Sometimes the most telling discussion within a meeting occurs early, in remarks offered nearly offhand. That was true with last night’s Common Council meeting, in remarks from her city manager, Kevin Brunner. Two of his topics deserve mention. On the Innovation Center, the city manager distributed a glossy one-year anniversary book, and a glossy tri-fold…
188 search results for ""Innovation Center""
Recent Tweets, 3.11 to 3.17
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
15 Mar Innovation Center Exec Director Admits Building’s ‘Major Accomplishment’ Was Taking $11.5 Million in Public Money http://bit.ly/yTkws8 13 Mar After 244 Years, Encyclopaedia Britannica Stops the Presses – http://NYTimes.com http://nyti.ms/xDUjXI 12 Mar Where are all the libertarians coming from? | Daily Adams http://bit.ly/yxcAgH 12 Mar Second Pre-Election Video Shows Walker Saying He Will Negotiate…
City
Whitewater’s 2.7.12 Common Council Meeting
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Update: links fixed. Whitewater’s Common Council met last night, and here are assorted observations on the meeting. Scads of Objectives. Whitewater’s city manager lists 133 major city objectives, of which 85.7% were ‘completed or achieved.’ What should one say? It would have been better to achieve a few meaningful goals, than to list over a…
Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, State Government
The Spectrum Brands State-backed Deal: Either Shameful Negligence or Shameful Dishonesty
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Consider how profligate the State of Wisconsin is with public money. Millions spent on a business relocation for a corporation that (1) withheld its identity, (2) was already in Wisconsin, (3) used flimsy worries about protests at the Capitol as way to curry favor with the Walker Administration, (4) where the head of the Wisconsin…
City
Review: Predictions for Whitewater, Wisconsin for 2011
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Development
On the Search for a Community Development Authority Director
by JOHN ADAMS •
Small-town Whitewater, like so many small towns, has a community development authority. For several years, Whitewater’s city manager has overseen and directed that authority in the absence of a director responsible to the CDA alone. One can leave aside a detailed critique of the CDA’s past performance (performance that I consider often misguided), and still…
City, Government Spending, Taxes/Taxation
The Cost and Camouflage of Grants
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s an item in the Whitewater city manager’s July 15th Weekly Report that shows how deceptive grants — supposedly free money — can be. First, the cost. Grants for bridges, etc., aren’t free — someone had to earn that grant money, money that found its way to one public or quasi-public organization or another. When…
City, Economy, Innovation Center/Tech Park, University
The Starin Road Extension
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a story, from yesterday’s Daily Union, about the Starin Road extension. See, Whitewater dedicates Starin Road extension. In the story, Whitewater’s city manager advances a few justifications for the multi-million-dollar, taxpayer-financed extension: first for emergencies, then for connecting the Innovation Center to the campus, then as part of a package including bike trails. There’s…
Recent Tweets, 5.1 – 5.8
by JOHN ADAMS •
Can a small town’s Dems show as much discipline as the Walker GOP? Whither Whitewater’s Democrats? | FREE WHITEWATER http://bit.ly/jlhWIA 5 May Whitewater’s Innovation Center: ‘The die is cast’ | FREE WHITEWATER http://bit.ly/kYIq5m 5 May @dailywisconsin Gov Walker declares ‘State Employee Recognition Day’ Next: Burger King Declares ‘Cow Appreciation Day’ http://bit.ly/kxwANO 4 May Photo ID…
Daily Bread
Daily Bread for 5.5.11
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning. It’s a mild day ahead for Whitewater, with a high of sixty-two degrees, and a chance of afternoon showers. Today will be the third in a series of either groundbreaking ceremonies or openings for the Innovation Center. For posts about that project, see Innovation Center/Tech Park. After these many months, a building with tens…
Eleven Fifty-Nine
Eleven Fifty-Nine for 5.2.11
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good evening. A new month begins, and off to a pretty good start, I’d say: pleasant weather for Whitewater, with rain only in the evening. We’re only part way through a statewide recount, and one cannot count how many time’s one’s heard questions about ‘whether it’s worth the cost’ or what a burden it is…
City, Freedom of Speech, Politics
On Forward Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a new political group, Forward Whitewater, recently formed in the city. The organization has its own Facebook page. (Note: I’ve been a libertarian critic of Gov. Walker, but I have no connection to Forward Whitewater.) Here’s the description and mission of the group, from Facebook: Description — Forward Whitewater is a group of citizens…
Recent Tweets, 3.13 to 3.19
by JOHN ADAMS •
Scenes from a Whitewater Union Rally, 3.18.11 | FREE WHITEWATER http://bit.ly/e4tyQ8 19 Mar RT @TheAtlantic: Incredible photos from the 2011 Iditarod sled dog race: http://theatln.tc/eejyIy New from @in_focus 18 Mar Badgers v. Belmont at 6:27 p.m. 17 Mar Microsoft lands on list of world’s “most ethical” companies Probably on list of crappiest products, too http://bit.ly/ghIR9s…
City, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Planning, Taxes/Taxation, University
Another Innovation: Whitewater’s ‘Innovation’ Center as an Eleven-Million Dollar Meeting Hall
by JOHN ADAMS •
The federal government gave millions in tax dollars to Whitewater, the Whitewater Community Development Authority, and UW-Whitewater for a reason. Here’s that reason: September 7-September 11, 2009 …$4,740,809 to the Whitewater Community Development Authority, the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, and the City of Whitewater, Wisconsin, to fund construction of the new Innovation Center and infrastructure…