Festivus: It’s the annual ‘Airing of Grievances’ editorial

By Brandi Makuski and Patrick Lynn

Break out your aluminum pole, because Saturday is Festivus.

Festivus, a spoof holiday recognized by fans of the popular 1990’s show “Seinfeld,” was the character Frank Costanza’s answer to the commercialism of Christmas. It consists of three basic elements: a “traditional” dinner of meatloaf or plain spaghetti; the Airing of Grievances, an opportunity to share one’s disappointments from throughout the year; and Feats of Strength, when the head of a household is wrestled and pinned to the floor.

All year, Metro Wire staff obtains volumes of off-the-record comments, witnesses ridiculous backbiting between elected officials, and encounters absurd bureaucratic red tape during our news collection efforts. We save most of them just for this day.

Groups of our community will disagree on 2023 being a good or bad year, better or worse than 2022. But while many were focused on state and national issues, our staff remained focused on hyperlocal news, because, frankly, nobody else did.

So we present our readers with the 2023 Airing of Grievances:

-County Board members, past and present, who spend more time complaining about each others’ behavior than making important decisions that would propel Portage Co. into a leading position in this state’s region. Too many members of the County Board act as though they are either out of control or completely inept. Two recent examples:

• First-term Supervisor Dave Peterson (D25) yelled at a UW-Extension water specialist in September, during a Land & Water Conservation Committee meeting. Peterson, who is now the subject of numerous code of conduct complaints, would not allow the specialist to speak during the meeting and threatened to have him removed by law enforcement escort. While the Committee has been dealing with some controversial issues, and it’s likely Peterson’s difficulties stem from his inexperience rather than malice, he clearly gave way to his frustration and he owes a very public apology.
• Supervisor Andrew Rockman (D9) told another news outlet on Dec. 8 that he was unaware of a standalone jail proposal, despite the proposal being introduced in June. In his remarks, Rockman also expressed confusion about whether the proposal meant the courthouse would also be moved, despite several discussions on the topic during County Board meetings since the standalone jail was introduced. It’s not clear why this news outlet reached out to Rockman, though several other Supervisors have told the Metro Wire that they, too, were contacted, but because none of them sat on the Space & Properties Committee, they declined to comment. That little piece of information should have been included in the story.

If you step outside of your opinions on the issues themselves, the reactions and behaviors of these two, and others on the Board, are inexcusable.

-The City Council’s vote approving a roundabout at Fourth Ave. as part of the much-maligned Bus. 51 rebuild. While no configuration is going to please everyone, placing a roundabout at what is arguably the busiest pedestrian crossing in the entire county is foolhardy and irresponsible. A quick check with WisDOT would confirm the rarity of roundabouts on college campuses. An even quicker check with the Stevens Point Police Department would confirm that vehicle collisions have more than doubled at Division St. and North Point Dr. following the installation of the roundabout there. How a pedestrian crossing would work at the busy intersection of Fourth Ave. is unknown.

-The constant use of the word “echo” during City Council meetings. The phrase, “I echo my colleague’s sentiments/thoughts/concerns” is used at least once every few minutes during Every. Single. City. Meeting. Stop it. You weren’t elected to echo.

-Stanley Street…just put it back already. The road diet, installed just at the onset of the COVID pandemic, was an enormous waste of time and money that did nothing to correct a single identified problem on the road — namely, the ability for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross Stanley St., or the ability to turn left on to Stanley St. from a crossroad. Also, when the road diet was installed, crews were unable to grub old striping away entirely without damaging the road, so when the roadway is wet or covered in even the lightest layer of snow, the lanes are impossible to discern.

-The lack of trained journalists serving Portage County. It means more people turn to social media for information, even if the information isn’t cited or comes from a suspicious or misinformed source; also, people who think journalism is easy, yet won’t apply for a job when we announce we’re hiring. Join us. We dare you.

-Public Relations folks who use ridiculous titles like “Communicator of Awesome” on their email signatures and business cards. Grow up.

-People who think Facebook is news.

-Also, Facebook group pages. While some are well-maintained and moderated, far too many become sewers of misinformation, wild claims, and human cockfighting like “Stevens Point Area: Happening Now.”

Eat. Drink. Take care of each other, and Happy Festivus.