A hotel, a party plan, and a dog might seem like three unconnected things (and normally they are, unless one is describing a dog show, I suppose). In Whitewater, however, they’re connected: as items on the same agenda tonight at Common Council, and more generally as tactical solutions to a systemic problem: Whitewater’s economy is stagnant,…
City
City, Elections, Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s Spring General Election
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
A few remarks on local and statewide races from the Spring General Election: 1. In Whitewater, incumbents seldom lose (and indeed, seldom have challengers). Yesterday falls within the realm of the seldom: a challenger in Whitewater’s District 1 race easily defeated the incumbent (Carol McCormick over Patrick Wellnitz, 164-87). Whitewater’s challenge is not merely that…
City, Kakistocracy, Newspapers, Trump
That Which Paved the Way
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
Adam Khan, writing at @Khanoisseur, has an answer for why Trump was able to prevail, despite myriad political & personal failings. Khan’s answer explains part of Trump’s success (and on the national front, I think he’s chiefly right): Investigative journalism was gutted at news rooms during the recession–partly why Trump was possible @fredericg https://t.co/SIPiRjLB62 — Adam…
City, Culture, Local Government
What an Invitation Says (and Doesn’t Say)
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
Embed from Getty Images Over at the City of Whitewater’s website, there’s a notice about a public meeting at which candidates for a city job will available to the public. Although the notice is formally correct (to meet the requirements of Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law, Wis. Stats. §§ 19.81-19.98), as a community matter there’s something sad…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, March 28th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Jackie
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
This Tuesday, March 28th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Jackie @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin community building. Jackie recounts the life of Jacqueline Kennedy following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as she fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband’s legacy.…
City, Mendacity, Trump
A Reminder on Dealmaking
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
David Frum, writing about Trump’s failure to advance health care legislation, observes the truth about Trump: Regular reminder that Donald Trump’s core competency is not dealmaking with powerful counter-parties. It is duping gullible victims. — David Frum (@davidfrum) March 24, 2017 That’s right, and cannot be said enough: Trump’s a confidence man, and he preys…
America, City, Conflicts of Interest, Trump
How Foreign Powers Could Try to Buy Trump
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Donald Trump is an unprecedentedly wealthy president, who owns or licenses his name to buildings, casinos, and luxury hotels around the world. An ethics watchdog group has already brought a lawsuit against him for violating the Constitution’s “Emoluments Clause,” which prohibits government officials from receiving gifts from foreign states. Trump has taken few steps to…
City, Economy
Preliminaries to a Discussion on Class
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
One finds a significant amount of information, in both lay publications and (of course) the careful studies on which they rely that working class Americans are faring poorly. There are two broad aspects to this: (1) how working class Americans are faring, and (2) what this says about economic and fiscal policy at the federal,…
City, Elections, Politics
The Upcoming Spring Election in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
One, but only one, of Whitewater’s Common Council races is contested. Some readers have asked me, variously, if I would comment on the candidates in the contested race, and where one might find the candidate statements submitted to the local League of Women Voters chapter. I’ll leave residents to consider the candidates (including the contested race…
City, Immigration, Local Government, Police
On Rumors
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Whitewater is a small town, with a population under fifteen thousand, approximately half of whom are college students. One of the advantages of being far smaller than Los Angeles or Atlanta should be the ease with which municipal leaders and law enforcement can meet and talk to residents. A person of average health and energy…
City, Economy, Free Markets, Politics
On the Whitewater League of Women Voters Questionnaire (Spring 2017)
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
At its website, the Whitewater Area League of Women Voters has posted a questionnaire for the upcoming local election. For all the good work that the League does (and the national organization does admirable work in many communities), the questionnaire reveals an unsupported, narrow view of Whitewater’s local economy. Consider the 7th question in the survey…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, March 14th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park: Manchester by the Sea
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
City, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, WEDC
Far Less Than 10.7%
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Whitewater’s residents may have recently read (3.7.17) another City of Whitewater press release from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) – this time concerning more public spending on selected businesses. (For remarks on a prior release, please see The Simplest Condition for a ‘Shovel-Ready’ Site is an Empty Lot.) There are few better ways to argue against…
City, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, WEDC
The Simplest Condition for a ‘Shovel-Ready’ Site is an Empty Lot
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Whitewater’s residents may have recently read (just yesterday) a City of Whitewater press release about a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) designation for the city’s thirty-five empty acres of tech park land. I’ve reproduced the release in full at the bottom of this post. A few key points: 1. The simplest condition for a “shovel ready” site is…