Do Oconomowoc and Milwaukee have anything in common other than two strange indian-sounding names?

October 17th, 2007

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been writing and editorializing about Oconomowoc a lot lately.

But is what happens in Oconomowoc really any of their business?

Oconocmowoc is not part of Milwaukee County.

It’s nearly an hour from downtown Milwaukee.

It may actually be closer to Madison than it is to Milwaukee.

Is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel basically making a land grab in Milwaukee’s name by acting as if Oconomowoc is essentially a (pretty damn distant) suburb of Milwaukee?

Entry Filed under: Milwaukee

7 Comments Add your own

  • 1. grumps  |  October 17th, 2007 at 9:31 am

    What other paper serves it as well? It is closer to Metro Milwaukee than to Madison. The Old Ashippun Buggywhip-Excruciator isn’t the paper it once was.

    The MJS might as well make the play for the ad dollars.

  • 2. Chris  |  October 17th, 2007 at 9:34 am

    I believe the MJS is worried that the power base in Waukesha county is slowly shifting to Oconomowoc and they do not like it.

    For one Milwaukee County cannot hold Oconomowoc hostage we have more water here than we will ever need. And you hit it on the head other than Brewers games I rarely go to Milwaukee if I can find the same thing in Madison.

    Plus most of the of the people who live out here tend to work in Waukesha county so once again we could give a Rats Ass about Milwaukee County.

    I believe that the MJS is worried that as the power shifts west Waukesha county will be less willing to pick up the tab for things that only help Milwaukee county. Cities like Brookfield and New Berlin may have to deal with Milwaukee we in Oconomowoc do not.

    I send a nice email to Ms Gould saying if you do not like what we are doing in Oconomowoc do not come here.

    I think most people who actually live in Oconomowoc could care less what the carpet baggers at the MJS think

  • 3. Chris  |  October 17th, 2007 at 9:37 am

    Grumps i would say the Waukesha Freeman does a better job of covering Waukesha County then the MJS ever will.

    Now I do not get either paper but if I had to pay for one it would be the Freeman.

    With the Freeman you are the main focus of the paper not just a section written by people who would fit in better on the East Side of Milwaukee than they fit in Lake Country

  • 4. triticale  |  October 17th, 2007 at 10:04 am

    As someone who drives 94 (and 18) on a regular basis, I can assure you that Oconomowoc is much closer to Milwaukee than to Madison. With the recent development around Delafield and the coming Pabst Farms development south of O-woc, you are going to have one continuous economic area.

  • 5. Elliot  |  October 17th, 2007 at 10:08 am

    I’ve made the drive numerous times myself and I always thought it was almost exactly 45 mintues to Oconomowoc from Milwaukee and 45 minutes to Madison from Oconomowoc.

  • 6. Chris  |  October 17th, 2007 at 11:28 am

    Plus until you hit Washington Ave in Madison there is rarely any traffic to fight while driving into Milwaukee there is always a chance for a traffic jam.

    Madison maybe farther away than Milwaukee but you can pretty much drive 80 mph the whole way to Madison you cannot do that on the way to Milwaukee.

  • 7. Bruce  |  October 17th, 2007 at 6:36 pm

    I don’t think it’s any coincidence that JS covers Oconomowoc so much. It’s synergy. The Oconomowoc Focus, one of the two community newspapers out there, is owned by Lake Country Publications, whose parent company is the Journal.

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