The City of Whitewater hopes to improve communications with Spanish-language residents. That goal is, of itself, a good one. It’s a practical, worthy ambition. Language, however, is not the cause of local government’s self-acknowledged problem of attracting plentiful participation on public boards and committees. Greater facility with language, however admirable, is not the solution to government’s low participation…
City
City, Culture, Politics
On a Clear Day, One Can See Far Ahead (and Far Back)
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Culture, Local Government
The Solution to the ‘Same Ten People Problem’
by JOHN ADAMS •
What happens when, as is sometimes true in Whitewater, the same several people keep showing up on municipal committees? That’s a question city officials considered at a July 21st strategic planning meeting. The goal, of course, isn’t to discourage ten people; the goal should be to attract twenty, thirty, etc. One proposal would be simply…
City, Food, Recipe
A Recipe for Grilled Corn
by JOHN ADAMS •
If you’ve had the chance to purchase some fresh, locally-grown produce from the Whitewater City Market (Tuesdays, 3-7 PM) or Saturday Farmers Market (8 AM – Noon), perhaps you’ve picked up some corn. (A longtime reader kindly suggested doing so at the City Market, and it was an excellent recommendation.) If corn, then a recipe…
City, Culture, Politics
The Perimeter Fence
by JOHN ADAMS •
Historian Francis Bremer’s study of Puritanism, First Founders: American Puritans and Puritanism in an Atlantic World, offers insights for our own time, apart from early American history. (I know that Whitewater’s founding had a Puritan influence, but that’s not my point, today. Bremer’s observations on Puritanism are useful far from his particular study, and apart…
City, Good Ideas, Hip & Prosperous
Today @ the Whitewater City Market, 3 – 7 PM
by JOHN ADAMS •
If you’ve not had the chance, today would a fine day to visit the Whitewater City Market, at the Cravath lakefront. They’ve an impressive lineup, and you’re sure to find something you’ll enjoy. MUSIC Andrus & the Mariners 5:30-7 p.m. VENDORS BeefN’Beaks grass-fed beef, farm-fresh chickens and eggs Bluff Creek Nursery plants, produce, painted…
City, Culture, Liberty, Local Government, New Whitewater, Politics
The (Welcome) End of ‘Big’ in a Small Town
by JOHN ADAMS •
I don’t think much of the term ‘movers and shakers’ (that a nearby newspaper used to describe supposedly influential people) or ‘big’ people, etc. The terms almost always exaggerate actual influence. I am sure, though, that a combination of diverse social media, the decline of print, the shifting demographics within Whitewater, and the next generation’s…
City, School District, University, Waste Digesters, WGTB, WHEN GREEN TURNS BROWN
Policy Topics for the Fall
by JOHN ADAMS •
I last wrote in February about local policy topics that I thought were interesting. See, Policy Topics for the Spring and before that Four Public Topics for the Fall (2014). In February, these were my selections: Whitewater School Budget Cuts, the Whitewater’s School Board Election, the UW-Whitewater’s Budget, UW-Whitewater’s Social Relations, and the City of…
City, University
7,000 and 7,622
by JOHN ADAMS •
Welcome signs in Whitewater list the city’s population as 14,622. That’s right, give or take a small number since the signs were last updated. When thinking about Whitewater, however, one can’t reasonably think of a homogeneous population of 14,622. We’re a more diverse city than that, with demographics revealing a multi-ethnic and vocationally-split community. Of…
City, Local Government, Politics, Press
Message Frenzy
by JOHN ADAMS •
If one runs a business, and has a sale scheduled, advertising the time and place of the sale is vital: people won’t attend events of which they’ve no knowledge. Some news stories are like this: reporting on an approaching storm requires quick publication of the weather. It’s not true, however, that every story requires quick…
CDA, City, Corporate Welfare, Economics, Economy, Gluttony, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Local Government, Politics, WEDC, Wisconsin
The State’s WEDC and Whitewater’s Facsimiles
by JOHN ADAMS •
Ongoing revelations about the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation are a double concern: they’re stories of statewide malfeasance, and those revelations beg the question of how local officials in Whitewater are managing their own pools of public money. First, the latest stories (it’s a steady stream) of state-level error, waste, and negligence: Madison— Failing to run…
City, Good Ideas
Whitewater City Market, Tuesdays from 3-7 PM through October
by JOHN ADAMS •
Originally posted 7.15, updated 7.16 with a new flyer — Whitewater will have a new public market, held each Tuesday from 3-7 PM near the Cravath Arch, beginning this Tuesday (7.21) through October. Best wishes for the success of the market, with appreciation to those who have worked to bring about this good idea for…
CDA, City, Development, Government Spending, Local Government, Planning
Demand
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a follow-on to yesterday’s post, Business Dependency in Whitewater. There’s a huge effort locally, from the Community Development Authority in particular, to spur growth through large, publicly-funded incentives. These addled few are like men who’ve heard the expression, ‘if you build it, he will come,’ but don’t understand when it applies and when it…
Business, CDA, City, Development, Economy, Government Spending, Local Government, WEDC
Business Dependency in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
For residents facing poverty, one would hope for, and understand, a combination of private and public relief. Churches and other private organizations do much in this effort; government expenditures for the genuinely needy amount to a small portion of all government spending. Support of this kind is a worthy effort. Whitewater also has two large…