(MADISON) – State Senator Lena C. Taylor (D-Milwaukee) criticized the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and the State of Wisconsin. The agreement gave the city broad authority to spend $2 million in nearly any way it sees fit. Taylor, who is also the ranking Senate Democrat on the state’s budget committee, released the following statement:
“It is fiscally irresponsible to squander state taxpayer dollars. The incidents last August in Sherman Park were about terrible police-community relations that exacerbate Milwaukee’s racial disparities. Those disparities are not addressed by the MOU and aren’t contained in any one zip code. The signing of this agreement shows me this deal is more about optics than solutions. Rather than a reinvestment model that engages the community in solutions to our own problems, this plan prioritizes developers from outside the community. This plan won’t solve our problems. You can’t just treat the symptoms, you have to treat the cancer.”
