As Board President Tim Taff runs for re-election, he wants the city to bail him out of “tax saving” plan
by Jim McGuigan
March 17, 2005

Angry parents crowded boardrooms to voice their frustration over why Wauwatosa School Board President Tim Taff was spearheading an effort to close down one of the city’s neighborhood elementary schools.

Taff claimed it would save $700,000, and that, in these tight times, even school closings needed to be on the table. Taff prevailed with the plan to close the Wilson Elementary school, but now it seems his grand scheme to save taxpayer dollars wasn’t so well thought out.

The children who currently go to the school will have to cross a set of railroad tracks to get to their new school. Taff, who was happy to claim he was on the side of the taxpayer while working to close their old school, is now feigning shock. He says that the lack of safety for kids crossing the tracks is the city’s fault, and that the city should build a pedestrian bridge for them.

Let’s do the math here:
Closing school saves $700,000.
Building pedestrian bridge costs $1 million-plus.

Taff’s grand plan to save money just doesn’t add up.

Taff also wants the city to foot the bill for more crossing guards. So here’s the rub – Taff wants to implement a plan that would save $700,000 in school district taxes by eliminating the school, but the city would have to raise revenues (taxes) $1 million-plus to build the proposed bridge. Taff can claim he fought to control taxes, but all the expense (and the responsibility) has been shifted to the city. Yet it’s the same taxpayers footing the bill.

One has to wonder if ‘Tosa voters will reward Taff for being the architect of such a clever, albeit deceptive, shell game.

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UPDATE

	Wauwatosa School Board Seat 5	REPORTING	100%
	Jon Ray	6,204	71%
Â	Tim Taff (inc)	2,477	29%