Sustain, expand and develop with KRM rail

Thursday started very early with travel to a meeting at 7:30 a.m. I wish the trip could have been with the help of mass transit -- I would have been relaxed and ready to go.

But, alas, the trip was in my auto with a single driver to and from Milwaukee Area Technical College South in Oak Creek. Why? To hear Scott Bernstein describe “Building Wealth, Creating and Capturing the Benefits if Investing in Transit in Southeast Wisconsin.”

Whew! Those are lots of words to describe returning to a simpler style of living. In 1885 there was one electric transit line in the United States. By 1902, there was an electric transit line in every American city. And much of it was interconnected between cities -- we could work, play, and travel easily throughout the nation.

Racine was part of this massive network of community. We all had a sense of place, yet expanded because of transit possibilities. We let it go. Today we have the opportunity to rebuild that sense of place and community by investing in the essential transportation system with the KRM rail. Our transportation (car/truck) costs have greatly increased from 1900 to present-- from 3 percent in 1900 to about 16 percent of our disposable or expanding income. Nationally recognized speaker Scott Bernstein, founder and president of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, told how transit investments build wealth, support thriving neighborhoods and create jobs and economic prosperity. The other part of the program included an overview of the status and the next steps of current transit proposals, including the KRM rail. The Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors and the Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee also sponsored the event.

Listen to an online interview with Scott Bernstein at Smart City Radio here where he talks about the true cost of commuting and the toll it takes on your wallet and your time. See more about his group, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, here.

Mass transit is an essential service for the community, both urban and suburban. We need to fund mass transit as we do with roads, hospitals and schools. We need dedicated funding for transit the same way that we have dedicated funding for roads and parking.

We also need to go "green" and overcome our dependence on the car and petroleum-based fuels. It is time-consuming to drive, park, shop; get in car to drive, park, shop; get in car to drive, park, shop over and over again. Then drive, park and go to a gym to work out since we have not walked about!

We can buy cars OR build wealth. Our personal savings accounts go down as car sales go up! As we decrease the use of our vehicles, we increase our disposable income by 10 to 15 percent.

Give your feedback about the city's future

How should the City of Racine develop and invest its resources during the next 25 years?

That is the question the Department of City Development is asking the public to help answer through an online survey available through Feb. 5.

Information from the survey will help guide the preparation of the city’s comprehensive plan, which will determine land use and development decisions through 2035, according to Matt Sadowski, principal planner for the Racine Department of City Development. The survey is available at:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB228PTTLA8DG

This user-friendly survey will take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. The last few items allow for a written response. You can also look at http://www.cityofracine.org/ and scroll down, find the link and offer your feedback. I've already completed it, and I hope you do, too.

Mercedes Dzindzeleta calls for care in erasing city documents related to former mayor

Mercedes Dzindzeleta, alderperson candidate for the City Council’s First District seat, cautions about the wholesale removal of the mention of former mayor Gary Becker in the city’s Web site and other locations.

“It is good that he has resigned his office,” says Dzindzeleta. “He will have to atone for bad judgment and behavior offensive to the human community. He will have his day in court, and I hope that he seeks the psychological help that appears to be needed.”

However, Dzindzeleta also cautions the wholesale removal of the mention of Becker in the city’s Web site and other locations for two reasons. Records of the mayor’s work within the community should be preserved so that current and future leaders can be address city issues properly and with perspective, she says. Secondly, voters and others in community positions should have such information available as well.

“My great concern is the pushing aside and suppressing the past activities, actions and words of Mr. Becker – the community projects that he supported, the government actions he took and the speeches that he gave.

“Documents relating to city business must be preserved. I call for the calm recognition of the problems that Mr. Becker has caused for the city as well as the importance of keeping comprehensive government records.

“They are part of our political history and need to be maintained for the future community leaders. Much of what he did for the city as mayor is considered good by many good people in Racine. Mayor Becker brought us recognition throughout the Midwest – and indeed the world – for more than his human faults.”

Dzindzeleta especially believes that the documents of Becker’s budget address and the state of the city should be returned to the city’s Web site as soon as possible. “These are documents that discuss city concerns and problems that are of importance to the voters, especially in the next election” she says.

Recognizing that many people are uncomfortable with the sex-related charges placed on Becker, she maintains, “It is important to be looking for the truth, no matter how much it hurts.”

Mercedes Dzindzeleta in the race for First District alderperson

Mercedes Dzindzeleta is in the race as alderperson candidate for the Racine City Council’s First District. Dzindzeleta (pronounced DIN-ze-let-ta) is a Seventh Street resident and a business owner who has filed as a candidate for the Feb. 17 primary election.

A nationally certified massage therapist in private practice, she has been a regular instructor for the adult continuing education program at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on topics of health and wellness and has taught massage therapy practices at a professional massage school in Illinois.

A longtime community activist, she has regularly attended city council meetings for the past nine years, supporting the issues of pedestrian safety, historic preservation, environmental awareness, the KRM rail, and the importance of keeping downtown businesses healthy and vital.