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…
Politics
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…
City, Politics
About the Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidates
by JOHN ADAMS •
Someday, I’ll have to create a category called Could You Be More Obvious if You Tried™ or That’s No Way to Persuade in Print (Even if You Think It Is)™. Consider these three descriptions of the candidates for Supreme Court Justice, on the ballot today: Patience Roggensack [conservative]: “The incumbent, Patience Roggensack, is seeking her…
City, Gov. Walker, Local Government, Politics, State Government, Wisconsin
The Failure of Inside-Out (Thanks in Part to Governor Walker)
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s never been sensible to believe that the center of civilization is 312 W. Whitewater Street, with people and events beyond shrinking markedly in significance as one gets farther from that supposed center. Under that theory, by the time one reaches Palmyra, one might as well be in the unexplored Amazon. Exaggerating the significance of…
City, History, Politics
Millard Fillmore
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve no idea if Pres. Fillmore ever visited Whitewater. That’s Millard Fillmore, the political disaster: supporter of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, the Know Nothing Movement, and a thorn in Lincoln’s side during the Civil War. Simply put, Fillmore would be a hard sell to anyone looking at his record honestly. That’s…
City, Local Government, Politics
The Martians’ Next Campaign
by JOHN ADAMS •
Stories, even short, science-fiction stories, offer lessons beyond their pages. Near the final pages of Wells’s War of the Worlds, the narrator ponders his future, months after the Martians succumbed on our world. He considers the possibility of another invasion: A question of graver and universal interest is the possibility of another attack from the…
City, Local Government, Politics
The Political Risk of Appointment (and How to Avoid It)
by JOHN ADAMS •
About a month ago, Whitewater’s common council filled an at-large vacancy left after Marilyn Kienbaum’s passing. I thought the process – applicants speaking on behalf of their possible appointment – was a good one. See, Common Council Session of 12.18.12: A New Councilmember. My remarks here aren’t about those four initial applicants, but about applicants,…
City, Politics
Predictions for 2013
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s my amateur version of the late William Safire’s long-standing tradition of offering annual predictions. The list for 2013: 1. In 2013, UW-Whitewater will win the following number of national sports championships: A. None B. One C. Two D. More than two 2. The Innovation Express Generac Bus will prove to be A. A great…
City, Local Government, Politics
So, Three Municipal Managers Walk Into a Room…
by JOHN ADAMS •
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…
City, Politics
Review: Predictions for 2012
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here is my amateur version of the late William Safire’s long-standing tradition of offering annual predictions. Let’s see how I did on predictions for 2012. The list for last year appears below, with my guesses in blue, and the correct answer in red. The guesses weren’t about what I (necessarily) wanted to happen, but what…
City, Politics
It’s Not Who, But What
by JOHN ADAMS •
Our Common Council has before it, at the next scheduled meeting of 12.18.12, applications to fill a vacancy on that body. Four residents have applied; the appointment will run until April. Council will appoint as they see fit; they have broad discretion for an appointment like this. They and we, however, would do well by…
City, Politics
Whitewater’s Common Council Vacancy
by JOHN ADAMS •
Following discussion at last night’s Common Council meeting, the City of Whitewater has posted a notice about a vacancy on our Common Council. The notice, and a link to an application for those interested in applying for consideration, appears immediately below: A Councilmember Seat for Member-at-Large is currently vacant, and the Common Council of the…