What’s the difference between Tom Barrett and Scott Walker?
The Menomonee Valley versus the Park East corridor.
Barrett, the Milwaukee mayor who is the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, tried out that answer Thursday at an “On the Issues with Mike Gousha” session at the Law School. Chances are you’ll hear it a lot more in coming months as Barrett battles with Walker, the Milwaukee county executive who is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination.
Barrett said that the city was responsible for what to do with vacant land in the Menomonee Valley, and, in recent years, attracted companies which employ about 2,000 people to the western part of the area south of I-94 and west of downtown (presumably, that doesn’t include the Potawatomi gambling complex).
Milwaukee County is responsible for the Park East land, the former freeway zone that runs along the north edge of downtown.
There has been little to no development on the land, with many plans dropped and some under consideration. The stretch between the Milwaukee River and the Pabst Brewery site is a particular eyesore.
Barrett said the city made “a proactive, aggressive attempt to create jobs” in the Menomonee Valley, while the county has been trying to get money from deals on the Park East land.
Walker, who has made pledges of major increases in jobs statewide a centerpiece of his campaign, will get his chance to respond at a forum next Thursday with Gousha, the Law School’s distinguished fellow in law and public policy. Former Congressman Mark Neumann, also a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, is expected to appear at a session in early April.
In other comments in his conversation with Gousha, Barrett defended plans for development of high-speed rail service from Chicago to Milwaukee and Milwaukee to Madison. He said that while Republicans criticize the federal government’s decision to put up billions of dollars for such project, “I deal with the real world” and, if Wisconsin had turned down $800 million in federal aid, the money would just have been spent elsewhere.
Barrett said the train lines will have a major positive impact not only on transportation, but on job creation and economic development in the areas where the trains will stop. Republicans have criticized how much operation of the high speed lines may cost the state annually. Barrett argued that the tax income from the economic ripple effect of the work would cover those costs for many years to come.
Barrett also said he was disappointed, but not surprised by the announcement from the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday that Wisconsin had been bumped out of competition for the first round of grants from a $4.35 billion federal fund for education reform called the Race to the Top. “The handwriting was all over the wall” after the Legislature did not take up proposals from Gov. Jim Doyle, including giving Milwaukee’s mayor control of the city’s public schools, Barrett said.
The message from the rejection should be, “Come on, let’s go, let’s get our act together,” Barrett said. The deadline for submitting applications for a second round of Race to the Top grants is June 1.
Both the Menomonee Valley and the Park East corridor are disasters that no one should be proud of. The Valley is a miles-long eyesore, something like having an open-pit garbage tract in your backyard. Park East is a fool’s plan that eliminated a vital freeway link in favor of … nothing.
Both of these places have long been an embarrassment to the people of Milwaukee. Few cities and counties do worse land-use planning than the City and County of Milwaukee.
I grew up on the near south side of Milwaukee and know the Menomonee Valley well from crossing the 6th, 16th and 27th street bridges daily. The valley has been developed and beautified over the last several years. Although it is not yet competed, the improvements are noticeable and are helping to attract new business to the area as well. I would have to disagree that the Mayor and the many stakeholders who have been engaged in the Valley over the last 10 years should not be proud. The changes have been notable and I hope they will continue to be successful in the future. Check out this video for more information.
Thank you, Rebeca. The video is interesting and proves both our points. In my 24 years in Milwaukee the Valley has improved, but it is still a concrete jungle. It is another place where nature takes a back seat to industrial eyesores. Ugly bridges, masses of concrete, an abundance of steel and noxious odors are still the dominant features of the Valley.
My best test for whether a place in Milwaukee is good or not is this: If a visitor to Milwaukee asked to see Milwaukee’s best places, would you take them there. The lakefront? Yes. Downtown, maybe. The Valley, definitely not. While I agree that the Valley has made great strides, the question is whether this area is good for the people. If jobs are the only criteria, perhaps. If beauty and a sense of community are the goal, no.