First, Spear. Our recently-resigned municipal judge, Steven Spear, was charged in March with disorderly conduct, following a criminal investigation as recounted in The Week:
Whitewater Municipal Judge Steven Spear was found guilty Wednesday of disorderly conduct, a civil violation stemming from allegations he forcibly tried to kiss a female secretary and masturbated in front of her inside his office in early 2006….It appeared Spear was masturbating under his desk, the woman told police. Spear told her he masturbates in his office every day, according to the complaint. The woman left the office and Spear later called her to apologize, according to the complaint. A search warrant conducted at Spear’s former law office at the Soffa and Devitt firm, 332 W. Whitewater St., Whitewater, uncovered semen samples from his keyboard, computer, desk, chair and carpet.
Spear is no longer with the firm.
Spear ran for office, in April, while the charges were pending, and defeated a last-minute write-in candidate. He had a fair amount of support in the community, from among those I have previously described as
blue collar, with high school or tech school educations, and works in supporting jobs, either for the city or in town businesses. They gain their influence through occasional favoritism in their municipal jobs, through selection as pushovers on municipal committees, or through any number of predominantly blue-collar social organizations. Among these groups are most police officers, municipal workers, clerks in many town businesses, and the volunteers of the Whitewater Fire Department. (The police and fire departments are blue collar organizations, and they think and behave like working class organizations. The fire department includes many working class residents who would otherwise have little status or authority except through membership in its fraternity.)
I listed Spear — a vulgar, shameless, disgusting buffoon — as one of the significant challenges facing Whitewater when I first started writing as JOHN ADAMS:
We have a municipal judge who is a vulgar laughingstock (and what Whitewater High School student does not have a repertoire of jokes about him?). He was re-elected because some short-sighted local residents would rather defend someone they perceive as one of their own than admit that his reputation is one of embarrassment and disgrace to our community.
It should come as no surprise that he was mute at his initial hearing, and did not bother to appear (he did not have to do so) at his plea and sentencing hearing. He had no similar reluctance to appear in public on election day, when he paraded his wife and infant daughter through the Old Armory. Spear’s reticence is inversely proportional to his selfishness.
Spear had no shame — not at all — about making this community smaller, and dirtier, and expecting all of us to suffer his conduct. A small, vulgar man. (When his layer, Frank Lettenbereger, is quoted in The Week as saying of Spear that he “has got a very good reputation as an attorney and as a person in the community,” he does his client no favors. Why not just be humble, and move on? )
Spear’s many low friends felt as Spear did — that he was entitled, that this town belonged to him, and to them — that that it always should. A few might have voted for Spear as a joke, but others who supported him surely did so because they felt that it’s their town, and their people should be supported, first and foremost. These are the same people who tell lies in defense of police misconduct, have made the fire department working class fraternity, or who staff any number of gray and blue collar municipal positions.
People who would voted for Spear –and against decency and fairness — cannot be trusted to protect your rights. It’s a crude, piggish sense of entitlement that motivates them.
Consider, then, Jim Coan. Coan’s force investigated Spear’s crime, and Spear was charged long before the Police Day ceremony in May, during which Coan listed Steve Spear — yes, Spear — as one one the people he wanted to thank.
I was sitting there when Coan included Spear in his thanks on that day, and it confirmed all the worst that I have ever known about Jim Coan — an empty flack for a third-rate force, often substituting his own words for the simple truth of something. He might have done the right and proper thing, and omitted Spear from his list of thanks, but that would have been beyond Coan. His own force investigated Spear, and Spear was charged on the basis of that investigation, but still Coan had to offer thanks to that dirty, odd man. That’s Coan — he’ll say something over and over again, or support an absurd, false proposition, but will advance that proposition with such consistency that you’ll hear nothing else. Coan’s position works on (1) the gullible , (2) the timid, (3) the stupid, or (4) the enervated and apathetic.
Finally, what of Kevin Brunner, City Manager, and transplant to this troubled city? Brunner’s not of this place, but he’s been appointed to be for it, so to speak. Although not a part of the town-bred elite, he’s more like the polished half of that elite, that I described in an earlier post as
“established, white-collar long-term residents. They’ve either been here a longtime, or forever, except for time away at UW Madison or Marquette, perhaps. They’re established, if bit stodgy. Many consider themselves a true elite, but actually know little about the world outside, and are suspicious of change, and newcomers.”
Business casual dress, a manner like a contemporary manager, etc., etc. Brunner’s kindred group is no match in force of will, piggish behavior, or sheer assertiveness as the working class town group of police, fire, and low level city workers.
Just a few days before Spear’s lawyer entered a plea, The Week quoted City Manager Brunner on the situation of Spear’s impending resignation. Here’s what Brunner had to say:
“I’m kind of anxious to see what the court will decide on the case and what action he’s going to take…It’s certainly been a very awkward situation because of the fact he’s an elected official,” he said. “If this was an appointed person, I assume we would have taken action long ago. Since it’s beholden to voters and to the court system, that’s why nothing has happened up to this point in time.”
I have no reason to doubt that Brunner was quoted accurately, but every reason to doubt Brunner’s overly-cautious approach. He spoke out publicly once he knew that Spear would plead. Spear disgraced this town, but Brunner — with all the look and authority of the City manager, was quiet for too long. Of course he could have said something — nothing stopped him from denouncing Spear far earlier. Nothing. He chose not to do so, and describes his timidity and reticence as the only possible policy. Nonsense. Brunner might have defended the appearance of justice, by publicly asking Spear to resign, without disclaiming on Spear’s actual guilt or innocence.
I can guess what Brunner thinks of this website, but if he wouldn’t venture a strong public opinion on Spear earlier on, his opinion of this website is of no consequence. If even a few words are so hard for him that he’s rendered mute, or forced to avert his eyes, how does he expect to reform this town? Reticent and fragile publicly when he should be courageous. Perhaps someone would remind Kevin Brunner that there is a significant difference between defending the good, being good, and looking good. Our city needs more.
