Author Archive for JOHN ADAMS
Adventure, Daily Bread, Wisconsin
Daily Bread for 11.26.23: Winter in Wisconsin – A Place Like No Other
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Good morning.
Sunday in Whitewater will see light snow in the morning, followed by a mixture of clouds and sunshine, with a high of 33. Sunrise is 7:00 and sunset 4:23 for 9h 22m 55s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 99.3% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1838, the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature assembles in Madison for the first time:
[A]fter moving from the temporary capital in Burlington, Iowa, the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature assembled in Madison for the first time. Two years earlier, when the territorial legislature had met for the first time in Belmont, many cities were mentioned as possibilities for the permanent capital — Cassville, Fond du Lac, Milwaukee, Platteville, Mineral Point, Racine, Belmont, Koshkonong, Wisconsinapolis, Peru, and Wisconsin City. Madison won the vote, and funds were authorized to erect a suitable building in which lawmakers would conduct the people’s business.
Progress went so slowly, however, that some lawmakers wanted to relocate the seat of government to Milwaukee, where they also thought they would find better accommodations than in the wilds of Dane Co. When the legislature finally met in Madison in November 1838 there was only an outside shell to the new Capitol. The interior was not completed until 1845, more than six years after it was supposed to be finished. On November 26, 1838, Governor Henry Dodge delivered his first speech in the new seat of government.
We’ve had some snow today, and that’s sure to delight some but disappoint others. Wisconsin offers myriad winter adventures. Sam Li’s Winter in Wisconsin – A Place Like No Other highlights some of our cold-weather offerings. Go ahead, lean in:
The 3D printer that crafts complex robotic organs in a single run:
City, Daily Bread
Daily Bread for 11.25.23: Shop Small Today in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS • • 5 Comments
Good morning.
Saturday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 35. Sunrise is 6:59 and sunset 4:24 for 9h 24m 35s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 95.9% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1783, the last British troops leave New York City three months after the signing of the Treaty of Paris:
Evacuation Day on November 25 marks the day in 1783 when the British Army departed from New York City on Manhattan Island, after the end of the American Revolutionary War. In their wake, General George Washington triumphantly led the Continental Army from his headquarters north of the city across the Harlem River, and south through Manhattan to the Battery at its southern tip.
It’s Shop Small Saturday in Whitewater. Join your fellow residents at Cravath Lakefront Park, 341 S. Fremont Street, for a festive day in our small & beautiful city —
Usher in the holiday season by supporting all things local. This family-friendly FREE event will feature more than 40 local, small businesses that you can support on Small Business Saturday. Enjoy food trucks, sweet treats, live music, pictures with Santa and holiday shopping. November 25th from 10-2p!
Hawk photobombs a Minnesota traffic camera and stares deeply into it:
CDA, City, Culture, Daily Bread, Local Government
Daily Bread for 11.24.23: A Development Director for Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS • • 5 Comments
Good morning.
Friday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 30. Sunrise is 6:58 and sunset 4:24 for 9h 26m 18s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 90.1% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1971, during a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (aka D. B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with $200,000 in ransom money. He has never been found.
Like most people, this libertarian blogger likes to listen to music. Much of my favorite music is jazz, and some of that jazz music is played on a piano. I, however, do not play the piano. (A cat walking across the keys would produce a more pleasing sound than any effort of mine.)
And yet, and yet, like so many others who don’t play the piano, I can tell the difference between competent playing and… something less.
Now, I’m not a ‘development’ person (and have never claimed to be one). Instead, any critique of Whitewater’s traditional development approach offered at FREE WHITEWATER has rested on simple, fundamental analyses of economics, evidence of performance, logical reasoning, and good government.
On this last point: Whitewater’s development policy is meant to be a community development policy, not one captured against the public interest by a few. Who owns Whitewater? The proper answer — the answer suitable for a beautiful, well-ordered American town — is everyone and no one.
Soon, the City of Whitewater will have a new Economic Development Director. WhitewaterWise reports Berg hired as city’s economic development director:
The Whitewater Common Council Tuesday learned from City Manager John Weidl that Calli Berg has been hired as the city’s new economic development director.
According to her resume, Berg brings 25 years of experience in “all aspects of economic development, including business retention, attraction, and expansion,” along with other skill sets, including financial analysis and packaging, grant writing, administration, fund management, and tax increment and credit programs.
She is currently employed as the director of economic development, Milwaukee County, serving in that position since January of 2022. Prior to that, she worked as the director of economic development in the city of Franklin, between 2018 and 2022, and was the president and owner of BDM Services, a company, according to her resume, which provided consulting services to municipalities regarding economic development activities. The business began its operations in 2008.
Berg has additionally held such positions as business development manager with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and director of the Coloma-Watervliet Area Economic Development Corporation, in Berrien County, Mich.
She holds an undergraduate degree in business administration-marketing, and is certified by the International Economic Development Council as an economic developer. She is recognized by the National Development Council as an economic development finance professional and has been named by West Michigan Business Direct Weekly as a Business Leader Under 40, and has earned the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Michigan Economic Developers Association, according to her resume.
Ms. Berg has an impressive background in development policy.
This libertarian blogger is a tragic optimist, but the fundamental outlook of tragic optimism is, happily, optimism.
While so very many in the city will be rooting for Calli Berg’s success, no one in Whitewater will be more hopeful than I’ll be.
One wishes the very best for Ms. Berg in applying her experience and her insight to advance Whitewater’s community development on behalf of all our community.
James Webb Space Telescope captures stunning view of Milky Way’s heart:
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, November 28, 1:00 PM @ Seniors in the Park, In the Heart of the Sea
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Tuesday, November 28th at 1:00 PM, there will be a showing of In the Heart of the Sea @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building:
Biography/History/Drama/Adventure
Rated PG-13
2 hours, 2 minutes (2015)
A dramatization of the true events that inspired Herman Melville’s classic American novel “Moby Dick.” In 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted and destroyed by a mammoth great white whale. This film recreates the telling of that tale by a survivor, to an incredulous young Herman Melville. Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Holland. Directed by Ron Howard. Incredible visual effects!
One can find more information about In the Heart of the Sea at the Internet Movie Database.
Cats, Science/Nature
Friday Catblogging: Nearly 300 Different Facial Expressions
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
See Think cats are aloof? They make nearly 300 facial expressions, study says:
Brittany Florkiewicz has always been a dog person, but she was surprised by what she discovered when reviewing more than 100 hours of cat videos.
Florkiewicz, a psychology professor at an Arkansas college, spent her childhood running around her yard with her family’s German shepherds and Labrador retrievers. She believed dogs were friendlier and more expressive than cats, as many pet owners do.
That changed when she and a co-researcher began studying cats in 2021 to learn more about how they communicate and express themselves. After videotaping and reviewing felines’ facial expressions at a cat cafe for nearly a year, Florkiewicz debunked her lifelong belief.
The researchers found that cats displayed at least 276 different facial expressions, according to the study’s results, which published last month in the journal Behavioural Processes. Florkiewicz told The Washington Post that the findings show cats are more articulate and affectionate than previously thought.
Daily Bread, Holiday
Daily Bread for 11.23.23: Happy Thanksgiving
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Good morning.
Thanksgiving in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high of 41. Sunrise is 6:57 and sunset 4:25 for 9h 28m 03s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 82.8% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1876, corrupt Tammany Hall leader William Magear Tweed (better known as Boss Tweed) is delivered to authorities in New York City after being captured in Spain.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons Are Inflated:
How to Carve a Turkey | The New York Times:
Common Council, Council Leadership, Daily Bread, Local Government, Responsibility
Daily Bread for 11.22.23: Puzzling, Ongoing Irresponsibility
by JOHN ADAMS • • 8 Comments
Good morning.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 43. Sunrise is 6:56 and sunset 4:26 for 9h 29m 52s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 75.1% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1963, President Kennedy is assassinated and Texas Governor John Connally is seriously wounded by Lee Harvey Oswald, who also kills Dallas Police officer J. D. Tippit after fleeing the scene. Vice President Johnson is sworn in as the 36th President of the United States afterward.
Yesterday, I linked to the agenda of the Whitewater Common Council session for 11.21.23. In that Tuesday post, this libertarian blogger listed several agenda items that drew my particular interest. Today’s post will consider one of those items, No. 27. Embedded above is a video recording of the session, with the discussion of Item 27 beginning on the video at 2:14:30.
Here is Item 27:
Item 27. Discussion and possible action regarding the formation of a council action plan to address Common Council self-governance- Common Council/HR
At the 11.7.23 session of the Whitewater Common Council — only two weeks earlier — the performance of the council majority had fallen so far that after returning from closed session the council issued the following statement:
At this time, the Council wishes to make the following statement:
The Council is respectful that each individual councilmember has distinct, competing, and divergent viewpoints designed to promote the best interests of the city and representation of the community.
The Council intends to work on a plan to enhance the effectiveness of the Council as a body and as that body works with the employees of the city. The Council is committed to Robert’s Rules as a guideline and the city’s Transparency Ordinance.
The Council will explore and conduct training as to governance, conduct of meetings, and open meeting compliance, and encourage appointed office holders to participate in such opportunities.
The Council will explore standards of decorum and civility for its meetings.
The Council will work with the City Manager for the development of an onboarding process for newly elected and appointed office holders. The Council will set expectations for self-accountability, individual commitment to one another.
The Council will consider whether the use of outside resources is of benefit to this process including resources from CVMIC, and the executive branch of the city, facilitators, or other resources.
The Council’s commitment to this plan is ongoing, which the Council will address at subsequent meetings.
See The Complaint Against (Some) on the Whitewater Common Council.
In all recent memory, over decades, no common council in the City of Whitewater has had to admit to performance so inadequate. (Council President Allen did not read the statement; he left it to another councilmember while he sat saying nothing on behalf of the council he leads.)
A few remarks about the discussion of Item 27 from last night’s session:
1. His “Bad.” One would imagine that having listened to the early November statement, Allen would remember its significance only two weeks later. One would imagine that an agenda item on 11.21 that plainly reads “Discussion and possible action” would cause Allen to prepare for discussion and possible action. Apparently not.
Instead, Allen tried to push on without discussion to Item 28. When he was reminded that he was skipping an item that directly addresses this council’s self-governance, Allen replied “My bad.” See video at 2:15:46.
Yes, his bad. A responsible leader would have remembered this item, prepared for it, and made it a key part of this meeting.
2. The Handouts on Robert’s Rules. It’s a commendable service to this city that HR Manager Sara Marquardt ordered and distributed laminated handouts with key points from Robert’s Rules. She was right to do so. These councilmembers should have made this purchase on their own when they first joined the Whitewater Common Council. (It’s obvious that some of the council members understand these procedural rules quite well, indeed. It’s equally obvious that the majority does not.)
3. “We Could Probably.” When considering the necessary and fundamental work of self-governance, Allen expressed a few qualms:
We could probably do some of them over the winter break, but you know, we all have other jobs too.
See video at 2:19:53.
Councilmembership is a volunteer position; no one is drafted. If the crucial responsibility of self-governance is too hard for Allen or others, then they should resign from the Whitewater Common Council.
Allen has a habit of looking for the easy road for himself and his majority. In August, when Allen learned that he, along with others, would have to meet a proper deadline for submitting his agenda items before a meeting, his first reflex was to make it easier on himself: “Oh, well, then I guess we’ll have to change that because that’s we’ve never enforced it before.” See Scenes from a Council Meeting (Responsibility).
By contrast, Whitewater’s residents fortunately show an admirable commitment to self-discipline and hard work that this council majority lacks.
How to Make Simple Mashed Potatoes | Thanksgiving Recipes | The New York Times:
City, Common Council, Council Leadership, Daily Bread, Local Government
Daily Bread for 11.21.23: The Second Council Session in November
by JOHN ADAMS • • 4 Comments
Good morning.
Tuesday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 41. Sunrise is 6:55 and sunset 4:26 for 9h 31m 44s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 63.1% of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Common Council meets at 6:30 PM.
On this day in 1959, American disc jockey Alan Freed, who had popularized the term “rock and roll” and music of that style, is fired from WABC radio over allegations he had participated in the payola scandal.
Linked above is the Whitewater Common Council agenda for the second council meeting of November. Embedded below is the full agenda packet for the session. (Although I have begun embedding the council or CDA agendas on the day of the respective meetings, this post offers both the full council packet and mention of items of notable interest to this libertarian blogger. Usually, I’ve not highlighted a meeting in advance, but the decline in quality representation from this council makes careful attention to the agenda and proceedings necessary.)
At the last council meeting, some of the listed items tonight were presented, but not decided. A few items from tonight’s agenda seem notable to this libertarian blogger. (Other residents will have their own particulars; their mileage may vary.)
STAFF REPORTS
Item 10. Lakes Update – Park and Rec.
Item 11. Aquatic Center Update – Park and Rec
Item 12. Immigration Roundtable Update – Police
Item 13. Police Staffing 2024 – Police
Item 15. von Briesen & Roper Resumes for 3 Labor and Employment Specialty Attorneys – HR
RESOLUTIONS
Item 16. Resolution adopting 2024-2025 City of Whitewater Municipal Budget – Finance
Item 25. Discussion and possible action regarding Virtual Meeting Policy – Allen/HR
Item 27. Discussion and possible action regarding the formation of a council action plan to address Common Council self-governance- Common Council/HR
CLOSED SESSION
Item 35. Adjourn to closed session, to reconvene in open session, Chapter 19.85(1)(f) “Considering financial, medical, social or personal histories or disciplinary data of specific persons, preliminary consideration of specific personnel problems or the investigation of charges against specific persons except where par. (b) applies which, if discussed in public, would be likely to have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to in such histories or data, or involved in such problems or investigations.” Item to be discussed: 1) Discussion regarding complaints received by the Human Resources Department
CONSIDERATIONS
Item 36. Discussion and possible action regarding matters addressed in closed session in response to a complaint received by the Human Resources Department. – HR/Employment Attorney
This is a long list of significant items. In the list at FREE WHITEWATER for the 11.7 session, posts here addressed many of the listed items discussed. Still, other listed items were only briefly discussed by the council, postponed for discussion, or due to be presented again (e.g., the municipal budget). For posts addressing key topics at the 11.7 session see The Complaint Against (Some) on the Whitewater Common Council, The Council’s Own, Extra Law Firm, The Local Press Conference that Was Neither Local Nor a Press Conference (at which councilmembers were present but the local press was not), Managing Pronunciations as Generational Independence, and Micromanaging the City of Whitewater’s Human Resources Work.
One key point: this council majority has lost any benefit of the doubt from its community. The solution is plain: if the council majority doesn’t want to be criticized as foolish and irresponsible, then it shouldn’t act foolishly and irresponsibly.
In all of this, Whitewater is a beautiful city, a delightful place to live, and a community far more capable than its council majority.
Fresh Pumpkin Pie | Melissa Clark Recipes | The New York Times:
Animals, Daily Bread, Wisconsin
Daily Bread for 11.20.23: Wisconsin Life | Amazing Grace
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Good morning.
Monday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 46. Sunrise is 6:53 and sunset 4:27 for 9h 33m 38s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 51.9% of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Library Board meets at 6:30 PM.
On this day in 1945, Nuremberg trials begin against 24 Nazi war criminals start at the Palace of Justice at Nuremberg.
Wisconsin Life | Amazing Grace:
US Soybean Farmers Enjoy Export Windfall:
Music
Monday Music: NEA Jazz Masters: Regina Carter (2023)
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Art, Daily Bread, Mining, Wisconsin
Daily Bread for 11.19.23: Wisconsin Life | Mine Museum
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Good morning.
Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 52. Sunrise is 6:52 and sunset 4:28 for 9h 35m 36s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 40% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1863, President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address at the dedication ceremony for the military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Bug farms are becoming big business:
Birds, Daily Bread, Wisconsin
Daily Bread for 11.18.23: Wisconsin Life | Crane Count
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Good morning.
Saturday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 51. Sunrise is 6:51 and sunset 4:28 for 9h 37m 35s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 29.4% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1963, the first push-button telephone goes into service.
100-pound baby southern white rhinoceros born at zoo in Virginia:
City, Council Leadership, Daily Bread, Local Government
Daily Bread for 11.17.23: Micromanaging the City of Whitewater’s Human Resources Work
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
Good morning.
Friday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 56. Sunrise is 6:50 and sunset 4:29 for 9h 39m 38s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 19.9% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1869, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inaugurated.
Embedded above is a video recording of the Whitewater Common Council’s 11.7.23 session.
At that session on 11.7.23, the council in Items 28 considered “Discussion and possible action regarding the compensation survey – Gerber/HR.” The discussion, such as it was, begins at 1:28:41 on the video. The city’s HR Manager Sara Marquardt and Councilmember Jill Gerber are the principal interlocutors.
A few remarks:
Assignments. Many years ago, a conservative councilmember rebuked a colleague for expecting that individual members have the authority to assign work or projects to city staff. That conservative councilmember was right — it’s a collective body, and individual members aren’t empowered that way.
This Council Majority. In this case —on a council with a majority that has admitted on the record that it requires significant improvement — individual councilmembers would do best to avoid calling around. There is no public verification possible of questions or answers received on phone calls. To whom a councilmember spoke, the precise questions asked, how those questions might have been framed, the complete answers received: none of that is available for public review.
Note well: this is the only council majority in memory that has had to admit it requires outside guidance on basic functioning that other councils have managed competently. See The Complaint Against (Some) on the Whitewater Common Council.
Unlike trained full-time employees of the administration, councilmembers are asking questions without that same training and background. As with Allen calling the League of Municipalities, the actual and important conversation is unknown to the public. See Scenes from a Council Meeting (Representations).
This small-town council’s majority acts as though it’s a Congressional committee, wanting its own lawyer, crusading from the dais, etc. Whitewater is a small town, not a large federal district.
Questioning. There’s a simple set of tactical rules for questioning someone in a public setting. When the person to be questioned has a hard manner, one may effectively question with a hard or soft manner. When the person to be questioned has a soft manner, one can only effectively question in a soft manner.
In this discussion, there is no circumstance in which one would sensibly approach this HR manager except in a relaxed, affable manner: no accusations, nothing on the spot, no critical implications, etc. Instead, a skillful questioner would approach in a matter-of-fact, indeed, conciliatory way. Almost playful, truly. Any other approach would redound to the questioner’s disadvantage (as it did here).
A Reminder: Whitewater deserves better from its common council majority; this city is better than its council majority. No one should feel bad about Whitewater because of these few. We are a beautiful city, and our people can do much more than this majority.
No injuries reported after large rockslide closes hiking trail in Zion National Park: