It was clear that the election of Scott Walker to the Governorship was going to negatively impact transit as well as other services in Milwaukee, but beyond the ‘fiscal’ matters the agenda he has laid out goes far behind what even we predicted.

Our belief that 2010 could have been the Year of the Park East, came up a bit short, and unfortunately it wasn’t the only project that was derailed in 2010.

On election night, Governor-elect Scott Walker promised Wisconsin 250,000 news jobs by the end of 2014.

Critics claim the goal is unrealistic and his jobs plan as lacking and juvenile.

Any hope for a regional transit authority in southeastern Wisconsin is on hold, as the Wisconsin State Legislature adjourned without passing a transit bill of any form for southeast Wisconsin. The bill, AB282, was close to passage in the Assembly, but lacked a few key votes from Milwaukee-area Democrats, notably Representatives David Cullen, Peggy Krusick, and Anthony Staskunas.

An interesting debate was covered by the Journal-Sentinel the other day about why bus ridership in Milwaukee County was dropping.

Politics are at work, given the election season. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker blames the economy and is downplaying his decision to raise fares over the past several years, and transit advocates are saying that the drop is due to large fare increases and service cuts (fewer routes).

Governor Doyle’s announcement that he will not be seeking a third term could send ripples through Milwaukee’s political landscape. The most commonly mentioned named Democratic Party members that may run for Governor include, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

Milwaukee County is going ahead with executing a plan for its pension system that involves borrowing money, investing it in the market, and hoping to earn a 2% profit. The plan has garnered support from County Executive Walker, the County Board, and the county’s actuary consultant.

When the budget finally made it to his desk, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle used his extensive veto powers in a lot of ways. The most significant of which was arguably the line-item veto of the Milwaukee Transit Authority and the proposed 0.65% sales tax increase for Milwaukee County. Doyle did not veto SERTA, the authority which is to run the KRM commuter rail line, and the $18 rental car tax. This veto puts back on the drawing board Doyle’s proposal for a three-county sales tax to fund the KRM and bus service in Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee Counties, while at the same time not delaying the KRM development process.

The Milwaukee County pension troubles are a serious issue that affect everyone in the Milwaukee area. By eating a significant portion of the county’s budget every year in the form of increased pension payments, the pension scandal has forced cuts in county services and tax increases. Milwaukee County has taken Mercer to court over the highly-flawed pension system, and a decision in Milwaukee County’s favor could relieve a lot of stress at the county level.

The Milwaukee circulator streetcar is moving forward, but there is still confusion in the mind of many. We’ve covered the issue in the past, but this article attempts to bring everything together in one place, the history, the frequently asked questions, and the proposed route.