They Start Killing the Deer in 15 Minutes

Apparently the authorities have blocked off access to the areas of Oshkosh where they are going to begin killing off the deer at 5 p.m. (Friday Jan 30). According to the Northwestern they have been combing the area making sure no people are present.

"Once we know it's secure, barricades will go up and we will continue to monitor the perimeter."

They are anticipating protests or disruption, and have advised people against protesting or being near the property at the Oshkosh National Guard Armory grounds. The 37 acre area, located between Osborn Ave, East of S. Koeller, and South of Ninth Ave, (From Hwy 41 take the Ninth St. Exit east, turn south on Armory Place) is where they have been baiting the deer to get them in a group for killing.

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Oshkosh Candidate Forum Feedback

I watched the forum Thursday night for the Oshkosh Common Council candidates held by the League of Women Voters. I love these forums because you can get a better sense of the candidates and how they might actually act on the council if elected. On Feb 17 there will be a primary that will winnow this field of candidates from 7 to 6.

I'd like to hear from others what they thought, but I'll give my quick impressions.

First I think the incumbents, Tony Palmeri and Jessica King, will have a noticeable advantage on Feb. 17 and we should anticipate them finishing first and second. This is due to name recognition, a deeper familiarity with the issues at hand, and I think both have pretty solid constituencies in the city that will come out and support them. Tony was effective at taking questions and turning them into opportunities to point out issues he has gone to bat for such as blocking the sale of the Chamber building, coming down hard on the Insurance companies after the flooding, challenging TIFs and others.

After Palmeri and King I think anything can happen. John Hinz came across as fairly confident, he established himself as a south sider opposed to tax increases but in favor of infrastructure investment in roads and sewer. He was careful not to throw popular "quality of life" items like the Library or Museum on the chopping block but made it clear that he would fund "needs before wants". I would argue that you can't put the daily operation of the public library "on the back burner" but to his credit he made his priorities clear. Dick O'Day came across as somewhat of a "likeable curmudgeon", one who will look for a common sense approach to issues but maybe in some cases such as the river front and river walk take a more extreme position than I might prefer.

Bob Poeschl and Travis Swanson are both younger candidates and once they got warmed up I thought they had some really good contributions to the conversation. Poeschl is obviously very passionate about the issues he cares about, and I think he made it clear that he wants to champion those with special needs such as the disabled and elderly, and that neighborhood development is a high priority for him. Poeschl is a life long resident of Oshkosh and has a unique perspective based on service and activism. Swanson also has a unique perspective as a UW Oshkosh student, but he has made it clear that he lives and works in Oshkosh and has a stake in the city. Swanson, 24, clearly cares about governance and public service. While he may not have been prepared for some questions (such as the "Form of Government" question), he demonstrated on a number of others that he can do his homework and develop informed positions.

Candidate Steve Cummings was not present.

I think the primary is up in the air. Palmeri and King are likely safe. I think Hinz is going to do well. For the others it is all about who they get out to the polls that will determine who gets eliminated in the primary. I like Swanson, I really do, but based on my past experience he is going to have the biggest challenge of the 7 getting his people to the polls to vote.

What do you think?

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Oshkosh Common Council Election

Oshkosh will have a Feb. 17 primary this year for a number of races, including Common Council, County Executive, and Superintendent of Public Instruction (statewide race).

So who's running this year? Bryan Bain is not, leaving an open seat, while incumbents Jessica King and Tony Palmeri are running for re-election. Joining them on the ballot are Steve Cummings, John Hinz, Bob Poeschl, Richard O'Day, and Travis Swanson.

Since it is kind of hard to find the profiles of the candidates on the ONW site, below are each candidate's responses to the "So why are you running?" question:

• Steve Cummings, Realtor, “My wife and I have lived our whole lives here in Oshkosh. From my business experience and having lived here, I think I have the knowledge make a difference to help us move forward. There has to be a much more proactive approach and projects need to move faster. We have to capitalize on the strengths of this city that are many the also address the weaknesses.”
• John Hinz, Unemployed. “I’ve been thinking about it for a year. When no one challenged any of the incumbents last time, I decided I should this year. Most of the people I’ve talked to are just not happy with the way things have gone with the city council. It’s the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results and I think that’s the definition of insanity. I think we need a shake up.”
• Jessica King, Lawyer, “I just would like to continue working on the projects that we’ve started. I would like to see new evaluation criteria set up for the city manager, an action plan put in place for city development and to continue to purse a sustainability plan.”
• Tony Palmeri, Professor, “I think we need to continue to move forward on economic development, I think we need to move forward on greater communications between City Hall and the citizens and think we need to move forward on neighborhood development.”
• Robert Poeschl, ARC-Winnebago Co., "I am running for council to be an advocate for responsible development, strongo neighborhoods and open government."
• Richard O'Day, Correctional Officer, “I am upset with the direction the city council is going. I want to see some common sense action on the riverfront development.”
• Travis Swanson, Student and Pharmacy Technician, “I would like to see the bond strengthened between the university and the city and I think having a student on the council would really strengthen that.”

So what do YOU think of this field of candidates? Which one will get knocked out in the primary? What three will win?

I confess that I am not on top of these candidates and I don't know much about half of them. King and Palmeri have the obvious edge as incumbents, that goes without saying. After that I don't see a clear front runner or clear primary victim. Swanson as a student could be handicapped by that but he isn't a novice (he ran for county board last year against Lennon) and may have the ability to mobilize enough student votes and Democrats to survive the Primary. The others all seem to have some network of support or another. Cummings is likely the Chamber favorite along with King which will give him a boost. Poeschl has a potentially strong network of support, as does O'Day.

I'm going out on a limb and predicting this early that Hinz will get booted in the primary and the April election will result in Palmeri, King, and Cummings being elected in that order.

What do YOU think?

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Domestic Abuse Message

RE: Domestic Abuse Tragedy

Email from: Julie Fevola, Executive Director of Christine Ann D0mestic Abuse Services

As many of you have heard through the media, there was a tragic domesticviolence homicide last Friday in our neighboring community of Eldorado.This one hit us at the Christine Ann Center close to home as one of ourstaff members was an acquaintance of the victim. Although all of us atChristine Ann experience daily the devastation of domestic violence,this type of news hits us all hard. Like all of you, we have asked whyit happened, how it could have happened, and how it could have beenprevented.

Some of the media coverage quoted neighbors as saying that this doesn'thappen in a community like this and that they had the nicest house onthe street. All of this is of course irrelevant when domestic abuse isinvolved. It happens in the inner cities, it happens in the suburbs andit happens in small town America. It happens in the smallest andbiggest houses on the block. It affects all types of families and itaffects an entire community. When something like this happens ourcommunity is lesser for it.

As Christine Ann commemorates its 25th anniversary this year, we lookback at how far we have come, but tragic events such as this remind usabout how far we have to go. It should serve as a wake up call for eachof us to face the problem of domestic violence and how it affects ourfamilies and our community. It takes all of us working together toaddress this problem. We need to prioritize the effort to stop domesticviolence every day and not wait to talk about it only when a tragedylike this occurs. Our work in not done but our resolve is steadfast.

Thank you for the many ways you support victims and families.

Julie

www.christineann.net

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Oshkosh Bike & Safety Clinic

Children in grades K-5 are invited to a free bicycle safety clinic and will receive a FREE bicycle helmet and Brandon's Champions ID tag on Saturyda, May 9, 2009 from 9am-11:30am.

This year's clinic is being held at the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh, 501 E Parkway Avenue.

The sponsor of this annual event is ThedaCare. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Please bring your bike lock. Registration is not required.

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OPD Notice

RE: Suspicious phone call reference "Law Enforcement Child Safety Fund" solicitation.

From: David Gomoll, Patrol Sergeant, Oshkosh Police Department

I received information regarding a suspicious phone call a citizen got this morning. The female party got a call this morning from a person identifying them self on the phone as being with the “Law Enforcement Child Safety Fund” which was working with the Oshkosh Police Department gathering donations. The citizen said they worked with the police department and asked which officer they (the caller) were working with. There was silence and then the phone was hung up. The citizen does not have caller ID and did not get a phone number.

The police department is not working with this “so called fund” and I want to caution you if someone solicits you on behalf of the Oshkosh Police Department.

Sgt Sagmeister from our Crime Prevention Unit wanted me to pass along to you another apparent scam in which a large number of people, my self included, got a text message from Associated Bank regarding some bad credit.

The following is a website from the Federal Government regarding how to avoid ID Theft and what to do if you become a victim: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

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Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center

The Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center, Inc. is offering their Annual Mediation Skills Training:

March 23-27, 2009 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm each day At the Coughlin Center in Oshkosh WI

This class is an excellent opportunity for professionals whose work involves dealing with difficult people and situations as they learn the mediation process and the specific skills needed to feel comfortable and confident in conflict .

The training begins with a self assessment and mediation demonstration and continues with step by step explanation, practice and evaluation of the mediation process.

The fee for volunteers is $100.00 upon being accepted by the Board of Directors and being able to meet the volunteer requirements of mediating on Thursday mornings for one year.

The fee for non-volunteers is $725.00 for the 40 hours of training and for the optional Mentoring Program with opportunities for observing and co-mediating actual cases after the training (to be arranged according to the trainee’s schedule).

This training meets the guidelines recommended by the Wisconsin Association of Mediators and 41.5 cle credit hours are available to attorneys.

The trainers are Kristy Bradish, Executive Director of the Center and Pat Nichols, Director of the UW-O Center for Career Development.
Class size is limited. For more information please contact:

Kristy Bradish Executive Director Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center, Inc. 415 Jackson Street Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 Phone 920-236-4711 Fax 920-236-1076

For more information on the WCRC, visit www.co.winnebago.wi.us/clerkofcourts/conflictres.htm

According to the site, "The Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center, Inc. is a non-profit community mediation organization which has been training people to mediate disputes since 1990 for court-related work in civil cases and in community and worksite disputes. The Center has assisted thousands of disputants in resolving their complaints outside the court setting, with a 90% settlement rate."

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Toward a Sustainable Community: A Toolkit for Local Government

This toolkit should be REQUIRED READING for anyone and everyone interested in or participating in municipal planning: the Mayor, City Councilors, City Manager and City Staff, the Energy & Environment Advisory Board and every citizen interested in moving Oshkosh forward towards being a greener, cleaner and more cost effective eco-municipality.


http://www4.uwm.edu/shwec/publications/cabinet/reductionreuse/SustainabilityToolkit.pdf



Excerpt:

"...Why This Toolkit?

Individuals and groups across Wisconsin are calling upon local governments to enact policies and take actions that are aligned with the principles and concepts of sustainability. Several communities and a county in Wisconsin have recently shown leadership by adopting resolutions stating their intent to follow well-accepted principles and concepts of sustainability. They are becoming “eco-municipalities” or “green communities” or “sustainable communities.”

The purpose of this toolkit is to provide ideas and descriptions of specific actions that a local government can take to transform itself into a model of sustainable practices. These practices can result in cost savings and increased employment, and enhance environmental quality and community well-being. The message of this toolkit is simple: local governments can lead by example.

The focus of this toolkit is narrow, by design, and intended to address only the internal workings of local government. Specifically, it addresses sustainable approaches to energy, building, transportation, purchasing, investment, and hiring. It provides practical tools for making these functions of local government more supportive of long-term human and environmental health and well-being. It provides strategies that can be implemented through traditional means of policy development, fiscal administration, local government programs, and education. Other important areas where government
can lead by example and that should be included in local sustainability programs but that are not included in this toolkit include storm water and drinking water, integrated waste management, and natural resource management. In addition, this guide does not address comprehensive planning, food systems, parks and open space, and many of the other areas that local
governments address in their daily work. Future guides are planned to address those issues.

The various local government functions and strategies listed in this guide are intended to be viewed and implemented as part of a whole system approach to sustainability. If they are approached and implemented in a piecemeal manner, the objective of sustainability will be more difficult to achieve..."



As planning moves forward, I urge everyone to take a moment and read through this toolkit, then contact your city representatives and share your thoughts.


Mark Rohloff- mrohloff@ci.oshkosh.wi.us
Burk Tower- btower@ci.oshkosh.wi.us
Dennis McHugh- dmchugh@ci.oshkosh.wi.us
Bryan Bain- bbain@ci.oshkosh.wi.us
Jessica King- jking@ci.oshkosh.wi.us
Frank Tower- ftower@ci.oshkosh.wi.us
Tony Palmeri- tpalmeri@ci.oshkosh.wi.us
Paul Esslinger- pesslinger@ci.oshkosh.wi.us

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