Paul Soglin: Waxing America

Bike Share Deal Controversy: Questions and Answers From The Candidates

 Today Brenda Konkel asked both mayoral candidates some pointed questions about the Trek-run "B-Cycle, LLC" bike share program:

Sure, its cool but . . . is it a good idea to make a sole source deal with Trek to provide bike kiosks for the City of Madison at a cost of $300,000 ($100,000 from this year’s contingent reserve) to the taxpayer in this current economy? Should there have been an RFP, why or why not? Is it appropriate to use money from the contingent reserve?

Paul Soglin's answer:

First some perspective:
Bicycle sharing systems are not new to Madison. After the first modern effort was introduced in the Netherlands in the late 1960’s, Wisconsin’s capital city, as did Paris, followed suit with the yellow bicycle program. This effort of fixing up old bikes and painting them an identifiable color was repeated with the red bicycles found on Madison’s streets in the 1990’s.

Since then, a number of more effective programs were introduced in Europe and subsequently the United States.

The fact is, this idea has merit and represents a sensible step forward compared to the earlier bicycle sharing models: The bicycles will be new and well maintained. While not free, the rentals are reasonable and convenient, available to both Madison residents and visitors.

The problem with this is not the idea of bike sharing. Rather, the problem with the Cieslewicz proposal is that it plays fast and loose with a number of reasonable and long-standing checks and balances; it circumvents established budgetary and fiscal practices; and it presents challenges in terms of other values Madisonians hold dear.

We are told that this proposal must be adopted within four weeks of introduction. There will be no bidding on the contract. The funds will come from the contingency reserve fund. There may also be advertising that will violate the Madison sign ordinance and commercial use of the public parks.

Here’s what should happen:
The proposal should be properly referred to City committees. That will allow for discussion of a number of critical issues and the opportunity to get critical questions answered:

- The contingent reserve fund is for emergencies –overtime for police and fire and snow removal. Why is this an emergency?
- If the cost of the project is $100,000 for each of three years why shouldn’t the project stand on its own merits and go through the budget process?
- Why wasn’t this proposal put out to bid? Given the number of bicycle sharing programs in the United States and Europe, this is not a single source item. There is absolutely no justification for ignoring the RFP and bidding process simply because this is a last minute proposal.
- Why should the city pay for the program? If a private company is going to use public property to store and lease the bicycles, it seems that they should be paying the city, not the other way around.
- If it is true that the company managing the program is going to rent the space they have on public property, including the parks to advertisers, then we need a public discussion about how extensively we will allow advertising on public property, especially if it violates the billboard ordinance.

Every progressive city maintains high ethical standards. We need to discuss the payment of the mayor’s recent trip to Europe by a bicycle industry group particularly now that a member of that group is getting this no bid-contract. We should not have different standards for green industries as opposed to other industries seeking to do business with Madison.

Dave Cieslewicz' answer:

The B-Cycle bike sharing program is an incredible opportunity for Madison. Bike sharing is a hallmark of a world class city – one where companies want to invest, locate or attract talented professionals. It represents the kinds of smart investments we can make now to ensure that we are a leader in the new economy. And, it supports a great local company that brings jobs to our region.

Trek is offering to make the $1.4 million investment to set up the program and will manage it. And, they do not expect to make any money off the program. In fact, at least for the first few years, they expect a financial loss. But, because they are located in the area and Madison is important to them, they want to try their product here, even if it means losing money. Trek has also agreed to open it’s financial books and if they do make a profit, it will be split evenly with the city.

In addition, because Trek is the only company in the country that not only offers the infrastructure for bike sharing, but also offers unique GPS technology, it is appropriate under city ordinance to do a sole source contract. That’s why it’s gained the approval of BOE and the Pedestrian Bicycle Motor Vehicle Commission.

This is the kind of thing that gives a city a competitive edge in the new economy. So much of our success in the new economy is about keeping Madison a progressive, green, and bike-friendly city. Few other places can offer this combination, and that’s exactly what will attract and retain talent. And it will reduce carbon emissions in Madison and help us reach out goal of increasing bike share to 20% by 2020.

The program will also have an immediate economic benefit. Local businesses will be more easily accessible for those who carpool or use public transit. Trek is creating jobs right here in Madison to service the B-Cycle system.

And let’s not forget, Trek is giving Madison an incredible deal for this one-of-a-kind system. It has enormous potential for our city, and I look forward to community input to determine locations and overall implementation of the system.

These are not trivial issues. Go to Brenda's site to read some very interesting discussion of them in the comments.

 

UPDATE: Madison Guy reads these and reacts: "When I hear the words "Madison" and "world class city" in the same sentence, I reach for my BS meter."  

To be fair, Cieslewicz put them in the same paragraph in adjacent sentences.

 

UPDATE #2: The Wisconsin State Journal has the story of Brenda's complaints about the ethics of the process:

Former Madison Ald. Brenda Konkel, a vocal advocate for open government,has filed a series of complaints alleging violations of the city's lobbying regulation law involving a proposed bike-share program up for approval at Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

Konkel said at least four people associated with Madison's proposed B Cycle bike-share program, including those representing Trek Bicycle Corp., did not register as lobbyists with the city but attended meetings and pledged to evaluate such a program.

"The fact that it's all been done behind the scenes is the problem," said Konkel, who also objected to the project not going out for bid. "It's hard because this looks like a cool project. (But) just because it's a cool project, we can't ignore the rules."

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said it's unclear if there were any violations to the law, and if so, they were "inadvertent" and a representative from Trek plans to register as a lobbyist soon.

If the comments at the WSJ are any indication, this should be a very hotly-debated item at the City Council on Tuesday night.

- Barry Orton

 

 

More GOP Dancing In The End Zone Before The Game Is Over

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas A&M) has already declared he's got the Chairmanship of Energy and Commerce locked up:

Barton, the top GOP member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, suggested that he fully intends to push a bid to become chairman of that committee, despite rules and colleagues' concerns that could threaten his ability to take that post. Barton's apology to BP CEO Tony Hayward over the summer was a gaffe that troubled many members of Barton's own party.

Joe Barton chairing Energy and Commerce again?  We might as well have W. back in the White House.  Be afraid. Be very afraid. And GOTV Tuesday. Survival of the whole goddamn planet depends on it.

- Barry Orton

Wisconsin State Journal Editorial Muddies Great Lakes Drilling Fracus

The WSJ gives Ron Johnson a "do-over" on his Great Lakes oil drilling mis-statement so as to be able to characterize commercials from both Johnson and Feingold as "mud-slinging." Chris Walker at Dane 101.com puts the whole mess in context:

The characterization of Feingold as a mudslinger is unfair, if you define slinging mud as being a baseless attack on another candidate. Feingold's accusations against Johnson are definitely merited, given the fact that Johnson said he would support drilling for oil where the oil is (alongside the fact that Johnson has strong economic ties to BP and believes the oil giant is being treated unfairly).

The Wisconsin State Journal is wrongly labeling Feingold a mudslinger for bringing up facts that are...well, facts. And those facts couldn't be any clearer: Ron Johnson supports drilling where the oil is, even when asked if that includes the Great Lakes region. It's not slinging mud when it's the truth, and the Wisconsin State Journal should appreciate that fact, not deride Feingold for bringing it to the voters' attention.

Waxing America called the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel out on this same issue:

Question: When does "yeah" at one point mean "no" subsequently? 

Answer: When Ron Johnson, the Republican Party's anointed primary candidate for US Senate, says "yeah" in a response to a WisPolitics question about whether he supported drilling for oil in the Great Lakes, and then issues press releases and TV ads saying he's against it. See Xoff here, here, and here.

Question: How does Johnson get away with it?

Answer: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial page helpfully ignores the "yeah" and selectively quotes Johnson to make his position(s) less contradictory, and then blames both Johnson and Feingold for slinging mud.

Why?

Answer: Johnson's campaign must be supported for its entertainment value (and its unlimited advertising budget).

- Barry Orton

Saving The American Economy - End Poisonous "Free Trade"

As I look at the abandoned homes and abandoned factories it seems that we will never fill those once healthy spaces unless there are healthy jobs.

Many of those healthy jobs are gone forever - or al east gone until we correct the source of their loss. American manufacturers have gone overseas in search of lower costs. Or at least lower wages.

Forcing U.S. workers to compete against workers exploited in Asia and South America is unfair, cruel and not in anyone's best interest.

It is time to revisit the trade agreements, the treaties and the trade regulations.

There is no free trade when the workers of one nation are forced to compete with the exploited workers of another nation. There is no free trade when the manufacturer in one nation is forced to compete with the manufacturer in another nation that substitutes poisonous materials that are cheaper.

It is time to reinstate tariffs and end the exportation of our jobs and our wealth.

Ron Johnson Tapdances on Great Lakes Oil Drilling; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Applauds His Pirouettes

Question: When does "yeah" at one point mean "no" subsequently? 

Answer: When Ron Johnson, the Republican Party's anointed primary candidate for US Senate, says "yeah" in a response to a WisPolitics question about whether he supported drilling for oil in the Great Lakes, and then issues press releases and TV ads saying he's against it. See Xoff here, here, and here.

Question: How does Johnson get away with it?

Answer: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial page helpfully ignores the "yeah" and selectively quotes Johnson to make his position(s) less contradictory, and then blames both Johnson and Feingold for slinging mud.

Question: When are Lake Erie and Lake Ontario not part of the Great Lakes?

Answer: When Ron Johnson's TV response ads claim that Russ Feingold was the only Great Lakes Senator to vote against banning oil drilling in the Great Lakes, when, in fact, New York's two Senators, Schumer and Clinton, voted no along with Feingold, all three because the bill's Great Lakes protections were too weak.

Question: When Ron Johnson later claims that "he did not think he ever heard the Great Lakes portion of the question," why doesn't the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel or WisPolitics call him on it?

Answer: Johnson's campaign must be supported for its entertainment value until November.  Dave Westlake is too dull and too consistent on conservative issues, and the Tea Party folks seem too willing to go over the cliff with their Republican "kingmakers" and talk radio blowhards.

- Barry Orton

Rod Nilsestuen Will Be Missed

When I first came to Wisconsin in January 1980, one of the first road trips I took was to Whitehall, the Trempealeau County seat. There was a mild snowstorm (6-9 inches), and my new boss, Art Krival, insisted that I needed to go meet some folks who had built a cable television cooperative there and help plan its local access channel structure. The snowstorm would help Art decide whether I had the right stuff to stick at the UW-Extension, and the meeting would give me a sense of what I was getting into. We stayed mostly on the road, and the folks I met included the coop's manager, Rod Moen, later State Senator Rod Moen, and a father and son who had helped to organize the coop, Gerhard and Rod Nilsestuen.

I don't remember adding much to the discussion, but I must have said something useful, because the Trempealeau Cable Coop folks kept asking me for advice and assistance.  I wound up working with Rod Moen on any number of issues over the years, and as Rod Nilsestuen rose to head the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives and later the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, we periodically connected on telecommunications consumer topics and more recently on farmers' market development.  The last three years I worked often with Rod's son Joel, a key aide to Senator Kathleen Vinehout, on cable and telecom legislation. Working with three generations of the same family over 30 years is a privilege one doesn't get too often in a lifetime.

Jane Burns in the Wisconsin State Journal has a good summary story on Rod's tragic accidental death here. Some good tributes to Rod are here, here and here. Update: Bill Berry's Cap Times tribute.

Condolences to his family.  May his memory be for a blessing.

- Barry Orton

Bud Jordahl, Wisconsin Conservation Pioneer

Another blow for the Wisconsin environment: Harold "Bud" Jordahl, a longtime UW-Madison colleague in the Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning, and a pioneer of the use of planning for environmental preservation, passed away yesterday. Bud was a giant in terms of his impact on the conservation of our natural resources. Here is a short tribute written by his longtime colleague, fishing and poker buddy Steve Born.

May his memory be a blessing for his family and his many friends.

- Barry Orton

Dave Obey and Spencer Black: Thanks For Your Public Service

Two Wisconsin giants of legislative public service have announced plans not to seek re-election, and they will be sorely missed.  David Obey is retiring after 40 years of service in the US House of Representatives, and Spencer Black is leaving after 25 years in the Wisconsin Assembly. Both are classic Wisconsin progressives, and both will leave a legacy of toughness and courage, and a record of being on the right side of every important issue.

From E.J. Dionne's tribute to Obey in the Washington Post:

"For years, I said the only reason I was hanging on was to pass health care, and I told people, 'Tell the Republicans if they want me to leave, pass health care.' Well, we passed it."

 ...the 71-year-old Obey made no secret of the fact that he's weary. "There's got to be more to life than explaining Senate procedures to angry constituents or begging Blue Dogs to do what they ought to do by rote."

Here is a goodbye that Obey earned the right to offer: "If you're a good politician, you're used up in causes you believe in, and if you're used up, you step aside." And so he has.

I worked with Spencer Black extensively over the years on a number of matters. His tireless work on behalf of Wisconsin's natural environment has had a lasting impact on the quality of our water and air, and his continued presence in the Assembly has helped keep the forces of exploitation and greed in check. He was the key sponsor of the 1992 Cable Television Subscriber Bill of Rights, which I helped write and negotiate, so I've had first-hand experience watching Rep. Black balance the needs of industry and consumers.

Back then, Black had a young staffer named Dave Something Nobody Could Spell or Pronounce, who learned a lot about practical politics working for Spencer. Dave Cieslewicz's tribute today to that other Dave could also apply as well to Spencer Black:

...Obey is unapologetic about his belief that government can improve people's lives and that politics, done right, is a noble venture and one that can be enjoyed by practitioners and voters alike. I can't fault him for leaving the stage now after he's contributed so much. But let's hope there are more like him - real politicians in the best sense of that word - on the way.

- Barry Orton

 

The Cruel Irony of Earth Day: Lesson Learned, Or Not

Clearly the environment is far better off as a result of Wisconsin's Gaylord Nelson's efforts to create Earth day. Unfortunately the challenges grow with time.

Oil rig blast prompts environmental concerns

As the Coast Guard searched for 11 crew members missing after a drilling rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, authorities turned their focus to controlling an oil spill that could threaten the fragile ecosystem of the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts.

The Deepwater Horizon had burned violently for nearly two days until it sank Thursday morning.

And here in Wisconsin  from the Associated Press:

Wis. renewable energy bill dies on Earth Day

As outdoor lovers celebrated Earth Day's 40th anniversary, state lawmakers pulled the plug on a bill that would have set aggressive new renewable energy standards.

The state Senate finished its two-year session Thursday without voting on the bill after Democratic leaders balked at reports that the measure would drive up utility rates. Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston, has signaled for days the measure had little support.

Earth Day Looking Into the Future : Earth Day at 40

Forty years ago Tom Smith was a University of Wisconsin student. He was also the student organizer for the first Earth Day event which kicked off on April 17, 1970 and ran for an entire week.

Today Professor Thomas W. Smith is organizing the anniversary Earth Day at Forty. It is a good thing that some things do not change.

Then, as now, Tom was kind enough to invite me to speak Tuesday at Monona Terrace. It was a heady experience sharing the dais, on the eve of Earth Day, Tuesday night April 21, 1970, with Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), Senator Mike Gravel (D- Alaska), Boyd Gibbons, Secretary to U.S. Council on Environmental Quality and of course the rock band, Oz.

I made my own small effort by introducing a resolution in the city council that proposed banning the internal combustion engine. That went nowhere.

I suggested using methane as an alternative fuel. That is finally making some progress.

Our fledgling movement to create a pedestrian, bicycle, and transit mall of State street took a small step forward as the blocks between Park Street and Lake Street were shut down for fair exhibitors.

Unfortunately the issues, as learned over the past four decades, are even more challenging. The oceans rise from global warming and those oceans are filled with thousands of square miles of floating debris, mostly plastics which are gradually degrading from the effects of sun and water into the seas that feed much of the world's population.

At the time, Senator Nelson was asked who could we afford to clean up the environment. He responded by asking "How could we not afford to clean the environment?'

Today our society is divided. One side looks at the externalities. They examine the  price of contamination that entire nations pay for an unregulated environment.

The air and the water are not free. Not when the cost of obtaining clean air and water is mounting daily for most people.

For centuries, in every nation it was recognized that while a stream might run through private property the landowner had no right to poison the water that an entire community needed for survival.

It is time for modern society to conserve that principle. That is what I will say this coming Tuesday. Some things do not change.