Last weekend, Jim Doyle stealthily signed a deal with federal officials that would commit the state to spend all $810 million on the high-speed train between Milwaukee and Madison.
The unannounced weekend agreement frees outgoing Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's administration to sign contracts for much if not all of the work. That could hamstring efforts by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and his fellow Republicans to kill the project and spend the money on something else if they take control of the governor's office and either or both chambers of the state Legislature and Congress on Tuesday.
Walker, the GOP candidate for governor, blasted the deal, saying, "This is just raw political power at its worst. This is why the Doyle administration is corrupt and unwilling to listen to taxpayers."
But Cari Anne Renlund, executive assistant to state Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi, insisted the timing wasn't driven by the election. She said the Doyle administration was following its original plan for the project to create construction jobs as soon as possible.
"We are merely trying to get the money obligated so the work can begin," said Renlund, the No. 3 official at the state Department of Transportation. "These are stimulus dollars. The goal of it was to get people working."
Renlund said state and federal staffers worked out the deal over the weekend because they were busy with other duties and that was the only time they could get together. She said the agreement was not publicly announced because it had just been reached, but it could be announced later. Officials responded to questions Monday after the Journal Sentinel learned of the deal.
If the goal was to get people working and there was nothing shady about the timing, why was it hushed up? Why the secrecy? Why not inform the public of the deal immediately, in the bright sunlight, and tout the supposed progress?
Of course, as then-candidate Scott Walker said, it was an abuse of power. It showed that Doyle and the Obama administration weren't listening to the people, more irresponsible spending.
It was idiotic to suggest that the deal was worked out "quietly" over the weekend because it was the only time they could get together and a public announcement wasn't made because it had just been reached.
That's absolutely ridiculous.
Yesterday, it was revealed that Jim Doyle had made another significant move without public fanfare.
The state Department of Transportation has told contractors on the high-speed rail line between Madison and Milwaukee to stop work on the federally funded project "for a few days," in the wake of rail opponent Scott Walker's victory in the governor's race, Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi said Thursday.
But contractors immediately started talking about laying off employees, and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett hinted the city could consider legal action if a permanent shutdown of the line shortens the life of a Spanish-owned train manufacturing plant on the city's north side.
"At the governor's request, I have asked contractors and consultants working on the high speed rail project to temporarily interrupt their work for a few days," Busalacchi said in a written statement, referring to outgoing Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle.
"In light of the election results, our agency will be taking a few days to assess the real-world consequences, including the immediate impacts to people and their livelihoods, if this project were to be stopped."
The move follows Tuesday's election of Walker, the Milwaukee County executive, as governor. During the campaign, Walker, a Republican, repeatedly vowed to kill the planned $810 million train line. He will take office Jan. 3.
...Speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Thursday, Walker said he hadn't received confirmation of the administration's move.
"Certainly, for us, we've been pursuing legal options between now and Jan. 3 that would allow us to try and slow down if not stop the train. Certainly there's some optimism if that turns out to be true," Walker said.
You'd think that Governor-elect Scott Walker would have been informed of this latest move by the Doyle administration rather than hearing about it from reporters.
That lack of communication with Walker is inexcusable.
The lack of communication with the taxpayers of Wisconsin, those stuck with footing the yearly multi-million dollar bill to operate the train, is also inexcusable.
Doyle, as the current governor of Wisconsin, should have announced that work was stopping on the train, just as he should have announced the weekend deal. HE should explain what's going on and why.
News involving the $810 million project shouldn't be leaking out like this. There's no need for all the mystery.
Where's the sunlight?
The government is accountable to the people. After all, WE would be paying to build the train and operate it.
This notion that the federal dollars for the train project are some sort of gift from Washington is nuts.
The federal funds and the state funds for the project all come from us. The government taxes the people. It's our money, and as Tuesday's election shows, we expect it to be spent responsibly.
The Doyle administration and the Obama administration don't seem to get that.
The public deserves to be informed in a timely fashion about what government officials are doing with our money.
It's disturbing that no reason was given for the change in course on the train.
Kraemer Vice President Fred Lueck said Thursday that he had not been told why the state pulled back.
"Literally, we haven't heard anything, other than to stop," he said.
DAAR Engineering also confirmed Thursday that it had been told to stop its $2.8 million project.
What's the plan? Why is this happening? Exactly what is the status of the project?
Bottom line: Where's the transparency?
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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's coverage of the state supposedly "temporarily" halting work on the train emphasizes the impact in terms of job loss.
Of course, when an order is given to put a hold on a project, the workers on that specific project stop working.
It's important to remember that killing the high-speed train doesn't mean that contracts won't be awarded for other projects, ones that make sense. This isn't like driving jobs out of state permanently.
There's lots of work to be done in Wisconsin. Decisions about how best to apply taxpayer funds should be made wisely, not forced down our throats by government bureaucrats intent on advancing their own agenda.
The people's money should be used on projects the people support.
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