The Mayoral Takeover: A Bad Idea

If I'm not missing my guess, Milwaukee's mayor will soon have the power to appoint the Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent. He will also have the power to create the school budget.

If I'm not missing my guess, this is a bad idea.

It is also very myopic. Tom Barrett is proceeding through the state legislature--dominated by his own Democratic Party--with the blessing of the Governor, the termed-out Jim Doyle. It's a window of time that will close, and soon.

So as long as a majority of the legislature is so-called friendly, and of that majority, another majority isn't really affected very much, the votes might actually be there. Why not go for it?

Besides--and this has no small bearing--Barrett is running for governor next year to replace Doyle. His own party won't want to make him look bad by turning down what he believes to be a necessary request.

Finally--this hovering over all--President Barack Obama's people have openly encouraged Barrett to run. This, knowing his attitude toward MPS and the mayoral takeover, which Obama obviously approves of.

The political juggernaut is building. Its size and momentum are always temporary. It's time to strike while the iron's hot.

In ten years, though, what happens if someone else becomes mayor and has bad ideas? There will be no school board with any power to overturn them.

I had to chuckle. Pedro Colon, a state senator, was interviewed on Milwaukee Public Radio. He's a supporter of the mayoral takeover. He was asked about the school board's power in the wake of such a situation.

Basically, all he said is that the school board can act as a sounding board for the public in passing along their concerns. Well, so can I, for that matter, except I won't be at a scheduled meeting (or in fact, I very well might be, as long as I'm now a citizen of this city).

It comes down to jawboning--and, by implication, brown-nosing the mayor for leverage. So that's the new power of a school board member: talking a lot.

So would you like to run for Milwaukee School Board? Would that be a valuable use of your time?

I support Tom Barrett for governor. He would be far better than any of the Republican candidates. But this idea will, eventually, backfire in unintended consequences--not the least of which will be, eventually, getting quality people to run for the school board.

Once this is adopted, Milwaukee cannot turn back. It will be saddled with this situation, and all its results.

Mister Mark