Here is a recent email from Thomas Jefferson, who corresponded to FREE WHITEWATER previously, in July. (Great pseudonym, by the way.) His email is in black, and my reply in blue, regarding my post entitled, “The Register’s Echo Chamber.”
From Thomas Jefferson:
John,
I could not agree with you more on the quality, or lack thereof, in the Whitewater Register.
I thought last week’s Nosek articles were the pinnacle of absurdity. Not only were they not significant issues that generated little debate from the remaining Council, the article on the lot was inaccurate.
Ms. Dampier details how the Council was apparently provided a memo by City Manager Brunner on the options that could be pursued. She notes that the Council decided not to act on these. Someone should inform her of how Wisconsin Open Meeting law works.
The update on the property was placed on the agenda as a ‘Staff Report’, the Council was prohibited by law from taking action.
I am glad she covered other items such as the appointment of citizens to various boards, the 2008 budget assumptions or the stormwater utility credit policy. I guess these items pale in comparison to the correct mix of salt and sand in our streets put forth by an ‘expert’.
As someone who has attended meetings in the past it is interesting to note that many times Ms. Dampier does not stay for the whole meeting, if she shows up at all. She should always watch it from home and just rehash the agenda, which would actually provide more coverage than some of these recent write ups.
Regards,
TJ
Adams replies:
Thanks very much for writing. Your assessment is better than mine. I focused on the idea that Carrie Dampier of the Register was propping up one point of view. I think that she was, but that’s not as significant as the point you’ve made about the topics that she chose to describe. Her chosen focus could not have been, as you note, the subject of any immediate action, based on the those topics’ position on the agenda. Your observation is sound independent of Dampier’s point of view, whatever it may be. As you note, she picked subjects for the front page that weren’t ripe. The alternative topics you list would have been better choices.