Lake Michigan Diversion Plan Roiling Waukesha Politics, Again

Round two and it could go 15 or more: Waukesha's new Mayor and Common Council members there are fighting over who speaks for the city when it comes to the proposed Lake Michigan diversion.

Round one took place during the recent Mayoral election, when a newcomer, Jeff Scrima, upset incumbent Larry Nelson.

Scrima had expressed doubts over the diversion plan that Nelson had been pushing his entire four-year tenure.

And the Council endorsed the plan at an April council meeting two days after Scrima's surprising and consequential victory - - which may explain why Scrima has not thrown his arms around it.

Both Scrima and Council members are planning on meetings with Milwaukee aldermen, since Milwaukee may well decide sometime later to sell Lake Michigan water to Waukesha - - so now Milwaukee reps have to decide with whom to meet, and who speaks for Waukesha: aldermen or the Mayor.

And don't forget: Waukesha has a powerful, elected City Attorney, and strong-willed appointed officials with roles to play: a city administrator and the water utility general manager - - the latter with a brace of consultants who are all heavily-invested in the application.

Yipes! This has all the makings of a real struggle for power.

This hassle is but one of many, multi-layered complexities facing both Waukesha and Milwaukee as the water issue moves forward - - and underscores what a troubled legal, political, and environmental road Waukesha has chosen to take in its search for a new water source.

It's amazing to me that Waukesha could have this much trouble - - the application, backed by the Common council April 8th is not yet ready for prime time and has not yet been sent to the state for preliminary review - - after spending about $1 million in fees to consultants, including lobbyists and public relations specialists who are supposed to help find a workable, smooth path through legal political and environmental thickets.

Some perspective and history, here.