A buy local movement in my town has issued an ‘eat local’ challenge. I’ll take that challenge. I’ve questioned parts of the buy local campaign, but I’m open to eating locally.

(Readers know that I’ve opposed city officials’ meddling in what should be a private merchants’ campaign. It’s not the business of our city government to endorse some merchants over others; that’s the role for consumers in the marketplace. I have also had doubts about the definition of ‘local’; residents employed at our Walmart are just as local as any other workers in town, and I will not demonize the employer who offers them work, or the consumers who rely on that retailer.)

I’ll happily take a challenge, though, to eat locally, if that challenge truly means all businesses in Whitewater. I frequent our famers’ market, for example, and picked up some fine produce there again yesterday.

Thirty days’ worth of local dining? My pleasure, I’m sure.

Here’s the flyer the buy local campaign is distributing:

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 above hers on any notice about the fiasco that is TID 4. Brunner’s been running (and been compensated for overseeing, I believe) the CDA. He’s quick to show for a photo when there’s an event for which he can somehow claim credit. Particularly, he’s touted himself as knowledgeable about tax incremental financing; now that TID 4 is gasping for air, Brunner’s name is nowhere to be seen.

Could there be a less convenient time for public input than 4:30 PM in the afternoon? (Perhaps 2 a.m. in the morning was already taken.) The public hearing should be at a time like meetings for Common Council — 6:30 p.m., when people can attend following work.

Here’s that public notice, in full:

Public Hearing Notice on TID 4 Distressed TID Project Plan Amendment

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Community Development Authority of the City of Whitewater will hold a public hearing on September 27, 2010, at 4:30 p.m. at the City of Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room located at 312 West Whitewater Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin, for the purpose of providing the community a reasonable opportunity to comment upon the proposed Project Plan Amendment for designation of Tax Incremental District No. 4 as a distressed Tax Incremental District within the City of Whitewater, Wisconsin. The public is hereby notified that the life of a distressed tax incremental district may be extended, that it may receive excess tax increments from a donor district, and that the life of the donor district may be extended to provide such increments. The cost of the amendment will include additional staff time, additional interest costs, bond refinancing and underwriting fees, publication costs, and additional Department of Revenue administration charges. All interested parties will be given a reasonable opportunity to express their views on the proposed amendment. A copy of the Project Plan Amendment will be available for viewing at the offices of the City Clerk located at 312 West Whitewater Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin, during normal business hours and will be provided upon request. Such hearing shall be public and citizens and interested parties shall then be heard.

Mary S. Nimm, Coordinator,
City of Whitewater Community
Development Authority
312 West Whitewater Street
P. O. Box 178
Whitewater, WI 53190