Letter: City leaders poor representatives at Guns N’ Hoses game
To the Editor-
On August 26, our community sponsored the annual Guns and Hoses softball game, which raises funds for military veterans. All of the funds stay inside Portage County. It was very inspiring to have heard that they’ve raised over a quarter of a million dollars for local vets over the years!
It’s a well-attended event and much loved by the families because it’s a fun time where local firefighters play softball against local cops and deputies. My granddaughters got their faces painted and had a lot of fun watching them play it out, and I overheard some of the playful banter between the players, which was very funny.
Thank you to the people who put this event on every year. My father is 98 and has been on the Honor Flight, which you help fund.
This year, Mayor [Mike] Wiza was an announcer for the game. He was extremely inappropriate and made several inappropriate remarks while commentating, including references to male genitalia over the loudspeaker. When he said over the speaker that Stevens Point had the best fire department in the county, a friend of a Plover firefighter who was playing in the game, who was sitting next to us, left the game, disgusted.
That’s my first concern. My second concern is that nobody on the [city] council attended this game to have heard these remarks. Why no one could represent the council at this event is very sad but also shows this council’s disconnection from the community they serve. I saw at least one Plover trustee and the village administrator there to support Plover in the event.
I do not believe Mayor Mike Wiza is an appropriate representation of how this community thinks or feels. I hope he does not do commentating next year.
Roseanne Phile
Plover