County Board Candidate Johnson Vows To Kill Paid Park Parking
"People should be enjoying the parks, not worrying if they have to go plug a meter."
Greenfield, WI – Candidate for Milwaukee County Board’s 17th District seat Tim Johnson announced today that his first act as a county board member, if elected, would be to eliminate any possibility of paid parking in or near any county owned or operated parkland by introducing a resolution forbidding any measures that would require park visitors to pay. “You can spin this any way you want,” Johnson said, “but this is a tax on park users. People should be enjoying the parks, not worrying if they have to go plug a meter.”
Johnson, who has been an advocate of the recently agreed lease of Greenfield’s Kulwicki Park to the city of Greenfield for years, believes that if additional resources are required to maintain the park system, tax increases should be the absolute last resort. “Taxes, in any form, should be the last thing we think about if the county needs additional funds. There are so many other options out there. Unfortunately, our current county leadership feels that taxing is the best and only option for revenue generation. That mindset needs to change.”
Johnson faces incumbent Milwaukee County Supervisor Tony Staskunas in the spring general election on April, 3rd 2018.
Learn more about Johnson and his campaign at facebook.com/johnsonmkeboard
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
Recent Press Releases by Tim Johnson
Johnson criticizes Milwaukee County Executive’s continued push for a $60 wheel tax
Sep 25th, 2017 by Tim Johnson"Executive Abele continues to push his tax first policy to cover budget mismanagement."
This is a gimmicky strategy. Many folks would agree that running back to the meter while walking through a park is the last thing someone wants to do. On the other hand, we have a statement which seems anti-all taxes. There are some thoughtful people out there who know you can’t avoid taxes for some situations, and that sometimes there are no other options worth considering. Are we going to privatize every square inch of public space in order to avoid taxes? That would of course restrict access to former public spaces, and quite likely raise the cost for most potential users.
It’s all about context. This statement provides almost none.
I long for those moments when political candidates spent time sweating over well thought out positions, rather than sound bites offering nothing of substance. Many of us feel that way.
I’d go further than gimmicky and suggest it’s completely absurd. The proposal would charge people who want to store their personal motor vehicle at a park. It would not charge people for visiting parks.