Bain-Blog

Thursday, January 24, 2008

January 29, 2008 Fifth Tuesday Forum

I will be holding another Fifth Tuesday Forum on January 29th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Oshkosh Public Library, 106 Washington Ave., in Rooms A&B. All are welcome to attend. Please contact me or post a message here if you have questions or comments.

-Bryan

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posted by Bryan L. Bain at 1/24/2008 03:39:00 PM

20 Comments:

  • From 5th Tues. Forum scheduled for 1/29/2008:

    "There was a discussion regarding what would happen to Council Member Esslinger’s council seat if he is elected mayor in April."

    It is my understanding that the Mayor's seat isn't up for election until 2009. If this is the case, then why would Paul E. be running for it or for that matter nothing has been reported? From media (ONW) disseminated info. there will be no Council and Mayor ballot due to the fact no one came forward to run against any of the expiring terms. Mr. Bain if you could please clarify this. Thank you.

    Regarding the topic of controlling dust etc. on road etc. projects I can't stress enough the importance of this. Having undergone living during a road reconstruction project, and one who suffers from respiratory problems, the dust was awful, both filth wise and health wise. Several contacts to the City were unsuccessful. One call equalled one water down when in fact Public Works claimed they would keep up with this; not done. After that the Public Works said it was the responsibility of the construction co. and they would be notified of such. No water downs occured again. When it became deplorable, especially due to high speeding vehicles with uncontrolled traffic. homeowners in some cases got desperate enough to water down themselves at a considerable cost and not very effective for long. The City passed the buck and nothing happened. The police were not keeping on top of violations and in fact were not around. Violators were even moving road block barricades. I guess in summation I would encourage not just water downs but police surveillance. Road etc. project are difficult to bear as is without becoming a nightmare. Thank you.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 27, 2008 12:39 PM  

  • Anonymous said:

    "There was a discussion regarding what would happen to Council Member Esslinger’s council seat if he is elected mayor in April."

    "It is my understanding that the Mayor's seat isn't up for election until 2009. If this is the case, then why would Paul E. be running for it or for that matter nothing has been reported? From media (ONW) disseminated info. there will be no Council and Mayor ballot due to the fact no one came forward to run against any of the expiring terms. Mr. Bain if you could please clarify this. Thank you."

    The Common Council members up for re-election in April 2008 are Mr. Paul Esslinger, Mr. Burk Tower and Mr. Dennis McHugh. No challenger submitted nomination papers, so barring a successful write-in campaign, the three incumbents will be re-elected.

    Regarding the mayoral election, you are correct, that seat is not up for election until April 2009. Should Mr. Esslinger run for it, as he unsuccessfully did in 2005 and 2007, he would not be required to vacate his council member seat unless he won the mayoral election. If that were to happen, the council would decide on how to proceed: keep only six council members for one year, appoint someone to fulfill the remaining one year of the term, hold a special election, etc.

    I hope this helps.

    -Bryan

    By Blogger Bryan L. Bain, at January 27, 2008 3:22 PM  

  • Bryan:
    Why do neighborhoods constantly have to FIGHT to PROTECT our yards, streets and neighborhoods from "special interest" groups?
    It makes NO difference WHERE events are held in and about Oshkosh. It’s should be about abiding by the law!
    PLEASE explain WHY it’s okay to Break The Law in public city parks/stadiums,little Oshkosh?
    Noise, vandalism, public drunkenness, drug use, speeding, traffic and parking problems have all surfaced and resurfaced as problems in various areas of the city. Why should our neighborhoods be forced to cope with problems
    caused by ANY event in Oshkosh?
    If anyone wants to have a festival or party respect the property, the property owners and respect the parks or facilities we provide for those that can’t afford them.
    It only takes a few to ruin something good for everyone.
    This is our city and we want our neighborhoods protected! It’s about respect and abiding by city codes, ordinances, and laws.
    Why do projects/events get approved BEFORE neighbors are consulted and problems are addressed?
    Why can't we get enforcement?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 28, 2008 8:25 AM  

  • Mr Stephany... We need a ZERO tolerance Enforcement Team!
    Find a way to control the crowds or lawbreakers or SHUT IT DOWN.
    This is our city, our neighborhood, our park, if he can't do the job than get out and get a New Parks Manager!
    Councilors get your heads out of the sand... listen to the neighborhood citizens... and NOT the "special" interest groups.
    Help us protect our neighborhoods!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 28, 2008 10:48 AM  

  • Anon. 7/28, 8:25

    "This is our city and we want our neighborhoods protected! It’s about respect and abiding by city codes, ordinances, and laws."

    Indeed! Why are City Depts. responsible for overseeing the above not accountable? When can we expect to see a change? Codes, ordinances, laws..., violations abound. The Council can't change this apparently as they don't have the power. Is a new City Mgr. going to invoke his/her power to take on the job accountability task, clean house or whatever else it takes? Want to believe so but it's becoming more and more difficult to be optimistic. It's time for top City employees to get out of the office and see for themselves vs. depending on "vigilantees" or simply ignoring. Yes, jobs will become more involved and/or busy but then this is why we pay them. Don't like the "dirty work", then move on.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 29, 2008 8:45 AM  

  • The Council can't change this apparently as they don't have the power.
    Don't have the POWER??? that's BS!

    Who hires the city manager? Last I knew it was the council elected by the people and for the people...etc

    We the people has a voice! We MUST make it clear we NEED laws,codes
    and ordinances enforced!
    We elected councilors to do a job.. We pay city staff hefty salarys and benefits to do a job.
    So I ask the question who is NOT
    doing their job?
    City Staff or our Councilors?
    They have the power to oversee ALL
    the city functions.
    Our "Power" Tower Mayor could met with the Police Chief & Department Heads & let them know the citizens of Oshkosh want our streets and neighborhoods protected from the "special interest" groups.
    We need our speed limits and city codes enforced.
    Councilors this is NOT a WANT this is a NEED!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 30, 2008 8:58 AM  

  • Perhaps Mr. Bain could clear this "power" question up. The Council can hire and fire the City Mgr. only. They can advise discipline, termination etc. but that's as far as it goes. ONLY the City Mgr. can do this and this is a great part of the retirement decision; "inmates running the prison". This was brought up last year, with even the Council being surprised, re. their limitations where Dept. heads and their protegees were concerned. As aforementioned this would be something that Mr. Bain could explain more clearly.

    I relaize this particular blog comment area is regarding the meeting agenda topics. In keeping with the subject this is perhaps an area of discussion at the next 5th Tues. Forum. Thank you.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 30, 2008 9:58 AM  

  • To correct my previous post:

    "They (meaning the Council can advise discipline, termination etc. but that's as far as it goes." To make that clearer the Countil can advise the City Mgr. re. discipline, termination etc. as ONLY the City Mgr. can pursue this. The Council, to my understanding, did commence a workshop for the Inspection Dept. regarding steps towards "improvement". What happened with this I don't know.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 31, 2008 8:39 AM  

  • The Council did have a workshop for the Inspection Dept. regarding step
    towards "improvements".
    I would be nice to have a follow-up forum/report on what changes have been made.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 31, 2008 9:24 AM  

  • It would also be nice to hear an update on how the "new community"
    policing is going to address the speeding problems on city streets.
    Since they want more neighborhood watches.. when will the OPD start handing out the radar guns?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 31, 2008 2:45 PM  

  • It seems to me that the "Community" part of Comm. Policing is just a more user friendly term for vigilantee. Neighborhood Watch groups have been around for years with members calling on violations etc. so that's nothing new. It is hard not to notice that patrol, at least where I live, has ceased when before our streets were patrolled once per hr. Speeding, running stop signs is worse than ever; the area is known as a "cop free zone". If anyone has read the job description for a patrol officer there is a part that states once in their patrol cars the officer is unsupervised. While it may be a fact the officer is assigned to be patrolling an area that doesn't mean he/she is; just so they're close be in case a call comes in and then it's too late. I was under the impression community policing was going to entail officers actually getting out, meeting people, get their spin on their areas, be officer friendly, at least that's how it was initially put before us.

    By the way, any City employee can and should report violations be they code or otherwise to the proper depts. to be followed up on. They do not or if they do they go ignored.

    The Inspection Workshop was first held after a Council meeting in Sept. 2007. What that entailed would be nice to know but nothing has changed has it.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at February 01, 2008 9:13 AM  

  • Is it a conflict of interest or not??
    Councilor King dodged the question on the potential conflict of interest for ONW open forum.
    Will any councilor admit to the conflict??

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at February 02, 2008 9:35 AM  

  • The councilors have a choice--Conflict of interest to include PAA or no conflict of interest by omitting them as a contender.

    Put the issue to rest or make it bigger. Councilors- do the right thing.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at February 02, 2008 9:40 AM  

  • Public Administration Associates LLC has as it's partners: former Oshkosh Mayor Stephen Hintz, former Oshkosh City Manager Bill Frueh, former division head and Deputy City Assessor for the city of Oshkosh Denise Frueh, and current Wisconsin State Representative Gordon Hintz among others.

    There is no way that PAA, LLC can be seen as being impartial in this process. I hope a majority of the council sees it this way.
    CONFLICT of INTEREST!! If this firm made contribations to councilors campaign funds.
    PAA needs to recluse themselves to avoid an embrassing situation for our council.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at February 02, 2008 3:43 PM  

  • Anonymous said:

    "Why do neighborhoods constantly have to FIGHT to PROTECT our yards, streets and neighborhoods from "special interest" groups?"

    "PLEASE explain WHY it’s okay to Break The Law in public city parks/stadiums,little Oshkosh?"

    "Why should our neighborhoods be forced to cope with problems
    caused by ANY event in Oshkosh?"

    "Why do projects/events get approved BEFORE neighbors are consulted and problems are addressed?"

    "Why can't we get enforcement?"

    I get the sense that you are frustrated with some or all of the special events held in the city of Oshkosh. Because we do host so many special events, I agree with what Council Member Palmeri brought up at a previous meeting - the need for a special events policy.

    Opening the lines of communication could improve some of the concerns you and others have raised. However, I would not support the city becoming a closed-off community, one that does not support or allow special events.

    As for laws and the enforcement of them, it is not okay for anyone to "break the law." With special events comes the need for cooperation, flexibility and patience. There are bound to be people breaking the law, however, our police department does an outstanding job at enforcement.

    If there is something going on in your neighborhood that warrants contacting the police, then I strongly recommend you do just that. And if you are not satisfied with the response, you always can contact a supervisor or the Chief.

    The answers to the issues resulting from special events that take place in the city will not be successfully addressed when one or both sides are not willing to compromise and work with one another. This cannot be an 'us' vs. 'them' mentality.

    All sides, including the city, must be willing to work together so that Oshkosh can continue hosting such wonderful events - bringing millions of people and dollars into our community - with as little negative impact as possible.

    -Bryan

    By Blogger Bryan L. Bain, at February 03, 2008 7:41 PM  

  • Anonymous said:

    "Perhaps Mr. Bain could clear this "power" question up."

    You are correct, the council hires, fires and supervises only the city manager. It is up to the city manager to hire, fire and supervise the department and division heads.

    This does not mean, however, that the council should take a completely hands off approach to the operations of the city.

    If a concern is brought to my attention, I forward it to the department/division head and the city manager. Usually, with little to no follow up, the issue is resolved. I have found this to be an effective way to deal with concerns and work with city staff.

    If a council member has concerns regarding how city staff are or are not performing, it is up to the individual council member to discuss it with the city manager. The city manager needs to decide how or what to do, if anything, about the situation. After all, one council member does not necessarily speak for the entire council.

    However, if a majority of the council feel very strongly about an issue, then obviously they hold a certain level of power, which then may lead to more influence over the city manager.

    I hope that addresses the questions raised regarding supervision of city staff.

    -Bryan

    By Blogger Bryan L. Bain, at February 03, 2008 7:51 PM  

  • Regarding the comments on the Inspections Department:

    If you have specific concerns regarding the Inspections Department, please forward them to Allyn Dannhoff, Director of Inspection Services at adannhoff@ci.oshkosh.wi.us, or Jackson Kinney, Director of Community Development at jkinney @ ci.oshkosh.wi.us.

    Providing specific concerns to the people who can do something about them is the only way progress and improvements can be made.

    -Bryan

    By Blogger Bryan L. Bain, at February 03, 2008 8:08 PM  

  • Regarding the comments on the Police Department's community policing model:

    The new model does support officers getting out of their squad cars and interacting with citizens in a more proactive way. That is the premise of the model, and from what I have seen and heard, it is working and producing some very positive results.

    If you would like to know more about the officers who patrol the area in which you live, please visit the Oshkosh Police Department's Web site (click on "Team Areas").

    If you have seen a decrease in patrol and increase in crimes, please contact the supervisor for the area in which you live. I am sure this is something he would like to know.

    -Bryan

    By Blogger Bryan L. Bain, at February 03, 2008 8:20 PM  

  • Bryan,
    Thank You for addressing our posted concerns.
    Will you be passing on these concerns to other council members?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at February 04, 2008 9:45 AM  

  • Hopefully Mr. Bain will share with other Council members and perhaps even more importantly, the Dept. themselves. I fear with some of the Depts. it will fall on deaf ears, lip service at best. However, if documented perhaps something to present to the next City Mgr. Mr. Fitzpatrick from all reports is a nice man but also is known for his high regard for Dept. heads. Besides he's just filling in. Should he decide to apply and accept will we get the same? If PAA search team is chosen that's quite likely. As has been said over and over, some housecleaning is in need and this is only likely with someone who will judge upon accountability, new procedures and if getting nowhere will terminate. If not, we might as well have saved a lot of money and kept things as per usual.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at February 04, 2008 2:14 PM  

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