The first return program was a simple discussion between Mather and Palmeri reviewing the the old program and previewing the new. On June 16, Palmeri and Mather interviewed Superintendent of the Oshkosh Area Public Schools Dr. Ronald Heilmann and President of the Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education Ms. LuAnn Bird.

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June 23: The guest was Dr. James Simmons, Professor and Chair of the UW-Oshkosh Political Science Department. Dr. Simmons has also been an active member of Citizens of Representative Democracy (CORD), a group that has sponsored two ballot referendum questions (in 1996 and 1998) that would have changed the form of government in Oshkosh from Council/Manager to Mayor/Alderman. Discussion topics on the June 23 program included a local scandal involving a member of the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors, the evaluation of the Oshkosh City Manager, campaign finance reform, and the 2000 presidential campaign.

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July 1: In an hour-long interview with Palmeri and Mather,Winnebago County Executive Jane Van De Hey offered a feisty defense of her 1999 budget, claiming that she has stayed true to her 1997 campaign pledge to cut costs where possible while maintaining the quality of County services. Van De Hey spoke also about the need for a county ethics policy in light of the recent racetrack controversy, the size of the county board, the possible naming of the Fox River as an EPA Superfund site, and the status of the county jail. In response to a question about whether she would seek reelection, Van De Hey said it was too early to announce but said that much work still needed to be done and she wants to be able to "finish the job."

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July 7: Mark L. Harris, one of two new members of the Oshkosh Common Council, said in a July 7 taping of Commentary that Jackson St. residents opposed to the controversial plan to widen that street need to consider the economic impact to the city if the widening does not take place. The other new member of the council, Matt O'Malley, said on the same program that the street only needs repaving and that past city councils made a mistake in supporting the widening project.

O'Malley, who in his campaign for the council said that if elected he would hold a series of town hall meetings, said that he will begin having those meetings in the Fall. They will probably take place on the UWO campus and feature discussions of city departments and/or whatever the citizens in attendance would like to discuss.

Also on the program, Mr. Harris explained his plan to revise the city's petition system for widening streets. Harris and O'Malley also gave their views on the City Manager and how he should be evaluated. A variety of other issues were discussed in the hour long interview with Palmeri and Mather.

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July 14: Dan Rylance, a former North Dakota legislator and editorial writer for the Grand Forks Herald, said in a June 14 taping of Commentary that if the Bill of Rights were held to a vote today they probably would not pass. Rylance also spoke about his experiences as an editor and elected official, and said that a major problem affecting civil liberties today is the general "non-participation" of the citizenry.

Mr. Rylance, who now resides in Oshkosh, has written several provocative op-ed pieces for the Oshkosh Northwestern.

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July 21: Gail Shea, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign (WDC), said in a July 21 taping of Commentary that the Wisconsin legislature is on a path that will eventually lead to genuine campaign finance reform. Citing Governor Thompson's call for putting $750,000 toward public financing in his state budget request, as well as Senator Mike Eillis' more ambitious public financing plan, Shea said that real campaign finance reform is now a possibility.

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Ms. Shea, named the "Most Valuable Player in Wisconsin Politics" by the Madison Capital Times in 1996, has done more than any single individual to advance the cause of genuine campaign reform in Wisconsin. The WDC web site (www.wisdc.org) contains detailed information about the levels of spending in Wisconsin political races.

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July 28: Julie Pung Leschke, recently elected (April, 1998) to the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors, said in a July 28 taping of Commentary that the Board needs to begin investigating a variety of reforms to way it does business. Some reforms might include reducing the size of the Board and replacing the current per diem payment policy with a set salary for supervisors. Ms. Pung-Leschke, daughter of Bob Pung (a well known Oshkosh community leader), also gave her views on the County's proposed ethics policy and a variety of issues facing the board.

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August 3: David Langford, an internationally recognized expert and consultant on the application of quality principles to education, joined Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education President LuAnn Bird for an August 3 taping of Commentary. Langford was joined by Australian Educator Marilyn Chambers, a student of CQI who visited Oshkosh to help facilitate Langford's 4 day workshop with the Oshkosh Area School District (no, she is not _the_ Marilyn Chambers--get your head out of the gutter!). Langford and Bird argued that Quality Principles can help the school district better attain its "aims." Bird also disputed the Oshkosh Northwestern's claim that Langford and CQI have gotten a blank check from the school district, calling such claims "misinformed."

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August 11: Jim Fitzhenry and Stew Rieckman, Editorial Page Editor and Executive Editor of the Oshkosh Northwestern, sat for a one-hour interview with Mather and Palmeri on August 11. They claimed that the advertising and news departments of the paper are totally separate, and that editorial and news decisions are only made on the basis of the sound judgments of reporters and editors. Fitzhenry and Riekmann spoke also about their editorial page philosophy, how they select letters to the editor, what they mean by their "community focus," and many other issues.

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August 18: Oshkosh Mayor Melanie Bloechl, one of the city's most outspoken and often controversial public figures, was in top form during an August 18 interview with Mather and Palmeri. Bloechl was openly critical of those who opposed the hiring of city manager Dick Wollangk, saying that she was right to call former mayor Kathy Propp, councilor Steve Hintz, and local attorney Gary Yakes "cowards" for writing a joint letter in opposition to Wollangk in 1996. The Mayor also claimed that new councilor Matt O'Malley's claim on a Commentary episode of several weeks ago in which he pledged to vote against a budget with any tax increase was "stupid" and "immature." In a wide ranging interview, Mayor Bloechl discussed her vision for the city, why she favors Jackson St. widening, why she opposes the sundial plaza project on Main St., and many other issues. The entire interview can be seen on Titan-TV 12 at 7 p.m. from August 19-25.

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August 25: Regional Domestic Abuse Services (RDAS) Executive Director Peggy McGaffey explained the implications of RDAS taking a 10% cut in County aid as proposed by the Social Services Board. McGaffey, who took over as Executive Director in April of this year, claimed that she has yet to receive a satisfactory answer from County Board officials as to why RDAS was targeted for a budget cut. Joining Ms. McGaffey on the program was Annette Fuller, a volunteer at RDAS Christine Anne Shelter for victims of domestic abuse in Winnebago County. Ms. Fuller explained her position as "legal advocate" for abuse victims and also talked about some of the many myths that exist as regards domestic abuse.

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Sept. 2: M. Kevin McGee, a member of the Oshkosh Common Council well-known for his neighborhood initiatives, said in a September 1 interview with Palmeri and Mather that the city should seek to improve its petition system for street repair rather than eliminate it. For whatever flaws the petition system may have, McGee argued, the system still provides citizens with the opportunity to have a say in the development of their neighborhood(s). McGee, a Professor in the Department of Economics at UW Oshkosh, also discussed his views on the Jackson St. issue, Community Development Block Grant Funding, the possibilities of bringing casino gambling to Oshkosh, and a variety of other issues.

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Sept. 9: Johnny Romano, local comedian, bartender, and former common-council candidate, visited downtown Oshkosh on September 9 with Palmeri and Mather. Romano, known for his irreverence and wit, provided some humorous insights about the 100 Block of North Main St., the infamous Oshkosh sundial, and other downtown features. Palmeri and Mather also interviewed Romano in the studio for about a half-hour, and the former Chicago native talked about Oshkosh politics with a George Carlinesque type of irony.

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September 23: David F. Maher, a Fox Valley architect and vocal opponent of the Neenah Common Council's decision to allow Wal-Mart to build a "Supercenter" off Highway 41, referred to the corporate giant as a "hungry dog" in an interview with Mather and Palmeri on September 22. According to Maher, Wal-Mart is a hungry dog that eats up existing retail business, downtown shopping, and the communal feeling of a small city like Neenah. In two major op-ed pieces written for Fox Valley newspapers, Mr. Maher has echoed similar themes.

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September 29: Dr. James Simmons, Chair of the UW Oshkosh Political Science Department and a well-known local pundit, visited with Mather and Palmeri on September 29. Speaking about the state budget deadlock, Simmons argued that the cause of the delay is a genuine disagreement between Democratic and Republican Party leaders over how to spend the budget surplus. Simmons also offered insights on city council and county board issues. He also predicted that Pat Buchanan will probably bolt from the Republican Party in order to seek the Reform Party ticket, but even if he gets the Reform Party nomination the major party candidates will probably not invite him to a three-way debate. The entire interview with Simmons can be seen from Sept. 30-Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. on Titan-TV 12.

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October 6: County Supervisor Tom Pech, Jr. said in an October 6 taping of "Commentary" that he will definitely be sponsoring an amendment before the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors to restore funding for Regional Domestic Abuse Services (RDAS). Pech claimed that the Social Services Committee's original cut of RDAS funding was not based on a lack of appreciation for what the organization does, but reflected the need for the committee to allocate limited budget resources to those organizations that perform mandated county services. Pech also spoke about the racetrack controversy, the airport, the jail stalemate, and a variety of other issues. The entire interview can be seen on Titan-TV 12 at 7 p.m. October 7-13.

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October 13: Oshkosh Common Councilor Stephen Hintz, a vocal opponent of the Council's decision to hire Dick Wollangk in 1996, said in an October 13 interview with Mather and Palmeri that his opposition had little to do with Wollangk but much to do with the process the council used to make the hiring decision. In a wide ranging interview, Hintz discussed his views on what a historic preservation ordinance should look like, the city budget, the water plant, and other issues.

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October 20: Senator Mike Ellis (R-Neenah), the minority leader of the Wisconsin State Legislature, said in a speech delivered before the American Association of University Women on October 19 that citizens of the state must "rise up" and put pressure on elected officials to do something about campaign finance reform. Ellis, whose "Clean Government Campaign Plan" is supported by Common Cause of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said that the big money influence in Madison has "put the state budget up for sale." Ellis' 35 minute speech, with commentary from Palmeri and Mather, was shown on "Commentary" October 20 thru the 27th.

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October 27: Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education member Karen Bowen defended the school board's decision to end its long term relationship with local bus carriers Safe-T-Way and Garvens in order to save money with Kaukana based Kobussen. Bowen said that the decision was based simply on the fact that Kobussen -- whose service record is comparable to Safe-T-Way and Garvens--made a better offer to the school administration. Dr. Bowen was not sure how the $1.1 million the board will save as a result of the bus deal should be spent. Bowen, one of the Board's more outspoken members, talked also about the West/North boundary dispute, the proposal for mandatory keyboard education for all kindergarten students, Board climate, and other issues.

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November 4: UW Oshkosh Political Science Department Professor Martin Gruberg, President of the Fox Valley Civil Liberties Union, discussed a variety of civil liberties issues with Mather and Palmeri on November 4. Gruberg argued that Wisconsin's Sexual Predator Law is largely the result of political posturing, as is the growth in prison spending in the state. Gruberg also discussed First Amendment issues, gun control, and a variety of other issues.

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November 11: Dr. Michael Burayidi, Assistant Professor Urban and Regional Studies at UW Oshkosh, discussed "ten ways to revitalize downtown Oshkosh" in a November 10 taping of Commentary. The ten suggestions, which come from an op-ed that Burayidi wrote for the October 10, 1999 Oshkosh Northwestern, are as follows: historic preservation ordinance, design guidelines for Main Street, parking, incentive zoning, create an image of downtown, acknowledge the Fox River, redevelop the 100 block into a community facility, capitalize on the presence of the university, public/private partnerships, hold a downtown summit.

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Nov. 17: Bob "Joe Lunchbucket" Jungwirth, four-term member of the Oshkosh Common Council, claimed that there is a "shadow government" in Oshkosh during a November 17 taping of Commentary. Jungwirth, known for his unapologetic support of the working class during his tenure on the council, argued that a strong Mayor system of government would probably be better able to deliver for working people than Oshkosh's current Manager system. Jungwirth also gave his views on downtown, the effectiveness of the current council, and numerous other topics.

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Nov. 24: Richard Kalinoski, Assistant Professor of Theater at UW Oshkosh and an award winning playwright, discussed his craft in an interview with Palmeri on November 24. Kalinoski, whose "Beast on the Moon" won the prestigious Osborn Award for Outstanding New Play in 1996, discussed his own plays and gave his views on the most important plays and playwrights of the 20th century. He also argued that the playwright, above all else, must be a provocateur." The entire interview can be seen on Titan-TV 12 at 7 p.m. from October 24-31.

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Dec. 1: Oshkosh Common Councilor Matt O'Malley, whose recent phone call to Rush Limbaugh made the front page of the Oshkosh Northwestern, rejected claims that the call was a "political stunt" in a December 1 taping of Commentary. O'Malley, a UW Oshkosh undergraduate and the youngest member of the Common Council, argued that he had wanted to call Limbaugh for years and doing so now was in no way meant to be suggest that the conservative radio host has any special knowledge about Oshkosh. O'Malley spoke about a variety of other topics, including his support building a county jail downtown, his opposition to creating an Assistant City Manager position, and his support for greater citizen involvement in street widening issues.

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Dec. 8: UW Oshkosh Economist Dr. Ike Brannon and Don Wyman, President of the Winnebago County Labor Council, discussed the controversy surrounding the World Trade Organization in a December 8 taping of Commentary. Brannon and Wyman discussed the purpose of the WTO, the reasons for the WTO protests in Seattle at the recent WTO Ministerial Conference, and a variety of other issues related to the global economy and trade.

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Dec. 15: Winnebago County Executive Jane Van De Hey said, in a December 15 taping of "Commentary," that she was "frustrated" by County Supervisor Bill Wingren's efforts to keep the Winnebago County Jail at its downtown location. Van De Hey claimed that the county board has several times approved the north-side Jackson St. location for the jail, and she also said that fears of a downtown exodus should the jail leave are unfounded. In a wide ranging interview, Van De Hey offered her views on the coverage she has received from the local media, the 2000 census, her reasons for vetoing a board decision to hire a clerk for the Register of Deeds Office, road spending, and a variety of other issues.

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Dec. 22: Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education Superintendent Ronald Heilmann, speaking at a December 22 taping of Commentary, disputed claims by prominent Mathematicians and Nobel Prize winners that the experimental "Everyday Math" curriculum represents a "dumbing down" of Math education. While Heilmann agreed that it is too early to tell if the Oshkosh School District should adopt Everyday Math, he argued that its critics are not necessarily aware of the pedagogical issues involved in teaching math. In a wide-ranging interview, Heilmann discussed the school boundary dispute, prayer in schools, the budget, and other issues. The entire interview can be seen on Titan-TV 12 at 7 p.m. beginning on December 23 and continuing at the same time for the following six nights.

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January 5, 2000: Winnebago County Circuit Court Justice Robert A. Haase said that a "weighted caseload" study indicated that the county should have 8 circuit court judges instead of the current number of 6. Haase, who has been on the circuit court bench since 1982, also gave his views on truth in sentencing, "judge shopping," alternative dispute resolution, judges and politics, and a variety of other issues.

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January 19, 2000: Frank Zuern and Katherine Rill, both active in the Winnebago County Audubon Society, said in a January 19 taping of Commentary that the Wisconsin State Legislature broke state law in allowing Ashley Furniture of Arcadia a "special exemption" for clearing wetlands in the recently passed 1999-2001 biennial budget. Zuern and Rill talked about why 5 environmental organizations have joined together to sue the state, and they discussed a variety of additional issues.

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January 26, 2000: In a January 26, 2000 interview with Mather and Palmeri, Winnebago County Board Chair Joe Maehl answered the criticisms of the board that have been made in the last two years. Maehl argued that 38 supervisors is a reasonable board size that prevents the creation of an "old boy network," that the supervisors deserve an increase in per-diem pay, and that private citizens should not be empowered to make binding recommendations that would change the structure of the board.

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Feb. 3, 2000: In a February 3, 2000 interview with Mather and Palmeri, former North Dakota State Legislator Dan Rylance joined UW Oshkosh Political Science Chair Jim Simmons for a discussion of local, state, and national politics. Rylance and Simmons agreed that John McCain has a real shot to attain the Republican Party presidential nomination, and they also agreed that Wisconsin State Senator Mike Ellis would make a good gubernatorial candidate. Simmons argued that Ellis, who recently announced that he was going to leave his position as Senate Minority Leader to pursue an exploration of the chances of running for Governor, probably was about to be run out of the Minority position by his Senate colleagues anyway. Both Rylance and Simmons thought that downtown redevelopment and recent plant closings in Oshkosh ought to be issues in the Spring Common Council campaign.

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Feb. 10, 2000: In a February 10, 2000 taping of Commentary, Mather and Palmeri discussed the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors Judiciary and Public Safety Committee open forum held on February 7 at the Coughlin Center. The forum was prompted by discussions of Board reform started by Supervisors Bill Wingren and Julie Pung-Leschke. Palmeri read Wingren's statement on the air and summarized the views of the 21 other speakers at the Coughlin Center event.

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Feb. 17, 2000: On February 17, 2000, Mather and Palmeri interviewed in separate half-hour blocks Common Council incumbent Paul Weimer and challenger Neill Golltz. Weimer, a retired Oshkosh Police Officer known as the "walking man" because of his campaign style of walking the streets of Oshkosh with a "Vote For Weimer" sandwich board attached to his body, said that the major issue he would like to work on if reelected was to find ways to bring down the city's debt. He also expressed a preference for continuing with the Jackson Street widening project, pursuing a major upgrade of the Lakeshore Golf Course, and working with CHAMCO and the OCDC to help develop downtown. Goltz, Director of Planned Giving at the Experimental Aircraft Association and one of the founders of the NICE (Neighbors Involved in Community Environment) Political Action Committee, put forth a plan to move City Hall to the First National Bank Building on "Historic Main St." while selling the current City Hall building to Winnebago County. He argued that the space needs of the both the County and the City could be met with such a deal. Goltz said that he opposed the widening of Jackson St., and said that if elected he would urge the Council to begin negotiations with the Department of Transportation to obtain a variance that would allow the city to obtain state monies to fix the street without having to widen it. Goltz also said that if elected to the Council, he would not support any Historic Preservation Ordinance that made proper maintenance guidelines purely voluntary.

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February 23, 2000: Mather and Palmeri interviewed, in separate half-hour blocks, Common Council incumbent Stephen Hintz and Challenger Paul Esslinger. Hintz, a Professor of Public Administration at UW Oshkosh, claimed that since his election the Council in 1998 he has been instrumental in reforming the city's budgeting process. He also claimed to have "second thoughts" regarding the Council's decision to pass a resolution urging more communication on space needs between the city of Oshkosh and Winnebago County. Hintz claimed the resolution was mostly symbolic and has been manipulated by groups with a variety of different agendas. Hintz claimed that if reelected he would continue to work for improved city services and efficient city government.

Esslinger, a cable television account executive defeated in his first two runs for the Council, claimed that he is running a third time to ensure that the Jackson St. widening project proceeds as planned. He also wants to make sure the Council seeks cost-effective ways to upgrade the Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course. Esslinger, chair of the city's Landmarks Commission, claimed that he would vote against any Historic Preservation Ordinance that would mandate that developers and/or landlords would have to get approval before making adjustment to their properties.

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March 1, 2000: Mayor Melanie Bloechl, running for her 5th term on the Oshkosh Common Council, told Mather and Palmeri in a March 1 interview that the next council will have to start developing plans for a storm water facility. Bloechl, well-known for her "shoot from the hip" style, called council candidates' Neill Goltz and Steve Hintz's idea to move City Hall to Main Street "ridiculous." Bloechl claimed that a complete space study must be done before such ideas can be considered seriously. In response to question on "we know what Mayor Bloechl is against but what is she for," they Mayor claimed that there are often too many visions operating on the council, and that she supports bringing together all members of the council and city staff to develop a comprehensive plan for the city.

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March 8, 2000: Winnebago County District I Circuit Court candidates Frank Slattery and Tom Gritton joined Mather and Palmeri for half-hour interviews. Slattery, a partner in an Oshkosh law firm, argued that his 25 years of experience as an attorney, almost 2 years of experience as a prosecutor, and the record of fairness he has established in those positions makes him the best candidate. Gritton, a Winnebago County Deputy District Attorney making his second run for circuit court, argued that his 10 years of experience as a prosecutor provides him with the best qualifications for the judgeship. Both Slattery and Gritton are endorsed by well known figures in the Winnebago County community: Slattery by sitting Circuit Court judges Bob Haase and William Carver; Gritton by District Attorney Joseph Paulus and County Executive Jane Van de Hey. Both candidates described themselves as "moderates" who do not believe in judicial activism. Slattery said his endorsement by Judge Carver does not mean he shares the judge's philosophy, while Gritton argued that he is "proud" to be supported by D.A. Paulus and that voters would be wrong to think that a vote for Gritton is vote for a judge who will "rubber stamp" the D.A.'s wishes in the courtroom.

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March 15, 2000: Mather and Palmeri interviewed County Board Supervisor candidates Cheryl Hentz and David Green (District 14) and Robert Warnke and Mike Norton (District 20). Ms. Hentz and Mr. Green touted their work and community service experience as reasons why voters should select them to succeed Dorothy Schwartz--who recently retired from the Board after 22 years of service. Green argued that the County needs to examine the size of its social service bureaucracy, and that a more aggressive plan is needed to save the county airport. Ms. Hentz agreed on the airport, and argued also that the board needs to take a closer look at reform of the board itself. Green also believes the county needs to renegotiate the race track deal with the Odyssey promoters, while Hentz said that at this point it is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the board should allow Odyssey to back away from its original deal with the county.

In the District 20 race Warnke, the incumbent, said that after giving much thought to the issue of the size of the board, he is now comfortable with keeping the board at 38 so as to guarantee rural representation; moreover, he argued that there is more than enough work available to justify 38 supervisors. Norton supported a smaller board of between 20 and 30, claiming that that would be more efficient. Norton, making his 4th run for a county board seat, called for major reforms of the county board including a smaller number of committees, a flat salary to replace the current per diem system of pay, and the need to elect a new board president to replace Joe Maehl. Warnke said that he supports Maehl staying on as long as he wants as Maehl is a "great man."

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March 22, 2000: Mather and Palmeri interviewed County Board Supervisor District 19 candidates Andrew King and Jackie Wagner, and District 25 candidates Ernie Bellin and Stan Kline. Ms. Wagner, a 22 year veteran of the board, argued that calls for board reform have been overstated. She said that the board should stay at the current level of 38 members and 16 committees, and claimed that a 1990 study of board reforms could not be accepted because it implied that the board consisted of "crooks and thieves." King, a 27-year old attorney making his first run for public office, took opposite stands from Wagner on most issues. He supported a flat salary for supervisors as opposed to the current per-diem method of payment, he argued that the board needs to be reduced in size, and he claimed that the board needs to do a better job of managing its budget.

Bellin and Kline, the District 25 candidates, were in agreement on most issues. Bellin, a former Brown County supervisor appointed to the Winnebago County board upon the retirement of Anne Lawson, took a more cautious attitude toward board reform issues. He said that he could live with either a flat salary or per diem pay system, and that changing the size of the board would have to wait until the results of the 2000 census give a better sense of the county population needs. He also said that the county needs to put in place an aggressive marketing plan to save Wittman airport. Kline, a former 2 term member of the Oshkosh common council, was more willing to support major reforms of the board such as reducing its size, pay structure, and committee structure. He also argued that the complaint that supervisors do not spend enough time in constituent contact activities has been overstated; Kline believes it is a citizen's responsibility to know who their representatives are.

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March 29, 2000: Palmeri and Mather interviewed District 21 County Board candidates Mike Hert and Mike Novotny. Hert, a former chair of the county Republican Party making his first run for public office, argued that the size of the board, the per-diem pay structure, and committee structure all need to be reformed. He also claimed that the county needs to hold the line on taxes and get its budget under control. Novotny, an Oshkosh police detective, went further and claimed that the county executive and the board have "mismanaged" the budget and need to be held accountable. Novotny also claimed that the elected county executive position should be replaced by an appointed county manager.

In the second half of the March 29 program, Palmeri and Mather were joined by local comedian and pundit Johnny Romano. Romano, who ran for the Oshkosh Common Council in 1999, claimed that the recent tragedy involving Walter Pagel and the Oshkosh police has created a kind of "McCarthyism" in Oshkosh in which people are afraid to express views that might sound critical of police authority.

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April 6, 2000: Palmeri and Mather were joined by Dan Rylance and Jim Simmons, two Commentary regulars well-known for their expertise in local politics. The two provided an analysis of the April elections.

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April 13, 2000: Stephen Heins, Marketing Director for Northnet, a local Internet Service Provider, discussed the controversy surrounding High Speed Internet Service. According to Heins, big cable companies are positioning to take over the service, shutting small service providers out by refusing to lease cable lines. Heins argued that the First Amendment implications of big cable companies controlling Internet access exclusively are horrendous.

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April 20, 2000: Joe Maehl, Chair of the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors, lashed out at the Oshkosh Northwestern in an interview with Palmeri and Mather. Maehl, recently reelected by the Board to serve as Chair, argued that the constant negative bashing of the Board led to the defeats of incumbents in Oshkosh districts in the April elections. Maehl also was critical of those calling for reform of the board, arguing that they don't understand how the board operates and in many cases have not done their homework.

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April 26, 2000: Jeff Schmidt, General Manager of Cumulus Broadcasting and an outspoken local conservative, bashed Oshkosh Police Chief David Erickson for "lack of leadership" in the Walter Pagel controversy. Schmidt, whose uncle Hugh Carver wrote a letter to the Oshkosh Police and Fire Commission asking that group to investigate the matter, said that the police clearly "screwed up" in the situation and have compounded matters by failing to take steps to put procedures in place that would prevent such an occurrence from happening again. Schmidt also provided a definition of conservatism, discussed the Elian Gonzalez controversy, and a variety of other local, state, and national issues.

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May 3, 2000: New Oshkosh Mayor Jon Dell'Antonia said that any downtown renewal project might ultimately require a referendum to determine if Oshkosh residents support and/or want to pay for renewal. Last year, the council voted to hire LDR consultants to study the downtown and develop a proposal for renewal. Dell'Antonia argued that if the consulting group comes up with a costly proposal, then a referendum might be necessary to determine if citizens want to foot the bill. Also in the interview, Dell'Antonia defended the council's recent decision to limit citizen statements at council meetings only to that which is "relevant" to the city. He also gave his views on the recent controversies surrounding the Oshkosh Police and Fire Commission, the "shadow government," Algoma Boulevard, and other topics.

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May 10, 2000: Mather and Palmeri were joined by two environmentalists. Lisa Zeman is Vice President of the Winnebago Audubon Society and Secretary for the Fox Valley Area Wild Ones. Dr. Bron Taylor is Director of Environmental Studies and Oshkosh Foundation Professor of Religion and Social Ethics at UW Oshkosh. In 1995 he edited Ecological Resistance Movements: The Global Emergence of Radical and Popular Environmentalism, published by SUNY Press. Most recently Dr. Taylor is editing the Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature. He also chairs the Wolf-Fox-Winnebago Riverkeeper, a grassroots environmental group. On the show, Zeman and Taylor provided insights about the state of the environment in Wisconsin, the United States, and globally; the politics of environmentalism, the recent mourning dove hunt vote, and a variety of other issues.

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May 17, 2000: Making her third appearance on Commentary, Winnebago County Executive Jane Van De Hey gave her views on the county jail, airport, Odyssey race track controversy, the proposal for a new UW Fox Valley Center Theater, and other issues. Van De Hey insisted that the jail is on a timeline, and the should be built and ready to occupy by late 2001. She also claimed that the UW Theater will be a tough sell with Supervisors because of the amount of capital projects the County is already indebted for.

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May 24, 2000: Julie Pung Leschke and Tom Pech, Jr., two Winnebago County Supervisors with a reputation as "reformers," joined Mather and Palmeri on May 24. In an April board meeting, Leschke proposed an amendment that would have prevented board members from collecting a per diem payment for attending meetings not directly related to their committee activities. The amendment was discarded when corporation counsel John Bodnar claimed it conflicted with county ordinances. In response to a question as to why she had not done her homework before that meeting and known about the ordinance conflict, Leschke told Palmeri and Mather that in fact she had done her homework and that Bodnar had told her before the meeting that the amendment was fine. Both Leschke and Pech insisted that the 1990 county board task force report on reform needs to be revisited. They also said that the proposed UW Center $3.75 million Theater is low on their list of prioritized needs for the County.

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May 31, 2000: Appleton Post-Crescent sportswriter Chuck Carlson said that the Brown County Board actions as regards the plan to renovate Lambeau Field have been more the result of bruised egos than any solid plans for the stadium. In an hour long interview with Palmeri, Carlson said that the Brown County Board was upset that the renovation plan was on a fast track in Madison--a situation that the County Board members took as a slap against their authority. Carlson, who has been with the PC since 1990, also argued that Indiana U. should have fired Bobby Knight. He also talked about the problems with major league baseball, the Green Bay Packers' coaching situation, and a variety of other issues. The entire interview can be seen on Titan-TV 12 at 7 p.m. May 31 through April 7.

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June 7, 2000: Two high school students, Sabrina Peter (Oshkosh West) and Kim Christensen (Oshkosh North) argued that the Oshkosh community is hesitant to discuss social and economic issues related to the recent school boundary change discussion. Peter is a former President of the Oshkosh West Council and lives in the Oakwood School District that would be most affected by the redistricting. Christensen is a reporter for the Oshkosh North "North Star" newspaper and has covered the boundary issue extensively. In a fascinating interview, Peter and Christensen discussed other issues including school safety measures, school prayer and the pledge of allegiance, why some students are apathetic, whether Oshkosh West should change its "Indian" nickname, and a variety of other issues. The entire interview can be seen on Titan-TV 12 at 7 p.m. June 8 - 15.

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June 14, 2000: District 54 Republican Assembly Candidates Gregg Underheim and Melanie Bloechl debated issues for the entire hour on Commentary. Underheim, seeking election to his 7th consecutive 2 year term, argued that his performance as chair of the assembly health committee is proof of the quality of leadership he has displayed in the legislature. He touted his committee's passage of bills related to controlling HMO behavior as evidence. Bloechl, recently elected to her 5th term on the Oshkosh Common Council, argued that Underheim has not been effective at serving the interests of the citizens of the 54th district, and said that the legislature's inability to pass a bill on senior prescription drugs is proof that partisan bickering has disputed the legislature. Neither Underheim nor Bloechl would support removing the state's mandated Qualified Economic Offer (QEO) on public school teachers, nor would either commit to raising the state's share of taxpayer support for the UW System. Both candidates pledged to run positive, door-to-door campaigns.

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June 21, 2000: Chris Micklos, former press secretary for Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala, said in an interview with Palmeri and Mather that the Madison press corps wield a substantial amount of influence in the process of making public policy. Micklos, a UWO grad, discussed some of his experiences as a spokesman, source, and "human screen" while he was press secretary. He also provided some insights into the way the sales tax rebate became law; Micklos believes that the press corp created the momentum for the issue that led to its eventual passage.

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June 28, 2000: Dan Rylance, former editorial page editor of the Grand Forks Herald, joined UW Oshkosh Poltical Science Department Chair Jim Simmons with Palmeri and Mather. Rylance said that he was unimpressed with 54th Assembly District Candidate Melanie Bloechl's appearance on a recent Commentary, and when asked what advice he would give her he said she should "smile more and talk less." Rylance also referred to Bill Wingren, Tom Pech Jr., Julie Leschke and the other Winnebago County Board "reformers" as the "Oshkosh Whiners." Simmons argued that Bloechl, along with 18th District Senate Candidate Kevin McGee, will have a very difficult time challenging an incumbent because there really is no compelling issue that the incumbents are weak on this year. When asked why Dan Flaherty, Democratic Challenger for the 6th Congressional District, did not come out strongly against incumbent Representative Tom Petri's claim that his vote for China trade was a "no brainer," Simmons said that Flaherty's silence problably has to do with the fact that Al Gore and the Democratic National Committee also support China trade, and if Flaherty is to "get on the stage" with Gore when he makes a swing through northeast Wisconsin, he best be silent on China.

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July 6, 2000: Palmeri and Mather commented on highlights of shows from the past year. This program will run until July 26, when videographer Doug Freshner returns from vacation. Highlight clips shown on the program include:

• Palmeri and Mather from the first program (June 10, 1999), offering their views on selected local, state, and national issues. Of special note here is that Palmeri predicted, well before the Republican primary season officially got underway, that Senator John McCain would run a much stronger race than anyone at the time anticipated.
• Oshkosh Mayor Jon Dell'Antonia (from a May 3, 2000 interview) explaining the "silence Ken Bender" rule recently passed by the Oshkosh Common Council. It was this rule, which allows the mayor to decide what citizen comments are "relevant" to the city, that led to the popular Commentary "Common Council Member Statement Watch."
• Footage from an interview with UW Oshkosh professor of urban studies Michael Burayidi (taped on November 10, 1999) indicates that the city could save lots of money shelled out to downtown redevelopment consultants if they would simply take Burayidi's free advice.
• One of Commentary's most popular segments was with former Oshkosh mayor Bob Jungwirth, fondly known as the "Joe Lunchbucket" of Oshkosh. In the clip (taped on November 18, 1999), Jungwirth talks about the Chicago Cubs and what it means to "do right by the working person."
• A clip from an interview with Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education member Karen Bowen (taped on October 27, 1999) provides quite a contrast to Jungwirth. In the clip, Bowen argues that the school administration should generally be trusted by the school board unless someone can provide compelling evidence why they shouldn't be.
• Julie Pung-Leschke, a Winnebago County Board Supervisor known as a "reformer," appeared on the July 29, 1999 edtion of Commentary. In the interview, she said that the County Board needs to "look at itself" and go back to the recommendations made by a citizen committee for board reform almost 10 years ago. What Leschke said on Commentary has become almost a mantra for the board reformers.
• On June 29, 2000, guest Dan Rylance said that the County Board "reformers" should more appropriately be called the "Oshkosh Whiners." We have that clip here.
• In a July 1, 1999 interview, Winnebago County Executive Jane Van De Hey was asked about all the criticism she has taken from the local media. Her response, shown in a brief clip, is one of the true Commentary classics.
• In 1992, during a taping of the original Commentary, Mather and Palmeri interviewed UWO professor of Political Science James Simmons about the a categorization of Wisconsin voters that had appeared at the time. Since the categorization is relevant to this election year, we decided to throw in the clip. Notice how Palmeri and Simmons had much less gray hair in 1992!
• We also dug out from the archives some footage of a 1992 debate between Jerry Brown and Bill Clinton before the Illinois Democratic primary. Brown's attack against Clinton--and Clinton's response, bore a remarkable resemblance to the kind of Whitewater criticism and Clinton spin that would characterize much of the 1990s relationship between the President and his adversaries. Classic footage!
• We close the show with a shot of County Board Chair Joseph Maehl (taped on January 26, 2000) urging us not to end the interview but instead to "put in another tape." With your support, Commentary should be able to continue to "put in tapes" for a while longer!

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July 25, 2000: Greg Belken, Democratic Party candidate for the 54th Assembly District, told Palmeri and Mather that he plans to run a positive campaign centered around three issues: education, health care, and crime. A 22 year old UW Oshkosh student currently serving as Vice-President of the Oshkosh Student Association, Belken said that his youth and the fact that he has only lived in Oshkosh for 4 years should not be important factors for voters to consider when they go to the polls. Belken said that he offers a new, fresh look at the issues. Belken said the he has already done some door-to-door campaigning, and has found a high amount of dissatisfaction with the 13 year incumbent Gregg Underheim. Underheim, according to Belken, has not been a strong advocate of the classroom size reduction SAGE program for the K-12 system. Belken said that he would support more dollars for administration of the program, as well as an end to district revenue caps and the Qualified Economic Offer for public school teachers. He also argued that a good way to reduce crime is to demonstrate more commitment to educational initiatives. On health care, Belken said that the legislature should work hard to pass prescription drug legislation, especially since they were able to move quickly on the Lambeau Field Issue. In response to a question about whether the appointment of a student regent whose father had given $8,000 to the Thompson for governor campaign was a sign of the corruption of the state's campaign finance system, Belken said "that's how the system sometimes works" and he does not support full public financing of campaigns. Belken said he supports reduced spending on campaigns, but was vague about what additional reforms he would support. When asked if he would debate Underheim and Melanie Bloechl, Underheim's primary opponent, Belken said yes though his response did not sound like a firm challenge to those candidates.

In the second half-hour of the July 25 program, Common Councilors Matt O'Malley and Paul Esslinger discussed the reasons behind the elimination of the "relevance rule" for citizen statements at the council meetings. They then had a heated discussion of the Historic Preservation Ordinance; O'Malley called it a necessary step in order to protect neighborhoods and increase property values across the city; Esslinger said he opposed the ordinance because he considers it vague and it places too much power in the hands of an unelected Landmarks Commission. O'Malley and Palmeri pointed out that the ordinance allows home owners to appeal a Landmarks Commission decision to the City Council, but Esslinger persisted in his claim that the ordinance is not needed. He believes that neighborhood zoning would address most of the concerns of citizens involved in historic preservation.

In a discussion about the city golf course, O'Malley said that he would support a proposal to shut the course for a year and put in place a $1.3 million renovation. O'Malley argued that when the city rejected a $2.7 million proposal last year and asked the golf committee to come back with a reduced scale plan, there was an implicit agreement that the council would accept a suitable plan--O'Malley believes that the $1.3 million dollar proposal is acceptable. He also rejected claims by golfers, such as local resident LeRoy Dahms, that such a renovation would priced the "Joe Lunchbuckets" off the course. Esslinger would not commit to supporting any plan, and said he wanted to wait until the council meeting later that evening to decide if the council should do nothing, fix only 9 holes and keep the course open, or go for the $1.3 million plan.

On downtown redevelopment, O'Malley enthusiastically supported the recent LDR consultant proposals, and said that in fact he would vote for a tax increase in order to redevelop downtown. Esslinger was less enthusiastice about LDR, but said he finds parts of the proposal appealing and would also support a tax increase to improve downtown.

On the issue of ballot rotation, O'Malley and Esslinger reprised a feud that they have already had at the council meetings. O'Malley believes that Esslinger's victory last April by 60 votes over Paul Weimer may have been because his name appeared first on the ballot. Esslinger virulently denies a connection between ballot location and the vote outcome, and said his opinion would be the same even if he had lost by 60 votes to Weimer if the ballot location were reversed.

The Belken, O'Malley, and Esslinger interviews can be seen on Titan -TV 12 beginning on Thursday, July 25 at 7 p.m. and continuing each night up to and including the following Wednesday.

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August 2, 2000: Winnebago County Board Chairman Joe Maehl and County Supervisor Tom Pech, Jr. sat for a one hour interview with Mather and Palmeri. Maehl, on the board since 1978 (and in his 9th year as chair), has become a symol of the board "establishment" that resists reforms. Pech, appointed by Maehl in 1995 and [re]elected 3 times since, has become the symbol of reform. Palmeri and Mather asked both guests to discuss reform; Pech believes the the way the board operates (e.g. large number of committees) is not smooth and results in bad policy. Maehl believes that the system overall works well, and that the calls for reform are overstated and reflect a misunderstanding of board processes.

An extended discussion of the Wittman Field Airport situation provided a good contrast in views. Pech argued that supervisor Bill Wingren's call for a blue ribbon committee on the future of Wittman Field is necessary in order to get public input and get some long-overdue action in the works. Maehl argued that the new Aviation Committee--which includes newcomers David Green, Stan Kline, and Mark Nielsen--has been moving in the right direction and as a result another committee would be counterproductive. Maehl said that the Aviation Committee at its latest meeting voted in favor of hiring a marketing director for the airport. The minutes of the July 5 Aviation Committee meeting do lend support to Maehl's claim, though Pech argued that the blue ribbon committee is still necessary to keep the committee and the board on track.

On the UWFV Theater project, Maehl argued that the major arguments against it--small numbers of students served and cost--do not stand up to scrutiny. Pech countered that many theaters already exist in the Fox Valley that could enter into cooperative arrangements with the UW. He also said that the the County has too many other spending projects that must take priority. In response to UWFV Dean Perry's argument that the theater would end up costing the average taxpayer approximately the cost of one Big Mac per year for 10 years, Pech said that all the projects taken together start to add up to a huge amount that will negatively affect taxpayers. Both Pech and Maehl agreed, however, that Winnebago County is currently in the bottom 10th in taxation rank among Wisconsin's 72 counties.

Another major area of disagreement was on a proposed county sales tax. Pech argued that other counties have put in a tax to pay for a jail, yet when the jail is all paid for the tax remains. He also said that for small business owners the sales tax is not only an administrative nuisance, but it also drives customers away to counties without the tax. Pech also said that there is no guarantee that a sales tax will offset another tax (e.g. the property tax). Maehl argued that a sales tax will bring in revenue from people who do not live in the county, and as such takes the burden off Winnebago County taxpayers. He used the EAA visitors as an example of $50 million dollars coming into the county from outside; a sales tax on that money would generate a sizeable chunk of dollars for the county. Maehl also alleged that Pech and former supervisor Ron Montgomery "sandbagged" a discussion of a sales tax several years ago by threatening to "walk out" of a board meeting if the tax was discussed. Pech denied these allegations and said that all he and Montgomery did was send a letter to their fellow supervisors explaining their opposition to a sales tax.

Pech and Maehl disagree on the local press' treatment of the board. Maehl accused the Oshkosh Northwestern of encouraging reporters to "dig up dirt" about the county, and said that the newspaper would not print a letter he sent to them. Pech argued that the board deserves much of the criticism that it gets, and that the media cannot be blamed for some of the recent troubles.

The program closed with Pech talking briefly about his and Wingren's "Share The Fair" event at the upcoming Winnebago County Fair.

The entire interview can be seen on Titan-TV 2 at 7 p.m. beginning on Thursday August 3 and continuing on at the same time for a full week.

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August 9, 2000: Dan Flaherty, Democratic candidate for Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District, told Palmeri and Mather that 21-year incumbent Republican Thomas Petri is neither "independent," nor "creative"--contrary to the description of Petri offered by Washington Post reporter David Broder. Flaherty, a 39-year old former federal prosecutor and now a partner in the law firm of Godfrey & Kahn, said that Petri rarely deviates from the wishes of the Republican leadership in Washington. Flaherty summarized his views on 8 issues--the federal budget and the debt, social security reform, health care, education, safer communities and schools, environment, family farms, and technology. None of what he said deviated from the issue statements found on his campaign web site , though on some issues he added more specifics. For example, on the environment, Flaherty said that he opposed naming the Fox River a federal Superfund site, though he does support fully funding the Environmental Protection Agency. On family farms, Flaherty said he would support a relief bill introduced recently by WI reps. Tammy Baldwin, David Obey and Ron Kind.

In response to a question about trade policy, Flaherty said that he would have voted against permanent trade relations with China, and said that he was troubled by Representative Petri calling his vote in support of permanent relations a "no-brainer." Flaherty said his main concern with the bill was the lack of human rights guarantees for workers in China.

On campaign finances, Flaherty said he was proud of the fact that he had raised more money so far than any other Wisconsin challenger, and claimed that the fact that 37 of his 114 contributors who have donated over $100 to his campaign are lawyers only means that his colleagues and friends believe in him and think he would do a good job for Wisconsin. Flaherty does believe that campaign finance legislation is needed, especially to limit independent expenditures and the influx of soft money into campaigns. In response to a question about why his web site includes no discussion about campaign finance reform even though Flaherty told the Congressional Quarterly that public backlash agains the campaign finance system was one of the reasons he decided to run, Flaherty said that the site should include a discussion of the issue. The Oshkosh Northwestern also had a story on the Petri/Flaherty campaign finance situation in its August 10 edition.

Flaherty also said that while he does not consider himself a "New Democrat," he does identify strongly with the some of the ideas represented by the New Dems, especially the notion that Democrats and Republicans should find ways to work in a bipartisan fashion so as to get worthwhile legislation passed. He also said that should he be elected, he would very much be interested in sitting on the Judiciary and Agriculture committees--the former reflecting his expertise as a jurist, the latter reflecting the fact that the 6th CD includes a huge block of agricultural interests.

Flaherty also said that he would have voted against impeaching Bill Clinton in 1998, and that the entire episode was politically motivated.

The entire interview can be seen on Titan-TV 2 at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 10 and continuing at the same time through the 17th.

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August 16, 2000: In an interview with Palmeri and Mather--an interview that his opponent (incumbent Senator Carol Roessler) initially agreed to participate in but then backed out of, 18th Senate District candidate Kevin McGee said that the Senator is not representing the citizens of the district. McGee, a member of the Oshkosh Common Council known for his outspoken opposition to the Jackson St. widening, said that Roessler has not helped Oshkosh citizens against the widening confront the state Department of Transportation--the agency that provided the data on which the Common Council based its recommendation to widen. McGee argued that Roessler's lack of assistance to the Jackson St. residents is especially troubling because she declares a Jackson St. home as her district residence--though she now lives outside of Madison. McGee said that while it is not illegal for a Senator to live outside of their district, the citizens deserve to have someone in the office who is more in touch with the community that they serve.

McGee said that his campaign is centered on 4 issues: education, taxes, health care, and the environment. He argued that the state's funding formula for schools penalizes districts--like Oshkosh--that are considered "low spending." McGee said that if elected he would sponsor legislation that would reward low spending disstricts. On school voucher programs, McGee said that he was not necessarily opposed to them, but that more research needed to be done on the effects of the voucher program on public schools. As for university issues, McGee said that tuition should be capped at about 33% of the total cost of education, and that he would be willing to go to the taxpayers and ask for more support for the system. McGee also said that he supports collective bargaining rights for UW college professors; he agreed that it is not right that UW professors are the only state employees without such rights.

On taxes, McGee said that the current property tax system rewards urban sprawl development. He argued that that policy needs to be reversed. He argued also that the legislature was irresponsible in doling out the $700 million sales tax rebate last year, and that had he been in office he would have had the courage to vote against it. In response to a question about whether Wisconsin residents are over taxed, McGee said "no" because we get quality services in return for the tax dollars. He did agree, however, that the state's income tax rates are now essentially flat and should be made more progressive.

McGee on health care said that the prescription drug cost problem would best be handled at the federal level, but absent a solution there the state needs to be ready to negotiate with drug companies to bring down prices. In response to a question about W-2 ("Wisconsin Works") and whether it has contributed to the health crisis, McGee said that he supports the goals of the program (i.e. helping people to become self-sufficient and making them work for benefits), but that the program does not adequately serve those parts of the population that cannot work for a variety of reasons.

On the environment, McGee said that he supports the restoration of independence to the DNR (the secretary used to be appointed by a citizen board but since 1995 has been appointed by the governor). He also said that it may be time to invite the EPA into Wisconsin to declare the Fox River a Superfund site. On the mourning dove hunt, McGee would not commit to voting for or against it should such a vote arise in the legislature. He did say that the Republican attempt to place a referendum question on the November ballot to establish hunting as a constitutional right sounded like nothing more than election year politics.

On campaign finance reform, McGee said that he has come out in favor of the Voter's First Initiative , a reform proposal endorsed by a variety of reform groups and featuring limits on spending, increases in public financing, and restrictions on independent expenditures.

McGee came out against the death penalty because of the possibility of executing an innocent person, and he took a pro-choice stand on abortion.

In response to a question on whether his reflective, professorial personality could be appreciated by voters the way many appreciate Senator Roessler's more charismatic style, McGee said that if citizens are interested in a "facade" then maybe they should vote for Roessler. He argued that all who look at his record of service will see that the record demonstrates a real concern for people.

The entire interview can be seen on Titan TV 2 at 7 p.m. beginning on Thursday, August 17 and continuing for a week.

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August 23, 2000: Mather and Palmeri interviewed representatives of the Nader, Gore, and Bush Campaigns. Amy Mondloch, northeast Wisconson Nader represenative, discussed his candidacy. She argued that Nader represents a breaking away from the "corporate" politics of the two major parties. She said that Nader has a right to be included in debates with Gore and Bush, and then if he is involved in the debates his candidacy will grow more popular. Mondloch also said that Winona LaDuke, Nader's native-American running mate, is a very progressive individual who would be an outstanding vice-president.

The Gore campaign was representative by Polly Briley, former chair of the Winnebago County Democratic Party. Briley said that Gore has strong positions on issues of concern to most voters. She said that he is best able to keep the economy going strong, and that he will fight for the people over powerful interests. She also argued that Gore will reform the campaign finance system. In response to a question as to whether Gore's selection of Joe Lieberman as a running mate was a slap at the party's traditional liberal base, Briley said that the modern democratic party includes room for all views and positions.

The Bush campaign was represented by Winnebago County Republican Party chair Mark Nielsen. Nielsen argued that the Bush plan for a tax cut will keep the economy strong, and Bush will also restore morale to the military. In response to questions about whether Bush has a grasp of issues, Nielsen argued that television sound bites do not give a fair picture of Bush. Like Briley, Nielsen for the most part repeated the reasons for electing his candidate that have been offered in the ads and talking points produced by the major parties.

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September 2, 2000: Jim Simmons and Dan Rylance, two Commentary regular political punits, gave their views on campaign 2000. Much time was spent debating reasons for supporting of not supporting the Nader candidacy for president.

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September 27, 2000: Oshkosh Common Councilor Mark Harris joined UW Oshkosh professor of Urban Affairs Michael Burayidi in a discussion of downtown redevelopment issues. Harris strongly supported the idea of an office complex on the 100 block of North Main Street, while Burayidi argued that the location would be perfect for a more recreational activity like an acquatic center.

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October 4, 2000: Senator Carol Roessler provided reasons why she should be reelected to the state Senate for a 4th term. She argued that challenger Kevin McGee's claims that she no longer resides in Oshkosh are false; Roessler claims to live full-time at her Jackson St. home. Roessler is against collective bargaining for faculty, believes that welfare reform has in general been successful in Wisconsin, and she is against an independent DNR secretary.

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October 11, 2000: Palmeri and Mather were joined by distinguished historian and social activist Howard Zinn. Zinn provided an overview of his outlook on history as opposed to the "safe" version that we are taught in school. He also talked about Kosovo, the Seattle WTO protests, the Nader candidacy, and other topics. The second half of the program featured an excert from Zinn's October 10, 2000 speech at UW Oshkosh Reeve Union.

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October 18, 2000: Common Councilors Paul Esslinger and Matt O'Malley discussed the topic of "civility." Each councilor was asked to respond to several clips from a recent meeting of the council in which the Historic Preservation Ordinance was discussed. At that meeting, local landlord Bernie Pitts expressed anger at O'Malley, going as far as to argue that the fraternity signs on O'Malley's House were illegal and that perhaps council elections should be held while students are not in session. Also at that meeting, Esslinger and former Mayor Melanie Bloechl chided O'Malley for suggesting that Pitts was an irresponsible landlord. On the Commentary show, Esslinger and O'Malley clarified their views and got into a few heated exchanges about not only what was said at the Historic Preservation discussion, but other issues related to civility [or lack thereof] on the council. Other issues discussed included downtown redevelopment--O'Malley and Esslinger claim that the office building is not a "done deal"--and the central garage.

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October 25, 2000: Winnebago County Executive Jane Van De Hey and County Supervisor Julie Pung-Leschke discussed the county budget. Leschke, who voted against the addition of $488, 000 into the budget to support the Community Options Program--and who voted against the entire budget--claimed that she is not comfortable with the entire process of arriving at a budget. She said that she was happy with Van De Hey's original budget proposal, but could not support it after the spending additions were made. Both Leschke and Van De Hey claimed that they are not against helping needy seniors stay in their homes as opposed to going to nursing homes, but that they were afraid that now that the county has shown a willingness to shorten the COP waiting list, more seniors will expect to be covered. The hosts and the two guests got into a heated exchange about what would be wrong with that state of affairs; both Palmeri and Mather argued that it is the role of government at all levels to shorten such waiting lists.

County Executive Van De Hey, when asked about Veteran's Service Director Larry Smerling's position that a 3.5% budget cut would result in him having to suspend providing free flags for grave sites, said that she was angry about having to read about that in the newspaper. She claimed that Smerling's over $7,000 travel budget was three times larger than any other Veteran's Service director in the state, and that a cut could easily be made there. She said that Smerling's travel budget has in fact been cut.

The County Executive also expressed concern that the state's Kettl Commission on reforming state/local government relationships could potentially harm counties in a disastrous way if former Department of Administration Secretary Mark Bugher's call to end shared revenue is taken seriously. Van De Hey also claimed that the Odyssey Race Track promoters, in their recent renegotiation of their contract with the county, did not get a special deal and in fact signed over naming and pouring rights to the county.

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November 2, 2000: Dan Rylance and Jim Simmons, two Commentary regulars, provided some insights regarding campaign 2000. Rylance and Simmons both said that they would be voting for Ralph Nader on November 7, while Jim Mather said he would vote against Bush rather than for Gore. Rylance argued that if the Democrats were to lose on November 7, there will be a "bloodbath" within the party for control. Simmons agreed, and said further that Nader's Green Party would have difficulty developing regardless of whether or not Nader received 5% of the vote. The first 15 minutes of the program were spent discussing Simmons' "Community Power Study"

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November 8, 2000: With Tony Palmeri away at a conference in Seattle, Jim Mather welcomed Dan Rylance, Jim Simmons, and State Representative Gregg Underheim to talk about the results of the November 7 elections.

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November 15, 2000: Becky Katers, Executive Director of the Clean Water Action Council , joined Mather and Palmeri to discuss environmental issues. Katers was joined by Tom Kees, Vice-President of CWAC. Katers and Kees argued that the paper companies should be held solely responsibility for cleanup and compensation for Fox River pollution, and that they (the paper companies) should pay the complete cost for both. Katers and Kees invited viewers to attend a public hearing of the US Fish and Wildlife service to discuss compensation issues. The hearing will be held on Monday, November 27 at 6 p.m. at the Winnebago County Courthouse.

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November 20, 2000: A Town Hall Meeting sponsored by Oshkosh Common Councilor Matt O'Malley and held at the New Moon Cafe, was shown on Commentary. The Town Hall meeting was held on Saturday, November 18, and it was moderated by Mather and Palmeri. In addition to O'Malley, councilors Jon Dell'Antonia, Mark Harris, and Paul Esslinger attended. A number of citizens attended the Town Hall meeting, and raised questions about downtown redevelopment, Jackson St, civility at council meetings, City Hall refurbishment, and a variety of other issues. O'Malley was highly critical of the fact that the Oshkosh Northwestern did not attend the event.

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November 29, 2000: Stewart Riekmann, Executive Editor of the Oshkosh Northwestern, explained the new Gannett Corporation code of journalistic ethics in an hour-long interview with Jim Mather. Riekmann also defended some of his recent opinion pieces, including his decision to call Dan Rylance a "panderer" for speaking about police harassment of students at a university sponsored forum, and the fact that the Northwestern is not as critical about city of Oshkosh tax increases as they are about Winnebago County.

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December 6, 2000: Stephen Heins, Marketing Director for NorthNet, and Ray Williams, operator of Marinette based Cyberzone, explained the recent AOL-Time Warner merger. Both Heins and Williams have been active in working to ensure equal access to high speed internet access cables, going as far as to meet with FTC chair Robert Pitofsky. Also joining Palmeri and Mather on this program was Sean Fitzgerald, business page editor of the Oshkosh Northwestern who has been covering the open access story.

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December 13, 2000: Joe Maehl, Winnebago County Board Chair, interviewed Palmeri and Mather in a special edition of Commentary. Maehl asked the hosts to talk about their backgrounds and philosophies, and the three also talked about county issues.

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January 11, 2001: New UW Oshkosh Chancellor Rick Wells offered his views on the role of a chancellor in the UW System, the importance of building bridges between the university and the community, ways of going about strategic planning at the university, and a variety of other issues in a one-hour interview with Mather and Palmeri. Wells said that he does not think a chancellor should be viewed in the same way as a corporate CEO; rather, the person occuping the chancellor's office is part of a "chancellorship" that includes a network of relationships including administrators, faculty/staff, students, business and political leaders, the surrounding community, and other interested parties. Wells also claimed that state universities like UW Oshkosh have and will continue to be central to building democracy and a strong economy in the United States. In a discussion of new technologies and their effect on education, Wells argued that the university must find a way to employ such technologies to make them part of a high quality education for all students. While he does believe that the Internet and distance education will become more influential in the near future, he said that he cannot envision the elimination of classroom teaching.

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January 18, 2001: Martin Gruberg, UWO Professor of Political Science, joined Lois Miranda for a special Commentary edition on the past, present, and future of racism and civil rights in the Fox Valley. Ms. Miranda is the 2001 recipient of the Oshkosh Human Relations Council's "Celebration of Diversity" award. Here is Tony Palmeri's introduction to the show:

More than 30 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson's Kerner Commission took an in-depth look at the crisis of race relations in America. The Commission reached a famous conclusion, saying that the United States was "two societies; one black, one white, separate and unequal."

More than 30 years later, the conventional wisdom is that race relations in America have improved dramatically. But have they? What are we to make of the fact, for example, that African-Americans in the recent Presidential election were much more likely than whites to vote with antiquated and unreliable voting machines or on butterfly ballots?

What are we to make of the fact that while the country has experienced an economic boom in the last decade, black unemployment is still intolerably high, and people of color make up a disproportionate share of the prison population?

What are we to make of the fact that the state of Wisconsin is second worst, ahead only of Louisiana, in the rate of black child poverty?

More locally, what are we to make of the fact that in Neenah recently, Winnebago county police broke into an apartment without a warrant and terrorized a young Mexican mother and her small children for several hours. The officers' excuse was that they were executing a search warrant on another Mexican resident in the building and somehow assumed that the mother and her children were implicated.

What are we to make of the case of two Appleton teens who killed a cyclist while drag racing on a county road? One teen, an Asian American who cooperated with police, was convicted of two felonies, while the white teen whose car struck the victim and who did not cooperate with police, pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors.

Well here to talk about race relations and civil rights in the Fox Valley and beyond are two very special guests.

Lois Miranda was recently given the Celebrating Diversity Award at the annual Oshkosh Celebration of Martin Luther King day. Originally from Bruce, WI (population 800), Lois earned a Bachelor's degree from UW Superior and a Master's from UW Madison. From 1952 - 1960 she worked at the legendary Social Service agency, the Hull House in Chicago. Like the Hull House founder Jane Addams, Lois is an activist social worker who has dedicated her life to social justice. She taught Social Work at UW Oshkosh from 1973 until the mid 1990s. Lois Miranda adopted an African-American child in 1968, and another in 1970, and she raised her two daughters in Oshkosh-an experience that we will ask her to talk about.

Martin Gruberg is in his 38th year at UW Oshkosh. A Professor of Political Science, Dr. Gruberg is one of the great civil libertarians in the Fox Valley. On January 13, Dr. Gruberg received the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Wisconsin American Civil Liberties Union.

To cite just one of Dr. Gruberg's actions on behalf of civil liberties, As president of the Oshkosh Human Rights Council he led the successful campaign for an Oshkosh open housing ordinance.

Today Mr. Mather and I will ask Lois Miranda and Martin Gruberg to talk about the past, present, and future as regards race relations and civil liberties in the Fox Valley.

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January 25, 2001: Jim Simmons and Dan Rylance, two regular political pundits on Commentary, offered their views on the presidential race, state and local politics, and a variety of other issues.

February 1, 2001: In an hour long interview with Palmeri and Mather, Winnebago County Executive Candidate Charlene Lowe claimed that some of her supporters are hesitant to be too public with their support for fear that they may be the victim(s) of vindictive behaviors from incumbent and Lowe opponent Jane Van De Hey. Lowe, the Park View Health Center Administrator for the last 12 years, also claimed that Van De Hey "lacks vision," is a "micromanager," and and "autocrat." Commenting about whether her candidacy has been encouraged by Van De Hey opponents such as Rep. Gregg Underheim, County Chair Joe Maehl, Register of Deeds Sue Winninghoff, and Coroner Barry Busby, Lowe said she has had no conversations with those individuals about whether she should run. When asked if she would provide Winninghoff's office with the position denied by Van De Hey, Lowe said that it would have to be "looked at." Lowe also said that she does not support attempts to eliminate the Coroner's Office and replace it with a regional medical examiner.

Lowe said she did not support a sales tax for helping to pay for the new jail, but neither did she rule it out. She said that even if studies showed that the sales tax is not regressive and might actually save the taxpayers money in terms of paying for the jail, she still would not support it if the taxpayers made it clear they did not want it. She took a similar position on the UWFV Theater. A licensed pilot, Lowe said the County needs to look for ways to revive Wittman Field, probably through recruiting more corporate use of the airport.

When asked why the local press has argued that she has no chance to win, Lowe said the fact that the press says that without saying anything positive about Van De Hey means that they (the press) are trying to help Lowe jump start her campaign. Lowe said that she would be happy to debate Van De Hey on a future Commentary.

Earlier in the day, Jane Van De Hey's office called Commentary to request a copy of the interview with Lowe. Van De Hey will appear on the program on Valentine's day.

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February 7, 2001: Kevin McGee and Matt O'Malley, two Oshkosh Common Councilors who announced recently that they will not seek reelection to the Council in April, offered reflections on their time in office. O'Malley said that he believes his legacy will be putting a focus on downtown redevelopment issues, while McGee thought he would most be remembered for his neighborhood initiatives. O'Malley and McGee were both su pported by the group NICE (Neighbors Involved in Community Environments) in the last election, and in response to question about whether their not running "strikes a blow to NICE," both said that the issues the group raised have now become a permanent part of city politics. McGee said NICE is no longer registered as a political action committee, so it will not be endorsing candidates in the spring. Neither O'Malley nor McGee could shed much light on the city's negotiations with Tim-Warner cable, other than to say that the process appears headed for a judicial hearing.

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February 14, 2001: County Executive Jane Van De Hey, first elected to the office in an upset win over then state representative Judy Klusman in 1997, offered a lively defense of her record on Commentary. Van De Hey, who presented Palmeri and Mather with her new re-election campaign flyer before the interview, argued that a real leader is someone who stands by decisions. In response to questions about whether the decisions she made as regards the Sunnyview Race Track and the County Jail were good ones, Van De Hey said that the former was the total responsibility of prior county executives and the county board, while the jail was slowed by the board committees. Van De Hey's opponent, Park View Health Center Administrator Charlene Lowe, has come under some criticism for leaky roofs and cold food at the Center. When asked if the leaky roofs were a result of mishaps in the bidding process on the part of her (Van De Hey's) maintenance staff, Van De Hey said that the facts were that her staff had followed proper procedures and were caught in a situation where a "deferred maintenance" mentality of prior executives produced too many infrastructure problems to deal with at one time. As for the cold food at the Center, Van De Hey denied that she had removed from the budget a request from Lowe for heated food carts. Van De Hey also denied that she or her campaign supporters had anything to do with breaking negative stories to the press about Lowe. The County Executive also commented on county politics, the Kettl Commission, and a varitety of other issues.

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February 22, 2001: Four candidates for the Oshkosh Common Council gave reasons why they belong on that body. Incumbents Mark Harris and Jon Dell'Antonia defended the last two years of the council, arguing that taxes went up 9% this year largely because of the rising cost health insurance for city employees.. Both incumbents supported continuing forward with plans to implement the LDR proposal for downtown redevelopment, but both said that if the city had to choose between core city services and downtown the services would have to be supported. Dell'Antonia denied that he pandered to the NICE group in 1999 when he said he supported a 32 foot width standard for residential streets, and said he still supports such a standard; he did not support 32 feet for Washington Ave. because that is a "collector" street. Harris said that the Police and Fire Commission could be doing more than is currently the case, but that state statutes actually limit what that body can do.

Bill Castle, who served on the Council from 1993 - 1998, said he is running again in order to keep the city's growth progressing at a reasonable rate of taxation. He does not believe that there are two major issues facing the city--essentially arguing that we should keep on going as we have been. Shirley Mattox, one of the founders of NICE, said that neighborhood preservation and downtown renovation are the two issues that she feels most strongly about. She argued that tearing down the buildings on the 100 block of North Main St. was a bad idea, and that the city needs to engage in "smart" growth. Both Castle and Mattox support the LDR plan, including the creation of the park in place of the Walgreens building. Additionally, both Castle and Mattox agreed with the proposition that a citizen should not serve on more than 2 citizen boards or commissions, though Castle expressed disappointment that so few people in the city are involved to begin with.

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March 1, 2001: Peace Activist Paloma Galindo, an organizer with the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA), provided an hour's worth of fascinating information and insight in her conversation with Mather and Palmeri. Galindo, in Wisconsin for an informational tour designed to raise consciousness about the Pentagon's plan to build a $4 billion "National Security Complex" in Oak Ridge, argued that the world is more dangerous since the break-up of the Cold War. Oak Ridge, Tennessee was a key site in the Manhattan Project building of the atomic bomb, and since the end of World War II the plant has continued to produce nuclear weapons.

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March 7, 2001: Dan Rylance served as co-host with Mr. Mather while Tony Palmeri attended "UW Day" in Madison. Rylance and Mather welcomed Oshkosh Common Council challengers Terry Knutson, Eric Barlow, and Frank Tower. The three described their reasons for running, and offered views on a variety of topics including downtown redevelopment, role of the council, taxation, at-large v. district representation, and other issues.

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March 14, 2001: Incumbent Jane Van De Hey and challenger Charlene Lowe, candidates for Winnebago County Executive, engaged in heated discussion about the Parkview Health Center Food Delivery System, the reasons for the County Jail delay, and many other issues. During the program, Palmeri released the results of a Commentary survey of Winnebago County Supervisors showing that 13 said they would vote for Lowe, 6 for Van De Hey, 7 undecided, and 4 offered no comment. Lowe believes the survey shows a complete lack of confidence in the Executive, while Van De Hey argued that her strong leadership has put her at odds with some board members. Ed Lowe of the Appleton Post-Crescent and Alex Hummel of the Oshkosh Northwestern attended the taping.

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April 18, 2001: Common Councilors Melanie Bloechl and Paul Esslinger challenged fellow councilor Mark Harris' assertion at the April 10 Common Council meeting that the council had agreed in Executive Session two weeks before the meeting that they would not comment publicly on the 100 block proposal voted on at the April 10 meeting. Bloechl and Esslinger argued that the understanding in the Executive Session was that either Mayor Dell'Antonia on behalf of the city or the developer on his own would release the news of the proposal. Countering Stew Rieckman's claim in the Northwestern that Bloechl should have called the paper to give it a "tip" about the 100 block proposal, Bloechl and Esslinger said that the paper did not exercise its responsibility to report the news.

Also in the interview, Esslinger listed more than 10 issues on which he voted differently than Bloechl, thus in his opinion refuting claims that he follows Bloechl too closely. Both counselors expressed disappointment with a recent Chamber of Commerce ad featuring councilor Harris seated in the Council chambers. Bloechl called the ad "inappropriate." Bloechl went further and said that the Chamber should not be in the business of endorsing candidates for public office. She believes that such endorsements create the possibility for conflicts of interest and also divide the community.

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May 23, 2001: Former Oshkosh School Board President LuAnn Bird, accused by the Oshkosh Northwestern of possibly capitalizing privately from publicly funded CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) training received during her 6 years in office, denied engaging in any improper behavior in an interview with Mather and Palmeri. Bird said that the newspaper's April 1 story suggesting possible unethical behavior on her part was full of inaccuracies. When asked why she did not allow herself to be interviewed for the Northwestern story, Bird said that reporter Eric Bradley had in the past misquoted her and--according to Bird--admitted to "slanting" stories in a negative way. Asked about the fact that Superintendent Ron Heilman had taken her and Board member Karen Bowen to lunch at places like Fratello's and The Roxy at taxpayer expense in order to plan meeting agendas, Bird minimized the significance of the lunches and said that the Northwestern's reporting of them represented more of the paper's negativity toward the school board.

Bird said she did not seek a third term on the board due to family reasons and that it was "no more fun." She said that she was most proud of the fact that in her 6 years the district made real progress on making each district building handicap accessible. Bird defended CQI principles, and said that the money invested in CQI procedures has been worth it when considering the ways the procedures have been incorporated by district teachers.

A variety of other issues including labor relations, school boundaries, and testing were raised during the one-hour interview.

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May 31, 2001: Winnebago County Board Chair Joseph Maehl and Winnebago County Executive Jane Van De Hey told Mather and Palmeri today that Van De Hey's contentious re-election battle against Charlene Lowe, a battle that divided the county board supervisors and featured Maehl's outspoken support of Lowe, has not harmed the board's ability to govern effectively. Both Maehl and Van De Hey said that they are pledged to leaving the election in the past and moving on with the business of governing.

On other issues, both Maehl and Van De Hey supported the use of prison labor to reduce county recycling costs, even it means that developmentally disabled Brown County residents would lose their jobs. Van De Hey claims that Brown County Executive Nancy Nussbaum has assured her that other jobs are available for those disabled people.

On the issue of a sales tax for paying for the jail, Maehl supported it using Waupaca County as an example of where the tax was eliminated after the justice center was paid for. Van De Hey said she would only support a sales tax if Fond du Lac, Outagamie, Brown, and Winnebago all put it into place at the same time.

Maehl said that the "exploratory" committee he sits on with supervisor Julie Leschke is currently in the "research" phase of trying to discover what kinds of reforms would or would not be possible under state statutes. Maehl said that he would support a reform to reduce the number of committees any one individual could chair. Van De Hey said that she has been a "reformer" during her tenure as executive and that the executive position was largely "ceremonial" before she took over.

Maehl and Van De Hey sharply criticized the local press, especially the Oshkosh Northwestern, with Maehl claiming that the County gets harsh treatement from the paper because they have "nothing else to report." Van De Hey said her poor electoral results in Oshkosh were because of continued negative treatment in the Northwestern. Maehl and Van De Hey did agree, however, that the County Board often does a good job of "maligning" itself independently of the treatment received by the newspaper.

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June 6, 2001: Shirley Mattox, the newest member of the Oshkosh Common Council who campaigned on a neighborhood revitalization theme, defended her recent vote to rezone a part of South Washburn St. from residential to commercial. Mostly repeating her comments made at the last meeting of the Oshkosh Common Council, Mattox said that she spent much time staring at the zoning map of the area and visiting the area, and concluded that commercial use of the land was probably best for the community as a whole. She also argued that it is her belief that berms and spruce trees will have a major impact on minimizing the negative impact of a commercial development to the Graceland residents affected. Appearing on the same program, Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Casper said that the Washburn area is primarily commercial already, and that Oshkosh will benefit from a major development in the area.

Mattox ran as a "smart growth" candidate. When asked to name the "smart growth" principles that could defend her Washburn vote, Mattox said that she wasn't sure that she was thinking of Smart Growth principles with that vote. In response to a question about whether citizens should be concerned about the potential for a Home Depot or other big box retailer to develop in the area, Casper said that such developments are good "competition" for other retailers in the area. Mattox said that she might support calls for a market impact or community impact study if such a development were to be proposed.

In other issues, Mattox said she was uncomfortable with the Chamber's use of councilor Mark Harris in a newspaper ad promoting the Chamber's Leadership Oshkosh program. Mattox said that the ad gives the appearance of the program being able to gurarantee election to the council. Casper said that the ad is appropriate, makes no claims to political success for anyone who signs up for Leadership Oshkosh, and that Councilor Harris is a good example of the kind of elected official who understands business issues.

When shown a clip of councilor Melanie Bloechl criticizing the Chamber for being involved in politics through its Political Action Committee, Casper said "that's one opinion." He argued that businesses ought to have a voice in the political process, and thus the need for the PAC.

Mattox said she would not support any attempt to extend 20th avenue, and she is also opposed to the office space development proposal for the 100 block of north Main St.

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 July 11, 2001: Oshkosh Mayor Jon Dell'Antonia, in a 30 minute interview with Palmeri and Mather, expressed regret for giving attention to Harmon Seaver's Oshkosh Sux Website. The Mayor did not apologize for asking City Attorney Kraft to "nail" Seaver "to the cross," and he argued that one lesson of the episode is that Kraft needs to become better at using electronic mail. In an e-mail to Seaver, Kraft accidently forwarded Dell'Antonia's e-mail that included the "nail to the cross" language. Responding to former Mayor Bob Jungwirth's call on last week's Commentary for him to resign, Dell'Antonia said that he has no intentions to resign and that he plans to stop giving this matter any more attention. He also said that the City Attorney is not currently pursuing the Seaver matter any further.

Also during the interview, Dell'Antonia said he did not support District Attorney Joseph Paulus' advice to the Council to produce more detailed minutes of closed sessions. The Mayor believes that the Council acted appropriately in closed session as regards the 100 block deliberations. When asked if he would support a citywide referendum to determine public support for other projects if the Ganther office building project fails, Dell'Antonia said that he does not believe a referendum would serve a useful purpose since it is highly unlikely that we are going to get a department store, an aquatic park, or a City Hall placed on the block--the projects that would most probably be mentioned by voters as good for the street.

Dell'Antonia said he has no information as to what kind development, if any, is being planned for the Washburn Ave. site recently rezoned by the Council. He also said the the "relevance rule" on citizen statements has been difficult to enforce because it is not always clear whether or not statements are in fact irrelevant.

Councilor Mark Harris joined Mather and Palmeri in the second half-hour. In response to a question about whether it was appropriate for him to allow the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce to use a picture of him seated at the council dais in ad for Leadership Oshkosh, Harris said yes. He argued that the ad in no way implies that taking Leadership Oshkosh guarantees election to the council, and that participating in such an ad should not create the perception that Harris is not likely to vote against the Chamber. He said that Chamber Representatives have called him 3 times to talk about issues, but never requested that he vote a certain way.

As regards District Attorney Paulus' advice that the council take more detailed minutes at closed sessions, Harris said that he is not sure if that would work as it is not clear when the minutes would be released and to whom they would be released.

In answer to a question about citizen participation at meetings, Harris said that he is concerned that when the Council amends a motion during the council portion of the meeting, the public does not have a chance to comment on the amended resolution--even though the amendment may create an entirely different motion. He said that he would support changing the meeting procedures so that when motions are ameneded the meeting can go back into the public portion.

Harris said that he has asked other councilors to let him know of their availability on Saturdays in the coming months to participate in a "town hall meeting" at the site of the new public park on Main St being placed on the grounds of the razed Walgreens building. Harris said that he would like to see the public have an opportunity to speak to the councilors and also listen to a presentation by city staff dealing with the park project.

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August 8, 2001: Wisconsin District 19 Senator Mike Ellis (R-Neenah), in a lively interview with Mather and Palmeri, lambasted the recently passed $47 billion state budget. Ellis, one of only eight members of the Senate to vote against the budget document, said that it lacked "fiscal integrity" and was filled with all kinds of provisions that would never have passed the legislature as normal bills. As an example of the lack of fiscal integrity, Ellis pointed out the that fact that the legislature decided to "trade in" its 5 billion dollar, 20 year tobacco settlement for a "one time only" payment that will be used to help close a structural deficit and to pay for programs that will need continuing revenue. Ellis agreed with former Governor Tony Earl, who said recently that "there's one really big difference between today and 1982 [when Earl first ran for governor]. Back then, some of us were saying we have a problem and we better begin dealing with it. Now, from the top to the bottom in Madison, it is a see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil mentality. Everybody is pushing payments back and using accounting tricks to make ends meet. I am appalled at that."

As an example of outrageous provisions in the budget document , Ellis cited the attempt to break up the Department of Natural Resources into two agencies, one dealing specifically with forestry management. Ellis argued that the new forestry department would soon become a sprawling bureaucracy just like the DNR.

Senator Ellis said that he refers to former Governor Tommy Thompson as "the godfather of structural deficits" because of his support for changing the method of school funding so that the state picks up 2/3 of the costs. Ellis argues that the problem with deficits started when that change was made.

Ellis also explained his campaign finance reform proposal, saying that it would level the playing ground for candidates who elect to participate in the "clean government fund." Under Ellis proposal, candidates facing an onslaught of "independent expenditure" ads would be given dollars from the clean government fund to match the independent expenditures. Ellis would also eliminate the check off on state income tax forms to indicate support for public financing and instead place $3 million per year in the General Purpose Revenue budget to support the reform. He said that the fund could be paid for through savings from eliminating the Democratic and Republican caucuses.  

The interview with Ellis can be seen on Titan TV 2 at 7 p.m. from August 9 - 15.

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by Tony Palmeri

August 23, 2001

This week's Commentary, which will air for the first time tonight at 7 p.m. on Titan-TV, is a "best of" program featuring clips from programs recorded in the last year along with Palmeri and Mather updates on the issues discussed in each clip. The featured clips are:

*Matt O'Malley and Paul Esslinger from October of 2000 talking about the 100 block negotiations. When asked if the public would have an opportunity to discuss the 100 block project that at time was being negotiated in secret, the response was "absolutely." After the clip, Mather and Palmeri discuss the District Attorney's investigation of the Council's closed meeting procedures.

*Bob Jungwirth from July 4th of this year calling on Mr. Dell'Antonia to resign from the council due to his use of the City Attorney to "nail to the cross" a citizen whose web site he disliked. After the clip, Palmeri and Mather discuss the failure of the "silent six" to speak out on this matter.

*County Board Chair Joe Maehl and County Executive Jane Van De Hey from June 2 of this year talking about the sales tax. After the clip, Palmeri and Mather discuss some data gathered from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance regarding the true state of taxation in Winnebago County.

*Former School Board President LuAnn Bird from May 25 of this year talking about her relationship with the Oshkosh Northwestern. After the clip, Mather and Palmeri discuss what ought to be the relationship between reporters and the people they cover. Palmeri ends up arguing that the Oshkosh Northwestern should take Karl Ebert off the Common Council beat, even though Karl is an outstanding reporter, because all of the councilors appear to like him too much.

*Retired Oshkosh North Journalism teacher Ron Harrell from June 25 of this year giving his assessment of the Oshkosh Northwestern. After the clip, Mather and Palmeri discuss the economics of the newspaper business.

*Milwaukee attorney Alan Eisenberg from April 26 of this year talking about his effect to get dogs the legal status of humans. After the clip, Palmeri reads a few paragraphs from the Supreme Court's decision regarding Eisenberg's plea.

*Paloma Galindo, Executive Director of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance talking about police response to her groups protests in an interview from March 2 of this year. After the clip, Palmeri reads a portion of an e-mail interview done with Bob Poeschl, a UW Oshkosh student who is now an OREPA activist.

*Kathy Fredericks, executive director of Appleton-based Toward Community, talking about racism in employment from a July 20 of this year interview. After the clip, Palmeri and Mather discuss the issue of discrimination in the Fox Valley and Palmeri reads a letter received in praise of the Fredericks show.

Palmeri and Mather wish to thank videographer Doug Freshner for his outstanding work in putting this show together. Editing together tapes from past shows is no easy task. Doug's patience and professionalism are awe inspiring.

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Appearing on the March 4, 2002 edition of Commentary to talk about her legacy, Oshkosh Common Councilor Melanie Bloechl was surprised to receive a "Little Spender Award" from a representative of Governor Scott McCallum's office. Bloechl has been one of the most outspoken local officials in opposition to Governor Scott McCallum's plan to end the state shared revenue program. The representative of Governor McCallum's office, played satirically by Commentary pundit Dan Rylance, gave Bloechl some roses and a certificate that said the following:

Whereas the greate state of Wisconsin is $1.1 billion in the hole; and

Whereas the big spenders in local government must be held accountable for this deficit; and

Whereas Oshkosh Common Council member Melanie Bloechl voted agains the City's 2002 city budget; and

Whereas Bloechl has consistently spoken up against reckless spending in Oshkosh for over a decade;

LET IT BE RESOLVED that I King Scott McCallum, the First, in the second and last year of my reign with the full concurrence of the legislature, with only Represenative Gregg Underwelm not consenting, and against the strong objections of Stewart Rieckman, editor of the Oshkosh Northwestern, do hereby proclaim Melanie Bloechl to be the winner of the Wisconsin City "Little Spender Award 2002."

King Scott McCallum, the First, on the Day of the Lord, March 4, 2002.

That Dumb Son Of A ______________________

[Note: Dan Rylance's views are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Tony Palmeri, Jim Mather, or any Commentary staff].

On the March 4th show, Bloechl also said that she got the idea to sponsor a Council resolution opposing the Governor's plan (a resolution that will be on the agenda of the next Council meeting) from watching Commentary.

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March 11, 2002 and March 25, 2002

Appearing on the March 11, 2002 and March 25, 2002 editions of Commentary, Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education candidates Brett Smits, Tom McDermott, Ben Schneider II and Ted Sehmer shared their views on a variety of issues facing the board. Here are the views they expressed on several key issues:

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