Another look at the public hearing

Last night was the first time I had attended a public hearing on the Milwaukee County budget. While driving in to Washington Park, I was struck by the sheer number of cars parked along the street and in the parking lots. It was evident that a lot of people had come to speak, or at lesast show their support one way or the other.

Getting inside, I was astonished at the sheer number of people in the auditorium. Dan Cody puts the attendance five hundred. Another person counter four hundred and sixty people. My personal estimates were four hundred minimum, five hundred tops, mid-range of four hundred and fifty. Take your pick from those numbers. Either way, the place was packed.

It was encouraging to me to see so many people there to speak out for the parks. The parks were one of the things that made me fall in love with living in Milwaukee County when I lived here as a child, and a big reason for me to come back as an adult. People intrinsically know the value of the parks. They know how they enhance the quality of life within the County, and that they need to be maintained. Yes, that means having a slightly higher cost of living. But that is nothing compared to the cost of living without our parks.

James Wigderson’s account of the event is fairly accurate as well. Take out his token bits of spin, and you have a fairly reasonable account of the hearing. He plays up the anti-tax speakers, which he will do. But for every one “no tax” speaker, there were at least thirty-three people who said, “Yes, I am saying raise taxes. The cost of not saving our parks, transit, and infrastructure will be far, far higher.”

The crowd was, by and large, fairly respectful. Yes, there was heckling. But everyone was allowed to speak their mind. No one came to blows. And even the most determined hecklers on either side had given up about an hour into the meeting.

I would like to thank the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors for listening to every one of us last night. I hope that we helped guide your decision-making process for the better. We know it’s not easy, and we know you’ve got hard choices to make. But, darnit, we’re with you! Do what’s best for the people of Milwaukee County. You are, after all, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. You are not the board of the Bradley Foundation or Americans for Prosperity. Remember the people, the people who rely on transit, parks, and the innumerable social sevices and benefits that the County provides. We need them.

The cost of a disintegrated society is far great than the cost of keeping our parks and transit in working order. It is that simple. Our government provides the foundation for a humane, civilized life. No one is prepared to — or wants to — face the alternative.