On Saturday, March 14th, the Whitewater Area League of Women Voters sponsored a forum for candidates for city offices. Here’s the video from that event. I’ll offer commentary below. President of the LWV, Ellen Penwell, ably hosted the candidates’ forum. After outlining the rules of the forum, each candidate received an introduction, made an opening…
City
City, Police
What Happens in Vegas…
by JOHN ADAMS •
Update, 2/09/10: Coan’s account of his travels is no longer online. I challenge the City of Whitewater to put that work back online. The Travels of Marco Polo are readily available online, so why not Coan’s series? The original link to the City Manager’s Weekly Report for 3/13/09 is no longer online, as the city…
City, Libertarians, Press Release
Free Speech Victory — Wisconsin Restrictions on Referendum Communications Declared Unconstitutional
by JOHN ADAMS •
Last March, I posted on the speech-quelling practice of using supposed election law infractions as a way to prevent citizens from speaking out on election issues. In that post, entitled “Free Speech for the Town of Whitewater,” I wrote that There’s a story from the Town of Whitewater that calls out for notice — the…
City
Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters’ Candidates Forum
by JOHN ADAMS •
City
Prisoner Monday
by JOHN ADAMS •
For the next several weeks, it’s Prisoner Monday here at Free Whitewater. Why? Because a longtime reader previously suggested to me that being in Whitewater sometimes felt like living the plot of The Prisoner. It’s a great British series, that tells the story of a secret agent who resigns from his agency, only to find…
City, Free Markets, Libertarians
Mercatus Center at George Mason University – Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom
by JOHN ADAMS •
For George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, professors William Ruger and Jason Sorens, tenured elsewhere, have published a study of American liberties entitled, “Freedom in the Fifty States.” The scholars define “individual freedom as the ability to dispose of one’s own life, liberty, and justly acquired property however one sees fit, so long as one does…
City
Poll of the Week: “How likely is it that a member of Whitewater’s Common Council will fall asleep during a meeting in 2009?”
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve had two pop quizzes, but in the spirit of participatory democracy, I’ll offer a poll, where anyone can answer by clicking a button. For this week’s poll, a question about our Common Council — “How likely is it that a member of Whitewater’s Common Council will fall asleep during a meeting in 2009?” The…
City
Participatory Democracy
by JOHN ADAMS •
I received an email from a reader, discussing recent neighborhood meetings in Whitewater. It’s true that I have not commented on these meetings. I wrote him yesterday thanking him for his email, and I’ll offer a public post on the topic. First his message, and my reply follows thereafter in red. There will a second,…
City
Prisoner Monday
by JOHN ADAMS •
For the next several weeks, I’ll make Monday Prisoner Monday here at Free Whitewater. A longtime reader previously suggested to me that being in Whitewater sometimes felt like living the plot of The Prisoner. That fine British series, now being re-made as an AMC program, tells the story of a secret agent who resigns from…
City, Police
Whitewater Publication Requests
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good afternoon, my fellow residents. I have two quick requests that someone might be able to fulfill, short of an open records request. First, I am looking for the issue of the Whitewater Police Department’s quarterly newsletter in which Chief Coan writes about the police officer as warrior. The issue is probably several years old,…
City
Downtown Whitewater Annual Breakfast Update, Friday, February 20th
by JOHN ADAMS •
Downtown Whitewater Inc. will present its Annual Breakfast Update on February 20, 2009 from 7:00 am to 8:30 am, at the Whitewater Municipal Building, in the Common Council Chambers. Additional information, from a flyer Downtown Whitewater prepared, follows — Downtown Whitewater, Inc. will be giving highlights on their annual report with the final report due…
City
League of Women Voters’ February Newsletter
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters’ has published its February 2009 Newsletter, with a schedule of upcoming LWV events. A copy of the newsletter is available as a pdf link in this post, and as a link on my blogroll. Here is a partial listing of events, with more information and events inside the newsletter.…
City
Nosek vs. Kienbaum, Part 3
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s the third of three preliminary posts on the Nosek-Kienbaum race for an at-large Common Council seat. I posted previously on Kienbaum’s advantages, Nosek’s opportunity to win despite them, and now offer remarks on Kienbaum’s best strategy for her (likely) victory. (Quick, obvious declaration – I support neither of these candidates.) Avoid Debate. Nosek…
City
Nosek vs. Kienbaum, Part 2
by JOHN ADAMS •
Can Dr. Roy Nosek, acerbic scourge of ordinance infractions, defeat incumbent at-large Council member Marilyn Kienbaum? Yes, but it’s a long shot. I am no supporter of either candidate (cf. Kissinger, “It’s a shame they both can’t lose.”). Still, here’s Nosek’s tough-row-to-hoe path to victory: Debate. Debate Kienbaum as often as possible, on television or…