Posted: Monday, October 29, 2007 12:00 am
BY WILLIAM L. MCREYNOLDS
On October 20, 2007, The Journal Times carried a headline that reported the "demise" of the plan for a commuter rail link between Kenosha, Racine, and Milwaukee (KRM). To paraphrase a quip attributed to Mark Twain, "The report of KRM's demise is greatly exaggerated." The misimpression reflected in that headline must be corrected.
Five days later, The Journal Times Opinion Page contained two more items relating to funding for KRM commuter rail. Both of those items are thoughtful, and they deserve thoughtful observations in return.
A letter from Ellen Cardwell, like one she submitted in June, enumerates many wonderful things about our community. The more recent letter, however, expresses disappointment at the legislature's failure to enact a funding mechanism for KRM, and it implies a belief that KRM is dead.
On the same page, a Journal Times editorial likewise laments the legislature's failure to act on KRM. It acknowledges that some people are not persuaded of KRM's benefits, but wonders whether some opposition to it merely reflects a lack of community vision.
Like Ms. Cardwell and The Journal Times, I support KRM. Like them, I am disappointed that the budget package negotiated by the governor and the state legislature did not include a mechanism for local funding of commuter rail that had broad support, including the strong support of Racine County's business community.
But, unlike them, I know that this does not represent what The Journal Times headline called the "demise" of KRM. For instance, if KRM is dead, why did Governor Doyle insist that the state Department of Transportation get $800,000 in this budget, to continue preliminary engineering for it?
Here are a few points we should all keep in mind:
n A local funding mechanism for KRM does not have to be part of the state budget; it can be enacted as stand-alone legislation. In fact, because the KRM item did not involve state government taxing or spending, it can be argued that it should not have been in the budget bill to begin with.
n The legislature's failure to approve the funding mechanism at this time might (or might not) delay availability of federal grant funds, but it does not mean those funds are forever lost. The grants are awarded every year.
n Maybe concerns about tax increases played a part in the failure to include the KRM funding mechanism in the budget package. But if so, those concerns were bipartisan. KRM would operate on Union Pacific tracks that traverse nine Assembly districts and three Senate districts from the state line to downtown Milwaukee. Six of the Assembly seats and all three of the Senate seats are held by Democrats.
n Concerns about KRM, especially outside southeastern Wisconsin, are more than knee-jerk reactions to tax increases. Some legislators worry that the state portion of ongoing KRM commuter rail funding will reduce the funds available for transportation purposes elsewhere in Wisconsin. This is a problem, regardless of the method we use to provide the local funding share.
Despite the challenges we face, I continue to believe that KRM's prospects are good. I believe that concerted efforts by a range of community leaders can help state legislators devise a workable solution. I am committed to helping the state legislature now accomplish what it was unable to accomplish during a contentious and protracted budget battle.
Like one of America's most beloved authors, KRM is experiencing a greatly exaggerated demise. Once we have a commuter rail system that links Milwaukee with Racine and Kenosha, maybe we should think about calling it the M-a-R-K Train.
William L. McReynolds is the Racine County Executive.