The Milwaukee Common Council, as of late, has been feeling their oats. They've been piling on the Mayor regarding any issue that arises. Specifically, the most recent dustup involves the Milwaukee Health Department and its management of the city's lead abatement efforts.
As any grandstanding, self-absorbed, petty bunch of know-nothings that the Common Council is, they used this latest instance for personal gain and political points rather than trying to solve the problem.
This spectacle has caused some to wonder,
Mayor Barrett’s Power in Decline?
The council refused to approve his appointment of Paul Nannis as interim health commissioner. Worse, it was clear Nannis was rejected simply because he was “the mayor’s proxy,” as Nannis put it, meaning any choice of the mayor’s would have been rejected. But even worse, the council came up with its own choice, Patricia McManus, for interim commissioner and proceeded to approve her 13-1, with only Ald. Terry Witkowski objecting. Morever, some council members seem open to sticking with McManus for the rest of Barrett’s term, meaning any attempt by the mayor to appoint a permanent commissioner could be blocked.
This was an unprecedented, all-out rebellion against the mayor. Some question whether the council’s action of appointing its own interim choice is even legal.
Yes, suddenly Mayor Barrett became inept and he, personally, "dropped the ball" with regard to lead pipes in the City.
Barrett then proposed Nannis as interim replacement, which seemed like a no-brainer, as Nannis had previously served as commissioner and could hit the ground running. “Initially, I thought it was a logical choice,” Ald. Bob Bauman says.
Except that Nannis was a good friend of Barrett’s chief of staff Patrick Curley. And a longtime ally of Barrett’s. And had been a consultant who had earned $556,000 since 2008 doing work for Baker’s department, which suggested Nannis might be too close to Baker as well. Not to mention that Nannis didn’t disclose he had done this consulting when meeting with members of the council’s Public Safety and Health Committee. For council members seeking objective answers about problems in the health department, Nannis seemed all wrong, and the choice suggested Barrett was tone deaf on this issue.
“The mayor didn’t recognize soon enough how much trouble he was in,” Witkowski says.
More like, the Mayor didn't realize the Common Council would use a City health issue to leapfrog to some political points for themselves.
To propose that Mayor Barrett doesn't want to replace lead pipes or to prevent any health issues concerning such is ridiculous. Suddenly Mayor Barrett has turned into some
cold-hearted tyrant, hoping for a health crisis involving lead pipes for his City?
The
lead pipe issue is well-known. As with all issues in our 'subsidize the rich and the let the rest go without' paradigm of public policy, this is a money issue. As in, we need
$750 million to replace the lead pipes within the City.
This is the same Common Council that wants to keep giving raises to the Police and Fire Departments every year, even though these two departments already take up nearly
90% of the entire City budget. These are supposedly the visionaries that are going to lead us forward?
So...Barrett's pick was thrown to the wayside and the Common Council has selected their own choice.
The council voted 13-1 on Tuesday to approve McManus’s appointment. Ald. Terry Witkowski, who asked pointed questions about her previous public health work, cast the lone ‘no’ vote. Ald. Michael Murphy abstained. Murphy said he didn’t agree with the speed at which the council moved forward with a new appointment.
Patricia McManus is the president and chief executive officer of the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin. No biography or credentials for McManus were available on their website.
But, what we do know about McManus is that she believes the science in still out on
vaccines.
“I don’t think the answer is yet there. I mean, there’s still people who believe it," McManus said on "The Forum" talk show on WNOV-AM (860). "And so I don’t know. I think the science is still out. I think that’s a decision that these families are going to have to make on their own at this point.”
Um, no. The science isn't out on that topic. So, if being friends with the Mayor's Chief of Staff kept Paul Nannis from holding the position, ignorance of vaccine science should definitely keep McManus from holding the position.
"Unfortunately, she couldn't be more incorrect," said James H. Conway, a pediatrics professor at University of Wisconsin-School of Medicine and Public Health. "The science is clear and has been reviewed over and over not just by the CDC, but by NIH and numerous studies. The information is clear that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine does not cause autism."
Maureen S. Durkin, a professor of public health and chairman of the department of population health sciences at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, said, "The scientific evidence is very clear at this point in showing no association between childhood vaccines and the risk of autism."
And officials at the National Institutes of Health referred to a statement on the institute's web page: "No link between autism and vaccines containing thimerosal, a mercury-based compound, have been found."
And, as with every fart that is heard in Milwaukee, Alderman Tony "
Backdrop Boy" Zielinski had to weigh in:
Milwaukee Ald. Tony Zielinski applauded her track record of helping increase transparency on the city’s lead issues.
“If we’re going to get someone who is going to turn that department around, we need someone with a track record of standing up to the health department and saying, ‘You were wrong,'” he said.
Well, Mr. Zielinski, you were wrong...
again. So, just as you are so willing to point the finger at everyone else in the City, hopefully you can take some of your own medicine and admit this was an ill-informed and bad decision on your part and the 12 other council members that voted for McManus. And, it surely signals that you are definitely not ready to be the Mayor of Milwaukee.
How about our political operatives work together to try and solve this problem? They need to devise a way to fund this crucial infrastructure initiative. Those who've made mistakes should be held accountable. But, beyond that, the focus should be on resolving the primary issue here - replacing lead pipes in the City of Milwaukee. This is no time for grandstanding and political opportunism.
For Further Reading:
Role of vaccination in the sustainability of healthcare systems
