Good morning.
Tuesday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 52. Sunrise is 6:37 and sunset 4:39 for 10h 02m 04s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 30.2% of its visible disk illuminated.
The Whitewater Common Council meets at 6:30 PM.
On this day in 1994, WXYC, the student radio station of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, launches the world’s first internet radio broadcast.
Linked above is the Whitewater Common Council agenda for tonight’s council session. Embedded below is the full agenda packet for the session. Although I have begun embedding the council or CDA agendas on the day of the respective meetings, this post offers both the full council packet and mention of items of notable interest to this libertarian blogger. Ordinarily, I make no particular notice before a meeting agenda; the importance of tonight’s meeting requires an exception.
All this city knows that since April the Whitewater Common Council has embarked on a course contrary to limited and responsible government, on which no one ran before taking office, and which if continued will take this struggling-yet-hopeful city into a years-long decline. See The Shape of Decline to Come (and How to Carry On) and ‘Gradually and Then Suddenly.’ This council risks turning what has been for many residents an economic Long Twilight and turn it into a Long Dark.
Here Whitewater arrives tonight, at a session of the Common Council that will decide much about the city’s near future. A few items from that agenda draw especially this libertarian blogger’s interest. (Each resident watching will have his or her own list of notable items; these are mine.)
Item 7. Memo on Conflict of Interest Inquiry — City Manager.
Item 8. Update on R0 Zoning District — Neighborhood Services.
Item 14. Discussion and possible action regarding motion to reconsider RFP for legal services to retain an outside law firm to advise the Common Council on employee discipline and personnel matters not to exceed $10,000 — Hicks/Dawsey Smith.
Item 15. Discussion and possible action regarding approval of the amended agreement for legal services from von Briesen and Roper SC — Hicks/HR.
Item 18. Discussion and possible action regarding MOU/MSP with the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater for the Innovation Center to extend the contract date to June 30, 2024 — City Manager.
Item 19. Discussion and possible action regarding the Whitewater Aquatic Fitness Center lease agreement between the City of Whitewater and the Whitewater Unified School District — City Manager/Park and Rec.
Item 25. Presentation of the 2024-2025 Budget — Finance.
Item 42. Discussion and possible action regarding matters addressed in closed session involving complaints received by the Human Resources Department. – HR/Employment Attorney.
Item 43. Discussion and possible action regarding the Whitewater Aquatic Fitness Center lease agreement between the City of Whitewater and the Whitewater Unified School District – City Manager/Park and Rec.
Councilmembers are government men and women, responsible for their words and actions. The government isn’t simply the city administration; it’s every councilmember and CDA boardmember. Everyone acting in these latter roles acts in a public capacity, bound by law and reason.
How would a starfish wear trousers? Science has an answer:
Starfishes are weirdly shaped animals. Scientists have long puzzled over how a starfish body equates to the more typical animal arrangement of a head on one end and trunk or tail on the other. Humans wear trousers on the bottom of their trunks, so you could extrapolate out from that to suggest solutions to the ‘trouser question’ for dogs, horses, spiders and even slugs. But what about a starfish? Now there’s a new possible answer based on the expression of their genes.
I want to kick this off with a shout-out to Mr. Adams for keeping us in the loop; without him, I’d be as clueless as I was before I started catching the council’s antics online. And let me tell you, what I’ve seen? It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion—can’t look away, even though you know it’s a disaster. Rumors are flying about backroom deals and good old boy politics making a comeback, trying to silence anyone who dares to challenge the status quo.
**Item 7:** It’s as if some council members don’t think twice about having staff snoop around on colleagues—it’s petty and it’s not what we’re here for. We’ve got a right to expect better behavior from those we’ve elected.
**Item 14:** This third lawyer drama? Give me a break. They’re breaking their own rules and getting all bent out of shape when the manager won’t let them have their way. Let’s cut through the nonsense and get back to real issues—like the lack of housing and decent shopping here.
**Item 15:** Just give the new legal services the green light already. We’re wasting time while our town’s got real problems to tackle.
**Item 18:** The city staff seems to have their heads screwed on right lately. The Innovation Center? Just make sure it doesn’t hit us in the wallet and let the pros do their thing. After all, doesn’t the city own that building?
**Item 19:** Now, the school district—that’s another story. All talk, no action, and the city’s the one with a plan getting kneecapped. The school board president acts like he’s some hotshot dealmaker—more like he lucked into his money. Enough of their grandstanding.
**Item 25:** The library’s been jumping through hoops for ages. Approve it and move on. As for Council President Jim Allen, the guy’s a piece of work, likely to flip-flop on his vote if it means saving his own skin. His reign of fibs and intimidation? It’s a joke, and not the funny kind. Time to boot him out.
**Item 42:** Listen up, council: the town’s eyes are wide open, and you’d better take any complaints seriously. Some of you might be beyond saving, but for the rest, there’s still a chance to right this ship.
In a nutshell, the council’s got me—and I’m betting others—fed up with their clown show. They’re holding back our city, and believe me, people are taking note. Let’s hope they remember this come the next election.
Good afternoon. Thanks very much for reading, and commenting. That’s a solid list of items from a packed agenda. These are all significant topics for Whitewater, and resolving them sensibly is the least that residents should expect from their council.