Let’s assume that one believes, as Whitewater’s political class has professed for the last generation, that attracting newcomer families to the city is a worthy goal. (I share this goal; for those who don’t, the conversation’s over, so to speak. They need say no more, and may watch out their windows as the city stagnates,…
City
City, Economy, Politics
The Other Problem with Bad Data
by JOHN ADAMS •
Surveys, polls, and studies by their nature typically rely on the measurement of something. (They’re not poetry; they’re not song.) The accuracy of that measurement should matter, both to those collecting it and those receiving it. It should matter in-and-of itself, and for its consequences. Many communities, including Whitewater, have had a data problem: a…
City, Culture, Local Government, Politics
Do you remember when Gen. MacArthur called for dedication to ‘Duty, Honor, Country, and Local Government’?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Do you remember when Gen. MacArthur called for dedication to ‘Duty, Honor, Country, and Local Government’? Neither do I. He called, of course, for dedication to Duty, Honor, Country. It wouldn’t have occured to him to exhort a commitment to municipal government. America speaks – when she speaks most movingly – in the language of…
City, Politics
The Search for a Majority in Whitewater (Identity Politics Won’t Get You There)
by JOHN ADAMS •
I posted yesterday about the search for a majority in Whitewater. A political majority, whether temporary or permanent, requires three satisfied conditions: (1) a means of communications, (2) an understanding of the demographics of one’s audience, and (3) an issue around which a majority will form. More means of communication are better than fewer, but we have ample…
City
The Search for a Majority in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s right for government to reach – informatively, accurately – as many residents as possible. Efforts in that direction are to the good. Three conditions have to be fulfilled to achieve a majority opinion on an issue: one needs the means to reach many, one needs to see those many as they actually are, and…
CDA, City, Development, Government Spending, Open Government
Informed Residents
by JOHN ADAMS •
One week ago, at a Common Council meeting, one heard that Whitewater’s municipal government would use a software application to increase opportunities for residents’ input on local issues. See, Common Council meeting of 6.21.16, https://vimeo.com/171809282, beginning at 1:28:17. Assuming that the means are reliable and accessible, more opportunities for collecting opinion are better than fewer.…
Business, City, Economics, Economy, Free Markets, Government Spending, Politics
The Growth That Uplifts
by JOHN ADAMS •
In a recent interview, Ana Revenga, senior director of the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Group, talks about ending extreme poverty. See, Ending Extreme Poverty: World Bank Economist Ana Revenga @ The Christian Century. (The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than $1.90 per person per day, and the article describes how…
City, Economy, Poverty, Walworth County
Inequality in the ‘Whitewater-Elkhorn’ Area
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the Economic Policy Institute, there’s a newly-published study of income inequality in America, and it ranks Walworth County as one of the most income-unequal places in the nation. The study refers to the ‘Whitewater-Elkhorn’ metropolitan area, but with a population of 102,000, it’s clear that the reference is to Walworth County, using the…
City, Culture, Politics, Puzzles/Tricks
The Colors of a Rubik’s Cube
by JOHN ADAMS •
Imagine that one sees a Rubik’s Cube for the first time, on a table nearby. Three sides of that six-sided object are visible, displaying small squares of red, blue, and white. Consider this initial puzzle: What colors are the other three sides? How would one determine, with confidence, the colors on those sides obscured from…
City, School District
Whitewater Chooses a New Administrator
by JOHN ADAMS •
This morning, the Whitewater Unified School District announced the selection of Dr. Mark Elworthy, currently administrator of the Wisconsin Heights School District, as Whitewater’s next district administrator. One wishes him truly the very best in our community. We have proud accomplishments, with some significant challenges ahead, but that work ahead is among the best work…
City, Culture, Sports, University
Two States of Mind in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s an easy way to see two different states of mind in Whitewater. Draft a list of eleven people for an athletic honor. Make nine of the honorees athletes or coaches, and two of them an administrator and his spouse. Now, watch and see which people receive the most prominent attention. Some will pick one…
City, Film
Film: Wednesday, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park, Son of Saul
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Culture, Economy, Politics, School District, University
The City Never Sleeps
by JOHN ADAMS •
In the broadest, figurative sense, Whitewater never sleeps. Like any other place, she’s constantly changing, either to her benefit or detriment, but changing nonetheless. (It’s only the parochial myth that she’s already achieved a level of perfection that obscures the obvious truth of constant flux.) Glance away, for one day or forty, and when one…
City, Elections, School District, Walworth County
Local Election Recap
by JOHN ADAMS •
Local elections affecting Whitewater went about as one might have expected. I’d guess there were, in the end, no surprises. There were three uncontested races for Common Council (Allen, Binnie, Langness), and two for the Whitewater Unified School District (Brunner, Stewart). That leaves two contested races in the immediate area: a Common Council race between…