Continuing for the next few 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…
City
City
Common Council for April 8th: Part 2
by JOHN ADAMS •
After about thirty minutes of preliminary discussion, our Common Council on April 8th considered a chronic nuisance ordinance for Whitewater. Versions of these ordinances are in force in Madison, Green Bay, Janesville (and surely other communities, too). An officer (Aaron Ellis) from the Janesville Police Department, responsible for enforcement of Janesville’s ordinance, spoke before Whitewater’s…
City
Common Council for April 8th: Part 1
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a quick review of the first part of our Common Council meeting, from April 8th. In this post, I’ll comment on the meeting before the discussion of a proposed nuisance ordinance. (I’ll comment on the nuisance ordinance in my next post.) What’s most striking about the first thirty minutes of our last Common Council…
City, Press
Two Accounts of One Council Meeting
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s a town of fourteen-thousand, with a university campus, but no local, daily press. That doesn’t mean that news isn’t reported in Whitewater. Some news is reported, although often in ways that are bland, and embarrassing moments in Whitewater often disappear from mention, sometimes to the benefit of incumbent politicians, career bureaucrats, and local people-of-influence.…
City, Register Watch™
Register Watch™ for April 9th: The Local-o-meter
by JOHN ADAMS •
What to make of a local politician who talks local, but writes for a publication that depends on the out-of-town merchant to survive? You might think that’s, well, a contradiction, paradox, puzzle, conundrum, or just really messed-up scene, but why be so imprecise about it? Here at the FREE WHITEWATER Division of Advanced Scientific Inquiry®,…
City
Contest Countdown: Nosek-Kienbaum Race
by JOHN ADAMS •
Time remaining until the polls close in the Whitewater Common Council At-Large race between Dr. Roy Nosek and Marilyn Kienbaum — (Only one man — really only one — could provide the proper perspective on an epic conflict between undesirable forces: Dr. Henry Kissinger. Kissinger offered a perspective on the Iran-Iraq war that might easily…
City
Public Servants of Whitewater — Reject Selfish Compensation
by JOHN ADAMS •
We’ve no politicians in Whitewater, Wisconsin. We’ve no career bureaucrats, either. They’re all public servants. Ask them, and they’ll be happy to tell you as much. I’ll take them at their word — they (like the Vulcans from Star Trek) have “come to serve.” We are fortunate for it. They have surely noticed what others…
City
Our Kevin and Theirs
by JOHN ADAMS •
I thought I’d share a satirical video that I discovered previously, but forgot to pass along. Kevin Brunner, City Manager of Whitewater, Wisconsin, is no longer new to town. If nearly everyone in town knows of Dr. Nosek (who could not?), then nearly as many know of Kevin Brunner. He’s likely a part of city government…
City
League of Women Voters’ March Newsletter
by JOHN ADAMS •
City
Daily Bread: March 25, 2009
by JOHN ADAMS •
City
Whitewater Candidates’ Forum
by JOHN ADAMS •
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, 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…