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In an amazing turn around yesterday, Representative Pedro Colon (D-Milwaukee) suddenly remembered where his constituency is located.

From the WisPolitics Budget Blog, Colon comments on the Republican budget proposal that would cut aid to Milwaukee by $26 million:

Rep. Pedro Colon, D-Milwaukee, said the proposal is equally devastating to the state’s largest city. “I don’t know what these guys have against Milwaukee, but it’s pretty drastic,” he said. “In some ways, it’s deviant genius.”

Colon cries deviant genius, yet at the same time appears to be a mathematical moron. The June 13, 2007 edition of the Journal Sentinel ran an article titled, “Shift in voucher funding sought; Some want state to pay higher share, but how much is question,” which detailed a Republican proposal that would have shifted the state’s coverage of the Milwaukee school choice program. The proposal would have moved state aid from 55% of the first 15,000 vouchers and 100% of additional students to 75% of the total cost.

Assuming that the 2007-2008 projection of 18,000 voucher students at $6,610 per voucher is correct, and further assuming that the program meets its cap at 22,500 with the same voucher cost in 2008-2009, the shift would have saved Milwaukee $22.3 million over two years. If the cap is not met or the value of a voucher grows, the savings would be even greater.

So who killed the proposal?

Barrett, Sheehy and Fields believed they had a deal in which the eight Republicans on the committee would back the 75% plan, if a Democrat would make the motion. The Milwaukee leaders expected, based on conversations going into the session, that Colon would be that one.

When the issue came up, Colon didn’t make a move. The Doyle plan stayed in the budget proposal on an 8-8 straight party line vote.
…
Colon said he was told - apparently by Decker - that if he backed the 75% funding, other things he wanted in the budget, such as a proposal to give MPS $15 million over two years for math instruction, would be cut.
…
“I was elected to do the best for Milwaukee, and on that day I thought I did the best for Milwaukee,” he said. “I’m perfectly, absolutely convinced of that.”

Even with the loss of $15 million, Milwaukee still would have come out over $7 million in the black. I don’t know what Colon has against Milwaukee, but that was pretty drastic.

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