Town of Summit chairman discusses art of the deal with Aurora

Waukesha Freeman, August 19, 2006

James Kogutkiewicz
Freeman Staff

Leonard Susa grew up on a farm in north-central Wisconsin, but the town of Summit chairman hardly yearns for a simpler time, unimpeded by the progress of 21st century life. The concrete ribbon of Interstate 94 stretching from Milwaukee to Madison spurs a natural growth and development embodied by this weeks four-way deal that paves the way for Aurora Health Care to build an 88-bed hospital in the town.

Susa took time Thursday to talk about the deal with Aurora, Oconomowoc, Pabst Farms and the town that offers something to all involved in exchange for the long-debated hospital. He also debunked an idea about the towns push for incorporation and how a possible $50 million-plus legal settlement was the tipping point for final, serious discussions.

Q: Was it difficult to get such different groups together on this deal among Pabst Farms and Aurora and yourself and the city?

A: Well, it wasnt difficult once it got started. Im not the one that got the groups together. Ill tell you that up front. I think Aurora was a big factor in it. The city was another factor in getting it together because we all needed to think about whats good for the entire area and the taxpayers.

Q: Youd say Aurora was the most eager to bring all the sides together?

A: I think so. I believe that Aurora was a big factor. I think the attorneys were also a factor.

Q: I know the town has always been extremely interested in having this happen.

A: Correct.

Q: So, I thought perhaps you might have had a lead role.

A: No, we did not have a lead role in getting them all together. I think what got them together was the lawsuit between the city and Aurora.

Q: Facing that large settlement?

A: Correct. I think that was it. When the judge made his decision, I think they said, Why dont we just discuss this thing and settle it?

Q: Maury Sullivan used to be in your position.

A: Correct. Maury Sullivan used to be the town chairman. I took over when he left.

Q: Have you known him for a long time?

A: Yes, I knew him before that because I was a town supervisor for six years when he was (here).

Q: I would guess that helped dealing with him tremendously since you had a relationship.

A: It helped, yes, but we know each others personalities also. So, maybe it helped and it didnt help, I guess. We kind of anticipated how each was going to respond or answer.

Q: Im curious by what you mean about how it might not have helped.

A: Well, just because we know which buttons will affect what. The two of us are familiar with our personalities.

Q: There are 500 acres (land in the deal) where the switch (of a part to the town of Summit) can actually help the town move for incorporation into a village. Is that still something the town of Summit wants?

A: Oh, definitely.

Q: I thought the move for incorporation was to help the Aurora process.
A: No, no, no. See, that is the news media that would love to tie those two together. We have been working on incorporation long before Aurora even thought about building a hospital. In fact, our former (chairman) Maury Sullivan, in the year 2000, was one of the key leaders in an incorporation attempt to get all the towns in Waukesha County incorporated, and it was called Vision 2000.

That was something that was spun out of years before that of incorporation discussions. ... We basically have, a majority of the towns in Waukesha County, because of its demographics and location to Milwaukee and Madison has become very sophisticated.

I truly believe town government is the greatest government there is because its closest to the people. Our population is very professional. Its not a town where you drive for two, three miles and theres another farm.

Weve grown, and beyond that to where we have to become experts in things like land use planning and stuff like that. We have a full-time planner-manager on staff. Weve got a full-time police department. Weve got a crack engineering firm that works for us. All of these things had to be done. Weve got zoning.

We were the first town, and I believe the first municipality in Waukesha County, to adopt the Smart Growth ordinance. Its a different kind of land use now.

So, the town is not like the basic kind of town that you have. Theres 1,258 towns in the state of Wisconsin. Those are towns that vary anywhere from a population of 250 in the whole town to 5 (thousand), 6 (thousand), 8 (thousand) and 10,000 people.

Q: How do you feel about the way western Waukesha County is shaping up these days? You have Pabst Farms. Obviously, the talk in Delafield is of the Lang project. Now, the hospital. How do you view this? Is it positive progress, or is it just the way of the world and people have to adapt?

A: Well, I think its the movement of the population that has forced this type of development, and when you put an interstate system and tie it between Madison and Milwaukee, along that interstate system with where people work nowadays youve got the wife works in Milwaukee and the husband works in Madison.

Theyre going to look and say, Well, where should we live? I think any place that can get you within five, 10 minutes of a federal highway so that you can get there, is going to grow. And on your way home from work, would you stop at the store and pick this up or would you stop and do that? They dont want to drive another 50 miles or 60 miles to go shopping for something, so that, consequently, brings out those services.

Q: Have you spent your whole life in this area?

A: No, I was raised on a farm, a small town up in north-central Wisconsin.

Q: But, the farm life doesnt necessarily have to be the only way?

A: No.