Village Spillage

Looks like the election letters that didn't get published in the paper edition, got pushed to the "Voter Guide" where .. few will read.

Here's the one you might have missed:

TOM FEHRING:  Public Forum

Whitefish Bay is a great place to live. But it can be better. I've been listening to Village residents and their concerns. Based on this, and my own thoughts, here is a list of 10 measures that I believe would enhance our village:

1. We need to properly maintain the village infrastructure. Properly maintaining our streets, water mains, sewers, street lights and other areas of the village's infrastructure doesn't mean we need to spend more - it means that we need to efficiently maintain what we have, to anticipate needs before they develop, and to establish effective plans for improving the infrastructure we rely upon.

2. We need to do a better job overseeing village construction projects. To illustrate the point, consider last summer's construction project to replace the sanitary and storm sewers and water mains along East Courtland Place. Fugitive dust was not controlled, safety barricades were not uniformly employed, and the project didn't get completed on schedule.

3. We need to improve the decision-making process. We have been talking about renovating East Silver Spring since Bayshore Town Center was first proposed. Meanwhile, Bayshore Town Center is now complete while we are still talking to consultants about what to do about our shopping district.

4. We need fiscal restraint. The Whitefish Bay board has done a fairly good job of controlling the increase in property taxes devoted to village services. But by benchmarking our services to that of the best communities in the Midwest, we can increase the efficiency of operations and help hold down costs.

5. We must build a better sense of community. Active neighborhood associations can become a critical part of the social foundation of the village and can make neighborhoods more enjoyable places to live. They can also provide the eyes and ears of the community for the Village Board.

6. We should improve pedestrian safety. Crossing Silver Spring continues to be a hazardous experience for pedestrians, and crossing Marlborough at the library isn't much better. We need both better enforcement and effective crossing designs.

7. We must build a sense of history. I have been working with the Whitefish Bay Historic Preservation Commission to identify the historic and architecturally significant homes and other sites within the village. We are working on signage to identify these historic sites, and walking tours that will build on our sense of history.

8. We should improve village governance. Having served as corporate secretary for a major corporation for years, I have the skills to improve village governance. I will work to make our board meetings more responsive to the needs of citizens and improve communication regarding the board's actions.

9. We should improve communications. The village should do a better job of providing information to its residents. An overhaul of its Web site has been promised for many months - if done properly, it can provide a source of up-to-date information.

10. We need a village skating rink. In a year in which you could almost skate on any village street, we again have been unable to create a skating rink for residents. We need to find a way to make this happen.

Tom Fehring - Website: http://www.FehringForWFB.com/

Great letter. 

*** Make sure you read all the candidate profiles and endorsements HERE. ***

Summary: 

President:        PRITCHARD
Trustee:           FEE, FEHRING
Judge:             CHRISTENSEN
School Board: GRECO, PHILLIPS

As promised, I am writing a summary of my "candidate profiles" for the Village of Whitefish Bay’s April 1st election, with endorsements and rationale. 

Without decent media coverage, nor any sort of public forum or debate between the candidates, I have tried to use this blog to fill the void by interviewing each candidate, asking the same set of questions, and allowing each to review and suggest edits of their stories in an abundance of fairness.   

I hope this report is used as a tool for voters, instead of turning these important elections into popularity contests, based on who knows who, or the numbers of signs on lawns.

I spoke to most candidates for around an hour, and some for two and three, discussing their vision for Whitefish Bay. -- In short, I did your homework for you.

WHITEFISH BAY VILLAGE BOARD PRESIDENT

For a short time in January, Whitefish Bay had a race for Village Board President. DOUG WEAS had thrown his hat in to challenge two term incumbent KATIE PRITCHARD.

I interviewed Weas in January, and was impressed with one talent he brought to the table, namely, that he was a Real Estate Developer by trade, and had his sights set on helping the Village renew Silver Spring. I've written about the need for aggressive action on Silver Spring, and Weas had necessary skills. However. I had a feeling he hadn't quite realized the many other demands of being the Board President. This proved to be true when he withdrew from the race, 3 days after I published my story on his candidacy.

Prior to that withdrawal, I interviewed Katie Pritchard for over an hour. Pritchard has been a solid leader for Whitefish Bay and a quality steward for the Village. Before Weas' withdrawal from the race, I'd thought that if there were 50 elements you needed for Board President, Pritchard would be better on most of them. 

That being said, I continue to take issue with Pritchard's reluctance to bombard WFB with communication about the Village's business. Pritchard herself has critically written that the Village has citizens who are uniformed about issues. Her stance is that the citizenry is responsible to seek out information on their own. This does not compute, especially with our pitiful media coverage. 

PRITCHARD is a good choice to lead the village. She remains one of the three on the Board who tend to vote for more aggressive measures on Silver Spring, and thoughtfully handles the Village's business.

WHITEFISH BAY VILLAGE TRUSTEE - Top 2 Vote Getters - 3 Candidates

DAVID FEE is running for his second 3-year term, and was unopposed in 2005. I interviewed Fee for two hours. He is a man of substance, precision, and intelligence. He is conscientious and thoughtful.

My one concern with Fee is that he is too "risk-averse" when it comes to Silver Spring redevelopment. Don't get me wrong, Fee has well-thought arguments for his ideas on redevelopment, and one would be hard pressed to find flaw. Generally speaking, he aligns himself with the school of thought that TIF dollars should go for public improvements, like street-scaping, not for assisting individual businesses. He did, however, explain that he is open-minded, that if a great plan came along for a property on Silver Spring that had solid partners, that he could foresee himself supporting Village involvement.

But great plans are hard to come by. Silver Spring is far behind in the game, and, in football terms, needs to give up the running game, and start passing. We're at a point that we need to take on some risk, some gambles, to see improvement.

Fee is a solid friend of home-owners' rights and has a common sense approach to architectural and historical preservation rules.

FEE remains a solid choice.  His thoughtfulness and analyitcal skills are needed.  He has the background and solid talent to remain, and I endorse him for Village Board Trustee.

THOMAS FEHRING is running for his first term on the Board. Tom is a 34 year resident of Whitefish Bay, and has his undergrad and Masters Degree in Engineering from Marquette. Fehring is well spoken, has vision and intelligence, and would lead Whitefish Bay in a positive direction with a unique skill set.

Fehring has a background in engineering and project management. He is passionate about Silver Spring's renewal, and sees it as an urgent issue. When I first met him, we spoke for nearly three hours about the history of the district, and the need for partnership with businesses, to create a vibrant street. His desire to create an environment of flexibility is important to the survival of Silver Spring.

His other pet issue, near and dear to many meat-and-potato voters is infrastructure. Fehring has observed the deteriorated state of our roads, sewers, etc., and wants to see marked improvement.

Fehring has quality experience with the WFB Historic Preservation Commission and was recognized as "distinguished volunteer" by the Board in 2007. He's also served as a director for Dominican High School.

I highly recommend THOMAS FEHRING for Village Board Trustee. (campaign website link)

Julie Siegel is also running for Trustee. When I interviewed Siegel, I was extraordinarily troubled by her lack of specificity for every issue I asked her about, and others picked up on that. I believe candidates should have familiarity and opinions about the most important issues, and a solid vision of where they want to lead, before a campaign begins.

Siegel may still win, as she has a deep network in Whitefish Bay, a politically successful family, and has run a visible campaign. I commend anyone who raises their hand to volunteer, but Fee and Fehring are better choices.

WHITEFISH BAY MUNICIPAL JUDGE

There is also a Municipal Judge race between BOB PETERSON and PAUL CHRISTENSEN. We are lucky to have two high quality candidates for this position. Both are highly educated at great schools, (Peterson at Marquette and SLU Law, Christensen at Notre Dame and MU Law.) Not having had the opportunity to need a lawyer, I can't attest to their skills.

However, one component of the WFB Judge position is dealing with juveniles and their brushes with the law. I can attest to Paul Christensen's ability to relate to youth. Paul previously lived two doors down from me, and if I listen closely any summer night, I can still hear the echoes of him playing with his kids in his back yard. Note, I didn’t say I could hear his kids. It was Paul making most of the noise. Paul was also one of the first to welcome me to Whitefish Bay, nearly a decade ago.

I've seen Christensen hustling around the Village's homes, doing campaign lit drops and putting up signs like crazy.

I endorse PAUL CHRISTENSEN. I'm sure he'll do a great job as Whitefish Bay's judge.

WHITEFISH BAY SCHOOL BOARD

I wasn't going to make an endorsement in this race, because originally, two incumbents were running for two spots. However, this week, a write-in candidate has been circulating her name for the job.

In the newspaper article about this write-in's candidacy, her quotes stood out. "I don't think there is a place (in Whitefish Bay Schools) for people who say they want to go to Waukesha Tech ..  the focus is too much on college ..  There is something wrong when a community focused on children can't get its children to graduate." she said.

While diversity of education is important, Whitefish Bay is a college-prep system that graduates a whopping 99.06% of its students, where 94% go on to college, that also has significant resources dedicated to both ends of academic ability. It is crucial for our district to maintain these high academic expectations.

MARIE GRECO and JAMES PHILLIPS have done a fine job, and deserve re-election.

Summary: 

President:        PRITCHARD
Trustee:           FEE, FEHRING
Judge:             CHRISTENSEN
School Board: GRECO, PHILLIPS

I got an email from the Lake Express Ferry today, announcing their new schedule and rates for 2008.

My wife and I take the ferry yearly, to visit relatives in Michigan.  We've taken both the SS Badger out of Manitowoc, and the Lake Express. 

I like both ferries; each gives a different kind of service.  The SS Badger is a 50+ year old coal powered ship .. it's a 4 hour voyage.  It's an interesting, historic trip, and I'd almost classify taking the SS Badger as a romantic journey.  It's spacious, and has some interesting items, like a tiny museum, gift shop, movie room, video arcade, kid's play area, etc.   The SS Badger also has small "State Rooms" with flip out beds and a private bathroom.  Nothing to write home about, but it does give you a chance to catch some Z's.  Because the SS Badger lopes along at a gentle pace, you can sit outside (and get coal dust on your body.)

The Lake Express Ferry is very different.  It's utilitarian.  One cabin, no excess room.  A little cafe with some food.  And it sails so fast, there are few places to hide from the 40mph wind, if you wish to sit outside.  It takes 2.5 hours to cross to Muskegon.  With loading and unloading, it's a bit over 3 hours.

The thing that amazes me is the cost, or more specifically, how it stays in business.  The Lake Express Ferry is $111 per person/round trip.  Each car is $146/rt.  So for a family of two, plus car, it's $405.50 after fees fuel surcharges, that's up $35 from last year.   -- To compare, to drive round trip to Muskegon and back, is 550 miles, $90 in gas, and about 10 hours.  Let's add an hour each way for really terrible Chicago traffic.  That's, at worst, 12 hours to drive, or 6 hours to use to take the Ferry.

So.  You have 6 hours saved in one hand, and ($405-90 for gas) $315 in the other.  It comes down to, do you blow $315 to save 3 hours each way?  -- Some say yes.  I do.   I consider a $400 voyage to Michigan an extravagance that I'm fortunate enough to afford. 

But how many can afford that kind of money to save that time/ aggravation?   That's why I'm surprised the Lake Express can stay in business.   I'm amazed that the Milwaukee area can support that business model. -- Heck, there are destinations a couple could FLY to for less than $400.

(The SS Badger is not much different, costing around $350 for 2+car, but that's 2007 prices.  2008 hasn't been released.)

The other candidate for Whitefish Bay Municipal Judge tracked me down and asked me to put up his bio.    Unfortunately, it looks like the NOW site beat me to writing an article on the race.   I've been busy.

Peterson is married with two kids in Cumberland, one in WFB Middle School, and are members of Holy Family Church.  

Peterson's undergrad was from Marquette, majoring in Economics.  After working as an Air Traffic Controller in Philly and Washington DC, Peterson went on to St. Louis University for his law degree.

He's practiced law for 15 years in Missouri and Wisconsin, and has conducted more than 50 trials both civil and criminal.  He maintains a regional trial law practice, and has handled appeals cases and has practiced at all levels of State Court including the Supreme Court.
 
Peterson has been involved with WFB youth sports for many years and volunteers for WFB's Football & Tee Ball, WFB Jr. Dukes Football and Basketball and McMenamin Irish Dance Academy.

Peterson added, "In addition to coaching youth sports, I believe that it is important to contribute to the community outside of Whitefish Bay.  I was honored to have been awarded the David Niblack award by the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for my lifetime of service to the indigent. Municipal court is the village 'peoples court' and is often is the only experience that a village resident will have with a trial court.  I feel that my years of experience assisting individuals with criminal law issues and my familiarlty with trial court practice across the State uniquely qualifies me for the position of Municipal Judge."

Make sure you read the other candidate profiles I've written, and, in a few days, I will be writing an article that contains who I am endorsing for all the April 1st election races!

We have another race in Whitefish Bay, for Municipal Judge.   Current Judge Patrick Brennan is leaving his post, and two challengers are on the ballot.  The first is Robert Peterson who owns his own firm specializing in criminal law .. the other is Paul Christensen who has a general law practice on the East Side of Milwaukee.  For the record, current Judge Brennan has had the position for 15 years, and defeated Peterson 3 years ago.

I admit I didn’t intend to do candidate profiles for the Judge race, mainly because, probably like most people in Whitefish Bay, I don’t know upon what platform you would vote for or against a candidate for Municipal Judge.   Not being a troublemaker myself, I didn’t even know we had a Judge!  Turns out, we do, and Municipal court is in session two days per month, hearing the cases we all read about in the Crime Blotter, e.g., DWIs, bad checks, juvenile crime. 

That being said, I was contacted by Paul Christensen, who lived a few doors down from me and was one of the first to welcome me to Whitefish Bay.    

I haven't personally needed Christensen's legal skills, but what I can tell you is that I heard him playing with his kids every single night, a few houses down.    Paul has lived in the Village for 19 years, got his undergrad from Creighton and Law Degree from Marquette.    He’s a member of the North Shore Rotary Club and volunteers at St. Monica’s school and church.

Why is he running?  “This is my opportunity to make sure that the community has their legal issues taken care of fairly.  I listen carefully, and think my prior work as a volunteer makes me more attuned to the Village.  Before the election, I intend to knock on most doors in Whitefish Bay and make myself available to meet with its residents in a variety of forums. I feel it is important to make that connection.”   Christensen has a long list of Whitefish Bay endorsers, from Village residents to a few dozen attorneys.

Christensen has a meet-and-greet this Saturday, March 8th at the Whitefish Bay Women’s Club on 600 E. Henry Clay from 1pm-3:30pm.  All are welcome.

.. As for all the candidates who are running in April, Trustee, President, School Board, or Judge .. let’s just say none of these people are doing it for the money or the glory.  I thank all of them for their service to our Village, giving up family time for civic duty.