After Janesville's City Council Election, Newspaper Blasts Their One Note Trumpet

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The Janesville Gazette has been on a political roll lately with their editorials and their latest post-city council election editorial was no different.

In their latest effort to dominate the local narrative, the Gazette tries to spin the voting results from Tuesday's Janesville City Council race as a mandate for dismantling the Monterey Dam and something about Janesville voters having no appetite for what the newspaper calls political "shenanigans."

Their editorial however ends up making a lot of noise about nothing.

First, as I pointed out in a pre-election blog post, it wouldn't matter who was elected or rejected of the nine people (including two incumbents) on Tuesday regarding the fate of the Monterey Dam. They are all status quo candidates running on the same platform. Mix or match any of them for the council and absolutely nothing would change. To be fair to the Gazette - nothing changing is their idea of success.

Yet, despite claims by the majority council that either a majority in Janesville or the "what's best for the city" phantoms had their backs, they would not chance the decision on the dam to go to the voters in a referendum as presented in an amendment. God forbid that...they shut that down quick.

So the inside "fix" to remove the dam was not only proven by the council's 6 - 1 vote to dismantle the dam, but in the fact that the lone dissenter was verbally scolded by Forward Janesville's council bully, Doug Marklein. Before the vote at the council meeting, Marklein called out the fellow council member for taking an "early" position with constituents to inspire public support to save the dam. Can't have that. No sir. "Inexperienced tweebs have much to learn and must conform to the master plan or else see more of this" was Marklein's underlying message.

Marklein's lashing out at a fellow council member or concerned constituents comes as no surprise here. He has a history of launching into condescending tirades and partisan-style personal attacks on those who merely happen to hold a different view than his or waver from Forward Janesville's master plan.

Yet, he was re-elected. THAT is the status quo in Janesville and in my view, it's not a pleasant tune to hear.

I've written often about how Janesville's "at-large" form of government is designed to take power away from the people (and put it in the hands of special interests) while its at-large council elections are little more than popularity contests allowing us to pretend our voices are heard and that we can make some difference. We can't make any difference. Nothing changed after Tuesday's election in Janesville and that's how the status quo works.

The Gazette's trumpet has only one note - and they blasted it loud.

ADDITIONAL:

RNR - Special Interests Should Recuse From Janesville City Council Or Resign

RNR - Good 'Ol Boy Appointed To Janesville City Council

RNR - Janesville's City Council Likes Things Just The Way They Are

RNR - In Janesville, Less Leadership Is More

RNR - E Pluribus Non Unum – From Many, Not One