At the Wisconsin State Journal, there’s an investigative report about a doctor entitled, University of Wisconsin Cancer Researcher Quits Amid Conflict of Interest Investigation. Reporter Doug Erickson summarizes the issue: “A prominent UW-Madison cancer researcher [Dr. Minesh Mehta] has abruptly resigned after university officials began investigating a potential conflict of interest involving his outside business…
City
City
Political Tip of the Day: Calling Officials ‘Slick’ as a Nickname (Hint: It’s a Bad Idea)
by JOHN ADAMS •
At the last meeting of Whitewater’s Common Council, on July 20th, one of the city’s common council members referred to a city bureaucrat as “Slick.” That’s Slick, as in “Come on up here, Slick.” This was an official speaking in behalf of the council member’s agenda item, mind you. I’d guess the term was meant…
City, Planning
Whitewater’s Planning Commission Meeting for 8-2-10 (Live Blogging)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s the format I will be using for live blogging tonight’s Planning Commission meeting. I’m interested in experimenting with live blogging to produce commentary more quickly. (My comments will remain after the meeting for later viewing.) The window will become live just before 6 PM, and comments will appear with the newest remarks at the…
City
Beyond Paper Packets for Only a Few
by JOHN ADAMS •
A practice of good government isn’t a favor to someone who asks for it; it’s the standard that public officials should meet consistently. It’s not meant to be an occasional thing. If you’ve watched Whitewater, Wisconsin’s Planning Commission in action, then you know that city employees and the city’s paid consultant will refer to public…
City, Economy, Government Spending
Bloomberg: Jobless Claims in US Declined by 11,000 to 457,000
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s less than we need. The story reports that a collection of local government associations estimated that, nationally, local governments may cut almost 500,000 jobs through 2011 (or 8.6% of their total workforces). These are only estimates, and they say nothing about how any particular community will fare. In any event, sacrifices should always begin…
City
Record All Public Meetings
by JOHN ADAMS •
I wrote earlier this week about the agenda of a Whitewater Community Development Authority meeting. The agenda seemed oddly vague, and some portions of it were so obscure that it provided no reasonable information about a subject’s contents. See, Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 7-26-10. The agenda’s not a minor task; it’s a public announcement,…
City, Economy, Poverty
Rethinking the U.S. Poverty Measure
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve written about poverty in Whitewater before, and the 2010 Census will offer fresh information on the state of Whitewater’s economy. It’s a subject that cheerleaders for the town probably wish would go away. An ordinary person would prefer economic arrangements that make poverty go away, but there you see the distinction between sensible &…
City, Government Spending
Many Possibilities: “A city outsources everything. Sky doesn’t fall.”
by JOHN ADAMS •
I don’t believe that my small town, Whitewater, Wisconsin, needs to outsource everything. I do think that we have too many leaders in the city. Reductions in number or compensation, if any, should begin at the very top. It’s simply absurd for a small city’s principal bureaucrat to have his own bureaucrat to assist him.…
City, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Planning
Whitewater’s Publicly-Funded Innovation Center on Sunday, July 18th
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Planning, Politics, Uncategorized
Persistence in the Wrong Course
by JOHN ADAMS •
At the conservative Commentary, Peter Wehner offers a critical assessment of the federal administration that I think would be more apt for the municipal administration of Whitewater, Wisconsin: Its policies are failing, its popularity is sinking, its excuses aren’t working, and its incompetence is showing. Yet the administration appears incapable of admitting – even to…
City, Planning
Whitewater’s Planning Commission Meeting for 7-12-10 (Live Blogging)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s the format I will be using for live blogging tonight’s Planning Commission meeting. I wouldn’t expect anyone to read my comments live; instead, I’m interested in experimenting with live blogging to produce commentary more quickly. (My comments will remain after the meeting for later viewing.) The window will become live just before 6 PM,…
City, Economy, Planning
Meeting with Confidence the Challenge of the Hard Economic Times Likely Ahead
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s seems ever clearer that there is no “Recovery Summer” in store this year for America’s economy. The problems of the last few years haven’t been solved. What will happen next is disputed, between those who see a second recession, those who see growth so weak it will feel like a recession, and those who…
Beautiful Whitewater, City, Law, Police, Politics
Citizens’ Complaints and the Reaction of Misguided, Selfish Officials
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a question about (limited) government: If the residents of a town want an official fired, is the fundamental problem that they’re asking that he be fired, or the reason that they’re asking? In the Township of Linn, not far from Whitewater, a group of residents want the police chief fired. They’ve filed a complaint…
City, Economy, Government Spending
After Ineffective Spending, an Effective Comparative Advantage Solution
by JOHN ADAMS •
There are two recent stories that highlight the challenges facing the national economy, and that implicitly show the impossibility of a national solution to Whitewater, Wisconsin, or any other small town. One has probably read that U.S. Representative Ryan of Wisconsin said that he thought of “the stimulus as a sugar high.” See, Top Republican:…