Back from the brink? Milwaukee just had its best budget season in decades
The downstream effect of the state government's long overdue action on local funding means Milwaukee's finances are in their best shape in decades. New column at Milwaukee Record.
The Recombobulation Area is a ten-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication written, edited and published by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. Learn more about it here.

For years and years, Milwauke’s budget seasons were marked by cuts and looming cliffs. But that’s not what happened this year.
Rob Henken of the Wisconsin Policy Forum calls this turnaround “mind-blowing,” and says it is “without question” that the City and County are in their best financial standing since he’s been analyzing budgets.
We need to take a moment to recognize how important this is. This is a momentous achievement and a turning point it he history of this city and county.
Read the column at Milwaukee Record.
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Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 17 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.
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