June 23, 2015
City Center Milwaukee | DAY 296 | The CORE CONSTITUENTS of the city of Milwaukee have to STAND TALL. We can not allow our elected officials to cast votes that do not represent our core value issues. We can not allow them to be led by slogans, bait-n-switch, bones of status thrown their way to sabotage the short- and long-term vision of the People.
We can not allow our elected officials to go forth in less knowledge and lack of due diligence. They all took (were supposed to) an Oath to the U.S. Constitution. It is our duty to assist with the transparency, code of conduct, conflict of interest citings, accountability, and due diligence best practices.
We do not and can not get excellence from bad practices, cronyism, payment of markers, partisan politics, perks and privileges given - employment and appointments. NO ONE IS EXEMPT from scrutiny.
Heads-up - Park East Real Estate
Therefore, we have to GO-FOR-BROKE here.
Therefore, we must call a SPADE-a-SPADE.
Therefore, we must call Walker, Abele and Barrett out on the discriminatory and divisive roll-out on June 4, 2015 - "It is Cheaper to Keep Them" scam to the People for the deal making of Wesley Edens, Marc Lasry, Herb Kohl and the developers.
Therefore, we can not get confused by the wheeling and dealing of forecloser companies owned by the Bucks' owners or what the labor unions and MMAC are wheeling and dealing.
Where is the BEEF for the DEEP POCKET investors, the CORE CONSTITUENTS?
Therefore, WE MUST ROLL CALL for Ethics and stand against MONOPOLY-OLIGOPOLY greed.
Is a deal durable?
The idea of a NEW Arena is durable.
The idea of an Entertainment and public space development is durable as a CATALYTIC development.
IF
If it is a Partnership with pen-2-paper; line items for guidance and accountability.
If the MASTER PLAN is "catalytic" - inclusive, respectful, weighted with rules and regulations that will drive the removal of Enduring Concentrated Poverty; it must show from beginning to end, all 3 phases of development with the CORE CONSTITUENTS written in for 10-20-30 years of commitment.
Park East Real Estate
This includes the Milwaukee County Economic and Community Development Committee LAID OVER vote receiving scrutiny. Each member of the committee must be vetted for real reasons for their support of the deal submitted by Walker, Abele and Barrett.
Favoritism based on "it will bring jobs" or "it has been vacant for 10 years" or "it will not change" is lazy-thinking, divisive and unacceptable without real substantial reasons for agreeing.
Duties
The Milwaukee County Economic and Community Development Committee oversees the administration of federal, state and local housing programs in the county, including the Urban Community Development Block Grant Program. Matters pertaining to economic development of Milwaukee County, including the best disposition of county properties, are decided by this Committee. It also makes decisions on the Research Park and the Airport Business Park.
The seven (7) member Economic and Community Development Committee members are:
- Chair - Supervisor Patricia Jursik, District 8
- Vice Chair - Supervisor Martin Weddle, District 5
- Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde, District 10
- Supervisor Steve Taylor, District 9
- Supervisor Willie Johnson Jr., District 13
- Supervisor Khalif Rainey, District 2
- Supervisor James Schmitt, District 6
Their vetting starts NOW. From now to the next meeting, July 20, 2015, 9:00am, Room 201B. Constituents and knowledgeable individuals should email, call, write and talk with those on this committee for exchange and sharing the MUST DO factsheet. Their final decision must be based on at least nine (9) steps taken. They are:
- real due diligence - members of this committee individually and collective doing their homework.
- rationales backed up by data and commitments on the table for the constituents they represent (city and county).
- documentation by DNR and other proofing of the plan given on June 4, 2015 (Walker, Abele and Barrett) and other data in the possession of Milwaukee County
- call ABELE before the committee for INPUTS of his office that will tie-the-hands of the constituents that are in the master plan and his "questionable" $4 million per year collection for Milwaukee County.
- an investigation of mandatory collection and its impact to constituents.
- proof of jobs (gainful employment and wage benefits calculations over the 30-year timeframe for those un- and under-employed).
- Each supervisor on the Economic and Community Development Committee justify how their constituents will overcome Enduring Concentrated Poverty by his/her vote on the issue.
- means-test the benefits promised by the Bucks owners, investors and developers for the CORE CONSTITUENTS.
- each member on the committee note that he/she is putting their job on the line for any appearance of "cronyism", "business as usual" and "sabotage" of the best deal for the People.
All Hands on Deck
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| Supervisor Weddle |
There were two members of this committee that voted "NO" at the June Meeting. They were:
- Supervisor Martin Weddle, District 5 - Vice Chair
- Supervisor Khalif Rainey, District 2
We need EVERYONE at the table fighting the status quo of Enduring Concentrated Poverty, divisiveness, misuse of power, discrimination, lack of due process and economic development for those trapped. We need NEW ideas. We need our leaders to be proactive and not TAKE WHAT IS GIVEN as if that is all that can be done - especially when our BARGAINING CHIPS are at such a high premium.
Call and asked them why they voted "NO" at the June 15, 2015 meeting?
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| Supervisor Rainey |
Ask Supervisor Rainey why he made the Motion to adopt the "as-is" plan and how many constituents had he polled from his district to come to that decision?
Also, ask Supervisor Taylor why he moved to Table the decision of the committee?
Ask the others what they are doing to ensure their decision on July 20, 2015 will be the right one.
414.278.4222 - County Board number.
Due Diligence and Accountability
This is an investment of real estate, assets, a 30-year commitment, a substantial amount of add-ons that will be sucked up in the city coffers, the People can NOT allow the mayor, county executive and governor - sometimes seemingly animated during the June 4, 2015 press conference - to pass-off this INCOMPLETE and DISCRIMINATORY plan. There are so many possibilities here.
It is our time to "encrypt guarantees" here.
Not bait-n-switch number dropping.
Not the "DOWNTOWN excitement at the demise of the CORE CONSTITUENTS.
Not the haves celebrate take-over of the Peoples assets and cast them further into decline.
And since the CORE CONSTITUENTS were not asked to convene from the jump off of this deal, have been held back from input and negotiations; we must hold firm and take NO PRISONERS.
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Supervisor/Chair
Patricia Jursik
Economic and Community
Development Committee |
Below are statements made by Supervisor and Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee after the June meetings. MPA LLC supports her comments all the way.
“The community of Milwaukee has a strong desire to keep the
Milwaukee Bucks and to find a way to build a new, modern downtown arena. But the current deal for Milwaukee County that rests on debt collection to pay for bonding on the arena cannot stand.
“Simply stated, ‘bad debt’ is not a revenue stream. It is an unconscionable trick, not a resource. It is a con game of ‘hide the ball.’ The ball is largely property tax, whether garnered from diverting debt collections from the county’s collection of delinquent property taxes or other court judgments to pay bond liability for the new arena. This collection would have otherwise offset property taxes in the budget. Additionally, if there is shortfall of the ‘bad debt’ collections, shared revenue from the state earmarked for Milwaukee will be diverted to pay this shortfall. This, too, translates into property tax dollars or additional loss of services, likely shorting our parks and cultural assets such as the
Milwaukee County Zoo or the
Milwaukee Public Museum that ultimately depend on property tax support. Any way you want to describe this shell game, funding will fall on property taxes, already the single most burdensome tax on our local residents.
“This is even more alarming to my south shore district of four lake shore cities, all outside of the City of Milwaukee, namely St. Francis, Cudahy, South Milwaukee and Oak Creek. Nearly one-fourth of the foreclosure collections would come from these four cities. Since Milwaukee County’s collection of ‘bad debt’ through foreclosure does not include any of the City of Milwaukee, all of this ‘bad debt’ revenue would come only from county suburban communities. This is both inequitable to my district and may well be a denial of their equal protection property rights.
“The County Executive’s deal is unconscionable since this ‘bad debt’ collection will fall mostly on the poor, the elderly, those suffering medical setback or loss of a job. Does the Buck’s organization really want to be associated with such a deal? I call on the Bucks owners in the spirit of the generous gift of
Herb Kohl to return to the bargaining table and get a real financing plan finalized. Does the ‘Head of the Herd,’ the Bucks development group, want to be seen as a stampeding herd of hungry bucks trampling the elderly and vulnerable down an unbeaten path in their quest for riches in the heartland?”
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SATURDAY TALK
Join us Saturday, June 27, 2015, Center Street Library, 2727 W. Center, 12 Noon to 2:30pm to address the CORE CONSTITUENTS & NBA BUCKS issues with information, grace, and perseverance.
Go to: RESERVE YOU SPACE.
