I’ve always thought that the best approach for local public policy is to reach for competitive national standards (where one truly tries, rather than simply insisting that local work is nationally competitive). A focus on a national approach now matters for another reason: our current national environment is troubled, and by focusing on it reminds…
City
City, Local Government
Hiring Processes
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Whitewater’s public bodies (city, school district, university) have over the years hired more than one person; they’ll keep doing so. (Those who have asked if two of last week’s posts were about a hiring process are right to think so, but only in part. Those posts were also about broad trends within the city. See …
Blogging, City, Culture, Local Government, Politics
Policies & Actions
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
Yesterday’s post, The Winnowing Transition, offers thoughts on the last several years in Whitewater, and a look ahead to the next several. The key point is that we’re in a transitional time, where many who were politically prominent a decade ago no longer are, and few who are prominent now will come through the next…
City, Economy, Politics
The Winnowing Transition
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
Today’s a good day to post about the transition through which Whitewater is now going. It’s a winnowing transition, in which many political and economic positions formerly popular are slowly being swept away. (There are, in fact, few leading public officials even from a decade ago still around. Those who are operate in conditions of…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, November 14th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Baby Driver
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
This Tuesday, November 14th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Baby Driver @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail. Baby Driver is “part heist/car chase/romance/music video.”…
City, WEDC
The Astonishing Truth About WEDC
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
One can be a longtime critic of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and still learn even worse things about that agency. With the Foxconn deal pending, WISGOP legislative leaders Vos & Fitzgerald want the WEDC board to be able to see the full text of the Foxconn contract. See Walker Delays Commenting On Possible Change…
Business, City, Culture, Economy
The Market
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
There’s an editorial at Royal Purple that contends a future Grocery store should accommodate students. The editorial makes sound points for pricing outreach to students, but my focus here isn’t merely a supermarket or co-op, but the general economic market of Whitewater and nearby, smaller towns (some of which are part of the local school…
City, Holiday
Boo! Scariest Things in Whitewater, 2017
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
Here’s the eleventh annual FREE WHITEWATER list of the scariest things in Whitewater for 2017. The 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 editions are available for comparison. The list runs in reverse order, from mildly frightening to truly scary. 10. Dirty Dogs. This town’s like a magnet for every smooth talking heel…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, October 31st, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Halloween Movie Festival
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
This Tuesday, October 31st at 12:30 PM, it’s Halloween movie festival at Seniors in the Park with Halloween treats and movie tricks including a Mighty Mouse cartoon, a serial chapter Commando Cody “Radar Men from the Moon,” and “KONG: Skull Island.” Kong: Skull Island is a redo/update/reboot of “King Kong” with an All-Star cast of…
City, Demographics, Walworth County
Area Population, Properly Understood
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
There’s an unfortunately misleading story from the Lake Geneva Regional News, picked up uncritically at the Banner, on a population increase for Walworth County and part of Whitewater. See “Walworth County population is up — here and there.” The story (1) cites a tiny population increase, (2) ignores relative trends entirely, and (3) leaves readers (and…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, October 24th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Ghostbusters (2016)
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
This Tuesday, October 24th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Ghostbusters (2016) @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, “paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert and Abby Yates, nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann, and subway worker Patty Tolan band together to stop the otherworldly threat.” Paul Feig…
City, Culture, Local Government, Politics
The Same Ten People Problem (Revisited)
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
In a presentation from September on the state of the city (really meaning the state of Whitewater’s municipal government), City Manager Cameron Clapper tackled again the ‘Same Ten People Problem’ (STPP), where only a few people participate in municipal meetings, etc. One can find the full video presentation below; Clapper’s remarks on the STPP appear…
City, Culture, Education, School District
A Brighter Outlook for Whitewater High
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Whitewater High School has the advantage of a new principal and assistant principal. I’ve written before that I’ve no particular advice for Messrs. Lovenberg and O’Shaughnessy. See For Your Consideration, Dr. Jonas Salk. (Indeed, in that post I offered only a question, but – to be sure – one that implied how very much their efforts…
Babbittry, Bigotry, City, Law, Liberty, Local Government, Trump
The Somber Trio
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Among the most serious harms are those to liberty and physical well-being. One can compensate adequately for many injuries, but damages at law are slight compensation for lost liberties and physical injuries. We’ve a new national environment, in which actions once impermissible are now encouraged, and redress once required is now no longer recognized. If…