I received an email from a reader, discussing recent neighborhood meetings in Whitewater. It’s true that I have not commented on these meetings. I wrote him yesterday thanking him for his email, and I’ll offer a public post on the topic. First his message, and my reply follows thereafter in red.
There will a second, public meeting of people from the East side of UWW’s campus to discuss ways they can preserve the quality of their neighborhood. The meeting will be held March 5, 7:00 PM, at Starin Park. The first meeting had more than 60-70 people in attendance. Short talks were given by city councilpersons, the city administrator, the city’s code enforcement officer (Bruce Parker), the police chief, and the municipal judge.
There was also a similar meeting for people living South of UWW’s campus. A second meeting is being considered for this group as well.
It would be interesting to read your perspective on matters discussed.
These meetings, well-attended as inaugural sessions, represent a significant development in Whitewater. Sustaining momentum won’t be easy, and how these groups look months from now interests me most.
Some preliminary remarks —
Community Led vs. City Led. These meetings are community meetings, but how they evolve apart from the participation of city officials will show how community-based they truly are.
The City of Whitewater’s played a role in encouraging these groups, through the Housing Task Force. There’s great irony in all that – part of the problem, from the groups’ view, is that the city has not protected adequately their property rights. It’s hardly reasonable to expect that the City of Whitewater’s guidance will make the groups a success. There may be a few city officials who hope for a partnership, where they guide the work of these community groups.
These groups will be a success when they establish a clear objective, that they can explain, and advance, regardless of the views of municipal officials.
Community Led. It’s a risk of every community group that they might propose solutions that are too restrictive, intrusive, or unlawful. Condo associations sometimes stray down this path.
Brunner’s Pandora’s Box. It’s Dr. Nosek who has advanced, at every turn, the idea that student housing, rental housing, is a threat to single family neighborhoods. No politician has advanced this agenda, or any other, so successfully over the last two years’ time. I disagree with Nosek’s analysis and approach, but I can easily see that he has doggedly pushed farther than so many others, on any issue of theirs.
City Manager Kevin Brunner’s affirmed the issue of housing as Whitewater’s greatest challenge, although I have no idea why. I think he’s wrong to think that this is our community’s biggest challenge.
I also think, though, that it was politically foolish to acknowledge the issue without better control over it. If there’s one thing that this administration cannot appreciably control, it’s the mix of housing – rental versus single family – in the city.
Toward this greater goal, Brunner has no hope of success – he can’t appreciably move this market in a different direction.
There is a lesser goal, of simple enforcement, of course. Forget the mix of rental versus single family homes – can the city adequately enforce existing (and recently-enacted) ordinances adequately?
I have argued that we have a problem of both under- and over- enforcement – Whitewater’s either too hot or too cold. In some situations, enforcement is sadly inadequate; in others, it’s too intrusive.
That’s not just an enforcement official’s problem, though – it’s the city manager’s responsibility. Yet, for all the talk on the issue, no task force, mission statement, survey, PowerPoint show, quotation, or motivational slogan on a t-shirt will solve this problem.
Why an administration given to that approach would embrace this issue, I’m not sure. If there was even a faint hope that paying lip-service to the issue would placate Dr. Nosek, it was one of the great miscalculations of recent Whitewater politics.
There’s likely to be a disappointment for someone, somewhere, in all of this.