The Common Council cannot tax more, spend more, and hire more, and expect Whitewater to grow more. Whitewater can easily do the first three, but it should not expect the final result. It is, however, what Council must expect now. Time will prove this expectation false.
It’s predictable, though, that — initially — competent planning will produce a few stylish results that will convince people of the merits of planning itself. Along the way, the planner will be certain that he’s right, that his years of experience prove to him that he must be right, and that there is no better way. It’s not just planning, in his mind: it’s his conviction in his supposed smart, clever, well-managed planning that will make these things possible. This is the unstated premise of most planning.
I have read any number of news releases in the Banner about recent improvement to our streets, and how stylish they look, with gushing mention of every detail, including the imitation red brickface etched into their walkways. I’d be remiss if I did not mention that any number of stagnant Wisconsin towns have that same look, now faded without having induced any growth whatever.
An increasingly planned and managed future will not benefit Whitewater. Wait even a few years, and we’ll find that the gap between our city and nearby towns will have widened, to our disadvantage.