and momentum, as businesses literally feed off the growth and energy they collectively generate. We need to plan our future economic development very carefully, so we can create an atmosphere of excitement where businesses and individuals can prosper.

On that same front, how were things done 60 years ago when companies such as Harnischfeger, Kearney and Trecker, and Allis-Chalmers thrived and employed thousands and thousands of Milwaukeeans? Those companies and others thrived because government stayed out of their hair, and the result was prosperity – prosperity for the companies and good wages and prosperity for the citizens.

We need to plan a shifting away from our reliance on property taxes as a way of paying for services, because we’ve reached a breaking point where citizens simply cannot afford to pay their property taxes. Seniors and those living on fixed incomes are being forced from their homes – the place where they feel most at peace – because of our sky-high property taxes. We need to revamp our system so that taxes are balanced and equitable.

More than $91 million in federal money for Milwaukee’s mass transit future has been untapped and unused for 18 years, because our elected officials can’t seem to agree on what we should do. Is it unreasonable for us to expect that our leaders should be making tough decisions and doing their jobs.

Where have all the leaders gone? Why must Milwaukee and its citizens always be forced to settle for less?

First we need a sense of urgency from our public officials. I believe this is critical but it is currently nonexistent. For example, a huge swath of the former Park East freeway land has remained empty for years, and there are no Milwaukee state Assembly members or state senators in leadership positions in the Legislature. Is it unreasonable for us to ask our elected officials to get a sense of urgency, to get their act together so we can make positive strides forward?

Quite frankly, we need leadership, but the people of Milwaukee are rapidly losing confidence in their leaders’ ability to move our city forward. Action is needed now, but few expect we’ll see anything mobilize anytime soon.

While government has an important role to play, I believe in the power of people. It is time for Milwaukeeans to come together on their own, at the grassroots level, to put together plans and a framework for our future. A coalition of concerned residents, infused with common sense ideas and motivated by their common love of Milwaukee, could bring forth the plan and principles to help bring our city closer to its true potential.

The basic questions – at least at first – that could be addressed by such a coalition include:

• How do we change our crippling reliance on property taxes for funding public services?
• What are other revenue streams that should be explored to help pay for public safety services and key, fundamental infrastructure?
• Do we need each and every level of government or even every government department? Should government services be merged, eliminated, or consolidated? How best to reform or reconstitute the Milwaukee Public Schools?
• What do citizens (not politicians!) think is the best transit strategy for Milwaukee and the region?

It is my hope that citizens who are truly concerned about Milwaukee and its future will volunteer to serve their city by offering their common sense ideas and suggestions as we move to come up with a framework plan that will help bring our city’s feet out of the sand so we can dust ourselves off and move forward. Please read more about how to get involved on the this page.

Our future depends on it.