I’m not sure if it should be true everywhere, but in Whitewater it seems as though small (apolitical) community groups fare better than small political groups. I’ve not made a study of this; the observation rests on impressions, here or there, only. There’s not enough to say as much with confidence. Many would note –…
Culture
Culture, Politics
How a Perimeter Fence Dooms Elites Within to Impossible Tasks, Exhaustion
by JOHN ADAMS •
Consider a society that erects a figurative, narrow perimeter fence, one that is meant to keep unwanted influences & people out, and desirable influences & people safely within. The key characteristic of that barrier is that all that exists outside is presumed hostile: the fence sets the boundary between what’s acceptable and what’s not. That’s…
City, Culture, Education, Local Government, Politics
The Desiccator
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at National Review, conservative Peter Spiliakos writes in reply to conservative Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin on Scott Walker’s campaign. (Rubin thinks Walker has gone too far to the right, but Spiliakos thinks that Walker – and many Republicans leaders – have lost touch with huge parts of their own electorate.) For Rubin the matter…
City, Culture, Local Government, Politics
Language is Often a Necessary, But Seldom a Sufficient, Condition of Inclusion
by JOHN ADAMS •
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, 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, 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, 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…
Culture, Local Government, Politics, University
The Remains of the Day
by JOHN ADAMS •
If one would like to see the present condition and future prospects of Whitewater’s insiders, there are no better accounts (truly) than two stories from the Daily Union: UW-Whitewater chancellor session held @ http://www.dailyunion.com/news/article_f042575e-a63a-11e4-bcd8-939679ffcc09.html Whitewater bids fond farewell to Telfer @ http://www.dailyunion.com/news/article_68cb8454-1c18-11e5-8e44-a3bfa315d78f.html. Each story is purportedly about UW-Whitewater’s chancellor (the search for a new one,…
City, Culture, Press, Social Media
On Trends in Whitewater’s Media
by JOHN ADAMS •
If print’s in decline (and it is), then what’s next for Whitewater (or other small towns)? I’ve contended that a new Whitewater is inevitable. We’ve passed the beginning of that process, and are now in a middle time toward a new city. There are years yet ahead, but most now living in Whitewater will one…
City, Culture, Local Government, Marketing, Politics
Marketing Whitewater Over the Last Decade
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yesterday, I mentioned that I would share observations from a longtime resident about marketing efforts on behalf of Whitewater. First the observations, then my remarks. ….Ten years ago I think all the rhetoric about a perfect Whitewater was meant to set the tone for those already living in and around the town. They wanted to…
City, Culture, Local Government, School District, University
The Last Inside Accounts
by JOHN ADAMS •
America has a continent, Wisconsin a vast expanse, and Whitewater nine beautiful square miles. For Whitewater’s waning top-tier notables, however, there’s no more area than an arm’s length among a few dozen men and women. When even one of them steps aside for the bathroom, the remaining universe for the others shrinks by a percent…
Assault Awareness & Prevention, Culture, Local Government, Politics, University
The Better Way to Address Sexual Violence on Campus
by JOHN ADAMS •
Neil Heinen is the editorial director of WISC-TV in Madison. I have little idea of his politics; we’ve never met. I do know, however, that his station’s position on how universities should address allegations of sexual assault is better – ethically and practically – than the approach that UW-Whitewater has adopted. Heinen is entirely right:…