First, I'd like to welcome the hundreds of new readers to this blog.  Blog traffic has been 10 times normal this week, and I hope I've provided a service to the public with this election series.  Stick around. 

When I first started writing about Whitefish Bay's election, I attempted to be an objective observer for the public.  I admitted I would make endorsements at the end of the race.  After interviewing all the candidates, it was easy to select who I wanted to vote for .. it was excruciating writing about it.  It's tough to pick one person over another and let the world know about it. 

First, the judicial race.  Christensen trounced Peterson by 26 points.  How did that happen?  Christensen ran a great campaign.  He was out shaking hands on the street, in front of schools.  Sent out a couple smartly targeted mailings.  At first, I didn't get it.   It is a municipal judge race.  Why work so hard?  The answer is: to win.  Lots of effort = lots of votes.

I was at Christensen's house for their election party .. I've never been to one before.  I admit, it was pretty exciting hearing the results read off. 

As for the Trustee race, Siegel was the top vote getter, with Fehring 3% behind.  Siegel won the same way the Judicial race was won, with effort.  She bought and planted a large number of lawn signs, brightly colored, with good placement, and that makes a huge difference. 

Fee losing was slightly surprising, as incumbents rarely lose.  But how many voters actually could name their Trustee?  Probably not many.  This was Fee's first contested election, and I think he struggled to find his stride.  I don't recall getting any literature from his campaign.   I had endorsed Fee, as I was impressed with his skills, and believe the board will miss his voice.

I am unabashedly pleased that Tom Fehring won a seat on the Board.  I met Tom through writing this blog, as he had a number of ideas to share about Silver Spring's renewal.  When I realized the Trustee race was going to be uncontested, I thought of Tom and encouraged him to run.  I'd like to believe I goaded him in to running, but I'll bet it was his wife who wanted him out of the house.  Fehring ran a smart campaign, and will be a fantastic addition to the Village Board.

Pritchard won handily by 35+ points over the withdrawn-Weas.  I wouldn't say that all 32% of Weas' votes were "protest" votes against Pritchard .. Maybe half of them.  The other half are people who probably couldn't name the current Village Board President.   Pritchard is a solid leader for our Village, and if you don't think so, you're not paying attention.

The school board race results are not available on-line.  One would guess Marie Greco and Jim Phillips won by large margins over the late write in candidate.

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

Just got this email from Doug Weas:

I've decided to drop my effort to run for Village President. I learned over the last few weeks that I'm much more guarded of my personal space and time than I had thought. The commitment required to do this job properly is beyond what I'm able to commit at this time. I will be contacting Katie Pritchard to see if she can find a place for me on the CDA which will allow me to push for the kind of changes I think we need...

Maybe the blog interview pushed him over the edge! 

Well, that's a shame. It's always good to have two candidates for one position, as it makes both of them work harder to gain every vote.   There is no doubt that Katie Pritchard was a well known and formidable candidate. 

Honestly, I was not looking forward to writing an endorsement for that race.  Prichard has done very well in the past six years.  Weas would have brought an aggressiveness to Silver Spring's redevelopment that is badly needed.  Hopefully, he can do so through volunteering his time and talent to the CDA.

DOUG WEAS

Last week, I spoke to Doug Weas at length about the skills he brings to the table, why he’s running, and what he hopes to do.

Doug grew up in the Green Bay area and went to UWM, majoring in Mass Communications. He’s worked in journalism, construction management, public relations, and most currently, real estate development. His wife grew up in Whitefish Bay, and wanted to raise a family here. Weas has three boys, 8, 11, and 13, attending St. Monica's.

Weas and four others work for Weas Development. In short, as a real estate developer, Weas buys vacant land or buildings on the market, constructs or remodels the property, finds a tenant, then manages the building.

I asked Weas, a busy father of three, why he was running. "Because I can make a difference. We need to be much more aggressive to make Silver Spring a really wonderful retail environment, and right now, we're not doing that. I can use many of the things I understand best about real estate and marketing trends, and apply that to Silver Spring. I think the Village Board needs new ideas and new leadership. I know the kind of things I can accomplish, and know I can make a difference."

While Weas has not served on any official Whitefish Bay committees, he has advised our CDA on occasion, and as a real estate developer, has spoken in front of many municipal boards, giving him eye witness accounts of both good and bad governance.

Weas explained that, with the State of Wisconsin holding annual tax levy increases to 2% plus new development, "if we don't improve the Silver Spring business district, we can only survive so long as a village. Whitefish Bay is land locked, and must increase the value of, not only the business district, but also the residential sector, and make it easier for homeowners to increase the values of their own homes."

Weas suggested that the process of home renovation is challenging in the Village, and the system should be streamlined. He did not suggest allowing cheaper materials or construction methods, but was in favor of loosening the guidelines, creating a more efficient process, and to take an attitude that the Village should encourage residents to improve their homes, which grows the tax base.

"Silver Spring has a great base, a great presence. Whitefish Bay must market the district, and should use the tools that government provides, TIF districts and on rare occasion, Eminent Domain." Weas pointed to a recent "convention" Shorewood put together, where they brought the Village Manager, Board Members, businesses, and land developers together at Hubbard Park Lodge and asked a simple question: What can we do to entice you to move to Shorewood?

Whitefish Bay has "signature opportunities" on Silver Spring that need to be cultivated, Weas said. In order to get the sort of retail developments, the Village must partner with developers, providing TIF revenue to help create desirable properties, or it won't happen. Case in point, Weas suggested, was the proposal to create a retail / office space / condo development on the Famous Footwear/Talbot's property. The developer needed assistance, but TIF money was not provided. (The end result has been that the owner of that property has spoken to CVS and is in discussions with Aurora, two tenants that would be undesirable for Silver Spring's redevelopment. -Kevin)

Weas is in favor of creating a Business Improvement District (BID), however, ultimately believes the Village Board must drive the process of recruiting developers and business to Silver Spring.

My last question to Doug encompassed, of course, my pet issue: When you were growing up in Ashwaubenon, when did you Trick-or-Treat?

Answer: "October 31st, at night."

Enough said.

I wish to thank Doug for taking the time for the interview. I hope to speak to David Fee in the next week, and follow up with all the candidates as we approach the April election.

In the mean time, be sure to read the interviews of the other candidates:

As announced a few weeks ago, we have a race for Whitefish Bay Village Board President. Katie Pritchard is seeking her 3rd three-year term and is being challenged by Doug Weas.

While the NorthShoreNOW covered the Village Board races .. it dedicated about 3 sentences to each candidate. That’s where this blog comes in, as I will try to interview each of the five candidates running for the three spots on our Board of Trustees, and give them ample space to talk about the issues.  

KATHLEEN PRITCHARD

I sat down with Katie Pritchard and interviewed her for about an hour this Sunday.  To date, I’ve interviewed three other candidates, all new-comers to the Whitefish Bay political scene.  Pritchard is the first incumbent I’ve spoken to, and thus, the interview was vastly different.

We already know who Pritchard is, as she’s led the village for two terms, and has had a hand in every major decision for her 6 years in office.    We remember how, in 2002, she challenged James Gormley, who held the position for a dozen years.  The 2002 challenge was unusual, as Whitefish Bay had gone 55 years since an incumbent Village President had even been challenged (an amazing factoid.)   Pritchard was re-elected in 2005 unopposed, but this year, a challenger, Doug Weas,  has surfaced and Pritchard must defend her position.

The defense starts with commentary about the past 6 years.  I asked Pritchard for her accomplishments over this period, and in all honesty, was impressed with the drumbeat of items. 

She inherited a Village budget in deficit status, and has changed that to a surplus over 6 years.  Pritchard has been directly involved in creating the Village’s first Community Development Authority (CDA) and Historic Preservation Commission, as well as creating a Village Financing plan, and 5-year Capital Improvement plan where none existed before.  There are also new regulations about residential demolitions that were created this past term.  She is also proud of her effort to fill every Village commission with new volunteers on a regular basis.  (No small feat.)

While Pritchard is sensitive to Silver Spring ’s situation, she would like to point out the good changes that have occurred over 6 years.  The Silver Spring business district has increased in assessed value from $36 Million to $65M.  She explained that some businesses on The Drive have had their best years ever, and while there are vacancies, new businesses have entered the village in recent history, from the Balia Wellness Center, to Hounds Around Town, and Milwaukee’s Finest Guitars to name a few, and nearly every building strip on Silver Spring has taken advantage of the façade improvement program the Village funds. 

We spoke briefly about the status of the most recent story about Silver Spring and its redevelopment, concerning an Aurora Clinic moving in to the current Talbot’s/Famous Footwear location.  In October of last year, the Board had voted to initiate Eminent Domain unless the property owners submitted a proposal that fit the Community Development Authority's master plan for the business district.  Since none was submitted, I asked Pritchard what had happened.   “Eminent Domain needs 4 votes on the board.  We have 3,” Pritchard explained.  I also asked what the chances are that Aurora would win approval, and with a wink, she said “Well, Aurora is usually pretty successful with this kind of thing.”

Pritchard does believe the Talbot’s property is a “stronghold” and she would like to see a vibrant Silver Sprint business district, with multiple restaurants and residences for empty-nesters who could take advantage of the shopping and grocery offerings on the block.   She agrees that a Business Improvement District would be great, but it has been voted down (by the business owners) in the past.  "I believe that the most successful redevelopment efforts require a partnership between businesses and government," with business in the lead, not the Village Board. 

Finally, we did speak about what I had written, concerning her Bay Leaves column, where I’d suggested that there is a lack of information and communication in Whitefish Bay that should be addressed.  Pritchard defended her position, and listed her efforts to inform the Villagers, with quarterly Bay Leaves and monthly “Saturday Morning Coffee” with the Village President, which has been attended by as many as 45 people.  Pritchard believes it is the responsibility of the citizenry to be informed, and to seek out information on their own.

I wish to thank Katie for taking the time to talk with me.  I will have an interview with Doug Weas up tomorrow.

Well, the filing period came and went, and we've got a few races. 

While I'd focused on the Whitefish Bay Trustee spots, of which two are open for three candidates, a last minute entry came into the dock for WFB Board President to challenge Katie Pritchard.  Doug Weas, who, if Google is correct, is this guy, and heads Weas Development, which appears to be a real estate developer, or consultant of some sort. 

I'm pleased that Weas has entered the race, as uncontested races are no good.  I will try to get interviews with Pritchard, Weas, and David Fee in the next few weeks.

State-wide, we have a race for State Rep (22), since Sheldon Wasserman is challenging Alberta Darling for State Senate.   Sandra Pasch (of Whitefish Bay) and Rosemary Ponik (Brown Deer), both Democrats, will face off in the September 2nd primary.  Winner coasts to victory in November.

The Winter 2007 "Bay Leaves" arrived in the mail today.  Looks like it's a bit late, as there are a number of announcements meant for December.

But the bigger story was the front page "Greetings from the Village President" by Katie Pritchard.   Usually, Pritchard writes a quality, professional missive full of news items without histrionics.  Not this quarter.

"Kudos to the many of you who took the time to determine the facts before responding to the rumors about CVS.  The fact is that while CVS did look at a site on .. Silver Spring .. the Village has not received an application .. that would be required .. to proceed."

Umm. How are you supposed to interpret that?   Pritchard identifies two types of people who are interested in the issue.  Those that have the facts, kudos to them, and those who do not, who, to put it kindly, get no kudos.

And then there was:

"Unfortunately, some people were similarly misled when they were told that Village ordinances discourage restaurants on Silver Spring... I commend those of you who took the time to consult the website or contact our Village Manager to verify the facts in these situations and encourage all of you to consider the importance of sound information in good government decision making."

Hey, you know what would have been a better response here, instead of criticizing those who weren't as informed?  How about informing them?    While WFB did have some bits of information on this subject on the village website, they have since been removed. 

At worst, however, what Pritchard should have taken away from this is that there is a lack of accurate information floating around the Village, and instead of complaining about the complainers, get on your horse, get a newsletter out, call a press conference, post a lengthy explanation on the website of what's happening, what the rules are, in short: COMMUNICATE!

Honestly, I'm flabbergasted with this very public poke in the eye to a segment of Village residents.  Pritchard's jibes sounded like that first draft you write from your gut, including impolite things you want to say, but edit out in future drafts because you realize how unprofessional it sounds.

And for the record, I'm not insulted.  Besides voicing my opposition to the possibility of CVS moving in, I went to the Village Board meeting where the Manager discussed the CVS situation, and WROTE about it here, sharing the information.  -- I know people who've claimed WFB officially discourages restaurants and liquor licenses, but I have reserved judgment due to lack of facts, as I've personally never read that it has occurred.

I can imagine Pritchard's frustration, but there's an antidote to ignorance.  Truth be told, the information flow in the Village is very weak.  With shallow news coverage and, let's face it, a terrible village website, sidewalk chatter fills the void.

That should be WFB's New Year's Resolution:  Better communication.  If the newspapers won't do it, then updates should be plentiful on WFB's website.   Minutes of official meetings should be posted quickly, not two months after the fact.  When an issue, like Silver Spring or CVS comes up, a bulletin should be posted with all the relevant information and frequently asked questions.  That's how you combat public ignorance. 

Or how about .. start a blog!  Imagine what a few paragraphs each week from the Village President or Manager would do for information flow and community dialog!   

The block that includes the Schmid & Bartelt funeral home, 106 W. Silver Spring Drive.

Interesting list. I've always been confused as to what “expanding” Sendik's means. It's not like they have excess parking.


In order to expand .. they’d need to reclaim that church on Beaumont. Anyone see that happening? I’ve heard people talk about that picnic-blanket sized patch of grass in the corner of Sendik’s parking lot. Even if it’s palatable to remove some green space like that, what does it bring Sendik’s, 10 parking spots? Can’t see how that’s worth it. Someone set me straight, what are they talking about, when someone suggests expanding Sendik’s?

And Zita's? Associated Bank, Fitz's, Schmid & Bartelt? Those are options for reclamation or "expansion"? Fascinating.

Block Party Denied

Residents of Lake View were denied a permit to have a block party on November 24th because "Trustees said Lake View is one of the main avenues leading to the Bayshore Town Center and closing it off would snarl traffic."

While I hate the idea that the existence of Bayshore is denying Lake View their American right to have a block party .. who thought a block party on November 24th was a good idea? We maxed out at 37 degrees fahrenheit that day. Sounds awfully chilly to ride bikes up and down the block!

NOTE:  The NOW website has transitioned to a new platform.  I have made an effort to save all the "texty" comments, however, they are formatted poorly.  Sorry.  In the future, you can use the "add comment" function at the bottom of each post.

Comments: