Whitewater’s had a decades-long problem of a few town insiders manipulating government and public resources for their own private ends. That time is drawing to a close, but there are yet some years ahead in which aging, mediocre town figures will push their self-promoting lies. As their chief motivation is personal vanity and pride, they’ll…
76 search results for "telfer "
Local Government, Press
Anger and Exhaustion Stalk Local Elites
by JOHN ADAMS • • 3 Comments
Years of asking for money for big-ticket projects for big-talking cronies, and insisting on imaginary successes and fabricated accomplishments, have left local insiders facing community anger and exhaustion. Of the two, exhaustion is – by far – the more debilitating to town squires’ plans. Anger flares over a project, here and there, and sometimes prevails…
CDA, City, Development, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Local Government
About that iButtonLink Announcement…
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
An aspiring musician tells his friends that he performed to a standing-room-only crowd at Carnegie Hall. Needless to say, they’re impressed. “It’s great that your songs drew such attendance,” they observe. “Why, yes,” the musician replies, “it must have been my music, although I suppose the free tickets and fifty-dollar gift packages might have…
City, Corporate Welfare, Economy, Government Spending, Planning
Discussion about the Bus, 3.20.12 to 11.5.13
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
I promised earlier a summary of principal arguments made about a (mostly) publicly-funded transit bus that benefits (mostly) one multi-billion-dollar corporation. Here’s that post, with a summary of points about the project at Whitewater’s Common Council sessions of 3.20.12, 11.20.12, and 11.5.13. For each date, I’ve included a link to a Vimeo page with a…
City, Local Government, Planning, Police
Zoning Debates Are Often Just a Distraction from Failed Criminal Enforcement Strategies
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
Here’s the third post in a trilogy about residential housing in Whitewater. For the first two posts, see, Old Whitewater Dreams of a Student Rez and The University’s Role in Town-Gown Issues. Recap: (1) pointing to the northwest corner of the city for student rentals without actual, additional housing in that area is an empty solution, and (2) the university’s planned…
City, Local Government, Politics
More about ‘Scenes from Whitewater’s Failing Drug War’
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
I’ve had both emails and a conversation with a journalist about yesterday’s post, Scenes from Whitewater’s Failing Drug War. I’ll summarize some of the topics of those messages and my replies. Shouldn’t the UW-Whitewater chancellor receive deference? I’m not sure what to make of this. It’s all-too-clear that Chancellor Telfer receives ample deference, and from…
City, Police, University
Scenes from Whitewater’s Failing Drug War
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Less than a week ago, at Whitewater’s Common Council session of 5.21.13, the city heard a presentation supposedly on university policies ‘to educate young adults’ about the dangers of substance abuse. It was anything but that: after brief introductions from City Manager Clapper and Chancellor Richard Telfer, UW-Whitewater Police Chief Matt Kiederlen delivered scripted, doctrinaire,…
Corporate Welfare, Federal Government, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park
No, That’s Not Why There’s an Innovation Center
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Perhaps, just perhaps, Whitewater’s a laboratory for testing the theory that if one repeats a flimsy explanation long enough, it will become true. Over at the Daily Union, there’s a recent story about a university project that’s developed a smartphone app that allows users “to link organized recreational activities with social media.” One reads that…
Daily Bread
Daily Bread for 2.13.13
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Good morning. It’s a mostly sunny day, with a high of thirty-seven, ahead for Whitewater. Whitewater’s Tech Park Board meets today at 8 AM. The agenda posted at the City of Whitewater website for that Tech Park Board meeting is unprofessional and sloppy at best, and legally deficient at worst. Here’s the full text: MEETING…
Business, City, Press Release
Downtown Whitewater 2013/2014 Board of Directors Nomination Form
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Please see a Downtown Whitewater 2013/2014 Board of Directors Nomination Form: The Downtown Whitewater, Inc. Board of Directors is the legal entity responsible for overseeing Whitewater’s downtown revitalization program under the guidance of the Wisconsin Main Street Program, including the budget, staff, and program effectiveness. We are currently seeking nominations to fill five seats of the…
Daily Bread
Daily Bread for 2.5.13
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Good morning. Tuesday brings a high of twenty-nine, and light show (with limited accumulation) to Whitewater. It also brings Gov. Walker to town, at 10:15 AM, for a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Announcement: TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Whitewater University Technology Park Board members have been invited to attend an announcement ceremony on Tuesday, February…
City, Press Release
Informational Forum: Potential Local Impacts of the Proposed Wisconsin Budget, Wed., May 4th, 7-9 PM
by JOHN ADAMS •
The League of Women Voters of the Whitewater Area presents Potential Local Impacts of the Proposed Wisconsin Budget: An Informational Forum Wednesday, May 4th, Cravath Lake Community Center, 7 – 9 p.m. How will the proposed Wisconsin budget likely affect Whitewater and the surrounding area? On Wednesday, May 4th from 7-9 p.m. at the Cravath…
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…
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…