July 2005 Bay View Compass Editorial

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MARINA DIMITRIJEVIC
4th District 278-4232
Email Supervisor Dimitrijevic

July 2005 Bay View Compass Editorial

Dear Bay View Compass Readers,

I'd like to wish all of you and your families a Happy Independence Day and also a wonderful summer. It feels like summer has officially begun in Bay View with the South Shore Farmer's Market taking place every Saturday morning as well as the South Shore Frolic quickly approaching.

This month I'd like to update you on the current situation at our Milwaukee Public Museum. As you are aware, the Milwaukee Public Museum, all artifacts inside of it and the land the building resides on are all owned by Milwaukee County. A previous County Board decided to partially privatize the museum by allowing a management team to oversee the operations and manage our public asset. As I stated last month, this is the exact opposite of what that private team actually did. The museum is currently $7 million in debt and has drained its endowment fund.

Our County Auditors found that the museum did mislead the county during negotiations to renew their lease and the County Board has since rescinded that lease agreement until the current financial crisis is resolved. At last month's County Board meeting a county loan guarantee deal was passed to keep the museum's doors open. This means that Milwaukee County co-signed $6 million in loans for the museum in an effort to keep it operating under a new, "break-even business plan." This plan includes proportional pay cuts starting with top-level administrators as well as the workers accepting pay cuts and concessions in order to preserve their jobs. In addition, an oversight committee will scrutinize every move the museum makes until the debt that the county has co-signed has been completely paid off. The Museum's Board of Directors has elected a new chairman and is beginning to search for a new president. I am hopeful that this loan guarantee along with major management changes and better oversight will help this national treasure remain part of Milwaukee County's tourist attractions and an important educational tool for our community. As always, if you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to call my office at 278-4232.

Your Milwaukee County Supervisor,

Marina Dimitrijevic

MILWAUKEE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Courthouse Room 201, 901 North 9th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233
PHONE: 414-278-4232            FAX: 414-223-1380

Page last updated 07-19-05

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