The Common Council cannot tax more, spend more, and hire more, and expect Whitewater to grow more. Whitewater can easily do the first three, but it should not expect the final result. It is, however, what Council must expect now. Time will prove this expectation false. It’s predictable, though, that — initially — competent planning…
City
City, Elkhorn, Police
Questions on the Settlement in the Larry Meyer Case
by JOHN ADAMS •
Larry Meyer, now retired, was a controversial member of the Whitewater Police Department, and is the defendant in a federal civil suit. Meyer’s counsel filed a motion for summary judgment in March, but the Fourth Amendment federal constitutional claims of the Plaintiff, Steve Cvicker, survived that motion. Previously, I have published posts about the damage…
City, Inbox Reader Mail
Inbox: Reader Mail (City Managers)
by JOHN ADAMS •
I received an email this week asking me about my opinion on the difference between the current City Manager, Kevin Brunner, and his predecessor, Gary Boden. The email’s in black, and my reply is in blue. Question: Just wanted to know what your opinion was of the former city manager, Gary Boden compared to the…
City
Harmony and the Latest Council Meetings, 10/23 and 10/30
by JOHN ADAMS •
Not long ago, the Common Council had a session devoted to ways to work together more cordially, etc. At the last two Council meetings, the more harmonious way has been evident. Rants are down, and politeness is up — good for all concerned. The interesting question is whether this harmony will hold when the sessions…
City, Police
Our Enforcement Culture
by JOHN ADAMS •
Budgetary proposals are important, but there is a more important reform that Whitewater can undertake. Changes to the way that Whitewater imposes code-enforcement and criminal fines would do much to help our city step away from a reliance on futile punitive measures that operate as a regressive form of taxation, and as an incentive to…
City, Economy, Free Markets
On the 2008 City Budget: A Libertarian’s Angle
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a libertarian’s angle on the Whitewater 2008 proposed budget. As I mentioned in my last post, it’s a cautious, competent budget. In good times, a budget like this might make sense. Unfortunately, these are not good times for many of Whitewater’s families: the family poverty rate is higher here than in nearby communities. That’s…
City
On the 2008 City Budget: Overview
by JOHN ADAMS •
Quick thoughts on the proposed 2008 City Budget. The presentation to our Common Council amounted to over 198 pages, presented in two increments, over the last two council sessions. The October 23rd presentation involved six key areas: Finance, Parks and Recreation, Planning/Zoning/Code Enforcement/Buildings, Administration, Young Memorial Library, and the Library Special Revenue Fund. The October…
City, Economy, Free Markets
Sub-Prime Mortgages and the City Budget
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the Banner, there’s an October 30th mention of a recent New York Times story on how pressures in the sub-prime mortgage market may affect city budgets. The entire article, and the excerpt at the Banner, raise a good deal of worry, predicting that foreclosures on sub-prime mortgages will cause a drop in state…
City, Police
Larry Meyer’s Disgraceful Legacy
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the Janesville Gazette, and The Week, Mike Heine reports that federal civil defendant Larry Meyer has offered settlement to Plaintiff, Steven Cvicker. The settlement involves Cvicker’s claim that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated at the time the Whitewater Police executed a search warrant of his business. Cvicker’s Fourth Amendment claim survived a…
City, Development, Economy, Free Markets
On the City Manager
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ll write this week, and afterward, about the 2008 proposed city budget. Before I begin, I’ll make a few remarks about our City Manager, Kevin Brunner. I’ve been asked if I dislike the City Manager because I’ve teased, occasionally, about his ‘inside-baseball’ manner. I do not dislike him; I have no strong opinion one way…
City, Development, Free Markets
Thoughts on Planning and Plants
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a quick post on the Planning Commission meeting from earlier this month. Weeks ago, someone sent me an email to remind me that not all members of the Planning Commission see things the same way, and that I should not lump them all into the same, small, well-planned and regulated box. Fair enough: as…
City
The October 16th Common Council Meeting
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a Common Council meeting tonight, focused on Whitewater’s 2008 budget. I’ll offer an observation about last week’s council meeting. Many businesses and firms have ‘on boarding’ or team-building sessions for new management teams, to increase cooperation and congeniality between co-workers. If anything, this sort of session is a staple of contemporary American white collar…
City
Citizens, Fully and Completely
by JOHN ADAMS •
Readers may have noticed that I did not review the October 2nd Common Council meeting. I’ll offer remarks, instead, on a single topic from that meeting. Perhaps I should not be surprised that one council member, ill-disposed to student housing, is ill-disposed to a voting station on campus, too. I am sure that citizen-students on…
Beautiful Whitewater, City, Development, Economy, Free Markets
Challenges of the Community Development Authority
by JOHN ADAMS •
What’s a group’s underlying philosophy? On the City of Whitewater’s new website, there’s a link to a page for Community Development Authority. That page describes the CDA, and touts its accomplishments. Here’s part of what it says, as of October 1st: The Whitewater Community Development Authority is the economic development organization for the City of…