If you fight with the Mayor's office, you better be ready to take some lumps.
Alderman Michael Shields appears to be learning just that when he was yanked off the city's powerful Finance and Personnel Committee and reassigned as the junior-most member of the Public Works Committee.
Mayor John Dickert determines City Council members' committee assignments.
Finance is a plum assignment because it reviews any city issue involving the spending of money. That amounts to just about any major issue that comes before the council.
Dickert added two new members to the Finance Committee. City Council veteran Ron Hart and City Council newcomer Dennis Wiser were each given one-year terms on the committee.
Former Alderman Bob Anderson sat on the committee before leaving the council in April. Anderson declined to seek re-election.
Other Committees
City Council newcomer Eric Marcus was assigned to the Public Safety and Licensing Committee. He replaces Alderman Sandy Weidner, who moves to the Public Works committee.
Showing posts with label Bob Anderson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bob Anderson. Show all posts
April 26, 2010
December 19, 2009
Anderson, Stein not running for re-election
Two sitting aldermen will not seek re-election this spring.
Kelli Stein, who was appointed to the City Council in August, will not seek a full two-year term in April. She represents the city's 10th District on the south side. Look for Racine Unified School Board member Dennis Wiser, who finished second to Stein for the appointment in August, to run for the open seat.
Also, Bob Anderson is leaving the Council after two terms. He represents the second district, which is roughly the historic district south of Downtown Racine. Eric Marcus, a former candidate for the Racine Unified School Board, is set to run for the open seat.
The spring election is April 6 with a Feb. 16 primary, if needed. The deadline to file for election is Jan. 5. Even-numbered districts are up for election this year. Incumbents up for re-election include: Jim Kaplan, Sandy Weidner, QA Shakoor II, Aron Wisneski and Ron Hart.
Kelli Stein, who was appointed to the City Council in August, will not seek a full two-year term in April. She represents the city's 10th District on the south side. Look for Racine Unified School Board member Dennis Wiser, who finished second to Stein for the appointment in August, to run for the open seat.
Also, Bob Anderson is leaving the Council after two terms. He represents the second district, which is roughly the historic district south of Downtown Racine. Eric Marcus, a former candidate for the Racine Unified School Board, is set to run for the open seat.
The spring election is April 6 with a Feb. 16 primary, if needed. The deadline to file for election is Jan. 5. Even-numbered districts are up for election this year. Incumbents up for re-election include: Jim Kaplan, Sandy Weidner, QA Shakoor II, Aron Wisneski and Ron Hart.
May 12, 2009
Committee Notes: A closed session, $4,700 for furniture, legal listings and the Racine Yacht Club's lease
Here are notes from Monday night's Personnel and Finance Committee meeting:
Closed Session
The committee met in closed session to consider converting two outsourced information systems positions back to city employees. The proposal would remove the infrastructure manager and programmer positions from the city's contract with Velocity Partners Inc., Brookfield, and bring them back to the city. The city contracts with Velocity Partners to handle much of its computer needs.
The move would save an estimated $28,981, according to the meeting's notice.
Here's our story on the city's decision to outsource its MIS department in 2007.
City administrator’s furniture
The committee reluctantly approved spending $4,700 for new office furniture for the city administrator’s office. Money budgeted for the furniture was used for asbestos removal in City Hall. Instead, the committee used money set aside to pay the city administrator’s salary – none has been paid since Ben Hughes resigned in February – to buy a U-shaped desk, credenza and chair.
Alderman Michael Shields and Q.A. Shakoor II questioned the need for the furniture. Shakoor asked if there were any old desks that could be reused, and Shields asked if the office needed “something that fancy.”
But the price quote came from the city’s regular furniture supplier and was similar to setups used in other offices, said acting City Administrator Scott Letteney.
“Surprisingly, it’s not that fancy,” he said. (Letteney also noted the new furniture was not his request. Money for the desk, credenza and chair was included in the City Hall remodeling project, which started long before he was named interim administrator.)
Alderman Jim Spangenberg, chairman of the Personnel and Finance Committee, hinted at a coming debate over the city administrator’s position when he asked: “Can we still use it (the furniture) even if we don’t have a new city administrator?”
The answer was yes.
Spangenberg, the owner of Johnson's Home Furnishings and Gift Gallery, 3219 Washington Ave., took some ribbing over the purchase.
“Those furniture salesmen have to make a living,” said Alderman Bob Anderson.
Shields added: “Go to Johnson Furniture get a good deal … put that in the minutes (of the meeting).”
Spangenberg replied: “No, no don’t put that in the minutes.”
Anderson half-heartedly agreed to spend the money. “It’s a new office, you need some furniture to go with it, I guess,” he said.
Shields ended the conversation with a poignant remark. If the city can find money for office furniture, he said, hopefully it can find money for things it really needs.
Legal announcements
The committee approved the JT as its newspaper of record. State law requires communities to publish their legal notices in a printed daily newspaper. The Journal Times is the only publication that fits the required definition in Racine.
What’s comedic about the state law is the JT, and other newspapers, do an inept job of publishing their legal notices. The listings run in hard-to-read six-point font in the paper with no real context of what readers are looking at. The JT also runs the notices online, but good luck deciphering the search engine that supposedly displays the results.
Meanwhile, the city publishes all of its agendas and meeting minutes online in a highly searchable and easy-to-use format with links to supporting documents. As someone who uses the city’s website on a daily basis, it’d sure be nice if the tens of thousands of dollars they pay the JT for doing a poor job could be spent on further upgrading the city’s document library.
Racine Yacht Club lease
The Racine Yacht Club’s annual lease will jump from $400 to $7,500 next year. The club had paid the Racine water utility $400 a year since 1997 to use land on Hubbard Street. A new contract will escalate the club’s lease to $7,500, paid to the city, over the next three years. The committee agreed to rescind the $400 fee, which was written into an ordinance, to make room for the new lease.
Ohio Street
The city owes the state an extra $500,000 for work down on Ohio Street between 16th and 21st streets last year. Workers had to dig out sandy soil under the street and replace it with clay soil that makes for a better foundation. The unbudgeted work cost the city between $500,000 and $600,000, according to Finance Director Dave Braun.
The city has the money to pay the bill for the roadwork, which came to $960,000, Braun said.
Closed Session
The committee met in closed session to consider converting two outsourced information systems positions back to city employees. The proposal would remove the infrastructure manager and programmer positions from the city's contract with Velocity Partners Inc., Brookfield, and bring them back to the city. The city contracts with Velocity Partners to handle much of its computer needs.
The move would save an estimated $28,981, according to the meeting's notice.
Here's our story on the city's decision to outsource its MIS department in 2007.
City administrator’s furniture
The committee reluctantly approved spending $4,700 for new office furniture for the city administrator’s office. Money budgeted for the furniture was used for asbestos removal in City Hall. Instead, the committee used money set aside to pay the city administrator’s salary – none has been paid since Ben Hughes resigned in February – to buy a U-shaped desk, credenza and chair.
Alderman Michael Shields and Q.A. Shakoor II questioned the need for the furniture. Shakoor asked if there were any old desks that could be reused, and Shields asked if the office needed “something that fancy.”
But the price quote came from the city’s regular furniture supplier and was similar to setups used in other offices, said acting City Administrator Scott Letteney.
“Surprisingly, it’s not that fancy,” he said. (Letteney also noted the new furniture was not his request. Money for the desk, credenza and chair was included in the City Hall remodeling project, which started long before he was named interim administrator.)
Alderman Jim Spangenberg, chairman of the Personnel and Finance Committee, hinted at a coming debate over the city administrator’s position when he asked: “Can we still use it (the furniture) even if we don’t have a new city administrator?”
The answer was yes.
Spangenberg, the owner of Johnson's Home Furnishings and Gift Gallery, 3219 Washington Ave., took some ribbing over the purchase.
“Those furniture salesmen have to make a living,” said Alderman Bob Anderson.
Shields added: “Go to Johnson Furniture get a good deal … put that in the minutes (of the meeting).”
Spangenberg replied: “No, no don’t put that in the minutes.”
Anderson half-heartedly agreed to spend the money. “It’s a new office, you need some furniture to go with it, I guess,” he said.
Shields ended the conversation with a poignant remark. If the city can find money for office furniture, he said, hopefully it can find money for things it really needs.
Legal announcements
The committee approved the JT as its newspaper of record. State law requires communities to publish their legal notices in a printed daily newspaper. The Journal Times is the only publication that fits the required definition in Racine.
What’s comedic about the state law is the JT, and other newspapers, do an inept job of publishing their legal notices. The listings run in hard-to-read six-point font in the paper with no real context of what readers are looking at. The JT also runs the notices online, but good luck deciphering the search engine that supposedly displays the results.
Meanwhile, the city publishes all of its agendas and meeting minutes online in a highly searchable and easy-to-use format with links to supporting documents. As someone who uses the city’s website on a daily basis, it’d sure be nice if the tens of thousands of dollars they pay the JT for doing a poor job could be spent on further upgrading the city’s document library.
Racine Yacht Club lease
The Racine Yacht Club’s annual lease will jump from $400 to $7,500 next year. The club had paid the Racine water utility $400 a year since 1997 to use land on Hubbard Street. A new contract will escalate the club’s lease to $7,500, paid to the city, over the next three years. The committee agreed to rescind the $400 fee, which was written into an ordinance, to make room for the new lease.
Ohio Street
The city owes the state an extra $500,000 for work down on Ohio Street between 16th and 21st streets last year. Workers had to dig out sandy soil under the street and replace it with clay soil that makes for a better foundation. The unbudgeted work cost the city between $500,000 and $600,000, according to Finance Director Dave Braun.
The city has the money to pay the bill for the roadwork, which came to $960,000, Braun said.
May 6, 2009
Worried about state revenue, the City Council turns away a union contract
Uncertainty over the state budget has city officials worried about local spending next year.
The City Council voted Wednesday night to send a contract with Local 430 AFL-CIO International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers back to a committee that's already approved the contract twice.
But concerns over state revenue coming to the city next year prompted the council to send the contract back for reconsideration. At issue: Whether the city can afford to give any kind of raise at all.
Mayor Tom Friedel and Mayor-elect John Dickert traveled to Madison Wednesday to meet with Gov. Jim Doyle. While no one was talking specifics, the news appears grim on shared revenue for cities this year. Doyle is scheduled to give a speech today on cuts to the program, which coincide with reports Tuesday that the state was another $1 billion in debt.
Friedel said he, Dickert and 14 other mayors from around the state, met with Doyle.
"There's cause for concern," Friedel said about news that came out of the meeting.
The state's declining financial status is bad news for the city's electricians, whose news contract giving between 1 and 1.5 percent raises was already facing opposition from the full council.
"The question is whether we can give any raises," said Alderman Bob Anderson, who sits on the Personnel and Finance Committee and voted for the electricians' contract.
It's all tough news for Dickert, who will step into a job and likely have to cut spending to balance the city's budget. Short of a quick economic turnaround, those cuts could be deeper than anticipated.
The City Council voted Wednesday night to send a contract with Local 430 AFL-CIO International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers back to a committee that's already approved the contract twice.
But concerns over state revenue coming to the city next year prompted the council to send the contract back for reconsideration. At issue: Whether the city can afford to give any kind of raise at all.
Mayor Tom Friedel and Mayor-elect John Dickert traveled to Madison Wednesday to meet with Gov. Jim Doyle. While no one was talking specifics, the news appears grim on shared revenue for cities this year. Doyle is scheduled to give a speech today on cuts to the program, which coincide with reports Tuesday that the state was another $1 billion in debt.
Friedel said he, Dickert and 14 other mayors from around the state, met with Doyle.
"There's cause for concern," Friedel said about news that came out of the meeting.
The state's declining financial status is bad news for the city's electricians, whose news contract giving between 1 and 1.5 percent raises was already facing opposition from the full council.
"The question is whether we can give any raises," said Alderman Bob Anderson, who sits on the Personnel and Finance Committee and voted for the electricians' contract.
It's all tough news for Dickert, who will step into a job and likely have to cut spending to balance the city's budget. Short of a quick economic turnaround, those cuts could be deeper than anticipated.
February 9, 2009
Committee approves $572,000 to improve police department's impound lot
Police investigators may soon be searching suspect's vehicles for clues in comfort.
The city's Personnel and Finance Committee approved spending $572,000 on upgrades to a building at the police department's impound lot.
The project, funded by leftover money from other construction projects, would fix the roof on a building used to house suspect vehicles in homicides and other serious crimes. Police are required to store vehicles used in homicides basically forever, Police Chief Kurt Wahlen told the committee. The vehicles are parked in a building and occassionally reviewed for additional evidence in unsolved crimes. But a leaky roof and general disrepair of the structure, called the "South Building," makes it unpleasant.
"There isn't a place in the entire South Building you could stand and not get wet in a rain storm," said Wahlen, who appeared at the building with Public Works Director Rick Jones. "It's a nasty, nasty building."
Along with basic repairs, the project calls for indoor, heated bays for police to investigator vehicles for clues. The bays will be an improvement over the existing office, which is unheated and has bathrooms that don't work.
The committee approved the request with minimal discussion. Alderman Michael Shields only asked that police protect vehicles impounded for minor crimes. Those cars and trucks are left outside, and are occassionally broken into - at the owner's expense.
Wahlen said there's not much police can do to stop people from breaking into cars in the impound lot.
"As long as we have an impound lot, people will come on the lot and take stuff," he said.
In other news from the Personnel and Finance Committee:
* The committee may have a tough time reaching quorum for the next few months. Committee Chairman Tom Friedel is off being mayor and won't attend, and Vice Chairman Alderman Jim Spangenberg was gone Monday night. That left Shields and Alderman Bob Anderson to handle a bulk of the voting, with Alderman David Maack serving as chairman.
* Anderson and Shields split on a vote Monday night over a 1997 Chevy Monte Carlo that was hit by a city plow and totalled. That may sound like something the city should pay for, but the car was completely buried under a pile of snow and parked on the wrong side of the street for alternate side parking. The plow driver simply thought there was a pile of snow, according to Deputy City Attorney Scott Letteney. Shields said both the car owner and plow driver were at fault and voted against a motion to dismiss the car owner's claim. Anderson and Maack voted to dismiss.
* City concert band members may not be city employees much longer. The committee voted to direct Letteney to work out a deal to sever the concert band from city operations. The city will still support the organization. The move is proposed to limit the city's liability in the event of an accident or theft involving the band.
The city's Personnel and Finance Committee approved spending $572,000 on upgrades to a building at the police department's impound lot.
The project, funded by leftover money from other construction projects, would fix the roof on a building used to house suspect vehicles in homicides and other serious crimes. Police are required to store vehicles used in homicides basically forever, Police Chief Kurt Wahlen told the committee. The vehicles are parked in a building and occassionally reviewed for additional evidence in unsolved crimes. But a leaky roof and general disrepair of the structure, called the "South Building," makes it unpleasant.
"There isn't a place in the entire South Building you could stand and not get wet in a rain storm," said Wahlen, who appeared at the building with Public Works Director Rick Jones. "It's a nasty, nasty building."
Along with basic repairs, the project calls for indoor, heated bays for police to investigator vehicles for clues. The bays will be an improvement over the existing office, which is unheated and has bathrooms that don't work.
The committee approved the request with minimal discussion. Alderman Michael Shields only asked that police protect vehicles impounded for minor crimes. Those cars and trucks are left outside, and are occassionally broken into - at the owner's expense.
Wahlen said there's not much police can do to stop people from breaking into cars in the impound lot.
"As long as we have an impound lot, people will come on the lot and take stuff," he said.
In other news from the Personnel and Finance Committee:
* The committee may have a tough time reaching quorum for the next few months. Committee Chairman Tom Friedel is off being mayor and won't attend, and Vice Chairman Alderman Jim Spangenberg was gone Monday night. That left Shields and Alderman Bob Anderson to handle a bulk of the voting, with Alderman David Maack serving as chairman.
* Anderson and Shields split on a vote Monday night over a 1997 Chevy Monte Carlo that was hit by a city plow and totalled. That may sound like something the city should pay for, but the car was completely buried under a pile of snow and parked on the wrong side of the street for alternate side parking. The plow driver simply thought there was a pile of snow, according to Deputy City Attorney Scott Letteney. Shields said both the car owner and plow driver were at fault and voted against a motion to dismiss the car owner's claim. Anderson and Maack voted to dismiss.
* City concert band members may not be city employees much longer. The committee voted to direct Letteney to work out a deal to sever the concert band from city operations. The city will still support the organization. The move is proposed to limit the city's liability in the event of an accident or theft involving the band.
March 27, 2008
City's 12th District candidates spending big
Money is flowing in the race for the City Council's 12th District.
Incumbent Aron Wisneski and challenger Joey LeGath have raised the most money among candidates for city office this spring, according to the March 24 campaign finance reports.
Wisneski, finishing his first term, raised $2,959 year-to-date and has over $2,000 to spend in the closing days of the election. He had the most individual contributions of all candidates, receiving donations from 16 individuals.
LeGath, who owns three bars, raised $6,295 year-to-date and spent $2,562.06 through March 24, leaving him over $3,700 to spend before Tuesday's election. LeGath gave his own campaign $4,000.
Ken Lumpkin has spent $2,278 so far in his race with Jim Kaplan for the council's Fourth District. Kaplan has spent $174.50 so far. Lumpkin and Kaplan are also running for the County Board.
Troy Johnson has spent $1,775 in a race for the Ninth District seat vacated by Pete Karas. His opponent, Terry McCarthy, has spent $223.53. Johnson and Wisneski had several donors in common on their reports.
And, challenger Jameel Ghuari is outspending Bob Anderson in the Second District. Ghuari has raised and spent $791, nearly five times as much as Anderson.
Local candidates are required to file a pre-election campaign finance report with the City Clerk by March 24. Another report is due after the election.
Here's a recap of each candidate's campaign finance report:
District 2
Incumbent Aron Wisneski and challenger Joey LeGath have raised the most money among candidates for city office this spring, according to the March 24 campaign finance reports.
Wisneski, finishing his first term, raised $2,959 year-to-date and has over $2,000 to spend in the closing days of the election. He had the most individual contributions of all candidates, receiving donations from 16 individuals.
LeGath, who owns three bars, raised $6,295 year-to-date and spent $2,562.06 through March 24, leaving him over $3,700 to spend before Tuesday's election. LeGath gave his own campaign $4,000.
Ken Lumpkin has spent $2,278 so far in his race with Jim Kaplan for the council's Fourth District. Kaplan has spent $174.50 so far. Lumpkin and Kaplan are also running for the County Board.
Troy Johnson has spent $1,775 in a race for the Ninth District seat vacated by Pete Karas. His opponent, Terry McCarthy, has spent $223.53. Johnson and Wisneski had several donors in common on their reports.
And, challenger Jameel Ghuari is outspending Bob Anderson in the Second District. Ghuari has raised and spent $791, nearly five times as much as Anderson.
Local candidates are required to file a pre-election campaign finance report with the City Clerk by March 24. Another report is due after the election.
Here's a recap of each candidate's campaign finance report:
District 2
Bob AndersonDistrict 4
Contributions - $200
Expenses - $169.76
Balance - $30.24
Jameel Ghuari
Contributions - $791.67
Expenses - $791.67
Balance - $0
* $30 contribution from Donnie Snow
Jim KaplanDistrict 6
Contributions - $418.28
Expenses - $174.50
Balance - $243.78
* $100 contribution from the First District GOP
Ken Lumpkin
Contributions - $2,278
Expenses - $2,278
Balance - $0
* Campaign finance report filed three days late
Sandy WeidnerDistrict 8
* Reported no campaign activity
Q.A. Shakoor IIDistrict 9
* No report filed; expected to file no campaign activity
Terry McCarthyDistrict 10
Contributions - $300
Expenses - $223.53
Balance - $81.47
Troy Johnson
Contributions - $1,775
Expenses - $317.25
Balance - $1,457.75
* 16 contributions
Tom FriedelDistrict 12
* Reported no campaign activity
Aron WisneskiDistrict 14
Contributions - $2,959
Expenses - $893
Balance - $2,066
* Citizens for Helding gave Wisneski $100
Joey LeGath
Contributions - $6,295
Expenses - $2,562.06
Balance - $3,739.94
* $200 from the Wisconsin Peoples Conference
Ronald Hart
* Reported no campaign activity
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