Good morning.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 67. Sunrise is 6:40 AM and sunset 4:37 PM for 9h 56m 44s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 99% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1906, Theodore Roosevelt is the first sitting President of the United States to make an official trip outside the country. (He did so to inspect progress on the Panama Canal.)
Here we are, on the other side of statements, declarations, claims, advertisements, banners, flyers, and signs. And for it all, in most places, there is today revealed in the collective vote of so many millions a trend toward continuity. No crimson wave for change swept this continent, state, or city. We, our whole people, are better this way; this community has come through enough these last few years.
In Wisconsin, this morning it looks as though incumbent Governor Evers, Wisconsin Attorney General Kaul, U.S. Senator Johnson, and Congressman Bryan Steil are reelected, with Secretary of State La Follette also likely re-elected, and with state treasurer candidate John Leiber leading in a race that would be one of the few to change partisan affiliation. That’s quite something — that amount of continuity despite predictions otherwise.
Locally, both the referendums before Whitewater voters, a Whitewater Schools’ operational referendum and a Fire & EMS referendum, passed easily. (This libertarian blogger supported both measures. See In Support of the Whitewater Schools’ Operational Referendum, In Support of Whitewater’s Fire & EMS Referendum, and A Solid Foundation for a Better Whitewater.)
For the Whitewater Schools’ operational referendum, with unofficial results from three counties (Walworth, Jefferson, Rock), there was clear support for the four-year measure: in favor 3832, opposed 2985.
For the City of Whitewater’s fire & rescue referendum, there was also evident support: in favor 2476, opposed 1379.
Vocal opponents of these measures misread the mood of their community. In the tension between Energy and Exhaustion, they thought too much of their own energy and not enough of the community’s exhaustion. Some of these gentlemen have a can’t-see-the-forest-for-the-trees problem. They think too much of themselves, too much of their own arguments, and too little of others’ perspectives. Good politics requires good observation. Political efforts should be more than a performative spectacle of banners, flyers, and agitated public comments.
Whitewater, certainly, deserves more. This small and beautiful community now has an opportunity to ponder carefully, propose dispassionately, and progress methodically.
We have given ourselves that opportunity, and we should do our level best to make the most of it.
See the Blood Moon lunar eclipse in these amazing images:
Not such a bad night, huh? The city gets its ambulance service and school district doesn’t have to amputate any limbs.
Campus still needs a permanent chancellor, though! The shelf life of the last few hasn’t been great. “Interim” everybody needs to end!
No, not a bad night at all. We’ve a city safer and less contentious for it.
The right permanent chancellor would make a difference for the whole community.
The EMS was totally right. What kind of place doesn’t want good fire and rescue?
Schools were different. It could have gone the other way. Look what just happned in Fort! People around are tired of the battles. These guys don’t know how to tone it down. But there was worry. There’s a lot of relief today. Your website took a clear position. You could have tried to scramble down the middle some way but you didn’t. Got the city’s mood right, that’s for sure. Nice job.
We won’t go through a circus for the next six months. Fort is going to face that. feels good that we avoided that fate for Whitewater.
Why Fort Atkinson voted the way it did I’m not sure. (There: for capital, against operational.) It’s easier to forgo the capital side.
Whitewater’s district mostly certainly would have had a contentious time of it. I know that there was worry, but we are a community sensible enough to avoid a self-inflicted wound.
“Whitewater, certainly, deserves more. This small and beautiful community now has an opportunity to ponder carefully, propose dispassionately, and progress methodically.”
We’ll articulated, please accept my gratitude for your attentiveness to the needs of this wonderful community.