Tunesday: Fats Domino - I Hear You Knocking

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R.I.P.

Did Home Builder Councilman Shut Down Apartments Developer?

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It was the right call, but for all the wrong reasons.

It seems any decision coming down from city hall defending the honor and wishes of neighborhood resident stakeholders in Janesville is met with people dancing in the streets. That's how rare it was when the Janesville Plan Commission unanimously agreed to kill a developer's apartment complex in the city's uppity Briar Crest sub-division. The people thought they were listened to.

From the beginning the decision never did smell right.

One council member sitting on the plan commission, Jens Jorgensen, stated that he supported the apartment development at first, but changed his mind after hearing dozens of residents oppose it. That's a good fair reason and how things should be when representatives listen.

The other councilman sitting on the plan commission, Doug Marklein, gave a long-winded story about how the buffer zone area behind Walmart is a perfect fit for apartments, that it's best for the city, but he won't support the multi-family development because doing so would break somebody's promise to keep it zoned R1 residential. Unbelievable ...and this is where things begin to unravel.

Marklein, in his capacity as a plan commission member, took it upon himself to make sure a third party kept their promise ...totally bizarre, despite the fact that the third party entered an agreement with a developer entitling the developer to pursue changing the zoning as necessary. This is simple common sense.

For whatever reason, Marklein felt personally wronged by the land owner for not appearing at the public hearing, as if to say owners and developers regularly appear in front of city officials to make their case. Except, they almost never do. Why should they when they have taxpayer-funded city administration officials lobbying for them?

The only answer I could come up with for Marklein feeling so personally wronged by the land owner - he stated they (not the city) promised three times to keep it R1 - is because he is a local residential home builder who would lose prime R1 zoned land to a competing builder stepping into his territory.

To many viewers, Marklein acted as if the zoning promise was made to him, as a home builder, and even if that is somehow denied, its specter became more visible when the apartment developer left the hearing stating he should not have been treated like an outsider. It was duly noted.

At some point, concerned citizens in Janesville will have to ask themselves why they allow a local home builder a seat on the city's planning/zoning commission.

The Gazette said the city needs business-minded people, such as Marklein, in leadership positions. Unfortunately, that's how insiders see the obvious conflict of interest - not as a bug, but as the feature.

And, that's just plain wrong and bad for business.

ADDITIONAL:

RNR - Janesville Council Members Gruber and Marklein Should Resign

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

Local GOP Official: “No Contest” In Child Sexual Assault

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Innocuously titled into protective custody by the Janesville Gazette, Man defending himself at trial opts for plea agreement, the story it turns out is about a local man who pleads no contest to charges he assaulted his teenage victim many times between July 2016 to January 2017.

The perpetrator was a state campaign coordinator for Rick Santorum and as recent as 2016, was election board chairman for the Rock County Republican Party.

JG Excerpt:
JANESVILLE -- A man who was defending himself at trial against charges of child sexual assault changed his mind Tuesday and took a plea agreement.

Wade A. Hallett, 52, was accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl he knows on multiple occasions as well as possession of child pornography and violating a domestic abuse injunction.

Janesville's Dark Store Community Grows

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Essentially, a lawyer preys on the city by arguing that a building is unique to a company’s needs and should be compared to a similar building that’s vacant or “dark.” -- Janesville Gazette Editorial, March 18, 2016

The following is a list of known dark store refunds issued in Janesville during the past two years including four new settlements this week.

The refund total for 2017 alone stands at $849,637. Hang on folks, because there are still two months left in the year.

Oct. 23, 2017
JBRC Investments - Authorization for the Administration to settle claims of excessive assessment from JBRC Investments, 1310 Plainfield Ave., in the amounts of $3,165.65, $3,025.20, and $3,556.94.
TOTAL: $9,749.79 refund

Oct. 23, 2017
Bank Mutual - Authorization for the Administration to settle claims of excessive assessment from Bank Mutual, 2111 Holiday Drive, in the amounts of $2,533.93 and $3,435.64.
TOTAL: $5,959.57 refund

Oct. 23, 2017
Dickens Partners - Authorization for the Administration to settle claims of excessive assessment from Dickens Partners LLP, 4323 Milton Ave., in the amounts of $17,182.15, $19,065.20, and $25,038.20.
TOTAL: $61,285.54 refund

Oct. 23, 2017
Grafft Trust - Authorization for the Administration to settle claims of excessive assessment from James and Heidi Grafft Irrevocable Trust, 15 W. Milwaukee St., in the amounts of $12,999.88, $12,758.83, and $16,445.68.
TOTAL: $42,204.39 refund

June 12, 2017
Menards - Authorizing the Administration to settle claims of excessive assessment from Menard, Inc. in the amounts of $164,744.01, $68,667.22, $71,198.62, and $98,398.06.
TOTAL: $403,007.90 refund

Feb. 13, 2017
Blain's Farm and Fleet - Authorizing the Administration to settle claims of excessive assessment from Blain’s Farm and Fleet Supply Inc. in the amounts of $67,932.23, $66,612.03, $85,117.80, and $107,767.31.
TOTAL: $327,429 refund

July 11, 2016
Janesville Gazette - Authorization for the Administration to approve a settlement between the Wisconsin Department of Revenue Bliss Communications, Inc., for real property assessments located at 333 S. Wuthering Hills Drive and 1 S. Parker Drive (Gazette).
TOTAL: $31,602.98 refund

Feb. 22, 2016
U.S. Bank - Authorizing the Administration to settle claims of excessive assessment from US Bank NA, 2732 Milton Avenue, in the amounts of $9,499.65, $9,315.05, and $9,325.03.
TOTAL: $28,139.70 refund

The fix is so economical and easy that it's time Janesville residents and other cities in Wisconsin under dark store siege begin considering the possibility that attorneys and/or other professionals ill advising city officials that it's cheaper to settle might be actual participants in the awards. It's just that bad and obvious.

Tunesday: The Clash - Rock The Casbah

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With WalkerCon, Aren't We Due For Another Koch Editorial?

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In case you didn't notice, the Koch brothers have been non-existent about Gov. Scott Walker's crony collectivist deal with Foxconn since their local political machinery, Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin, issued an empty toothless response against Walker's taxpayer-funded $3 billion wealth transfer package back in early August.

Since that early tepid rebuttal, I have not seen one web banner, radio or newspaper ad from the group taking on Walker for his obviously wrong-headed plan to transform Wisconsin into a government-run train-to-the-job collectivist-funded economy.

However, it should also be noted that Charles Koch, in the final years of the Obama presidency, wrote a couple editorials that for all descriptions and intentions, slammed those who participate in or promote government-run train-to-the-job collectivist-funded economies and America's steadily expanding two-tiered society.

Of course I can't speak for the Koch brothers or how they reconcile any of those beliefs with their continued unwavering support for Scott Walker. Adding to an embarrassment they want to avoid is likely the fact that Walker was their favorite to win the republican nomination for president in 2016. Imagine that.

So, to answer the title question: No, the Koch brothers will not write an editorial attempting to align their belief system against Scott Walker or the WalkerCon deal in Wisconsin. Don't look for it. Instead, they might write about how important it is for Congress to support their idea of "tax reform," but that too might be unnecessary and possibly counter-productive given that they also currently own the biggest phony in Washington DC doing all the necessary speaking for them.

In the coming months, watch for the Kochs to pivot away publicly from Scott Walker and Paul Ryan to protect them while writing a fat check to insure their chance for re-election.

Under Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin Is Losing Its "Forward" Identity

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You probably heard by now that the head of the state's largest super pac, Kurt Bauer of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, suggested that the state drop "America's Dairyland" from vehicle license plates and replace it with something more directional like ..."Forward." Gov. Scott Walker seems to agree.

Keep in mind that "Forward" has been the Wisconsin state motto for the past 170 years. So, it's nothing new or original.

Bauer said “To me, ‘Forward’ connotes resolve, indomitability and progress — not a bad image to project to the rest of the world. It can draw people into the state.”

Barack Obama thought the same when he chose "Forward" for his campaign. Conservatives however claimed Obama’s slogan reveals his secret communist and/or fascist allegiances.

US News Excerpt:
My friend and former colleague Victor Morton of the Washington Times has a provocative take on the Obama campaign's use of the slogan "Forward." Unfortunately for Obama, Victor writes that the term brings with it a lot of leftist baggage:

The slogan "Forward!" reflected the conviction of European Marxists and radicals that their movements reflected the march of history, which would move forward past capitalism and into socialism and communism. ...

Whoa! ...Foxconn anyone?

But there's more. Even conservatives that disagreed with that assessment say the same thing ...only differently. Over at National Review Online, Jonah Goldberg argued that Victor misses the more basic point.

"Forward" is simply a synopsis of the progressive understanding of the State. The State has always been seen by the left as the engine of history. When Obama says he's about going Forward, he's also saying that he thinks the government is the thing that moves us all forward, that the State is the source of Progress.

Again. Whoa! ... Foxconn anyone?

They said it. Not me.

But why I bring up Foxconn is because Foxconn's entry into Wisconsin marks a significant departure from conventional free market capitalism and its relationship with state government.

Foxconn will NOT happen in Wisconsin without heavy reliance on state power and extensive use of collectivism. So much that Foxconn supporters like the WMC, Paul Ryan and Scott Walker have said it will provide Wisconsin with mega-opportunities and have transformational effects on the state. So much that, they call it "game-changing" forward. Of course, government will have to "provide" first.

Unfortunately, they're right. Under Scott Walker and Foxconn, Wisconsin's "Forward" won't mean what we thought it meant in Wisconsin for all these years. Instead, it will mean what conservatives have redefined it into ...a government-run economy and society moving past capitalism into socialism, fascism and/or communism.

The handwriting is on the wall in Wisconsin ...and conservatives wrote it.

Committee Does What's Best For Janesville: Proposed Apartment Development Squashed

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According to this report from the Janesville Gazette, the Janesville Plan Commission, in a unanimous decision, shut down a new 95-unit apartment development proposed for the buffer space on the backside of Walmart/Sam's Club located in the city's uppity Briar Crest subdivision.

At first glance, this appears to be a rare win for "the people" vs city hall, but a few things about this particular decision do not quite match up with several recent decisions in other areas of the city.

Typically in Janesville, when a group of citizens most likely to be adversely impacted by city plans show up as a vocal majority at the public hearing, they are often maligned as selfish visionless NIMBY's who don't understand progress. Council members and their supporters defending the city's plans go even further by claiming they are doing only what's best for Janesville at-large - and not because some small group of naysayers want to protect their neck of the woods. That's how it is 99% of time. But not this time.

I won't rehash the Gazette's report or one council member's odd reason to defend his vote, but there is no doubt in my mind that had the developer propose a similar project for the south, west or central residential areas of the city, the commission would have approved it and passed it on to the city council.

But for the sake of less argument and more prose, I prefer to believe city leader's past memes when it comes to major changes or developments proposed within the city. They opposed the apartment development because adding new rental units is not what is best for Janesville. If it's not a good fit for Briar Crest - it's not a good fit for the Fourth Ward or anywhere else in the city.

Remember that the next time somebody wants to build rental housing in any one of the city's residential areas.

Tunesday: Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

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Forward Janesville Has a Charitable Arm. It's Not What You Think.

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It's hard to write about Scott Walker's and Paul Ryan's local booster club, Forward Janesville, and not mention that they endorsed every local tax hike and spending referendum since Walker was elected governor.

Or the fact that among their few public core beliefs, is this statement: If residents are unwilling to accept increased tax obligations, the local economy could death spiral. That's a real whopper of a crap burger considering they lobbied the state for tax cuts for themselves while their membership filed for dark store relief on their property tax statements. But who's watching? Right?

With that out of the way is a story from the Janesville Gazette about Forward Janesville restarting their "charitable arm" after they recently picked up a “seven-figure” donation. The only shocker here is it came from non-government sources.

Now you might be thinking that it's about time Forward Janesville's membership steps up to the plate and starts giving something back to the community. Unfortunately, their idea of a charitable arm won't be funding a homeless shelter or restocking local food pantries or paying the costs for a much needed free health care clinic. You'd be wrong thinking that.

No. In this case, Forward Janesville's charitable arm will pay the costs of building a pedestrian bridge and a fountain for their own little business playground in downtown Janesville. Apparently, that's their idea of charity.

At the end of the Gazette article, the president of Forward Janesville comes off sounding bitter toward those who question taxpayers funding the group's plans while other areas of the city are neglected. He's right to be bitter. It's too late to complain, folks.

Janesville municipal government is a wholly owned subsidiary of Forward Janesville. The city manager was hand-picked by a majority Forward Janesville committee. He is beholden to them. Until you (we) decide to take back our local government and restore district democratic rule and mayoral leadership, only TIF Districts will have a voice.

The people's voices will not be heard except by listeners reading the complaint comment section of the local newspaper ...and good luck with that.

Tunesday: Moby - We Are All Made Of Stars

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Is Resentment Driving Support For The Foxconn Deal?

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I was talking with a friend who likes to engage in political discussions about the Foxconn mess, and aware several others nearby can hear bits and pieces of our conversation. One person listening in to the conversation, actually another friend who usually avoids talking politics or religion, unexpectedly interrupted with this, "Hey, screw the Chinese. They took our best manufacturing jobs over the past 40 years, so I appreciate now when somebody (assuming Walker) is willing to bring them back."

When I mentioned the astronomical cost of a new state tax obligation in the billions of dollars including short-circuiting the state justice system in favor of the Taiwanese giant along with Foxconn's goal of full automation, he responded one more time...

"It's a high price to pay, but we can afford it if it puts a half-million Chinese out of work. It's better to have those robots here than there. You know what else? I love the fact that it's one of their own (assuming he meant Terry Gou) putting the screws to their people. They'll know what it feels like to be betrayed and lose those jobs. The shoe is finally on the other foot. Go for it!"

I was totally surprised by his candor and because much of our national politics is resentment driven, I was left thinking that he is not alone.

Tunesday: Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down

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