I'll have more to say on this topic later, but for now, here is the text of Mayor Tom Taylor's veto of a federal stimulus request that could have resulted in a four-lane widening of 51st street.
It should be noted that the 51st street aspect of this stimulus request was able to be singly eliminated only because Alderman Kristen Wilhelm responded to the overwhelming opinion of residents inside and outside of her district and ignored the apathy (and, it must be said, outright sneers) of some of her fellow aldermen; she moved to separate this misbegotten project from the main stimulus request package. She got no support that I could detect during the proceedings; the other aldermen were busy lecturing members of the public who dared to disagree.
Franklin was especially well-served by Wilhelm in this case, and Mayor Taylor demonstrated consistency with his previous statements to me in subsequently vetoing the 51st street project as a stimulus request.
As for the rest of the council, I question whether their vision of this city and its direction has any resemblance to that of the electors. And I wonder whether their vision is indeed consistent with the oncoming realities for which we need to prepare in order to remain competitive.
Any spelling error or typos in this text should be attributed to my retyping efforts and not the author:
March 19,2009
City Clerk Sandra Wesolowski
City of Franklin
9229 W. Loomis Road
Franklin, WI 53132
RE: Veto
Dear City Clerk Wesolowski,
On March 17, 2009, the Common Council approved the following motion:
In short, the intent of the motion is to request federal stimulus dollars to address reconstruction of South 51st Street north of Rawson Avenue to College Avenue in Greendale. The purpose of this letter is to inform the Common Council that I have vetoed their action directing the City Engineer to apply for second stage of Federal Stimulus Funding for this project.
First, let me reiterate that I am absolutely opposed to the widening of 51st Street north of Rawson to a road with four lanes of traffic. My opposition to the widening of this roadway was vociferously echoed by the large crowd in attendance at the meeting and by the calls and emails I received. The people of Franklin in the neighborhoods bordering this street do not want four lanes of traffic on this stretch of 51st Street.
I also understand very clearly that the action of the Common Council did not address or recommend expansion of 51st Street. The Common Council's action was clear and specific in that it simply directed the Engineer to apply for funding for a project in this area. On its face, acquiring federal stimulus funds and eliminating the need for the use of local property tax dollars would appear to be a good thing.
We can't, however, let the federal dollars put our local project at risk. The neighbors made two points clear at the meeting: 1) they do not want this stretch of 51st Street widened to four lanes of traffic, and 2) 51st Street is currently unsafe and in need of rehabilitation, possibly including sidewalks and/or a bike path. The eventual solution to the rehabilitation of South 51st Street north of Rawson will require detailed evaluation, careful consideration, and significant public input on viable, acceptable, safe alternatives.
In order to ensure that sufficient time is available to carefully and openly evaluate and select the appropriate eventual design for South 51 st Street north of Rawson, I must veto the action of the Common Council. Although the City Engineer indicated at the meeting that there would be time for the normal public input process, he noted that it would be rushed. I don't believe the important design decisions that must be evaluated and considered can be rushed. The citizens made it very clear that they desired and demanded to be part of the process. Significant public input and consideration is essential to this project, and it cannot be rushed. If more time is needed, the City must have the flexibility to take that time. Unfortunately, we cannot expect that the State will provide a flexible schedule with the allocation of federal stimulus funds. We know, in fact, that the State expects to establish very clear and specific timelines.
Some road rehabilitation or reconstruction project must be considered to address citizen concerns about safety and pedestrian traffic. The bottom line, however, is that there is no guarantee that such a project can line up with the State time line that must be followed. Since the need for significant public input and participation cannot be compromised, the City's interests and those of its residents would be best served if the project were not dependent on federal stimulus funds that could force a rushed decision.
Additionally, the City Engineer indicated that projects completed with stimulus funds would be State projects, bid and let by the State of Wisconsin. This specific project will likely require a higher level of public input and involvement than the typical State project. This project needs to be a local project, with local control. The State should not decide what South 51st Street north of Rawson will look like. This must be a City project.
These two arguments alone provide a sufficient reason for me to veto this action of the Common Council. It becomes even more obvious that this veto is the appropriate action when one also considers that there is a very low possibility of being approved for stimulus fnnds for this project. I believe the City Engineer stated at the meeting that the chance of approval was "one in a million." Granted, this was more of an expression than a mathematical estimation. Nonetheless, given the low likelihood of being approved for funding, the legitimate possibility of a need for more time for public input, and the importance of local control; the funding of South 51st Street north of Rawson should not be aligned with or dependent upon federal stimulus dollars.
Sincerely,
Thomas M. Taylor
Mayor, City of Franklin
The letter by our Mayor was nothing but political spin. What a piece of work he is!
Posted by: Franklin Resident | March 30, 2009 at 09:43 PM