>
>
> On Wed, Apr 6, 2011 at 7:58 PM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> On Apr 6, 2011, at 7:34 PM, Jeffrey Fisher wrote:
>>
>> > right -- I live in Waukesha County, the county Ron Johnson won by the
>> > biggest margin in the race against Feingold, and it is that -- wealthy
>> > suburb of Milwaukee, where the biggest concern seems to be whether or
>> not to
>> > share water with Milwaukee.
>>
>> Well, you know, there *are* a lot of black people there. Next thing you
>> know, they'll want food and shelter too.
>>
>>
>> Crazy, I know.
>
>
As I recall the fight, it had to do with basically Milwaukee getting us to
pay for their water. The current mayor won with this is his major issue. And
of course now he's talking about doing it anyway (at least as I hear)
because *we* need *their* water . . .
http://www.milwaukeemagazine.com/currentIssue/full_feature_story.asp?NewMessageID=26111
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The election was historic, probably attracting the largest number of voters for mayor in Waukesha’s 114-year history, says city clerk/treasurer Tom Neill. A total of 10,795 people cast ballots for the full-time, nonpartisan mayoral job, or slightly more than 27 percent of registered voters. Statewide, the turnout for the 2010 spring elections was only 10 percent, says Nathaniel E. Robinson, administrator of the state Government Accountability Board’s Election Division. It usually takes a controversial local issue to drive up the turnout, he notes.
The issue for Waukesha was hot all right: water. Facing shrinking reserves and well water that in some cases has traces of radium, Nelson and other Waukesha officials supported a plan to buy water from Milwaukee. Scrima condemned the plan, arguing the far bigger city would try to control Waukesha. “That was a scare tactic Scrima exploited,” Ybarra charges.
Says Milwaukee Ald. Michael Murphy: “I think that it plays politically in Waukesha County to beat up the city of Milwaukee, and that we’re the Bogeyman.” Former Waukesha Mayor Carol Lombardi (1998-2006) says the water issue shouldn’t have even arisen in the election because the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Great Lakes Compact may take years to decide if they'll allow Waukesha to pursue buying Lake Michigan water.
But former Ald. Emanuele Vitale, who was defeated for his seventh term in the election, says Scrima raised an important issue. “I’m a senior citizen, and many people in Waukesha will not be able to live in their homes because of the [expected] high water rates. Milwaukee is a big spending city. They will have their thumb in Waukesha, and that makes me concerned.”