County broke? Tourism down? Never fear; Scott Walker, on his Harley, to the rescue

Tourism spending in the doldrums?

Milwaukee County government facing insolvency?

Never fear. County Executive Scott Walker is here to save the day.

Monday, Walker rides to the rescue with a five-day, taxpayer-financed motorcycle ride across Wisconsin to invite more people to visit Milwaukee. He'll hit 23 cities during his outing, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Last year, you may recall, Walker got a lot of heat for using taxpayer money to pay for what looked very much like a gimmick to get him some media exposure and name recognition while he was running for governor. He's not running any more -- his campaign cratered in late March -- so that shouldn't be an issue this time, he says.

There was also the matter of $19,000 worth of free tickets to events and attractions, which Walker handed out to reporters as well as some businesses and individuals along the way, raising some interesting ethical questions. No mention of whether he's doing that again.

Walker told the newspaper "the total cost to county taxpayers for the promotional gig will be about $3,000, which will include his $700 Harley rental fee."

That $3,000 is no doubt the actual outlay of cash for motels, gas, meals, and incidentals. But it clearly does not include county staff time spent planning the trip or the salaries of several county staffers joining Walker on his joyride. Not a bad way to spend a week, seeing Wisconsin on a Harley while drawing your county salary.

Given the county's serious financial crisis, you have to wonder whether this is the best use of county staff time and money.

Walker says Dan Vrakas, new Waukesha County exec, will ride with him for at least one day. Bet the tight-fisted folks in his county will expect Vrakas to do it on his own time, at his own expense.