Public safety over the streetcar always
Statement of Alderman Tony Zielinski - October 2, 2017
I am sponsoring an amendment to Mayor Barrett’s proposed 2018 executive budget that would take $208,000 for two streetcar management positions and instead direct that money to pay for police officers.
In my view we desperately need more protective services workers in Milwaukee and we do NOT need more administrative management bureaucrats. The $208,000 funding would allow us to pay for 2.5 police officers to help keep our citizens safe.
Additionally, because the Mayor is reimbursing the streetcar positions directly from the Parking Fund, he is financing the city portion of the streetcar operating costs from the city’s coffers. In other words, contrary to what was advertised earlier by the Mayor the budget for the streetcar IS impacting the budget this year.
Public safety will ALWAYS be a higher priority than the streetcar for the residents I represent. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment during the upcoming budget process.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
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Nov 1st, 2019 by Ald. Tony ZielinskiStatement of Alderman Tony Zielinski November 1, 2019
Hey T do you realize that two-thirds of the highest paid city employees are either police officers or firefighters? Why not go to them for $208,000? You could easily find it. Also, are you spending too much time with Bob Donovan? Your hysterical and simplistic rhetoric is straight from his playbook.
Money for the streetcar has no effect on money for the rest of the budget. I assume you know that and are just grand-standing. Politicians.
with all due respect because i try not to be cynical…don’t pander with $208,000? please.
the streetcar is a done deal after maybe 20 years. i often hear we need a new arena to make Milwaukee a big league city. (before you think i’m anti sports know i played college basketball and coached high school basketball for 20 years). i do know we need to attract millenials and others to this city to make it grow and prosper.
consider the streetcar the equivalent to the arena argument, we need it to be big league.
and yes, Tony, i’m willing to play you up to 11, make it take it, to have you not sponsor legislation. thanks for reading.
Wouldn’t it be cheaper to give all Milwaukeeans surplus automatic weapons? It’s the ‘Murican way. Seriously, we need private police and fire fighters to start weaning out the biggest budget items for Milwaukee. They don’t want to live here? Scott Walker made that legal. So we need to start treating their costs as simple budget items since they are no longer my Milwaukee neighbors and find lower cost solutions.