Letter: UWSP’s presence on City Council is too strong

To the Editor-

We the people are responsible for keeping a balance of talents and skills on our common council for the good of the city. Few of us have run for office and that is why UWSP holds 9 out of 11 Council seats drawn from its 400 professors, their spouses, and friends.

There are five Council seats up for election spring 2022: District 2 David Shorr, has a private consulting firm and his wife is a UWSP music professor, District 4: Mykeerah Zarazua, UWSP sociology major, District 6: Jeremy Slowinski, federal express driver, District 8: Thomas Leek, UWSP German professor, and District 12: Keely Fishler, a government firm.

The university owns every odd-numbered district in the common council: District 1: Tori Jennings, UWSP retired anthropology professor, District 3: Ginger Keymer, her husband is a UWSP professor in natural resources, District 5, Meleesa Johnson, UWSP faculty member in sold waste management, District 7: Mary Kneebone, UWSP environmental planning, and District 9; Polly Dalton, Lawrence University, environmental policy.

This “University Block” presents a blatant overreach of power to control what’s best for their agendas with our tax money.

We need a fair representation of a wide variety of skills and backgrounds on the common council. This is why new alder persons and a new mayor are being called to serve from our lawyers, accountants, nurses, policemen, firemen, barbers, hairdressers, salespeople, veterinarians, landlords, mechanics, and those of business experience.

The balance on our common council is as important to decision-making as it is on jury selection. No judge would allow such a preponderance of UWSP presence on a jury especially since their decision-making history shouts that they stand for the best interest of 400 people out of a city of 26,000.

These UWSP practices need to be voted out of office for the sake of balance, but, more importantly, to stop the tax bondage they inflict on future generations.

We can end this march by replacing the Common Council and mayor by spring 2023. There are thousands of resident patriots who qualify to faithfully serve as mayor and alder persons with the best for our city at heart. Declare your intentions to run for city office.

Jean C. Edens
Stevens Point

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