What’s on County Executive Chris Abele’s Holiday Wish List?
1. Power 2. More Power 3. Less Public Oversight
County Executive Chris Abele speaks as a press conference in 2014. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
“While we are still analyzing the draft bill, the legislation appears designed to further consolidate additional powers into the Office of the Milwaukee County Executive at the expense of other branches of local government,” said Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr., in responding to LRB 2669/1.
All governments, including Milwaukee County, are better able to represent the people when there is a system of checks and balances in place.
The proposed legislation grants the County Executive unchecked authority to increase or decrease appropriations if revenues or expenditures change from the time a biennial budget became effective.
“Granting one politician this type of unilateral decision-making authority over a $2.6 billion biennial budget, without public oversight or citizen participation, is anti-democratic, would breed bureaucratic mismanagement, and invite corruption,” Lipscomb added.
What other County Executive, Governor or President has been granted this level of unilateral expenditure authority of taxpayer dollars without public or legislative oversight?
In order to ensure that local voices are heard on this matter, the County Board will initiate a public discussion in Milwaukee County of these proposed governance shifts. The County Executive is hereby invited to the testimony table to answer questions locally about this proposal and his involvement in it.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr.
