This is the sixth in a series on Whitewater’s local politics of 2021. There’s no politically predominant group in Whitewater. Strictly speaking, a subculture implies a dominant culture, but it’s less dramatic to describe Whitewater as several subcultures than as balkanized. One might call the city multicultural, but that term often implies an acceptance of…
Local Government
City, Local Government, Politics, School District, University, Whitewater's Local Politics 2021
Whitewater’s Local Politics 2021: The Campus
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the fifth in a series on Whitewater’s local politics of 2021. Whitewater, Wisconsin is a small town where about half the residents are university students. Town-Gown conflicts here aren’t the most in all North America, but they’re not the least, either. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is beset with challenges apart from politics: long-term structural…
City, Local Government, Politics, School District, Whitewater's Local Politics 2021
Whitewater’s Local Politics 2021: The City’s Few Progressives
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the fourth in a series on Whitewater’s local politics of 2021. The largest political gathering in Whitewater in 2020 was a rally for racial justice in Whitewater following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Hundreds attended. It was not, however, an allowedly progressive event – the small local group Whitewater Unites Lives invited…
City, Local Government, Politics, School District, Whitewater's Local Politics 2021
Whitewater’s Local Politics 2021: The City’s Center-Left
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the third in a series on Whitewater’s local politics of 2021. There’s a joke that a Democrat told me at the turn of the century about Democrats in Whitewater: “Do you know who’s the head of the Whitewater Democrats? No? Well, neither do we.” Those days are long past. The Great Recession (‘07-‘09),…
City, Local Government, Politics, School District, Whitewater's Local Politics 2021
Whitewater’s Local Politics 2021: The Kinds of Conservatives in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the second in a series on Whitewater’s local politics of 2021. There are three principal kinds of conservatives in Whitewater. There are more kinds than this, of course, as there are many kinds of cats within the family Felidae; it’s enough for now to focus on the most common species within that family.…
City, Local Government, Politics, School District, Whitewater's Local Politics 2021
Whitewater’s Local Politics 2021: Unofficial Spring Election Results
by JOHN ADAMS •
This is the first in a series on Whitewater’s local politics of 2021. One begins with two reminders: I endorsed no one in any local races, and suggested that for some – but not for those watching carefully – the results were likely to be a surprise. (They should not have been a surprise.) Today’s post…
Local Government, Politics, School District
6 Asides Before the Local Spring Elections in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
Assorted remarks on local politics before next week’s local election —- Spring. While one might normally prefer fall, spring is notably welcome this year. It has been, for so many, a difficult year. Some of us have come through it well (as we have from the Great Recession, opioid epidemic, and economic stagnation), but our…
City, Development, Janesville, Local Government, Politics, Special Interests
A Janesville, Wisconsin Resident on His Town’s Politics (with Similarities to Whitewater)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the Real Janesville™ Twitter feed, a resident of that nearby city offers observations on his city’s politics. In a tweet stream from 3.11.21, he describes the election scene in Janesville. First the feed, then a few remarks of mine on Whitewater. Advice for Janesville city council candidates: Don’t think you’re an agent for…
Boosterism, CDA, City, Culture, Economics, Economy, Local Government, Politics, School District, That Which Paved the Way, University
Local Politics Hasn’t Been Merely ‘Local’ for Years
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the Wisconsin Examiner, Henry Redman writes (with concern) that All politics is national (‘Candidates for local office are ignoring community issues, instead highlighting national culture wars’). First, Redman’s case, then a few remarks. Woodman [Kyle Woodman, a Republican running for Eau Claire’s city council] is part of a mostly conservative group of candidates…
CDA, City, Conflicts of Interest, Development, Economy, Free Markets, Law, Laws/Regulations, Local Government, Regulatory Capture
Texas (But Not Only Texas): Regulatory Capture
by JOHN ADAMS •
Regulatory capture is a simple concept: it applies when regulatory agencies become dominated by the industries or interests they are by law required to regulate. These agencies begin to act to benefit particular incumbent firms or people in the industry they are supposed to be overseeing. The concept is also sometimes called agency capture or…
City, Local Government, Taxes/Taxation
Whitewater Common Council Meeting, 2.18.21: 6 Points
by JOHN ADAMS •
?? The Whitewater Common Council met on Thursday, 2.18.21. It will meet again tonight, 3.2.21. The recording of the meeting is embedded above. The amended agenda for the meeting is available. A few remarks, on selected items of the agenda — 1. Amended Agendas. A good rule of thumb for amendments within 72 hours of a meeting…
City, Government Spending, Local Government
Whitewater Common Council Meeting, 2.2.21: 5 Points
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Common Council met last night, 2.2.21. The recording of the meeting is embedded above. The agenda for the meeting is available. A few remarks, on selected items of the agenda — 1. Term Limits. Whitewater has relaxed term limits for boards and commissions. A city that has an admitted same-ten-people problem will now allow some…
America, Culture, Freedom of Speech, Justice, Local Government, Race
‘A New Generation Challenges the Heartland’
by JOHN ADAMS •
Last July, Tim Craig and Aaron Williams reported A new generation challenges the heartland (‘Big changes in small towns are fueling a racial justice movement across the Midwest’). They wrote last summer that The number of young people of color living in the Midwest has surged over the past decade, as the older white population…
Culture, Local Government, Politics
Local ‘Apolitical’ Isn’t Apolitical and Never Was
by JOHN ADAMS •
One sometimes hears that local politics should be purely local, without regard to state or (especially) national issues. Local politics has never been purely local, and in any event purely local is a stunted standard. For decades, in small cities like Whitewater, the disingenuous claim of an apolitical local atmosphere belied a center-right politics. Which…