Friday, July 6, 2012

Waukesha Declines Milwaukee Water Negotiation Conditions, But...

Does that mean that negotiations are dead, buried and unable to be exhumed before they ever began, as Waukesha indicates to Waukesha Patch?

“We are disappointed that Milwaukee prematurely killed this opportunity to negotiate a historic regional cooperation agreement with Waukesha,” said Interim City Administrator Steve Crandell in a prepared statement. 
I ask because I note this line in Don Behm's Journal Sentinel story about events today, where Milwaukee balked at negotiating a water sale to Waukesha that would allow Waukesha to send some water to parts of four neighboring communities:
In countering Milwaukee's proposal for tight constraints on Waukesha's service area, Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak has offered to discuss terms for distributing water to the adjacent municipalities. There has been no response from Barrett or council leaders.
Just remember that two big projects around here were also declared dead - - Miller Park and the agreement leading to the building of the Potowatomi Casino - - and both were eventually put on track.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Neither of those projects had to be approved by 7 governors in other states.

James Rowen said...

I was only talking about the negotiation issue.

Boxer said...

Waukesha doesn't really seem interested in negotiating. By taking discussion items off the table even before beginning, ignoring, then dissing Milwaukee's Council Resolution and letter of request, playing the media, drawing lines in the sand, and publicly announcing that Milwaukee won't negotiate. Who do these rubes think they are?

Anonymous said...

Without politics this would be a though road to hoe. With the politics, it will be nearly impossible. Frankly, I don't think the constituencies that support Barrett or the Common Council want to sell water to Waukesha.

Anonymous said...

Boxer: Who do they think they are?

All-Powerful gods that anoint radical republican extrememists into the highest offices at a state-wide level and ditto for state-wide national elections.

You points are legit -- not arguing or questioning your take.

I do need to point out that Waukesha largely hates Milwaukee and the folks that live there. They see themselves as being able to cancel and even flip statewide vote-totals from Milwaukee County.

They also believe they can flip this issue and win on their terms in the end.

And history will clearly show, perhaps they can...

Anonymous said...

Waukesha alderman will face significant constituent pressure to get water from any other possible source than Milwaukee.

Milwaukee alderman will likewise face the same significant pressure from their constituency to not sell water to Waukesha.

The winning solution to this conundrum is for the other 7 states to sit on the application and kill it. Why? Because the process to date for this first of it's kind diversion application exemplifies not the true need for water, but the oldest profession in the world.