Alberta Darling, River Hills, Hit Political Pothole

Hats off to SEWRPC - - yes, you heard me - - for delaying the delivery of stimulus funding to an unworthy project in upscale River Hills, and similar kudos to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, blogger Gretchen Schuldt and the ACLU for arguing that stimulus funding needs to be spent with jobs and diversity in mind.

Pressure matters.

Federal stimulus funding - - regardless of Republican State Sen. Alberta Darling's foot-stomping on behalf of her hometown constituents - - should be targeted at lower-income communities, which rightly leaves River Hills far down the list.

You'd think Darling would be nicer to SEWRPC.

The agency did her a favor some years back when it took off the table during freeway expansion planning "The Northern Bypass," the very kind of wide, gaudy high-speed concrete ribbon Darling backed through Milwaukee neighborhoods.

The Northern Bypass would have connected I-43 and State Highway 45, east-to-west, in Darling's legislative backyard.