Village Spillage

To get you up to speed .. Democratic candidate Andy Feldman sent me an email, responding to some thoughts I had written about last week.  I posted them, but he later asked for them to be taken down.  I posted a retraction, explaining what had occurred, which, let's face it, didn't look good.

So Feldman took some time and re-wrote his original email to me.  I painstakingly compared the two versions to determine what had changed .. what would he write privately that wouldn't be for public consumption?  The answer: not much.  He's removed a couple of  minor items aimed at other candidates, and re-phrased his Sales Tax answer, reduced a few casual sentences to more formal ones, and in general, increased the eloquence (and puff) factor here and there.

In my opinion, almost nothing of substance has changed .. and I will publish it in its entirety, below.   I wish this situation would have unfolded differently.   Now you know I'm not playing favorites.

I continue to invite the other three candidates to respond, as well.   With the dearth of media coverage for this race, blog traffic is running 2-3x average, so your words would get to far more eyeballs than "doing doors" for a week.

-------- Original Message --------

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In keeping with publishing candidate responses to my commentaries on their campaigns, Yash Wadhwa's response will be printed below.

A few items:

Generally, I do not wish to publish the typical candidate propaganda here.  They need to do that on their own dime.   This forum is meant to promote intelligent discussion relevant to the topics I raise, not campaign puffery.   Wadhwa's is some of both, but I'm letting it slide.

Next, Wadhwa suggests he has a chance, due to the support of Scott Walker in the 22nd district.  I'd point him to the City of Milwaukee, where Walker has done well, yet the remainder of the Republican slate in the city has been white-washed.  Walker is the candidate you cross-over for.  Wadhwa may be a good guy, but he's no Scott Walker.  ("I know Scott Walker.  I went to school with Scott Walker.  You, sir, are no Scott Walker!")

Finally .. doors.  Doors, doors, doors.  All you candidates are so proud of your door count.   It certainly helps, but you know what also helps?  Marketing.  Mail.  Yard Signs.  Media attention.   Oh, and issues.  That too.  You need to be on the right side of all that before your "door count" matters.  Just saying.

Oh, and remember .. Wadhwa will not be on the primary ballot, as he has no Republican foe.  The September primary for the 22nd district is to pick the Democrat who will go against Wadhwa.   So for those destined to vote Wadhwa, focus on the Dems over the next couple weeks, for your 2nd choice candidate.   To a large extent, this letter is premature.

On with the show:

-------- Original Message --------

Feldman responds .. no, wait, he doesn’t.

I’ve gotten a number of emails about an article I wrote yesterday that disappeared, and I need to address what happened.

After Tuesday’s article on the 22nd race, candidate Andy Feldman wrote me an email to clarify his positions and, to an extent, challenge the thought that he was, as I wrote, the furthest-left candidate in the race.

It was well written, issue oriented, cohesive, and smart.  I'd really thought it was written for an audience of thousands, not just myself.

It was media savvy as, well, as let’s face it, the coverage of this race is pitiful.   I'd written a public piece that painted him in a less than rosy light, and he responded quickly and articulately, and to an extent, changed my opinion. 

Generally, I do not publish emails sent to me without permission, but this one was well written, and painted the candidate in a positive light.  In my opinion, it would do two things .. possibly correct some mis-conceptions that I'd written about, and inform the public on his specific views, written straight from him.

So I proofed it for grammar, and published it.  I emailed Feldman, debated a few of his points, and told him I'd published his email so others could read and be informed.  
A few hours later, he emailed me and asked that I remove it.  He said it was written just for me, to get my support, late at night (3am) and he would have written it differently in the daylight.  And, that he'd be "mailing out lit pieces to explain (his) views in detail."

On his request, I pulled his email from publication.

I strongly urged him to reconsider, as I believed it was a well written piece, including a modicum of candor.  His lit pieces, like all the political mail we are now receiving, will be widely dismissed by the public as biased propaganda and mostly chucked into the recycling bin.  

In the end, what do us voters really know about these candidates before we pull the lever?  For most, not much.  While we may meet these guys on our doorsteps, raise your hand if you've had a meaningful discussion about issues while they were standing there?  Hell, I'm a political guy, and I can't say I have.

Usually, it goes like this: "Hello, good to meet you, oh, you're running?  Oh, you believe in public service and want clean government, low taxes, and great education for our kids?  Super!  Good luck to you."

How else are we informed about candidates?  Sure, the two forums help (next one: Tuesday 9/2, WFB Library, 7pm), but we're talking a couple hundred people who attend.  There are thousands of voters.  Through political literature?  We're marketed to by political mail, but not informed.  Through the media?  Hah.  Did you see this piece of fluff in the NorthShoreNOW?  Each candidate got 2-3 whopping sentences to explain their candidacy.   Not even close to enough info to choose a candidate.

I think of blogs as great ways to inform the public on candidate's views, and am disappointed Feldman, a member of the internet generation, would pass up this opportunity, to inform with candor instead of the usual political route of careful phraseology that won't bring trouble.

Sure, I published his email without permission, but what did he expect, sending a high-quality email about a blog entry to its author?  If he's lucky, two months from now, he'll be a public official whose EVERY email will be available through public information requests.

I write the above with much hesitation, and allowed 24 hours for the situation to be resolved, but have received no response.  Feldman may be your best candidate, and may not be the farthest-left candidate I painted him as, but now, you may never know.

Well, I tried.

And he's welcome to try again, as are all the other candidates.

(All candidates and voters, are encouraged to write comments below, challenge my thoughts and change our minds!)
 

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Just a few thoughts on the Democratic Primary race for Rep. Wasserman's seat .. there are TWO short weeks before the September 9th vote.

First off .. there is one final Candidate Forum scheduled.  The Milwaukee Area Jewish Committee is hosting a forum at the Whitefish Bay Library, Tuesday, September 2nd at 7pm.  It will be moderated by Dr. Enrique Figueroa, who is the Director of the Roberto Hernandez Center at UWM and a Host of the 4th Street Forum.

All four Democratic candidates will be there, plus the sole Republican candidate.

I was looking for other news on what the candidates have been up to and found that ExpressMilwaukee.com has done a nice profile on each Democratic candidate, asking them identical questions. Here are the links to each article:

• Guy Johnson
• Andy Feldman 
• Sandy Pasch
• Dan Kohl

These 4 Q&As do a great job defining each candidate, although many of their positions are the same.

All four think Milwaukee School Choice is not a great success, or should be eliminated.  I'm surprised by that, since I would assume most of the 22nd District favors School Choice, especially the Milwaukee chunk.  When the Democratic party will cease their opposition to School Choice, I know not.  MPS is a failing system .. eliminating School Choice, driving some 22,000 kids back into MPS would be a disaster.  Most folks believe the voucher system has a positive effect on the lives of thousands of families, and should be supported to an extent. 

Update:  Johnson called for its elimination.  Feldman, Pasch, and Kolh gave more nuanced answers, which you can read for yourself.

All four candidates are strongly in favor of Wisconsin giving universal Health Care to all citizens (Healthy Wisconsin) .. although I think Johnson's statement, that he "favors comprehensive health care for all, but it has to come at the national level to be effective" is the most moderate.  The 22nd District is one of the most affluent in Wisconsin, which is to say, the uninsured population of the district is far smaller than most.   Johnson has the best answer there.

Asked if Wisconsin should ease restrictions on the building of nuclear power plants, Feldman replies with a flat "no", Kohl and Pasch suggest flexibility if safety issues are addressed, but Johnson comes through with, again, the best answer .. with safety "insurances, nuclear plants are a better option than fossil plant options, both in terms of fuel availability environmental protection."  Mental note guys, even Democratic Gov. Doyle just said he favors lifting the nuclear moratorium for power plants in Wisconsin. 

All four think illegal immigrants should be charged in-state tuition in the UW-System .. again, surprising none have a more moderate stance, since, firstly, there are very few illegal immigrants in the 22nd district, but also, that's an unpopular position, unless you are pretty far left on the political spectrum.   Clearly, that may play in a suburb like Shorewood, but much less so as you go North, to Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, River Hills, etc.

Finally, asked if Milwaukee County should be allowed to raise their Sales Tax 1% to provide revenue for transit, parks, and the arts, Feldman and Pasch gave a simple "Yes" .. while Kohl and Johnson tempered their responses, suggesting they would be leery of tax increases.  Good for them.

So now what?

I admit I am in a bit of a quandary.  Originally, I was going to pick a candidate, endorse them on this blog, and plant a lawn sign in front of my house weeks ago.  I haven't been able to pick one yet.  

From these interviews, and from what I heard from the last forum, Feldman sounds like the farthest left candidate.   He might be the smartest guy up there, and he's great at public speaking, but his eager support for certain policies make me uncomfortable.  No nuclear power, no school choice, yes to Healthy Wisconsin, yes to an increase in sales taxes, yes to illegal immigrants being granted entrance and in-state tuition.  That may work in Shorewood, but the rest of the 22nd has divergent views.  Update:  I have mis-read Feldman's view on School Choice.  He did not suggest it be eliminated and gave a nuanced answer, read for yourself.

Kohl impressed me at the forum as a well-spoken, smart guy.  He's stopped by my house a couple times and wrote a note, which I appreciate.  But ..  "I'm proud of my own credentials. It's about me. It's not about Herb," (Dan) Kohl said.  Well, then, why did you have uncle Herb send out a campaign letter on your behalf?    That's just bush-league.   Win because you're right on the issues, win because you can really represent the people and their desires.  Don't win because you're some guy's nephew.   Disappointing.  Didn't need to do that.

Pasch continues to be the health care candidate.  As I stated before, Dr. Wasserman was (and will continue to be) representing all us in that field, and that's just not one of my top 5 issues for the 22nd District.  Last time I wrote that, I got an immediate response from the Pasch campaign, telling me Pasch is not a one trick pony, etc.  That's fine and dandy, but when asked "What's the biggest challenge facing your district" the response was "Health-care concerns loom large.."  Two of the three (!) pieces of Pasch mail I received today had healthcare plastered all over.  Sorry. Pasch's entire background is health care and nursing.

Today the JS Editorial Board rolled out their endorsement for Pasch for .. drum roll .. health care reasons.

Finally, there's Guy Johnson.  While I reported that Johnson's performance at the Shorewood Forum wasn't the greatest .. I gotta admit his moderate, somewhat non-partisan, pragmatic, thoughtful answers to questions makes him a very appealing candidate.  Clearly, the other candidates are out fund-raising him nearly ten-fold, and that's too bad.  He might be the best representative for the 22nd district.  If Republicans cross-over and vote in this primary, they would be best served to vote for Johnson.

With a huge money disadvantage, that's Johnson's path to victory.  With four candidates in this race, the winner only needs 25-30% of the total.  The 22nd district is about 40-45% Republican .. if he gets half of them to cross over, he wins this race.  I'm not suggesting that's his secret scheme, but he's the most politically center Dem candidate, making him attractive to Republicans as their 2nd choice.

You ask, why not consider Yash Wadhwa, the sole Republican running in this race?   Because he's going to lose. By a ton.  Last time I wrote that it would take the eventual Democratic candidate running over two dozen puppies for Wadhwa to have a chance.  Wadhwa phoned me up, and asked "Do you know where I can buy some puppies?" -- No doubt, Wadhwa may have the best sense of humor in this race, which should console him as he loses the November election by 20 points.

Other 22nd District Race Articles:

• WI Jewish Chronicle profiles Pasch, Feldman, and Kohl, all from the Jewish community.
  
• WI Democracy Campaign - Fund-raising reports for all 5 candidates - Scroll down to "A22"
• Express Milwaukee.com profiles all four candidates
• Wow .. Dan Kohl is a good golfer.
  
• WFB's Advocates for Education did a Q&A with each candidate .. good read.
• Lame article from JSOnline describing each candidate.  I call it lame because .. they should be doing a HUGE story on this race .. an open seat, four qualified candidates? 

Stay informed .. make sure you read the 22nd Assembly District Forum Recap, the Race for Wasserman's open seat.

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This just isn’t helpful.

Last week, Silver Spring merchant Tom Harris, owner of the Great Frame Up, received a $164 citation for .. drum roll .. trying to do business.

His crime?  He put out a 3 foot tall "sandwich" board on the sidewalk in front of his shop.   

Horrors.

Whitefish Bay’s building inspector saw it, and warned Harris that the sign was in violation of Whitefish Bay zoning code.   Harris then moved the sign from the sidewalk to private property.

Later, an inspector came back, saw the sign was now on private property, suggested Harris was “screwing with him” and wrote out a $164 citation. 

Sure enough, section 16.18F, #6 prohibits the following signs:  Advertising vehicles, changeable message signs, electronic signs, flashing signs, portable signs, off-premises signs, roof signs, swinging signs, and, you guessed it, SANDWICH SIGNS!   

Jesus, Tom, the law is the law.    Who do you think you are?

The Great Frame Up has been a solid business along Silver Spring for 15 years, and they've donated generously to Whitefish Bay's civic events and programs over the years to the tune of over 6-figures.  A couple times a year, for 4-5 days, they want to put out a sign to market themselves to passers-by.  Their reward?  A $164 ticket.

We're not talking some crappy easel, paper, and crayon sign.  This is a professionally made quality sign.  It's not gaudy, it's not impeding traffic, and it's pretty small.  (See picture).

Uh-oh, Patricia’s.  Uh-oh, Sendik's.  I’m sure these scoff-laws also got $164 tickets, too.  (See pictures below.)   Or did the building inspector single out The Great Frame Up?

NOTE TO VILLAGE TRUSTEES:  THIS IS THE KIND OF CRAP THAT MAKES IT TOUGHER FOR MERCHANTS TO STAY IN BUSINESS.   The Trustees need to go through the ENTIRE CODE, and declare a moratorium on every merchant-unfriendly ordinance.   Two more businesses closed this month, there are rumors another two are going belly up within weeks. 

The Silver Spring merchants need the green light to do everything they can to eek out a living and stay afloat.   I don't care if they want to have daily elephant rides and fireworks.     We're close to, or in a recession, unemployment is up, inflation is up, Silver Spring's physical condition is abysmal, and theoretically, the Village is going to dig up the street going into the holiday season, suppressing business.

We are at DEFCON 1.  Call up the Whitefish Bay Professional Association, ask them how you can help, and make it all happen at the very next board meeting.

Lastly .. if the Village wants to give out tickets .. how about giving citations for the hideous collection of weeds growing at the Talbots property?    Aren't landlords responsible for their property?   It looks like abandoned lot, and makes Silver Spring look even worse.

Picture courtesy of Gordy Lang:

Stay informed .. make sure you read the 22nd Assembly District Forum Recap, the Race for Wasserman's open seat.

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 And the next Silver Spring Merchant into the deadpool is...

Bella Donna.  BD closed their doors yesterday.

Here's some irony .. as you google Bella Donna, you get a Journal-Sentinel article about Silver Spring from 2006, right after Bayshore opened:

Bay Shops Want to Keep Up With Neighbor:

..notable vacancies have appeared (on SS) lately: last week's closing of Heinemann's restaurant, and the departure of Talbots women's clothing, which will close its Silver Spring Drive store and reopen Thursday at the new Bayshore Town Center, in neighboring Glendale. Another restaurant, Ciao Café, shut down in July.

"It really disturbs me right now with all the people on Silver Spring leaving," said Cardone, who invested $30,000 to open Bella Donna a year ago. "We've got to change it around somehow."

"If we play our cards right, we can easily piggyback off of (Bayshore)," said Chris Breyfogle, who owns Murray's Wine and Spirits, a specialty beer, wine and liquor store in the middle of the Silver Spring Drive strip.

Bayshore is a threat "if we stand idly by and fail to improve our business district," said Jim Roemer, a banker and treasurer of the Whitefish Bay Community Development Authority.  (Roemer is now a Trustee.)

If smart improvements occur, Roemer said, the business district "could be a real cool, eclectic complement to the more mainstream retail in Bayshore."

...street improvements have been discussed since 2001, when Bayshore announced its expansion and redevelopment plans. But that proposal has moved slowly, Harris said.

The streetscape project, which could include new sidewalks, lighting, benches and decorative planters, didn't happen immediately because village officials wanted to make those improvements and other changes in conjunction with a planned street reconstruction, said Ray Krueger, an attorney and Community Development Authority chairman.

...Meanwhile, plans for some of the sidewalk improvements are now proceeding, Krueger said. There is no specific timetable or cost estimate yet, but the project is "high on the agenda," Krueger said. The village also has created a program to provide facade improvement grants for commercial building owners on Silver Spring Drive.

Still, things have moved slowly, said Brian Henry, who operates Fox-Bay Cinema Grill, one of the street's largest businesses.

"It was sleepy when I got here seven years ago," Henry said. "It's gotten sleepier."

..."I think Whitefish Bay needs to open its eyes," Cardone said. "That's all I'm going to say."

Wow! 

TWO YEARS have clicked off since that article was written.

Two of the three merchants who were quoted ARE OUT OF BUSINESS. 

The streetscaping project has been talked to death, and as far as I know, has no start date. 

Brian Henry said "it's gotten sleepier" in 2006 .. what is it now?  Comatose?

Beyond sad.

Stay informed .. make sure you read the 22nd Assembly District Forum Recap, the Race for Wasserman's open seat.

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In years' past, I've not watched a lot of Olympic coverage .. this year has been different for one reason .. High Definition TV.    I went HD a couple months ago, and generally speaking, have given up watching non-HD television.  I've enjoyed watching the odd sports, ping-pong, badminton, hand ball, etc.

What does this have to do with magic?   Every time I see a magic act, however amazing, I think .. you know .. this is just a trick.  The magician is not really making the rabbit disappear.  He's not really pulling a quarter out of your ear.  It's a trick.  It's an illusion, sleight of hand, misdirection, trap doors, camera tricks.  It's not witchcraft.  It's human trickery designed to misdirect your senses, to create an illusion that something amazing has occurred, when in reality, the guy behind the curtain has spent hours preparing to deceive you in an amazing way.

The Beijing 2008 Olympics is a huge magic act.  I wouldn't take anything away from the athletes, of course.  But the show China's government is putting on, while perhaps the most grandiose in history, is also the Most Phony Olympics in History.

Starting with the glorious opening ceremonies .. the Chinese used a "prettier" 7 year old lip-syncer because the real 7 year old wasn't cute enough.  Gotta fake us out.

Beijing is normally one of the most polluted cities on the globe.  Not this week.  They've shut down most of the factories, forced half the cars of the road, all to give the world an illusion.  Those factories will be flipped back on next week, and the millions of Chinese people will again breathe soot.  Another trick.

The Chinese set up a number of parks as "official protest" zones.  Of course, every protest group was denied permission to actually protest.  Turns out, the Chinese police went around arresting most of the people who applied.  NBC did a nice piece on one of the protest applicants who disappeared shortly after her application was submitted.      Again, China giving the illusion of allowing public disagreement.  Just another trick.

Then there's all the Chinese athletes.   Just like the USSR of old, China's government goes around finding children with potential, takes them from their families, puts them in camps to train 24/7, to give the world an another illusion.    Bogus, bogus, bogus. 

As I watch the show, ceremonies, and every Chinese athlete, I have this nagging feeling that if they don't march in step, bang that drum in perfect time, jump higher, throw harder, row faster, shoot sharper .. that if they don't, shortly after their event, after the TV cameras are off, the failing athletes and their families will be marched off a cliff.  No wonder China has a giant lead in gold-medal count.  Their athletes are extraordinarily motivated.

So .. China is spending billions on the Olympics to show the world what a super-duper nation it is .. makes me wonder, are people buying the magic act? 

Ok, who had "Balia Wellness" in the Silver Spring Dead Pool? 

Pick up your winnings. 

Word of their demise is on their website, they closed up shop last week, but are refunding gift certificates.

Note to CNI Newspaper staff:   Let me save you some time.  I can write your official five paragraphs on Balia's closing.

It's kind of like a Mad-Lib:

___________ is the latest East Silver Spring Drive business to close. It began a liquidation sale early last week.

In addition to the larger economic pressures, ______ said he believes the opening of Bayshore Town Center in Glendale has hurt businesses on Silver Spring in Whitefish Bay.

"Foot traffic on our street is close to half of what it was," ______ said.

_______ questions if the village could have done more in getting businesses onto the street that would have increased foot traffic, like approving the Silver Spring streetscaping plan to improve aesthetics and other development projects, or allowing attention grabbing temporary outdoor signage.

A Village Official responded, “Businesses don’t go out of business because of trees on the street.”

------------

Stay informed .. make sure you read the 22nd Assembly District Forum Recap, the Race for Wasserman's open seat.

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I attended Tuesday's forum of the four Democratic candidates competing for Sheldon Wasserman's Assembly seat.

First  .. I want to strongly thank the League of Women Voters for hosting this event.  What a great public service these folks do.  I know I sound like a candidate there, but these forums are a tremendous benefit to voters. --  There will be another forum for the Senate candidates, Wasserman and Darling, later in October. 

I was also very pleased at the turnout.  The Shorewood Library room was packed, standing room only.  I'd estimate about 200-250 people were in attendance.

The format was simple .. each candidate made a 2 minute opening statement.  The League asked the first three questions, then combobulated eight more questions from audience question cards.  Candidates were given 90 seconds to answer. 

Honestly, the format is pretty terrible.  No one can give a legitimate answer to a tough question in 90 seconds without being vague.  All four candidates were guilty of describing the issues without demonstrating specifics on how they would solve them.   Mostly, the 90 second format is to blame. 

Here's an example. There was wide-open question on the Environment and Energy Efficiency.   Each candidate gave out platitudes about how great Lake Michigan is, how we must protect it, how they were happy the Great Lakes Compact was passed.  Blah, blah, blah.  Hell, any audience member could have given that kind of answer.   Another wide-open question about the WI State Budget.  "We must be bi-partisan" was a typical chant.  Wow.  Such insight! 

I'd much prefer a forum with fewer, yet bigger, questions with moderator follow-up and more time for candidates to explain their whole positions, talk amongst themselves for contrast.  Take half an hour, talk about the State Budget.  I realize that would be a very challenging moderator job.  But I digress. 

While I took notes on each candidate's position on each topic, I will not pretend to be able to properly explain each viewpoint.  However .. I did "grade" each candidate's response to each question.   What do I base this on?  Two items. Primarily content, but also style and presence, and what each candidate did with 90 seconds.

Why?  Look, you've got four Democratic candidates here.  They all pretty much agree on everything.  Environment?  Let's protect it.  Smoking bans?  You betcha.  Health Care?  Everyone should have it.  Drinking & Driving laws?  Let's toughen them!  The 4th candidate to reply almost always said "Well, I agree with the other 3 guys here."

There's no real answer here.  I'm just a guy sitting in the audience, taking notes, picking a grade.  This is completely subjective on my part.  I tried my best to give each candidate a chance, tried to listen to each one and what they were saying.   I can admit to being a co-captain of our high-school debate team, so I know a little bit about the topic of grading public speaking.

Of course, I also graded candidates on their tiny variations, what they spoke of in those 90 seconds.   Dan Kohl got points for mentioning the desire to have an independent DNR secretary.  Guy Johnson got extra points for saying that the education funding formula benefits MPS, and that the solution to MPS' woes will come from their administration, schools, and families.  Feldman got extra points for wanting a comprehensive solution to MPS' problems, including child well being, anti-poverty, and transportation issues.  Pasch got points for talking about property tax burdens.  Ad infinitum.

If a candidate was vague and their 90 seconds were riddled with platitudes, they got bad grades.  If they hit some specific points or action items, they got good grades.  Questions were also graded on a curve, as there were some that I don't believe anyone could really give a good answer to, in 90 seconds.   If they were eloquent with a crappy answer, they got some points, too.  Inarticulate, crappy answers are, of course, the worst outcome.

Grades for each of the 11 questions .. each candidate is listed in random order. 

Dan Kohl:  B, B, C, B, A-, B+, A-, A-, A-, B,  A-
Sandy Pasch:  B-, B-, C, C, B-, A, C, B, A, B, B, B+
Guy Johnson: C+, C, B, C, A-, C, C-, A+, C-, B-, B+
Andy Feldman:  A-, B, C-, B, A-, B+, C+, A, A, A, A-

After a little data crunching, I think I did a pretty decent job.  My gut told me who was 1, 2, 3, 4 as I left, and my average grades hit my gut.  I'm not going to show the math here.  There's no point in finding who won, or lost, by 3 tenths of a point.  It's more interesting to note the top two, Kohl and Feldman.

I was most impressed by Andy Feldman, but a close 2nd was Dan Kohl.  Feldman had a really solid presence, on answering questions, citing talking points, and using his remaining time knowing how valuable it was, talking to 250 voters on issues.  That's not to say I loved every answer Feldman gave.  You can tell he's an eager "progressive" Democrat.  That should scare you a little.

The last place candidate "won" some questions, just as the first place candidate tanked a few.  

I shot two video sequences .. honestly, they aren't particularly representative of the whole forum .. candidates are reading their opening and closing statements, to a great extent.  The real test is the Q&As, where each has to think on their feet.

Note:  This is amateur video, so it's a bit shaky, and there are a couple times people walk in front of me!

The first is each candidate's opening statement. 

The second video is two items .. I wanted to tape one of the questions .. I ended up getting the last question, one I believe was pretty weak and had little to do with how legislators legislate.  (I'm sure some disagree.)  It's a softball question about prayer time before Assembly meetings.

Following that question is each candidate's ending statement.

***  Make sure you read the Candidate Roundup, written last week.

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Just a reminder .. there is a "candidate forum" tonight (Tuesday, August 5) held by the Milwaukee chapter of the League of Women Voters for the 22nd Assembly seat vacated by Sheldon Wasserman.  The forum starts at 6:30.

All 4 Democratic candidates will be in attendance:  Andy Feldman, Guy Johnson, Sandra Pasch, and Dan Kohl.

League member Mary Lou Zuege will moderate.

The forum will be held at the Shorewood Village Center (lower level of Library) from 6:30 pm to 8 pm.

The Shorewood Library is on 3920 N. Murray Avenue.  (Click for map)

Before you go, make sure you read my 22nd District Roundup, with candidate profiles, websites, issues, etc.

Finally, one other note:  To those of you who receive Village Spillage in your email box .. Last night an email went out for a blog post (on Owls) from months ago.  I have no idea why it was re-sent.  Hopefully, it is an isolated issue.

If you'd like to make sure you never miss a post, sign up free here!

So yesterday I read the email alert for the posting of the agenda for Monday's WFB Trustee meeting.   I noticed two items, a "Commendation for Jim Brennan" and "Discussion of vacancy on Board".  Putting two and two together, I emailed a village official and got confirmation that indeed, Brennan had resigned July 31st due to health reasons.  (Village Spillage wishes Trustee Brennan well.)

But this episode is a great example of how poor the Village is at communication.

The resignation of a Trustee is pretty big news.  It means that a 3rd new member will be joining the board in 2008, which is significant turnover.   Brennan wasn't some member of an arts & crafts committee.  He was one of the seven elected officials who run our Village. 

How did Villagers find out?  Some silly blogger just happened to read the agenda and wrote about it.   Crazy.

Now, maybe the Village put out a notice to the media, and they'd left for a long weekend.  Maybe.  But meanwhile, how about using that new Village website, and its "Announcements" page?  Seems like a great place for something like this.

Next up .. is the debate on how to fill the vacancy.  Brennan was re-elected in April 2007, so his term goes to 2010.

Shorewood just finished going through this same problem.  They discussed 4 options.

1. Leave the slot vacant until 2010
   
2. Appoint someone until 2010, or until a special election
3. Have a special election on the November 2008 ballot (3 months from now)
4. Add the spot in the April 2009 election.  (Currently, Trustees Schmid and Cheng will be up for re-election at that time.)

I think my least favorite option is to leave the slot vacant.  2nd least favorite is to wait until April of 2009 .. we had enough trouble scaring up 3 candidates for 2 spots in April 2008.  Imagine filling 3 spots.

Then there's trying to do a November 2008 election.  Logistically, that's pretty tough as well, to find candidates, get them to run in a compressed election time-table.   It can be done, though.  The wildcard is just trying to finding multiple decent candidates who will give it a try. 

Finally, appointing a villager has its pros and cons.  I can't find where our municipal code explains how this is done, but I'd guess the Trustees interview interested parties, then choose one.  On the one hand, it shortcuts the effort necessary to run an election and it probably guarantees multiple candidates, and allows the board to flunk out light-weights. To have 6 Trustees pick someone to join their club has a spectrum of possibilities, more skewed however, to choosing the like-minded.

Tough choices.

Make sure to read the entry on the 22nd District Candidate Roundup for Wasserman's Seat.

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