Wednesday, October 14, 2009

And The Oscar Goes To....

I mentioned six months ago that the Milwaukee County Parks was up for the Oscar in best video presentation, along with three other parks videos from around the country.

It was announced today that Milwaukee County did indeed win the Academy Award.

Then the hilarity started. Every Walker backer in the state took the opportunity to say, "See Walker doesn't suck so bad after all!" Apparently, they can not tell the difference between the actual park and a movie about parks.

Walker, maintaining his consistency in being inconsistent, declared that he joined the Parks workers to congratulate them:
I joined the Parks staff today to congratulate them on the wonderful news that the Milwaukee County Parks Department has won the 2009 National Gold Medal for Excellence. The National Gold Medal Award is the most prestigious and highly esteemed award a park and recreation agency can receive. Milwaukee County Parks Director Sue Black accepted the award at the National Recreation and Parks Congress & Exposition in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This is outstanding news and reflects the hard work of the dedicated staff in the parks department and the importance of the community and corporate partnerships we have. Our parks are a source of enjoyment for the entire community, and this Gold Medal recognition showcases our pride in our parks to the nation.

And my 2010 recommended budget provides $38.8 million in new projects and improvements to keep our parks in Gold Medal condition. See why we’re getting national attention - click on the following link to watch the 12-minute video about our parks: http://www.dwpinc.com/mcp/milcntyprks.html.

Scott Walker
Milwaukee County Executive
Even Walker's number one mouthpiece, MJS, couldn't resist pointing out the extreme irony in their online piece on the award (emphasis mine):

Walker's 2010 budget proposal calls for elimination of 39 park worker jobs as a cost saving measure. He also has proposed spending $11.5 million to build a new aquatics center in the southeast part of the county.

The parks also have a maintenance backlog estimated at up to $300 million.

And if this unintentional humor wasn't enough, members of the County Board, who just voted today to effectively destroy the illusion of having parks, try to chirp in and take the credit for the work of the workers:

“We are all pleased and excited that Milwaukee County has received this national recognition. We are proud of our partnerships, and we would not have won this award without our Parks sponsors and volunteers,” said Supervisor Elizabeth Coggs. “Every year, the County Board fills budget holes left by the County Executive in reference to Parks funding, and we are ecstatic that we have been able to leverage enough power, both from the public and private sectors, to win this award.”

“Many of my colleagues and I take heat for raising the tax levy a small amount to keep our Parks going, at least in the short-term. The County Executive and others beat us up for that,” Chairman Holloway said. “It is important to recognize that the County Board has stepped up to take a leadership role in providing policy direction and funding for our parks system for many years now.”

“This Gold Medal award is outstanding,” Supervisor Gerry Broderick said. “My heartfelt congratulations go out to Director Black and all of the dedicated County workers who maintain our parks every day on a year-round basis.”
Do any of these people really think we don't know what's going on, and more importantly, what's going to happen?

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