Commentary Update for January 29, 2002: Leschke, County Forum, County Execs' Letter, Budget Delay, Rylance on McCallum Proposal, Oshkosh West Logo, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Greetings,
As promised, the Commentary web site has a new interview with former Winnebago
County Board Supervisor Julie Pung-Leschke:
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/4moreforjpl.htm
Hopefully in the spring Jim and I will have Julie back on Commentary to talk
about her experiences on the Board.
Last night was the forum at the Coughlin Center on the budget crisis. Over 100 people showed up to tell Representatives Dean Kaufert and Gregg Underheim about what terrible consequences could befall cities and counties if the Governor's proposal to end the shared revenue program goes through. It was one of the most difficult events I have ever moderated, though I was pleasantly surprised that even with lots of elected officials in the room the hot air quotient remained relatively low. Underheim and I got into a tense exchange after the event was over, and I must thank County Supervisor Tom Pech Jr. for the gracious way in which he intervened during that exchange.
If you're in Oshkosh and happen to read this message in time, the forum will be broadcast at 8 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) on Oshkosh Cable Access Channel 10. It will be shown again on February 2nd at 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.
County Executive Jane Van De Hey, a regular Commentary guest who occasionally
glances at the web site, signed on to a letter yesterday with Brown County
Exec Nancy Nusbaum and Outagamie County Exec Toby Paltzer in which the request
is made of Guv. McCallum to place either Jane, Nancy or Toby on the new Blue
Ribbon Commission the Guv is proposing. Here's that letter:
http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/execstosm.htm
One last thing on the budget: the Madison Capital Times is reporting
in its Tuesday afternoon edition that McCallum has asked the legislature to
return the budget bill to him for more revisions, and that his State of the
State speech originally planned for next Tuesday will be delayed:
http://captimes.com/news/local/10583.php
Commentary reporter and pundit Dan Rylance has also written an exlcusive piece for the site about the McCallum proposal and local responses: http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/palmeri/rylanceonsmreform.htm
Some of you must have seen in the Northwestern today that the Oshkosh West
High School Indian logo/mascot is one step closer to being retired after
the school's site council voted to recommend to the school board that a new
logo/mascot be found. What was not in the newspaper, but is on the Northwestern's
web site, is a letter signed by our own Mr. Mather on behalf of the Oshkosh
Human Relations Council. Mather and the OHRC urge Oshkosh West to retire the
logo:
http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/local/012902-wav.html
Finally, our friends at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, who have done
more in our state than any single group to push for meaningful campaign finance
reform and clean government, unveiled a new web site look this week:
http://www.wisdc.org/
All the best,
-Tony