When I interviewed Mayor Tom Barrett about his proposal to take over MPS last August, he insisted it was no power grab.
It was all about the kids, Mayor Barrett said. He believed the change was the right thing. He acknowledged that the plan was controversial but the legislative session in Madison would be over by the end of the year and, one way or another, we'd all move on by 2010.
Well here it is February, and we're still talking about it. The Democratic leaders in the state legislature show no interest in bringing the plan to a vote, and there's little evidence the bill would pass.
In an apparent change of heart, Mayor Barrett continues to push the idea. With his experience in Madison and Washington, you'd expect Barrett to know how to count and to know when to stop pushing for a piece of legislation that doesn't have enough votes.
But Barrett is also running for statewide office, and he appears to believe this issue will play well with voters across Wisconsin. It gives him the opportunity to run against type and show that he's willing to take on the teachers union, usually a reliable supporter of Democrats, in support of a popular initiative.
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