Attention all you regional cooperators out there: Milwaukee continues to serve as Waukesha's punching bag, as former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Darryl Enriquez opens his campaign for Waukesha mayor with the requisite kick at Milwaukee.
Aren't we all tired of this Milwaukee-bashing?
Here is his kickoff email to "friends."
From: Darryl and Ellen Enriquez [mailto:denriquez@wi.rr.com]
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 6:30 PM
To: Darryl and Ellen Enriquez
Subject: campaign message from Darryl
Friends -
After much consideration, I have made the exciting decision to run for
Mayor of Waukesha - a city that for more than 25 years I have called home
and come to love.
For 25 years - as a father, a husband, a journalist and volunteer - I
have seen our community rise to challenges and exceed expectations.
Waukesha is at a crossroads. We can either pursue the policies
adopted by Milwaukee that have left neighborhoods in shambles
and a school system that has failed a generation of children or one
that embraces the individuality of our city and recognizes the ways
for our community to prosper in an ever-changing world.
That's why I am running for Mayor and hope you can help provide the
resources needed to run a successful campaign.
Waukesha's greatest asset and strength lies in our diverse
neighborhoods. My campaign is focused on keeping those neighborhoods
safe and not let them fall victim to crime and the resultant fear and
disrepair.
And to keep Waukesha thriving, we need to have a safe, sustainable
source of water that doesn't soak ratepayers or taxpayers and keeps
Waukesha free of policies that diminish our quality of life.
And to effectuate all of this, we need to restore fiscal sense and
accountability to city government. The city's budget needs to reflect
our families' ability to pay and respects the challenges facing
Waukesha in this economic downturn.
I have quickly learned that to keep campaigns running and to
effectively communicate our vision for Waukesha it takes a steady flow
of resources.
As I continue to build a website to augment my message and as I go
door-to-door to talk to voters, every little contribution can help.
For years I covered the personalities and politics of Waukesha, but
now, I find myself one of those personalities. It can be daunting.
Knowing that the resources to campaign are available will help my
campaign focus on what is most important - making sure voters know
that I care as much about our community as they do.
Please take a moment to visit www.enriquez4waukeshamayor.com to learn
about our campaign and to see who else is supporting our effort. I
hope you will take a moment to consider sharing $25, $50, or whatever
you can to help us share our message with voters.
And please remember to vote in the primary on February 16!
Donations should be sent to campaign headquarters at 219 Arcadian Ave.,
Waukesha WI 53186.
Darryl
The Waukesha Freeman offered the first of its "guest column" spots for mayoral primary candidates to relative unknown Jeff Scrima.
ReplyDeleteLots of the same Milwaukee-phobic blather, most of it focused on the coming Waukesha bid for a source of Lake Michigan water. Scrima is close to hysteria on this issue, claiming it to be a Waukesha Sovereignty" issue.
"...The current mayor, Larry Nelson, is on the verge of purchasing water from Milwaukee. He recently stated that “the future of Waukesha is tied to Milwaukee and vice versa. This [water deal] would be an historic example of regional cooperation.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 11, 2009 “Full Steam Ahead”).
[...]
At the same time, Milwaukee has made it clear that they will use water sales to dictate our land use, affordable housing and public transit (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 9, 2009 “Waukesha Water Sale Backed”). Milwaukee furthermore has resolved to include “a ‘non-compete’ clause and an economic compensation provision” to benefit themselves within the water deal (Milwaukee Resolution File #080457).
So what is this about? Waukesha’s sovereignty. This is about maintaining our ability to self-govern and control the future of our own community. Do we want Milwaukee (or any other city), which is rampant with financial and behavioral problems, dictating what businesses, jobs, housing and transportation we must or must not have? Do we want to tie ourselves to a sinking ship? Do we want them dictating Waukesha’s way of life for generations?"
I've lived in Milwaukee all my life - more than 60 years. That "shot at Milwaukee" is not a shot at all. It is a true statement. I wouldn't wish what has happened to Milwaukee on any community - especially Waukesha. Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha are the most urban and diverse centers outside of Milwaukee and they are actually very nice places. What is it about Waukesha that is so bad? Your posts are connected but mostly about smaller issues. Perhaps you could articulate the overall arching principles and thinking that have led you to these conclusions? Let’s say you were the “king for a day” in the greater Milwaukee area. What would be your top ten policy directives?
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