The Story Hill gang on Channel 6 talking presidential debates.
Missed this one when it was on
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Monthly Archives: October 2008
A nice victory, but what will SEWRPC do?
The SEWRPC Environmental Justice Task Force today recommended, 8-1, that socio-economic analyses be conducted for each of the agency’s major studies. Over SEWRPC’s objections, the task force also recommended that the analyses be conducted by outside agencies — not SEWRPC.
The vote does not have the strength of law. The task force can make recommendations, but cannot tell the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission what it must do. SEWRPC Executive Director Phil Evenson already told the task force at its last meeting that he thought SEWRPC entirely capable of doing what it hasn’t done before and doesn’t think the recommendation to use outside entities was necessary.
Stay tuned. More on this later, including video.
Story Hill theft reported
An incident of theft was was recorded in the 4800 block of Sunnyside Dr. at 3:07 p.m. on Oct. 10.
The SEWRPC files
The highly prolific Jim Rowen at The Political Environment has been doing a nice job covering SEWRPC’s efforts to scurry away from the light of public review and comment. He’s got posts here and here and related material here and here.
I’ve been thinking that a stroll down memory lane might be instructive. What happened four years ago when the public spoke out on SEWRPC’s job performance was so awful? You can listen to the comments that were made in 2004. They are preserved for history, here. Nothing’s changed much, except that SEWRPC doesn’t want anyone to be able to record and post just what it is the public has to say.
Maybe it’s time to leave SEWRPC: Murphy
The city should consider telling the State Legislature Milwaukee no longer wants to be included in the SEWRPC region, Ald. Michael Murphy said this week.
“Why don’t we direct our intergovernmental to say ‘We want to pull out. You’re not serving our needs,’ ” Murphy said during a budget hearing Monday.
Murphy’s ire was sparked by a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting that the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission continues to delay a long-promised housing study. From the story:
Evenson said he hopes within a month to assemble an advisory committee and examine whether the housing study fits in with all the other projects facing the commission next year.
City Intergovernmental Relations Director Paul Vornholt said the city has failed to get SEWRPC to act.
SEWRPC’s response “has been, at most, lip service, obviously inaction, but they never outright reject you, they never say ‘no,’ he said. “They say it’s in the works, it’s a budget decision, it’s a priority.”
It’s been 28 years since a regional housing study was conducted, Murphy said. “We’ve made one request of them — one — and they’ve ignored us. Or they placated us and they push us off.”
A resolution calling for the county to pull out of SEWRPC, introduced earlier this year, should be brought forward for consideration, Murphy said.
“I don’t know what else to do,” he said.
“I completely share your frustration,” Vornholt said.