021115fptop pix1Milwaukee – After months of debate, and in the midst of a petition drive seeking a referendum, the controversial streetcar project was approved by the Milwaukee Common Council this week by a vote of nine in favor to six opposed.

Of the five aldermen who represent the South side of Milwaukee, two South side aldermen joined Mayor Barrett and seven others, to make up the majority vote the mayor needed to get the streetcar project started.

The South side Aldermen who voted against the streetcar were: 8th Aldermanic District, Alderman Bob Donovan; 11th Aldermanic District, Alderman Joe Dudzik and 14th Aldermanic District, Tony Zielinski.

The South side Aldermen who voted for the streetcar were: 12th Aldermanic District, Alderman Jose G. Perez; 13th Aldermanic District, Terry Witkowski.

Before the vote, Zielinski and Donovan continued to voice their opposition by noting financial issues facing the city of Milwaukee, the future costs of the streetcar and its expansions and allowing for a referendum so that the citizens of Milwaukee can vote on the matter.

“This is a Pyrrhic victory, and I just wanted to state all of this stuff on the record because when you-know-what hits the fan – and it will; one day, sooner or later, this will come out – you can’t say that you didn’t know,” Zielinski said in his statement.

“It’s rather disingenuous of the mayor and some of the proponents of the streetcar to be continually talking about where it’s going to be expanding to without ever mentioning how we’re going to pay for it,” said Donovan.