At Whitewater’s December 7th Common Council meeting, City Manager Kevin Brunner, near the beginning of the meeting, gave an update on Whitewater’s publicly-financed technology park. I have embedded the video of the session below. Brunner begins talking about the park at 2:14 into the video, and continues until around 4:40. Below the video, I have…
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City
On Whitewater, Wisconsin’s 2011 Municipal Budget
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s lengthy budget process draws to a close. I offer proposed changes as a longstanding objection to current policy; I don’t expect that any of these changes will be implemented this year. In time, though, Whitewater will have to make drastic reductions, and the longer they’re put off, the worse they’ll be. There are four…
Innovation Center/Tech Park
The Dodgy Statement About Violations of a Federal Grant for the Whitewater Innovation Center
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a Whitewater Community Development Authority and Tech Park Board meeting today. Before the CDA meets again, one should consider how principal players in Whitewater’s multi-million dollar Innovation Center project have rationalized explained violations of federal competition in bidding requirements. Explanations offered at the October 13th Tech Park Board meeting and the October 25th Community…
Cartoons & Comics, Freedom of Speech
Just Admit it, Newspapers: You’re Scared of Muslims – Reason Magazine
by JOHN ADAMS •
That’s about the size of it — As Radley Balko noted in yesterday’s Morning Links, the Washington Post and other newspapers pulled Wiley Millers syndicated “Non Sequitur” cartoon from their comics pages two Sundays back, because Miller pulled a familiar-to-Reason-readers “Where’s Waldo?” gag with the Prophet Muhammad…. On the other hand, maybe comparisons or references…
Uncategorized
On the Upcoming 2011 Whitewater, Wisconsin Municipal Budget
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s municipal budget season in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and in towns across America. Whitewater’s budget will be presented in stages, over more than one Common Council meeting. That’s been a practice here for years; this year is no different. I’ll offer a few remarks on a municipal budget, before commentary another time when the city’s proposed…
City, Innovation Center/Tech Park
The City Manager’s Dodgy Tale About Violations of a Federal Grant for the Whitewater Innovation Center
by JOHN ADAMS •
It was sadly predictable that only a few days after a story about how the City of Whitewater violated federal law in awarding a contract under a multi-million dollar federal grant, City Manager Kevin Brunner would attempt to distort & minimize the nature of the violation, with a tale that’s simply incredible. Sure enough, he’s…
City, Innovation Center/Tech Park
Wisconsin State Journal: Work was stopped on Whitewater technology park due to federal rules violations
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a story on Whitewater’s Technology Park and Innovation Center, from the Wisconsin State Journal. See, Work was stopped on Whitewater technology park due to federal rules violations. Reporter Dee Hall writes that Work on the Whitewater University Technology Park was temporarily halted last week when the federal government notified officials with the city and…
City, Innovation Center/Tech Park
Whitewater’s Innovation Center: Economic Development Administration Sends ‘Cease and Desist’ Letter Over Alleged Violation of Competition in Construction Requirements
by JOHN ADAMS •
The City of Whitewater, together with UW-Whitewater and the Whitewater Community Development Authority, is undertaking an eleven-million dollar, publicly-funded technology park project. The centerpiece of that project is an Innovation Center building. (I have written about the project before; for information on the relationship between the three organizations involved in the project, see the Memorandum…
Innovation Center/Tech Park
Whitewater’s Innovation Center: Grants and Bonds
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s planned Innovation Center and Tech Park rest on a multi-million dollar federal grant and millions in federally-subsidized bonds. The grant is for $4.7 million, and here is how a page from the Economic Development Administration described the purpose for those millions: September 7-September 11, 2009 ….$4,740,809 to the Whitewater Community Development Authority, the University…
City, Poverty
The City Manager’s Selective and Deceptive Use of Data
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over a month ago, Whitewater’s city manager, Kevin Brunner, used his Weekly Report to tout data from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance that he contended showed the strength of Whitewater’s fiscal position. (Predictably, the website of a local politician ran the figures that Brunner posted in full, without commentary.) Brunner aimed to show that, using data…
Government Spending
Downsizing the (Federal) Government
by JOHN ADAMS •
Last Friday’s comments included proposals to reduce military spending and spending on bridges & bike paths that go nowhere. There’s a lot that’s been said about Alaska’s proposal for a Bridge to Nowhere, but it’s true that we have our own, genuine, half-completed project in Whitewater. We’ve not had the publicity, and reporters’ attention, that…
Recent Tweets, 9-12 to 9-18
by JOHN ADAMS •
Bacteria Ate Mostly Gas, Not Oil In BP Spill http://huff.to/d9vqu7 September 16, 2010 9:09:38 PM RealClearMarkets – AP – Markets – – US homes lost to foreclosure up 25 pct on year http://bit.ly/aZgEU4 September 16, 2010 9:06:10 PM CDT BBC News – Pigeon flies past broadband in data speed race » FREE WHITEWATER http://bit.ly/9i2uow September…
City
City of Whitewater, WI Public Notice: Public Hearing Notice on TID 4 Distressed TID Project Plan Amendment
by JOHN ADAMS •
At the City of Whitewater website, one finds notice of a public hearing about a fiscally-distressed TID [tax incremental district]. There’s much to say about all this, but for now, two remarks about the hearing notice — The notice lists only the name of the CDA coordinator, but City Manager Kevin Brunner’s name should appear…
City
Community Surveys and Popularity Real and Imagined
by JOHN ADAMS •
In December 2009, the City of Whitewater announced the results of a “2009 Comprehensive Plan Community Survey.” Whitewater’s City Manager, Kevin Brunner, predictably touted the results as proof of satisfaction with his municipal administration. Around that time, I saw the survey results online, but I’m sorry to say I didn’t comment on the survey or…