Mayor Estness and Mayfair Mall and CYA

Wauwatosa's Mayor Theresa Estness is using the playbook of Milwaukee's Mayor Tom Barrett.

How does a mayor respond to increased crime in his or her city?

Basically, the mayor explains, "It's not really as bad as it seems. And anyway, my hands are tied."

From WauwatosaNow:

Recent incidents of bad behavior again are putting a spotlight on Mayfair Mall, but city leaders want residents to look beyond the headlines to the root of the problem.

The rash of reports about disorderly and aggressive behavior at the mall reflect what is happening in suburban areas around the country, Wauwatosa Mayor Theresa Estness, Police Chief Barry Weber and City Attorney Alan Kesner said in an interview last week.

"We are seeing more serious incidents all over the city," Weber said. "Where before there was some respect for authority and the police, there seems to be little now and our officers are actually being attacked."

The numbers support Weber's claims. Disorderly conduct calls at Mayfair Mall have doubled in the last five years, according to statistics obtained from the Wauwatosa Police Department. Incidents that used to be handled by simply escorting someone out of the mall are now escalating into bigger disturbances, requiring mall security to summon police.

...After a near riot three years ago outside the mall's AMC Theater, the city insisted management move the arcade into the theater to cut down on loiterers. The city also asked the theater to manage the type of movies shown, stagger the end times and enforce the city's curfew by not allowing those under 17 to enter movies that let out after 11 p.m.

Mall management also was asked to pay for additional police officers on site, to beef up the mall security force and to install surveillance video inside and outside the mall. A police resource office was opened inside the mall for booking suspects, and the city worked with the mall to institute a "code of conduct" now posted at every entrance that details expected behavior and reasons for removal from the mall.

Late last week, the mall announced a new parental guidance requirement policy, details of which are yet to be finalized. The policy would require those under a certain age to be accompanied by an adult after a certain hour.

While some of the changes were implemented by the mall without encouragement, many of the changes were the result of discussions with the city, Estness said.

"I think there is a misconception that we can just impose strategies on private business," Estness said. "We are limited in what we can do, but we have for the last few years been working closely with the mall to make sure it stays a viable business in our community."

Weber is quick to criticize those who are blaming Estness for the problems.

How have Wauwatosa's leaders responded to the dramatic increase in problems at Mayfair?

They've responded with a lot of CYA and self-serving excuses.

What sort of leader passes the buck?

An ineffective one.

Rather than taking responsibility, Estness and her supporters choose to paint themselves as impotent.

This is interesting:

Is the mall as safe as it was five years ago?

"I think it's more safe," Estness said. "They (the mall) have an awful lot at stake here and want to do what's right. Today, we have far more behind-the-scenes communications between the city, police, mall security and management than ever before."

Kesner and Weber agreed.

It's true that there's more resources being put into mall safety than five years ago; but that doesn't mean that the mall is safer, as Estness, Kesner, and Weber claim.

The numbers:

Total calls to police from Mayfair Mall:

2,254 calls in 2001

2,777 calls in 2006

23.2 percent increase between 2001 to 2006

10 percent of the total calls received by the Police Department each year come from the Mayfair property

Number of calls to police for disorderly conduct at Mayfair Mall:

2001: 156

2006: 306

Increase: 96 percent

What is Estness thinking?

Is the mall as safe as it was five years ago?

"I think it's more safe," Estness said.

Obviously, Estness is oblivious to reality.

FACT: Mayfair is not more safe.

In order to effectively confront the challenges of the problems at Mayfair, Estness has to admit that going to the mall is more dangerous than it was five years ago.

From a political perspective, it's far worse for her to appear blind and out of touch than to acknowledge that the mall has seen a dramatic increase in disturbances and crime.

Cluelessness is not a good quality for a mayor to exhibit.