Another Scott Walker Budget Fiasco

I took a walk through Lake Park a few years back and was shocked at the widespread neglect and deterioration.

Weeds, trash, crumbing infrastructure everwhere.

Whitney Gould produced in 2003 a hard-hitting story about the sad shape of this once-proud park, here, and noted that budget cuts by County Executive Scott Walker were keeping the park from the upkeep it needed.

Fast forward to this fine story today by Sean Ryan at the Daily Reporter which documents what it will now cost to fix a pair of key structures in Lake Park - - the famous Lion bridges.

Years of deferred maintenance in the name of ideologically-driven, but short-sighted budget cuts have driven up the bottom line now that the need for repairs has reached a critical point.

So put this mess right at the County Exec's doorstep, and file it under politically penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Walker will probably run to the private sector and other units of governments, as he did to find a fix for the County's abuse and neglect of Bradford Beach, to get a Lake Park maintenance bailout.

Walker would have been left with a trashed reputation and beach at the base of Lake Park if the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District - - which did not own the storm water drains that spewed contaminants across the region's premier beach - - philanthropist and business leader Sheldon Lubar's family, and MillerCoors hadn't come forward with financial and restoration assistance.

I wonder who will get tapped to fix the famous Lion bridges so the Walker can continue his 2010 run for Governor with as little baggage as possible?