The next year will be a critical one for southeastern Wisconsin. So say two of the area’s biggest boosters.
Tim Sheehy, president of Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, points to 2007 as a “bellwether” year.
“There will be opportunities and challenges,” he said.
And Margaret Farrow sees a brighter future, if only efforts to make them brighter didn’t cost so much money.
But they do.
“That makes a stronger point that we have to grow our economy just to stay competitive,” said the former lieutenant governor who resides in Pewaukee.
One of her wishes for 2007 is that people from all over the nation use the newly created Internet resource center for the Milwaukee Seven group that is trying to market the seven-county southeastern Wisconsin region under the “Milwaukee” banner.
“The new Milwaukee Seven resource center will offer a data base and information base to help people -- within the area and without -- understand what we are really about and what are we have that is appealing as an area.”
Farrow and a group of fellow Waukesha County business, political, and civic leaders are attempting to promote that suburban county with the Waukesha County Action Network -- or WCAN -- which formed in 2005 to address civic issues affecting Waukesha County and southeast Wisconsin.
Sheehy agreed that such efforts are important to success in the region in 2007, adding, “It’s hard to compete without these kind of tools. It’s hard to play outfield with a catcher’s mitt.”
He said an indicator to watch in 2007 “is how fast those 300 jobs opening at Bucyrus-Erie get filled. One of our biggest challenges is to close the gap between skills and the work force employers need. 2007 will be successful if we start to fill those welding and machinists jobs.”
While the Milwaukee Seven will try to make 2007 a more prosperous year, Farrow said she realizes that there have been negative impacts, like the recent Time magazine article talking about Milwaukee as a major crime city.
“But I think we are coming from behind that cloud,” she said of the crime reputation. “It is going to require a lot of leadership from both the private and the public sector. We will have to see some strong leadership.”
One area where the private sector will do much next year is in helping to build bridges between the private sector needs and the local education system, she said.
A project at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, led by her husband, John, is designed to tie industry needs much more closely to classroom offerings.
Sheehy said another key to how 2007 and the coming years will fare will be found in the number of children receiving high school degrees.
“There are 195,000, over the age of 25, in the seven county southeastern Wisconsin region who don’t have a high school diploma,” Sheehy said. “That’s 14.8 percent,” he added. “It’s been declining since the 21 percent reported in the 1990 U.S. Census. But is that number declining fast enough?”
And there is also a declining population to be reckoned with, he said.
“By 2012, for every two people who retire, only one person will be available to take their place.”
As for the public sector, Farrow says the path they need to take involves infrastructure. While 2007 will see the Marquette Interchange nearing the end of its massive makeover, Farrow believes state and local governments will have to make a larger funding commitment to other pending projects – rebuilding the Zoo Interchange; reconstructing I-94, from the state line to the Plainfield Curve; and extending inexpensive rail service from Kenosha to Milwaukee.
To that end, Farrow intends to spend much of the year in continuing to advocate for congestion lanes. They would charge a fee in exchange for a guarantee that traffic would be light, using an electronic system similar to the IPASS System in Illinois.
A major impediment to all of these efforts will be the continuing war in Iraq, she said.
“We need to stabilize the Middle East in order to keep the terrorists away from our homes … but it’s costly,” she said.
And she believes those dollars could be used to make 2007 a much better year in the Midwest as well as the Middle East.
The long-time legislator is also predicting “a brutal budget discussion because revenues are not going to grow.”
She said that could make it difficult for state Sen. Judy Robson, D-Janesville, to effectively push her “working families” agenda, which focuses on an expensive health care program.
“But I’m just looking forward to 2007 to see a real expansion of the good words being said about regional cooperation,” Farrow said.
Sheehy added that while he was seeking wishes for a better future, there is something else that could help.
“I would also like to see the Milwaukee Brewers get to the playoffs in 2007,” he said.
But he didn’t make that a prediction.
Tim Sheehy, president of Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, points to 2007 as a “bellwether” year.
“There will be opportunities and challenges,” he said.
And Margaret Farrow sees a brighter future, if only efforts to make them brighter didn’t cost so much money.
But they do.
“That makes a stronger point that we have to grow our economy just to stay competitive,” said the former lieutenant governor who resides in Pewaukee.
One of her wishes for 2007 is that people from all over the nation use the newly created Internet resource center for the Milwaukee Seven group that is trying to market the seven-county southeastern Wisconsin region under the “Milwaukee” banner.
“The new Milwaukee Seven resource center will offer a data base and information base to help people -- within the area and without -- understand what we are really about and what are we have that is appealing as an area.”
Farrow and a group of fellow Waukesha County business, political, and civic leaders are attempting to promote that suburban county with the Waukesha County Action Network -- or WCAN -- which formed in 2005 to address civic issues affecting Waukesha County and southeast Wisconsin.
Sheehy agreed that such efforts are important to success in the region in 2007, adding, “It’s hard to compete without these kind of tools. It’s hard to play outfield with a catcher’s mitt.”
He said an indicator to watch in 2007 “is how fast those 300 jobs opening at Bucyrus-Erie get filled. One of our biggest challenges is to close the gap between skills and the work force employers need. 2007 will be successful if we start to fill those welding and machinists jobs.”
While the Milwaukee Seven will try to make 2007 a more prosperous year, Farrow said she realizes that there have been negative impacts, like the recent Time magazine article talking about Milwaukee as a major crime city.
“But I think we are coming from behind that cloud,” she said of the crime reputation. “It is going to require a lot of leadership from both the private and the public sector. We will have to see some strong leadership.”
One area where the private sector will do much next year is in helping to build bridges between the private sector needs and the local education system, she said.
A project at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, led by her husband, John, is designed to tie industry needs much more closely to classroom offerings.
Sheehy said another key to how 2007 and the coming years will fare will be found in the number of children receiving high school degrees.
“There are 195,000, over the age of 25, in the seven county southeastern Wisconsin region who don’t have a high school diploma,” Sheehy said. “That’s 14.8 percent,” he added. “It’s been declining since the 21 percent reported in the 1990 U.S. Census. But is that number declining fast enough?”
And there is also a declining population to be reckoned with, he said.
“By 2012, for every two people who retire, only one person will be available to take their place.”
As for the public sector, Farrow says the path they need to take involves infrastructure. While 2007 will see the Marquette Interchange nearing the end of its massive makeover, Farrow believes state and local governments will have to make a larger funding commitment to other pending projects – rebuilding the Zoo Interchange; reconstructing I-94, from the state line to the Plainfield Curve; and extending inexpensive rail service from Kenosha to Milwaukee.
To that end, Farrow intends to spend much of the year in continuing to advocate for congestion lanes. They would charge a fee in exchange for a guarantee that traffic would be light, using an electronic system similar to the IPASS System in Illinois.
A major impediment to all of these efforts will be the continuing war in Iraq, she said.
“We need to stabilize the Middle East in order to keep the terrorists away from our homes … but it’s costly,” she said.
And she believes those dollars could be used to make 2007 a much better year in the Midwest as well as the Middle East.
The long-time legislator is also predicting “a brutal budget discussion because revenues are not going to grow.”
She said that could make it difficult for state Sen. Judy Robson, D-Janesville, to effectively push her “working families” agenda, which focuses on an expensive health care program.
“But I’m just looking forward to 2007 to see a real expansion of the good words being said about regional cooperation,” Farrow said.
Sheehy added that while he was seeking wishes for a better future, there is something else that could help.
“I would also like to see the Milwaukee Brewers get to the playoffs in 2007,” he said.
But he didn’t make that a prediction.
