Former New York Times columnist William Safire used to write an annual predictions column, with multiple choice answers to questions, each new year. Here’s my local, amateur version in honor of Safire’s efforts. My predictions will be listed below the questions. 1. In 2008, the biggest Whitewater event will be A. July 4th holiday B.…
City
City, Police, Press
Questions for a Reporter, and the Community
by JOHN ADAMS •
Readers of FREE WHITEWATER know that I have written about the lawsuit against Larry Meyer, former investigator of the Whitewater Police Department. This is a public matter involving the conduct of a public employee. It tells much about how that employee was supervised and managed. Most recently, in a post entitled, “Clear Information in the…
City, Police
The Force We Need
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Police
Clear Information on the Lawsuit Against Larry Meyer
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s an update on the lawsuit against former Whitewater Police investigator Larry Meyer. I will offer a chronology, information on the latest legal developments, and an assessment of the coverage from Bliss Communications, publishers of the Janesville Gazette and The Week. This will be a long post, with the advantage being that it will serve…
City
Tone
by JOHN ADAMS •
I receive a steady volume of email, only a portion of which I post. I respond to other messages privately. Sometimes, I’ve received messages that dislike the tone of FREE WHITEWATER. The concerns usually fall into two categories: (1) the tone is too critical, and (2) more people would read FREE WHITEWATER if the tone…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Hirings without Oversight?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Under the Wisconsin Statutes that provide for the scope and authority of a Police and Fire Commission, there is a requirement that the Board Shall Approve a Department’s Subordinates. “The chiefs shall appoint subordinates subject to approval by the board.” 62.13(4)(a) A review of the minutes of our Whitewater PFC reveals that citizen approval of…
City, Development, Economy, Free Markets
Student Housing in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
Readers of FREE WHITEWATER know that I have been opposed to a restrictive, anti-market approach to student housing. Whitewater’s leading critic of student-rental housing is dentist-politician Dr. Roy Nosek. Nosek has mentioned, more than once, that student housing is a ‘death-knell’ for a neighborhood. Recently, I offered three posts critiquing Nosek’s understanding of basic market…
City, Fire Dept
Police and Fire Commission?
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Citizen Complaints
by JOHN ADAMS •
One measures the strength and honesty of an organization not merely by what it asserts, but by its willingness to allow others to test its assertions, so that it might be open to better practices. It is in this way that the lack of an authentic, accountable citizen complaint process illustrates so much of what…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Performance Generally
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the fifth post in my series on the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission. The first post was an introduction to the series, and the second post cited the authority of our PFC under Wisconsin law. The third post suggested reasonable standards for Whitewater’s PFC. The fourth post discussed meeting minutes. Let’s consider PFC…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Minutes
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Reasonable Standards
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the third post in my series on the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission. The first post was an introduction to the series, and the second post cited the authority of our PFC under Wisconsin law. In this post, I will suggest reasonable standards for Whitewater’s PFC. Every reasonable person can agree on a…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Importance and Authority.
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the second post in my series on the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission. The first part was an introduction to the series. In this post, I will outline the powers of our Police and Fire Commission (PFC) under Wisconsin law. The PFC is a legally-authorized and required commission under our law. It both…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: Introduction
by JOHN ADAMS •
Readers know that I am a critic of the Whitewater Police Department, and its chief, Jim Coan. In this series, I will consider our Police Commission, and its role — by law and practice — in overseeing the Whitewater Police Department. My views on the city are those of a libertarian, and libertarian thinking informs…