I posted earlier this week on a news report that Columbia County D.A. Jane Kohlwey signed a secret deal with a criminal defendant (a deputy) so that the defendant could avoid a felony conviction.  The Wisconsin State Journal carried the story, originally from the Baraboo News Republic.  Here are remarks from today’s State Journal editorial: The…

One would think, and hope, that if an American citizen could protest peacefully anywhere, then he or she would be able to protest outside a political convention hall.  Officials in Denver may have decided that a political convention means fewer rights for nearby citizens.    News website Raw Story reports that police and municipal officials may have committed numerous…

Readers know that I am opposed to confidentiality agreements in municipal litigation: lawsuits against public entities, about public matters, involving public figures should be publicly known.    Recently, Wisconsin’s Crime Victims Rights Board reprimanded Columbia County District Attorney Jane Kohlwey for something worse: a secret deal with a defendant’s attorney.       The AP Wire…

I saw a post at a website comment board, that had the name of the poster, and his supposed comments. Here’s what it looked like: Joe Biden – “Here’s a little speech that I wrote last night: Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…” A small joke, but amusing to find on a comment board,…

Sheboygan confronts a lawsuit – a chaotic and troublesome matter. What are a few of the challenges awaiting a city in this situation? (Sheboygan is far from my own small city – my analysis is general and implies no specific assessment or even comparison between the cities. Later this week, I will update on a…

In a prior post, I mentioned the egregious and reprehensible treatment of Jennifer Reisinger, the blogger at Sheboygan Shenanigans. Her encounter with municipal officials occurred in 2007. Why do municipal officials go wrong this way? I am not from Sheboygan, but I will offer a few guesses about how so-called public servants go astray, and…

Wisconsin has thousands of bloggers, and among that number is one who covers municipal affairs in Sheboygan. Her name is Jennifer Reisinger, and she is the blogger at Sheboygan Shenanigans. There are both similarities and differences between her website and FREE WHITEWATER: she is conservative, where I am a libertarian; she uses her own name,…

Talent and experience raise daunting expectations. Watching the Planning Commission, one feels that they have all the ability that success requires. If they should fall short, it won’t be for lack of ability or commitment. A dozen outside events might obstruct their efforts; still, they have as strong a roster as any commission in the…

At last night’s meeting, a local church sought a conditional use permit to move into a former liquor store’s location. Although, I firmly believe that a church should be treated like any other conditional use applicant, I see easily the political and social risk in not treating the application delicately. To serve the city well,…

Part of our town’s Planning Commission meeting last night involved a discussion of the chairperson’s roles and responsibilities. It’s not a bad idea to review all members’ roles every so often, but citizen-volunteers are not the only ones with roles in these matters. City leadership and staff might possess the authority to act expediently, but…

Whitewater, Wisconsin has a Plannining Commission, like most towns, that meets regularly. Last night was its monthly meeting. Here are a some observations on a meeting with a ten-item agenda. Citizen comments and staff reports. It makes sense to place citizen comments and staff reports early in the meeting. The order of the two changes…

The major parties are quick to applaud themselves at selecting, or even considering, ethnic or religious minorities for high office. Both internally and externally, they spend a lot of time enlightening others on how enlightened they are. The Libertarian Party’s vice presidential candidate is Wayne Allyn Root, who is Jewish. Thankfully and true to its…

The town is not, you know, Whitewater, Wisconsin; we don’t have a mayor. No, the mayor in the town of Mount Isa in Australia issued a call for unattractive women to move to his community. He reasoned that the town had a preponderance of men, so women of any kind would be welcome. (The mayor…

The Washington Post’s Libby Copeland offers a profile of a dour Bob Barr (reprinted at the CBS website). Barr just doesn’t have much of a sense of humor. Copeland includes an anecdote about Barr’s behavior at a charity event, when he licked whipped cream from two women in exchange for a charity donation. Needless to…