What do these cities have in common?
Duluth
Milwaukee
Toronto
Chicago
Detroit
Windsor
Toledo
Buffalo
If you guessed that we’re all on the largest freshwater basin in the world, you guessed right.
I believe we need a coalition of Great Lakes citizens to work together for the purpose of protecting the water for our children, our planet, our neighbors and ourselves.
Fresh water is a depleting resource. Agrichemical and other industrial corporations continue to pollute our water by polluting air, rivers and lakes. And those same or other corporations come in to “buy” the rights to filtering, distributing, cleaning and selling the water.
Let me be blunt. Privatization of a water system is stealing water. Water is a human right, a natural resource that is necessary for all life on the planet. It can’t — or at least shouldn’t — be sold to a venture whose purpose is to make a profit.
As citizens, we’ve been negligent in allowing corporate control over this precious, life-giving resource. Milwaukee, and many other cities are experiencing the water grab and we’re beginning a public battle to keep our water in the hands of the people.
Join us.
Email me here to get in touch.
14 Jun 2009 | 1:32 pm | Representation, Water | No comments yet - Add your comments
of course not.
So why would we sell it to another corporation? (Answer: Because city leaders lack the creativity or guts to figure out other ways to increase revenue or decrease spending). This is a critical issue and here’s how you can help:
1) Sign the petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/Stop-Water-Privatization-Wisconsin
2) Come to the Common Council’s public hearing on Monday, June 15 at 12:30, at City Hall. 200 East Wells. (Some of us will bike or carpool together — depending on weather — from Riverwest on Monday. Email me if you’re interested.)
3) Call your alderperson and tell them NO to privatizing our public assets. 414 286-2221
The City of Milwaukee Water Works is a well-managed, efficient public utility. As a result, water rates are relatively low and the water quality is high.
Clean water is vital for families, businesses and community safety. It is a major resource for jobs and economic development. But now, in a desperate effort to generate revenue, some city leaders have proposed privatizing the system through a long term lease. Privatization in other cities has led to soaring water rates, unhealthy contaminants in water, declining investment in water system infrastructure, political corruption, and a lack of accountability.
This plan hurts the people of Milwaukee. We have already seen the private corporation operating MMSD dumping raw sewage into Lake Michigan to save money. If the city privatizes drinking water system, costs will soar and water quality will go down as has happened in other cities, including Indianapolis, Cleveland, Stockton, Gary, Peoria and others. We can find other ways to support city services.
Many water companies are foreign-owned. That means taking our money as profit and sending it overseas. The following are just some of the foreign owned water companies, including those with American names: American Water Works, Illinois-American Water Co, RWE, Siemens, Suez, United Water Resources, U.S. Filter, US Water, Veolia, Vivendi.
We need to ask our Mayor and Alders “Whom are you representing — Multinational corporations or the people?”
KPOW! (Keep Public Our Waters)
12 Jun 2009 | 2:37 pm | Representation, Water | No comments yet - Add your comments
The City of Milwaukee is moving toward privatizing Milwaukee Water even as they speak of making Milwaukee the Fresh Water Capitol of the world (privatization is part of that scenario too).
Other cities and communities that have privatized water have seen
terrible results, including skyrocketing prices, neglect of
infrastructure maintenance, reduced water quality and destroyed public
confidence. Water is becoming more precious by the day and it makes no
fiscal sense to bid it out at today’s values.
If you want to be involved and active on fighting this short-sighted, fiscally irresponsible idea, join the “Keep Public Our Waters” group by sending an email to kpow-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
You can find your Alder here. Their email addresses are below or you can call them at 286.2221
1. Ashanti Hamilton <ahamil@milwaukee.gov>
2. Joe Davis <jldavis@milwaukee.gov>
3. Alder Nik Kovac <nkovac@milwaukee.gov>
4. Robert Bauman <rjbauma@milwaukee.gov>
5. Jim Bohl <jbohl@milwaukee.gov>
6. Milele Coggs <mcoggs@milwaukee.gov>
7. Willie Wade <wwade@milwaukee.gov>
8. Bob Donovan <rdonov@milwaukee.gov>
9. Robert Puente <rpuent@milwaukee.gov>
10. Michael Murphy <mmurph@milwaukee.gov>
11. Joe Dudzig <jdudzi@milwaukee.gov>
12. James Witkowiak <jwitko@milwaukee.gov>
13. Terry Witkowski <twitko@milwaukee.gov>
14. Tony Zielinski <tzieli@milwaukee.gov>
15. Willie Hines <whines@milwaukee.gov>
21 May 2009 | 2:41 pm | Environmental Sustainability, Representation, Water | No comments yet - Add your comments
Check out these alleys, vibrant with murals. and this interview with Julie Ferris of the City’s “Insight Milwaukee.”
And Thanks to Sarah Dollhausen of True Skool for bringing the details to my attention:
There is currently an ordinance being proposed by Alderman Zilenski (District 14) and Alderman Witkowiak (District 12) that if passed, would make it very difficult to paint a mural in Milwaukee.
This mural ordinance will make it illegal to have murals facing alleys…this means that the Art in the Alleys project will be considerably affected. No murals facing an alley will be allowed. Also, existing murals facing alleys will have to get permits and pay fines within 90 days if this ordinance passes.
This ordinance is illegal! It goes against our First Amendment Right in the Constitution of Free Speech. This City of Milwaukee has more pressing issues to contend with such as teenage pregnancy rates, segregation, police brutality, and the list goes on than to create another fee that citizens have to pay to beautify our communities. We do NOT need another ordinance for painted murals.
This ordinance calls for the City of Milwaukee to regulate the size, location, amount of, and content of a painted mural in public view. These Alderman want to create a permit process and regulations for painted murals which would include a $100 permit fee and approval process and an annual $75 inspection fee. Continue reading ‘New Mural ordinance would penalize Art’
12 Jan 2009 | 10:15 am | Art, Representation | No comments yet - Add your comments
Who’s funding real change in the city of Milwaukee?
Is it non-profits?
Some would argue that it’s no longer these 501(c)(3) organizations, which have become increasingly addicted to funding through corporate ties.
Have you read “The Revolution will not be funded?” Its subtitle,”Beyond the Non-profit Industrial Complex,” gives you an idea what it’s about.
Just like political campaigns, organizations which previously relied on grassroots, door-to-door and other people-powered campaigns now rely on special interest money. Many would close their doors without it.
Talk to the creative frontline of non-profits, the organizers and managers, the activists and advocates. Many are full of new ideas, geared to make change, ready to do it. But they are often hobbled by their Executive Directors, who are beholden to their boards (some of whom are corporate reps), who serve the interests of the foundations and corporations that fund them.
This isn’t true of all non-profits, of course. But those of us who have worked for, with or in the non-profit world know what I mean.
Progress will always be hindered if Mutual Aid bows to Special Interest.
It’s time to lift our own heads, DIO (Do It Ourselves), start our own businesses, grow our own food, fund our own causes.
No one is going to do it for us.
9 Dec 2008 | 4:32 pm | DIY - Do It Yourself, Development, Environmental Sustainability, Representation | Read 2 comments - Add your comments
“City politicians call Chicago a national model for how to involve the public in real estate development debates. But the view from the streets of the city’s neighborhoods is markedly different.
When a longtime homeowner tried to speak up at the only City Council hearing on a project in his Far North Side neighborhood, aldermen threatened to toss him from the room for trying to ask questions.”
This article in the Chicago Tribune is part 5 of the ongoing “Neighborhoods for Sale” series, and highlights similar problems to what’s happening in Milwaukee. It documents an insiders’, pay-to-play game in which favored developers, architects and lawyers get their way with zoning changes.
Sound familiar? Anyone in city of Milwaukee who is looking to battle a large development (think Prospect Ave or dorms) should read this article. Issues of traffic, parking, viewshed and sun blocking are all referenced, as are other Milwaukee problems, such as lack of notification of residents required by law, and political donations used to influence aldermen in their decisions.
Because of the influence of money on Alders, I fully support local campaign finance reform, including limiting donations to people who live within the district. Additionally, I think capping the total money that can be spent is necessary to avoid buying the vote by doing the most mailings. Let those who want to win, go out and knock on doors and talk to the residents. It shouldn’t be about raising money, unless, that is, you aren’t planning on representing your constituents.
21 Aug 2008 | 7:49 pm | 3rd District, Development, Representation | Read 1 comment - Add your comments
Corporate thieves are stealing our resources and making off like bandits. Whether it’s Nike sweatshops stealing human labor, or Kimberly-Clark clear-cutting ancient rainforests, our shared resources are being stolen, packaged, marketed and sold back to us (that is, if we can afford it).
When corporate representatives get elected to government or appointed to non-profit boards, we get disaster in public policy. George Bush and Dick Cheney have been great examples of that.
Recently, the State of Florida gave Nestle Corporation the right to steal the people’s water–as much as it can–from the drought-distressed Madison Blue Springs State Park. For this right, they will pay absolutely nothing for the next 10 years.
Hard to believe? You can read more here.
And before we think it’s far from home and we don’t need to pay attention, did you know that for the last 10 years the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, a state-chartered government agency, has contracted wastewater treatment out to private companies?
I wonder who sits on their board?
11 Apr 2008 | 4:45 pm | Representation, Water | No comments yet - Add your comments