Last year, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker announced that he wanted to expand on former Exec Tom Ament’s orders to expand public-private partnerships in our parks. The problem is that Walker cut the oversight and the private sector took advantage of it.

Starbucks managed to run a shop out of Red Arrow Park in the heart of downtown for a paltry operating expense charge of just $1000 for the whole year. In the private sector, you can’t even rent a room at a boarding house for that amount, let alone rent space in one of the highest traffic areas in the county. It’s public money and public land but if that huge giveaway isn’t enough to warm your blood, the county wasn’t even asking for reimbursement for the utility bills. That’s right — public funds were being used to keep the lights on and the coffee warm in a public building.

Under Ament and the County Board when I served (1996-2002) public private partnerships flourished but were also held accountable. The Museum was efficiently run and the County took its role seriously. Yes, that’s the same museum that is now recovering from the recent fiscal meltdown under Walker’s not so watchful eye but their finances weren’t in disarray back when the democrats were in charge of Milwaukee County. Back then, a partnership was formed with the Zoological society to create new exhibits and expand others at the zoo. Boerner Botanical gardens launched a friends group which fundraised to improve the gardens (again, not so successful under Walker). Alterra coffee took over care and maintenance of the historical lakefront pumping station — for a fee of course.

Under Walker things have been different. In his zeal to freeze taxes despite fixed costs rising (energy bills, inflation, labor, etc.) he’s cut the parks department and jobs have remained unfilled. One of those positions was the person who oversaw these contracts which allowed the private sector to take advantage of the county not looking.

This is nothing new. Last year we wrote about how Walker scapegoated former Parks Director Sue Baldwin after Walker closed the pools. His current deficit in the Parks Department is being blamed on current Parks Director Sue Black. Since Black isn’t being given the funds to properly run the department, look for her to be given her walking papers also unless she can manage a near-miracle by once again, doing more with less and somehow avoiding the crisis of higher inflation, soaring energy costs and growing labor expenses.