Here & Now

Waukesha Mayor Defends Lake Michigan Diversion Plan

ZAC SCHULTZ:

JOINING US NOW WITH A RESPONSE IS THE MAYOR OF WAUKESHA, SHAWN REILLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

SHAWN REILLY:

HAPPY TO BE HERE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

HOW LIKELY IS THIS CHALLENGE FROM THE CITIES INITIATIVE TO SUCCEED?

SHAWN REILLY:

I REALLY DON’T BELIEVE THAT IT WILL SUCCEED. GOVERNORS SPENT — AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES SPENT A LOT OF TIME STUDYING THIS. A LOT OF TIME WORKING ON ALL THE FACTS, AND COUNTLESS HOURS IN MEETINGS TO COME TO THIS DECISION. I BELIEVE THAT THEY MADE THE CORRECT DECISION. I DON’T BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL CHANGE THEIR MIND. REALLY THE APPEAL IS TO ASK THEM TO CHANGE THEIR MIND ON SOMETHING THEY’VE WORKED VERY HARD ON. IN ADDITION, ALL THE ARGUMENTS THAT ARE MADE BY THE CITIES INITIATIVE ARE ARGUMENTS THAT THEY’VE ALREADY MADE AND WERE CONSIDERED BY THE GOVERNORS WHEN THEY MADE THEIR DECISION.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

DO YOU EXPECT THIS WILL END UP IN FEDERAL COURT AT SOME POINT?

SHAWN REILLY:

I HOPE NOT. I GUESS I CAN’T — I DON’T KNOW WHETHER IT WILL OR IT WON’T. BUT YOU HAVE EIGHT GOVERNORS THAT WROTE THE COMPACT, INTERPRET THE COMPACT AND MADE AN UNANIMOUS DECISION, ALONG WITH THE TWO CANADIAN PROVINCES ALSO AGREEING THROUGH THE FINDINGS OF FACT WITH THE DECISION. SO EVEN IF IT GOES TO FEDERAL COURT, I DON’T SEE THAT THAT WOULD BE OVERTURNED.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

MAYOR JOHN DICKERT FROM RACINE SAYS HIS BIGGEST CONCERN IS THE SLIPPERY SLOPE ARGUMENT, THIS IDEA THAT WAUKESHA’S APPROVAL WILL LEAD TO OTHER CITIES AROUND THE GREAT LAKES ASKING FOR THE SAME THING AND OPENING THE FLOODGATES, SO TO SPEAK. DO YOU THINK THAT’S A LEGITIMATE CONCERN?

SHAWN REILLY:

NO, I DON’T. THERE’S NO OTHER COMMUNITY THAT’S EVEN CONSIDERING IT AT THIS POINT. THERE WAS A STUDY DONE ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO THAT SAID MAYBE FOUR COMMUNITIES SIMILAR TO WAUKESHA, ACTUALLY INCLUDING WAUKESHA, MAY APPLY FOR GREAT LAKES WATER BETWEEN THE TIME THE STUDY WAS DONE AND 2050. ANYONE WHO LOOKS INTO THIS WILL SEE ALL THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND WORK THAT WAS DONE BY THE CITY OF WAUKESHA TO GET TO THIS POINT FOR APPROVAL. THE COMPACT COUNCIL WAS EXTREMELY DILIGENT IN THEIR STUDY AND REALLY WHAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT IS THEY FOUND SOME VERY UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THE CITY OF WAUKESHA. PUT SOME PRETTY STRINGENT CONDITIONS ON OUR APPROVAL AND I JUST DON’T SEE THAT BEING SOMETHING THAT IN ANY WAY OR ANY SHAPE OF AN ARGUMENT SAYS THAT IT’S OPENING THE FLOODGATES.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WAUKESHA’S IN THE PROCESS OF APPLYING FOR PERMITS FROM THE STATE TO START LAYING THE PIPELINES AND GETTING THAT WATER THERE. ARE YOU EXPECTING LEGAL CHALLENGE AT THE STATE LEVEL?

SHAWN REILLY:

WELL, YEAH. WE’RE GOING TO BE APPLYING FOR PERMITS. AND AT THAT POINT YOU CAN ALWAYS REQUEST ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEWS. I’M NOT EXPECTING THOSE TYPE OF CHALLENGES, BUT I WAS A MUNICIPAL ATTORNEY FOR 23 YEARS. DID QUITE A NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING — YOU KNOW, I WAS INVOLVED IN SOME, AND I CAN’T RULE THEM OUT. OBVIOUSLY, THERE’S OPPONENTS TO WAUKESHA GETTING WATER FROM THE GREAT LAKES. AND I THINK THAT THEY WILL USE WHATEVER MEANS THEY HAVE TO TRY TO SLOW US DOWN AND/OR PROHIBIT US FROM DOING THIS. IN THE END, THOUGH, I DON’T SEE IT AS BEING SOMETHING THAT WILL STOP THE CITY OF WAUKESHA FROM ATTAINING GREAT LAKES WATER.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

IF ALL GOES AS PLANNED, WHEN DO WE EXPECT LAKE MICHIGAN WATER IN WAUKESHA?

SHAWN REILLY:

OUR BEST ESTIMATE AT THIS POINT IS ABOUT FOUR YEARS FROM NOW.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

MAYOR SHAWN REILLY, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

SHAWN REILLY:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.