Letter: City government headed in ‘concerning’ direction
To the Editor (and readers)-
The direction that city government has been headed in the last few years is concerning. The city council, led by Council President Johnson, continues to come up with new initiatives which, while supported by a small very vocal constituency, are not necessarily in the best interests of the taxpayers as a whole. Now Johnson and the mayor have apparently decided to explore a new initiative: WOKE-NESS.
The failure to re-appoint Ron Carlson to the Police and Fire Commission because he’s a white, middle-aged male is not only an insult to Ron, but should infuriate all Stevens Point residents.
Within city government, the council has the authority to endorse, change or override decisions of most standing committees (ex. Public Works, Personnel. Bike/Pedestrian Safety, etc.), but NOT the Police and
Fire Commission (PFC), Board of Review (BOR), Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBOA), and the Administrative Appeals Board (AAB). Membership of the first three of these bodies, created under Wisconsin statutes, is comprised exclusively of citizens (not elected officials) who have been appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council.
The Administrative Appeals Board, however, is comprised of three alders and two citizens and was created by city ordinance in 2019. All four of these entities function as quasi-judicial bodies and their
decisions, if someone objects, must be referred to the circuit court for resolution. I’ve either attended or read the minutes/watched the video of most of these meetings which are posted on stevenspoint.com.
Since its first meeting in January 2020, the AAB (3 alders & 2 civilians) has never operated in accordance with the ordinance. I’d invite the public to view the videos of the PFC, BOR, and ZBOA and then view the Administrative Appeals Board recordings. Ask yourself, “Was due process afforded? Was evidence/testimony collected and considered? Was it a fair hearing?”
As council president, rather than mentoring her fellow alders to follow the requirements of the ordinance they enacted which created the Administrative Appeals Board (3.56 RMC), Ms. Johnson apparently
prefers to spend considerable time and energy questioning the re-appointment of an eminently qualified individual to the Police & Fire Commission.
Apparently, she feels that “sex, gender, age, ethnicity, religion or belief, health status, disability, sexual
orientation, gender identity, education, income, or geographic locality” should be considered when appointments are made. The above quote is directly from a proposal she made in December to create
another committee (Diversity Affairs and Inclusiveness Committee) within city government. Will the above criterion have to be considered prior to the council’s April re-organizational meeting when
the mayor appoints alders and citizens to the various committees, boards & commissions? Just wondering!
Another event that will occur next month will be the non-partisan election. I note that a formidable candidate is opposing Ms. Johnson in the 5th District Aldermanic race. Hopefully, the voters of the district will make the correct choice.
Bob Woehr
Stevens Point
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