MPA LLC Spotlights GREED, DISCRIMINATION and SEGREGATION in EAST/WEST RIGGED Feasibilty Study

Bottom:  L/R - Mayor Kathy Ehley - Wauwatosa, John Kissinger, President/CEO- Graef Engineering, Dan Sidner, Co-Owner - Black Shoe Hospitality, Beth Weirick, CEO - Downtown Bid 21, Tim Janusz, NAI MLG Commercial

Top/Down:  Bob Simi, Executive Director - MRMC, Daniel Bader - Bader Philanthropies Inc., Dan Jessup, Broker - JJL 

MILWAUKEE | Milwaukee Professionals Association LLC continues to spotlight how those in TRUST of leadership STROKE GREED, segregation, and class-difference while seeking $45 million in Federal Transit Administration Small Starts funding.  Their efforts affects SAFETY, increased un- and under-employment while increasing Enduring Concentrated Poverty in the city of Milwaukee - the core constituents of the city of Milwaukee drives the approval of FTA funding.  

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"MPA LLC reconnaissance efforts continue to show the unsafe, narrow, greedy, damaging narratives coming from those who are deliberately 'misleading' the public," said Mary Glass, Chair, MPA LLC

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Background

The Milwaukee population, over a half million folk, with a huge quality of life and workforce ridership NEED (now and in the future) for public transportation is COMPLETELY and DELIBERATELY overlooked by Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee.

Verification of the East/West 7-mile stretch (falsely using the Ridership of Core Constituents to major North/South destination) is being sold with HYPE, questionable data, lack of relevance, well-connected but mostly uninformed SAG/Stakeholders Advisory Group, paid consultants, and MILWAUKEE COUNTY TRANSIT SYSTEM/MTCS spokespersons - Brendon Conway, Dan Boehm, Sandra Kellner, and Tom Winter.

The data being used about the most traveled corridor (Wisconsin Avenue - East Cass Street to West 92nd Street - is based upon the well-traveled Ridership of African American, other People of Color and Work Challenged population that travel from Water Street to 35th Street (Water, Plankinton, 3rd Street, 6th Street, James Lovell, 12th Street, 16th/17th, 27th, and 35th) 

is flawed.

The Ridership is made-up of Milwaukeeans who live and travel North and South.  

Far NORTH and Far SOUTH are where the jobs/Employment are for the masses - those who depend on public transportation and those in need of public transportation to get to employment hot spots in Monomonee Falls, Oak Creek, and other economic developments.

The rest of Wisconsin Avenue - 35th to 92nd Street, do not have a heavy Ridership.

Wisconsin Avenue - East Cass Street to West 92nd Street is based upon the well-traveled Ridership of African American, other People of Color and Work Challenged population that travel from Water Street to 35th Street (Water, Plankinton, 3rd Street, 6th Street, James Lovell, 12th Street, 16th/17th, 27th, and 35th). 

Public Involvement

It is important to note, that the two (2) Public Involvement meetings of the East/West BRT were held April 12, 2016 (downtown Milwaukee), April 14, 2016 (Zoofaria); and, the taxpayers gave a "thumbs down" to both of the presentations with four (4) consistent reasons.  They were:

• TOO COSTLY
• NOT ENOUGH BENEFITS
• TOO SHORT OF A TIMELINE
• SHOULD BE IN NORTH/SOUTH CORRIDORS TO PROMOTE EMPLOYMENT 

Hypocrisy
Media spin in the June 10, 2016 Business Journal article, Sean Ryan - Reporter, is an example of the hypocrisy that is widespread as we reach the time frame for Milwaukee County to submit the Small Starts application to the Federal Transit Administration.

BOB SIMI

"Milwaukee Regional Medical Center supports the exploration of multiple transportation options to encourage some of those who currently drive to use an alternative form of transportation.  This would help decrease the number of vehicles that travel to and park on the campus," Bob Simi.

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A major employer along the route is the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, which is providing input to Milwaukee County as it plans the route. Currently, a quarter of the campus land is dedicated to parking for employees and visitors, said executive director Bob Simi. About 30,000 people visit that campus each day, 16,000 of which work there.

“As a campus, we are also considering alternate transportation options including bicycles, ride share programs and quality transit,” Simi said. “If more people use alternative transportation, the demand for parking on campus will decrease, allowing more space to be dedicated to clinical services,” said Sean Ryan, Milwaukee Biz Journal

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BOB SIMI - Milwaukee Regional Center 
- Blood Center of WI, Children's Hospital, Curative Care, Froedtert Hospital, Medical College and Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division

Executive Director Simi represents 6 partners (Blood Center of WI, Children's Hospital, Curative Care, Froedtert Hospital, Medical College and Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division).  Therefore, his misrepresentation and disrespect is also against his partners.  His refusal to respond to our email and call - having to press further and he claim he was waiting to meet with his Board - while making the above comments to the Business Journal Reporter Sean Ryan or Brendan Conway (Milwaukee County Communication) is a breach of trust.  

It was also clear that he had not read the emails sent by MPA LLC and misrepresented our position in his response.  We requested his attendance for a East/West Briefing.

We are waiting a response.  Lastly, MRMC is one of those on the SAG/Stakeholders Advisory Council for the East/West Feasibility Study and one of the Anchor tenants.  Trust, open and transparent response is a must.

Dan Bader - President and CEO of Bader Philanthropies Inc. weighed in.  However, his remarks are not exemplary of what his knowledge of the Core Constituents, Milwaukeeans, Africian America and People of Color IS in the city of Milwaukee - He uses the term "somebody" in his quote - He knows OR should know the vital needs of public transportation to the citizenry of Milwaukee.  His detached comments are:

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"Transportation is one of the biggest barriers (to employment) there is.  So the more mass transit options you have, that greatly increases the chance somebody will get a job," Dan Bader 

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John Kissinger - "In addition to the transit issues there's economic development opportunities.  People might say that is going to happen anyway, but I don't think so," said John Kissinger, President & CEO Graef Engineering.

Kissinger sits on the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, he should be well-aware of the significance of North/South routes to employers to support the huge un- and under-employed population he is suppose to provide stewardship, entrepreneurship, partnership and leadership. What he said was lacking in substance. 

Mayor Kathy Ehley - "There are some that are very concerned that this is going to add a hazard for the area, and there are others who are very excited about it as well," said Kathy Ehley - Mayor of Wauwatosa.

Mayor Ehley's comments lacked leadership and the congruency that the city of Wauwatosa can bring to the table - very non-committal.

Beth Weirick - "It is very consistent with what we've identified as really being an important element of downtown focusing on a well-integrated transit system," Beth Weirick, CEO of Milwaukee Downtown Business Improvement District 21.

Weirick says it all.  
She speaks clearly to the greed, class-only distinction, segregation, discrimination and misrepresentation of what an Urban BRT/Bus Rapid Transit project for the largest Urban city in Wisconsin should look like.

This is NOT - Should NOT be about cronyism and branding for some company.  We have a city that is MIRED in Enduring Concentrated Poverty.  The correct solution can begin to raise the bar of aspiration, quality of life, economic development, wealth building, safety and growth at the census tract level.

June 15, 2016