Less than a week ago, at Whitewater’s Common Council session of 5.21.13, the city heard a presentation supposedly on university policies ‘to educate young adults’ about the dangers of substance abuse. It was anything but that: after brief introductions from City Manager Clapper and Chancellor Richard Telfer, UW-Whitewater Police Chief Matt Kiederlen delivered scripted, doctrinaire,…
City
Business, City, Marketing, New Media, New Whitewater, Press Release
Wednesday, May 1st: The Digital Whitewater Mapping Project
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Government Spending, Local Government
Common Council 4.16.13: Downtown Whitewater, Library
by JOHN ADAMS •
Representatives from Downtown Whitewater and the Public Library spoke last night. A few remarks about each — Downtown Whitewater. Two representatives from the DTWW Board, the president and vice-president of that body, addressed Council last night. (1) Rush to vote. Two council members moved to vote on a understanding between the City of Whitewater and…
Beautiful Whitewater, City, Television
Around the Corner with John McGivern: Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Elections, Local Government, Politics
Assessing Whitewater’s April 2, 2013 Vote
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a quick analysis of local political results. Precinct detail is available online for Walworth and Jefferson Counties, and statewide totals (including limited local information for Whitewater) is available online at the Journal Sentinel. Singer-Crone At-Large Contest. The only citywide council race finished 724-452 (12 write-in votes). That’s 61%-38%-1%, in a city that mostly picks…
City, Elections, Local Government, Politics
Local Politics: The Singer-Crone Council Race
by JOHN ADAMS •
One often looks at two candidates and thinks: if only they could both lose. Other times, as now, one looks at two candidates, and thinks: it’s a shame they can’t both win. The latter situation is preferable, and it’s the one in which Whitewater finds itself with an at-large council race between Patrick Singer and…
City, Elections, Politics
Whitewater’s Candidates for April 2nd
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve posted earlier about a March 16th candidates’ forum in Whitewater. This post continues a discussion about the upcoming election, in which candidates for council aren’t the only candidates on our local ballot. A few additional remarks appear below, about the races and candidates. Unopposed is a bad thing. Most of our races, for common…
City, Elections, Local Government, Politics
Local Politics: Sideshows
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s in transition. Part of this is a shift – slow but inexorable – in the political culture of the city. (See, along these lines, New Whitewater’s Inevitability and Horses and Automobiles, Contemporaneously.) There’s more than one way to wage a local race, and our city is getting a taste of the difference between a…
Beautiful Whitewater, City, Good Ideas, Local Government, Weather
Walk the City
by JOHN ADAMS •
Spring will arrive soon. Whitewater, Wisconsin is a small town. Even more conveniently, it’s a small town with an easily-walked, accessible downtown, west-side business district, and compact neighborhoods. In a time of warmer weather, there will be fitting opportunities to explore the city on foot. Whitewater’s full-time leaders – and especially her city manager —…
City, Local Government, Politics
The Candidates’ Forum
by JOHN ADAMS •
Some of Whitewater’s political candidates – running for Common Council – attended a Saturday, 3.16.13 forum at city hall. It ran from ten to a bit after eleven. (Readers wishing statements from the candidates may visit lwvwhitewater.org.) Below are overall impressions from the event. I’ll write more later about topics raised between now and the…
Beautiful Whitewater, City, Hip & Prosperous, New Whitewater
Choosing Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
At Whitewater’s last meeting of Common Council, on 2.21.13, there was a discussion about the choosewhitewater.org website, a promotional portal for Whitewater. (The site has been around for a while, slowly adding content or links.) It’s labeled as a joint effort of the city, school district, and university, but it’s easy to see that the…
City, Local Government, Politics
City Leaders’ Residency
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s 2.21.13 Common Council meeting included a discussion – and change – to the city’s standing requirement that key leaders of the city live within the city limits. After consideration, Common Council voted to establish the area of the Whitewater Unified School District as the area in which principal municipal leaders must live. Quick thoughts:…
City, Politics
Wholly Unsolicited Political Advice for the Republicans and Democrats of Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s the last post in my promised February political survey for Whitewater. I’m a libertarian and a Libertarian (that is, both in ideology and party membership), and so one can guess that I view the two major parties through that perspective. Still, I’ll offer my thoughts on what Republicans and Democrats can do to strengthen…
City, Politics
Politics in Whitewater, Wisconsin: Recent Races
by JOHN ADAMS •
I posted yesterday about the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary. Here’s a post about recent general election results that illustrate the evolution of politics in the city. Overview. For a while, I’ve contended that the left and right (such as they are here) have had an approximate balance, where the right does well in primaries, and…