Whitewater City Manager Kevin Brunner recently touted an A2 rating from Moody’s Investor Services. It’s what he didn’t say that’s most telling. In his January 15th Weekly Report, Whitewater City Manager Kevin Brunner announced an affirmation from Moody’s Investor Services of the city’s A2 bond rating. The city’s rating is assigned to the sale of…
City
City, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Planning, Press
On the Innovation Center’s Anchor Tenant
by JOHN ADAMS •
Small-town Whitewater is spending about eleven million dollars in federal money and municipal debt for a Technology Park, with a showcase Innovation Center. The amount is more than the annual budget of the city, and it’s federal deficit spending, and municipal public debt, that will make this project possible. (Note: I will comment generally on…
City, Press Release
New Whitewater Archaeological Group: Friends of the Mounds
by JOHN ADAMS •
We have the great fortune in Whitewater of an archaeological site. A group has formed to help preserve that site. Whitewater’s Landmarks Commission is encouraging people to help maintain and preserve Whitewater’s only archaeological site, the Whitewater Indian Mounds Archaeological Park on Indian Mounds Parkway, by joining the Friends of the Mounds. The first meeting…
City
Top Maricopa officials testify in apparent Arpaio investigation
by JOHN ADAMS •
In Arizona, a federal grand jury has been hearing testimony about the conduct of Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio, self-proclaimed ‘toughest sheriff in America.’ He’s been a disgrace to America’s centuries-long tradition of the rule of law. Some have celebrated Arpaio for his anti-immigrant stand, but he’s threatened the civil liberties of citizens and non-citizens…
City, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Planning
On Second Thought, Maybe We Do Need an Innovation Center in Town…
by JOHN ADAMS •
I have had doubts about a multi-million dollar Innovation Center and Tech Park for Whitewater, Wisconsin. The costs are certain and rising, the benefits uncertain, and the city’s planning shifts from one Big Thing to another, like a series of teenage fads. Here’s what the Innovation Center is supposed to look like: Impressive,…
City
Whitewater’s Confusion of Private Credentials and Public Office
by JOHN ADAMS •
From enduring opinion, one often hears that small towns are places of folksy and humble people. Small-town America is meant to be unpretentious. We should be clear with ourselves: America is meant to be unpretentious, a rejection of the tyranny of status and title so much a part of the Old World. And yet, and…
City, Press
Reporting on Whitewater’s Water
by JOHN ADAMS •
When it takes years for a homeowner to learn of a problem, one can expect that when she does, she will be both frustrated and suspicious for the delay. There are two published newspaper stories, from nearby newspapers, that recount the concerns of a Whitewater resident about environmental contamination from a now-defunct gas station. The…
City
Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters — January 2010 Newsletter
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters’ January 2010 Newsletter is now available, and the latest issue includes a calendar of upcoming LWV events. A copy of the newsletter [2/6/10– latest issue] is available as a link on my blogroll, and through a document service called Scribd. Scribd offers its own link to the document, with the…
City
Whitewater, Wisconsin Topics for the Year Ahead
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve offered predictions for 2010, but here’s something different: a list of topics for this website in the year ahead. It’s sure to change, but here are a few broad topics that interest me. 1. The Press. Nothing would improve our local politics more than a strong local press. Not blogs, but a local press…
City
Predictions for Whitewater, Wisconsin for 2010
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s my local, amateur version of (the now late) William Safire’s tradition of offering annual predictions, when he was at the New York Times. The list for 2010: 1. In 2010, the University will win the following number of national sports championships: A. None B. One C. Two D. More than two 2. A new…
City
Review: Predictions for Whitewater, Wisconsin for 2009
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here is my early January 2009 post with predictions for the year. How did I do? Results below the post…. Here’s my local, amateur version, in honor of former columnist [the late] William Safire’s long-standing tradition, of offering annual predictions. The list for 2009: 1. In 2009, the University will win the following number of…
City
Incumbency: The Gift to Oneself that Keeps on Giving
by JOHN ADAMS •
By early January, Wisconsin law requires citizens declare their candidacies for local office, as challengers, incumbents seeking re-election, or incumbents who will not seek re-election, having tormented their communities enough during their current terms. In Whitewater, there will be some incumbents seeking another term, on our common council or school board. It’s sure to be…
City, Innovation Center/Tech Park
Whitewater’s Choice: Rock Star or Brain Surgeon?
by JOHN ADAMS •
City
Whitewater, Wisconsin’s 2010 Municipal Budget, Part 2
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a second part of Whitewater’s budget that deserves special mention – the purchase of additional insurance in the event of municipal sewer backups. I wrote at length, months ago, of the unfortunate situation of a homeowner who experienced an expensive sewer backup while serving in Afghanistan. There was a meeting of the Whitewater common…