Let’s say the recently-hired municipal manager of a small city, with a population of just under fifteen-thousand, walks into a party. It’s a busy affair, with others standing and talking throughout the room. Someone walks up to him, and says, “Hey, City Manager, did you know that your two immediate predecessors are here, too?” This…
Local Government
City, Local Government
Common Council Session of 12.18.12: A New Councilmember
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater had a Council vacancy to fill, and for that vacancy she received four initial applicants to an at-large seat. (For a prior post about those applicants, please see It’s Not Who, But What.) There are only two such seats, representing all the residents of the city. At last night’s session, three applicants were able…
Animals, Beautiful Whitewater, City, Good Ideas, Hip & Prosperous, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Local Government, New Whitewater
Common Council Session of 12.18.12: Backyard Chickens
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s my fourth post on last night’s meeting. Approved unanimously, and waived from a second reading, Whitewater now has a backyard chicken ordinance. Not just an ordinance, but a fine, model one of which we should be proud. This is a good idea, that’s come to Whitewater through the hard work of a thoughtful resident.…
City, Law, Local Government, Police
Common Council Session of 12.18.12: On the Police and Fire Commission
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s my third post on the 12.18.12 session. Seeing a need to harmonize Whitewater’s municipal code with state statutes, Council restored the title of Police and Fire Commission to a citizen’s commission previously known as the Police Commission. Years ago, I remarked how odd it was that Whitewater’s PFC never addressed fire department matters, name…
City, Freedom of Speech, Local Government
Common Council Session of 12.18.12: Citizen Comments
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s the second of my posts on Tuesday’s session. Move to Amend. James Hartwick, a resident and leader of the Starin Park Neighborhood Association, introduced a petition (in support of the Move to Amend campaign) for our 4.2.2013 ballot calling to amend the U.S. Constitution, under this question: Shall the City of Whitewater adopt the…
City, Local Government
Common Council Session of 12.18.12: Staff Reports
by JOHN ADAMS •
Last night’s 12.18.12 Common Council meeting was a busy one, with staff reports, reading of ordinances, and appointment of a new alder to Council. This was the last meeting of 2012, and the session covered much ground in under three hours. All in all, a good night, I’d say, for the city. I’ll post on…
City, Local Government
The New City Managers
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater chose a new city manager earlier this year, and now Fort Atkinson has picked a new manager. Evelyn Johnson, the city administrator of Prairie City, Iowa, will replace John Wilmet. Wilmet has been city manager of nearby Fort since ’98. Johnson and Whitewater’s new city manager, Cameron Clapper, have at least two things in…
Agriculture, Animals, Beautiful Whitewater, City, Farming, Food, Good Ideas, Hip & Prosperous, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Local Government, New Whitewater, Planning
A Model Ordinance
by JOHN ADAMS •
These last few months, beginning in September, Whitewater’s Planning Commission has heard, and subsequently considered, a proposal for an urban (backyard) chicken ordinance. The proposal is not mine; I have been a mere observer of this effort. One may write about a topic, but only after months of careful observation, as in this case. I…
Business, City, Food, Liberty, Local Government
The Game of Thrones Food Trucks
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Institute of Justice, the nation’s leading libertarian public interest law firm, asks a question about Chicago that would be as fitting of other cities’ regulators: Should the city of Chicago be in the business of protecting a few politically connected restaurateurs from competition? That is the question to be answered by a major lawsuit…
City, Government Spending, Local Government, Planning
Starting Backwards
by JOHN ADAMS •
Local governments find themselves, time and again, surprised when projects don’t go to plan. They’re often surprised when the politics of a project don’t go to plan. That surprise may have a hundred causes, but I’d guess one is among the most common: that plans advance not on their merits, but through ill-considered deals between…
City, Corporate Welfare, Government Spending, Local Government, Taxes/Taxation
The City of Whitewater’s 2013 Draft Budget: Crony Capitalism
by JOHN ADAMS •
So a multi-billion-dollar corporation (market cap $1.77 billion) wants thousands of taxpayer-dollars from a small city to fund a bus the corporation uses to shuttle her workers to and from other towns where they actually live. The city being imposed upon is Whitewater, Wisconsin, a tiny municipality, like many others, struggling just to balance her annual operating budget. Whitewater’s situation involves juggling to find ways…
City, Government Spending, Local Government
The City of Whitewater’s 2013 Draft Budget (Overview)
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s budget season for the City of Whitewater, running into November, and in this post I’ll offer a few overview remarks. Subsequent posts will consider aspects of the budget in greater detail. The City of Whitewater’s Budget, not Whitewater, Wisconsin’s Budget. A bit of perspective — something lacking in past years — is in order.…
City, Economy, Local Government
Differing Accounts
by JOHN ADAMS •
From the Janesville Gazette, June 5, 2012: Brunner credits team effort for successes at Whitewater. From the Daily Union, August 22, 2012: Whitewater council mulls dismal budget assumptions. One might try to reconcile these accounts, of course, but the effort would be pointless. The former’s just an odd history, an ill-timed goodbye gift to Whitewater’s…
Freedom of Speech, Law, Local Government, New Media
First Amendment and Social Media in Federal Lawsuit Against City of Honolulu, Local Police
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a case in Hawaii, in federal court, that may limit a city’s restrictions on municipal webpages and social media. If municipal agencies establish Facebook or other social media pages, can they censor critical comments from among all other comments? That’s the question before the court in Hawaii, about the comments policy of the Honolulu…