I have to admit, I never thought I’d be involved with one of THOSE groups. You know the ones, they come to meetings at the town and disagree with anything other than the status quo? They are disagreeable, just be disagreeable?
We’ll, I’ve joined one of those groups. But, this group is different. We base our action on facts and reasonable opinions based on being informed and making resonable assumptions. We then get involved to try and shape policy and support candidates for our government that represent what we feel is best for our town. We don’t plan to go to board meetings and chant slogans, no secret handshakes, no inflammatory commentary or personal attacks; just calm sensible public discourse.
This new group is called “Vernon Residents for Sensible Government," or VRSG for short. Why did we form? Basically we don’t like the way our current Town Board is handling our relationship with Big Bend, among other things. Read my blogs below to find out more.... Like I’ve said before, we as a town can benefit greatly by sharing costs with our neighbors. Our board has decided unanimously to not share fire and rescue services with the Village of Big Bend. We’ve been doing this cost effectively for more than 40 years! In fact our current fire department has a cost per resident that among the lowest in the county.
Anyway, you can get more details by reading this blog and, possibly, by attending Town Board meetings. In addition, VRSG is planning on holding an informational meeting on March 3rd at 6:30 at the Big Bend Lion’s Club near the Village Hall. This is the time and place for you to get your questions answered and to get the information you need to make an informed decision. If you can’t make that meeting, a summary of the proceedings will be posted to this blog.
Oh, by the way, you don’t need to agree with us to attend the meeting. Please come to offer your opinion. We respect everyone’s opinion; we’re all in this together and some will disagree with us. That’s OK! We can still be friends and neighbors. Quite frankly, I would enjoy having those who disagree attend the meeting and provide information to support the Town Board. If you show up, you’ll be provided an opportunity to speak and not be treated with anything but respect. Sometimes we all need some alternative perspective.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
After the Wakeup - Notification of New Posts
All - I just realized that new posts are not being notified to registered users; it doesn't work that way.... So to that end, I've added several of my contacts to the notification list. I would appreciate it if you would send new posts to those in your contact list that you think might be interested in what I have to say. The more people that become informed the better.
As always, folks who have questions about my posts should contact me at mikedoble@wi.rr.com or on my phone at 414-708-9466. If you don't care to be notified of posts from my blog, then please let me know at the above address and I'll remove you from the list.
As always, folks who have questions about my posts should contact me at mikedoble@wi.rr.com or on my phone at 414-708-9466. If you don't care to be notified of posts from my blog, then please let me know at the above address and I'll remove you from the list.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Attack Doble! He Disagrees!
So, Amy Nixon was not quite accurate with my comments in the Mukwonago Chief….that’s OK it happens. I said to the town board in public comments last week that I estimate it will cost $150,000 when all is said and done to split the fire department. I never said that money had already been spent….anyway. Not that big of a deal. The money might as well already have been spent, the town board just doesn't want to listen to anyone.
This IS is a big deal though….here we go again with Mr. Craig's personal attacks. Instead of speaking to the reporter and correcting the facts then providing insight and information (hopefully factual information), he says this (as reported by Amy):
"Mike (Doble) resigned from the Fire Board because I asked him pertinent questions … " said Craig. "They are trying to incite fear into taxpayers … when we as the Town Board don't have the numbers together yet. In the worst case scenario, we're not even talking $40,000 to $50,000 for the whole thing." – From Amy Nixon’s Mukwonago Chief Article 2/9/2010
What does my resignation from the fire board have to do with how much it’s going to cost to disband the fire department? This type of comment/statement is just indicative of how Mr. Craig’s mind works. If he doesn’t like what I have to say, then he’ll say something to discredit me. Well Mr. Craig, I made a HUGE mistake of resigning from the fire board and feel partially responsible for what’s happening here. I quit. I took myself out of the position that might have made the difference to prevent this mess. I deeply regret that decision. So, I will not quit again. Keep it coming.
Friends who happen to read this blog, please come to the town board meetings, or post comments (with your name preferably), or at least watch the meetings at the town so you can see what’s going on in our town! It’s time for change. Let Mr. Craig and the others on the board know that you demand answers.
(Oh, by the way, this is the first acknowledgement in public by any board member that this whole splitting of the department thing will cost us some money. ONLY $40,000 to $50,000!!! You sure can buy a lot of patience in dealing with the village for $40,000 or $50,000! What a shameful waste of our money…..Never mind that more likely than not it will cost way more than this….Never mind that we elected these guys to deal with problems....)
This IS is a big deal though….here we go again with Mr. Craig's personal attacks. Instead of speaking to the reporter and correcting the facts then providing insight and information (hopefully factual information), he says this (as reported by Amy):
"Mike (Doble) resigned from the Fire Board because I asked him pertinent questions … " said Craig. "They are trying to incite fear into taxpayers … when we as the Town Board don't have the numbers together yet. In the worst case scenario, we're not even talking $40,000 to $50,000 for the whole thing." – From Amy Nixon’s Mukwonago Chief Article 2/9/2010
What does my resignation from the fire board have to do with how much it’s going to cost to disband the fire department? This type of comment/statement is just indicative of how Mr. Craig’s mind works. If he doesn’t like what I have to say, then he’ll say something to discredit me. Well Mr. Craig, I made a HUGE mistake of resigning from the fire board and feel partially responsible for what’s happening here. I quit. I took myself out of the position that might have made the difference to prevent this mess. I deeply regret that decision. So, I will not quit again. Keep it coming.
Friends who happen to read this blog, please come to the town board meetings, or post comments (with your name preferably), or at least watch the meetings at the town so you can see what’s going on in our town! It’s time for change. Let Mr. Craig and the others on the board know that you demand answers.
(Oh, by the way, this is the first acknowledgement in public by any board member that this whole splitting of the department thing will cost us some money. ONLY $40,000 to $50,000!!! You sure can buy a lot of patience in dealing with the village for $40,000 or $50,000! What a shameful waste of our money…..Never mind that more likely than not it will cost way more than this….Never mind that we elected these guys to deal with problems....)
Town Supervisor Craig, Ashamed?
For those of you who don't know, the Village President Jamie Soneberg is a deputy Sheriff with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s office. From what I understand, Deputy Soneberg has an impeccable service record. Deputy Soneberg is assigned by the Sheriff to patrol areas that include the Town of Vernon.
Bill Craig at last Thursday’s meeting has asked that Jamie be reassigned. Here we go again….
Mr. Craig has a history of this. Everyone that disagrees with Mr. Craig and his view on how he governs comes into his crosshairs. First it was Marilyn Gauger, then president of the Big Bend-Vernon Fire Board. Mr. Craig said some things that implied that Mrs. Gauger had done wrong. If fact, she conducted herself with the utmost integrity. She continued to follow policies that had been in place for years in the conduct of the Fire Board’s business. As it turns out, these policies violated the letter of the law as written in the intermunicipal agreement between the town and village. Mrs. Gauger continued to conduct the Fire Board’s business following an unwritten policy explicitly condoned by the Town Attorney John Macy, and the past two Town Chairs. Yet she was taken to task by Mr. Craig and was not reappointed. (This relates to verbal approval from the Town Chair and Village President to seek legal counsel for private matters relating to Fire Board performance evaluation issues. The key word being PRIVATE matters. The subject of legal closed session meetings.)
And then there’s me….Mr. Craig pushed for me to not be reappointed to the Fire Board when my term was up. I was at the meeting in the third week of May 2009 when Mr. Craig urged the other board members to not reappoint me since “new blood” was needed even though significant progress was being made in applying stabilizing controls to the Fire Department budget and leadership. No, he didn’t want to overlook minor details of operation issues (i.e. verbal approval for legal fees) to see the big picture and the progress being made. In a follow-up meeting with Mr. Craig he continued to ask for minute details of the Fire Board’s dealings and ignore all progress made by the Fire Board in years of hard work. My integrity was questioned and I decided to resign knowing that continued personal attacks would most likely follow….
So, now we get to Jamie. Jamie is in Mr. Craig’s sights. This is despicable; Mr. Craig should be ashamed. The voters should be outraged. The voters in this community need to start paying attention. We do not need this in our community. Not one of us deserves this, not one of us has done anything other than serve this community with the best of intensions. What are Mr. Craig’s intensions? What’s he trying to accomplish? Is this really Town business?
So, Mr. Craig cites a conflict of interest? Is it a conflict of interest when Mr. Craig (a real estate agent) lists a property for sale in the Village of Big Bend? Is a conflict of interest when Mr. Craig is a member of the Town Board and Town Plan Commission when a land division is considered for approval by the Town? Is it a conflict of interest when Mr. Craig’s business is located in the Village and not the Town? These questions are as absurd as claiming that Jamie’s patrol duty as a Sheriff’s deputy is a conflict of interest. Where will this insanity end?
Bill Craig at last Thursday’s meeting has asked that Jamie be reassigned. Here we go again….
Mr. Craig has a history of this. Everyone that disagrees with Mr. Craig and his view on how he governs comes into his crosshairs. First it was Marilyn Gauger, then president of the Big Bend-Vernon Fire Board. Mr. Craig said some things that implied that Mrs. Gauger had done wrong. If fact, she conducted herself with the utmost integrity. She continued to follow policies that had been in place for years in the conduct of the Fire Board’s business. As it turns out, these policies violated the letter of the law as written in the intermunicipal agreement between the town and village. Mrs. Gauger continued to conduct the Fire Board’s business following an unwritten policy explicitly condoned by the Town Attorney John Macy, and the past two Town Chairs. Yet she was taken to task by Mr. Craig and was not reappointed. (This relates to verbal approval from the Town Chair and Village President to seek legal counsel for private matters relating to Fire Board performance evaluation issues. The key word being PRIVATE matters. The subject of legal closed session meetings.)
And then there’s me….Mr. Craig pushed for me to not be reappointed to the Fire Board when my term was up. I was at the meeting in the third week of May 2009 when Mr. Craig urged the other board members to not reappoint me since “new blood” was needed even though significant progress was being made in applying stabilizing controls to the Fire Department budget and leadership. No, he didn’t want to overlook minor details of operation issues (i.e. verbal approval for legal fees) to see the big picture and the progress being made. In a follow-up meeting with Mr. Craig he continued to ask for minute details of the Fire Board’s dealings and ignore all progress made by the Fire Board in years of hard work. My integrity was questioned and I decided to resign knowing that continued personal attacks would most likely follow….
So, now we get to Jamie. Jamie is in Mr. Craig’s sights. This is despicable; Mr. Craig should be ashamed. The voters should be outraged. The voters in this community need to start paying attention. We do not need this in our community. Not one of us deserves this, not one of us has done anything other than serve this community with the best of intensions. What are Mr. Craig’s intensions? What’s he trying to accomplish? Is this really Town business?
So, Mr. Craig cites a conflict of interest? Is it a conflict of interest when Mr. Craig (a real estate agent) lists a property for sale in the Village of Big Bend? Is a conflict of interest when Mr. Craig is a member of the Town Board and Town Plan Commission when a land division is considered for approval by the Town? Is it a conflict of interest when Mr. Craig’s business is located in the Village and not the Town? These questions are as absurd as claiming that Jamie’s patrol duty as a Sheriff’s deputy is a conflict of interest. Where will this insanity end?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Posting Comments: Anonymous said...
Those of you that are not registered are able to post comments. No problem. You post these comments an "anonymous" user. IF you want to your comments to have a greater impact, please add your name to the comment at the end. Some of you do this; most don't.
It's much easier to show those that read this that those of you who are posting really do care and are not afraid to say so. I recommend using your name or becoming a registered user to have the greatest impact.
Another side benefit to being a registered user is that you will be notified automatically when a new post is made.
It's much easier to show those that read this that those of you who are posting really do care and are not afraid to say so. I recommend using your name or becoming a registered user to have the greatest impact.
Another side benefit to being a registered user is that you will be notified automatically when a new post is made.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Everyone Supports the Town Board?
I’ve been told by the Town Chair that most in the Town agree with the Town Board’s position that the Town should have its own Fire Department. Sharing costs with the Village is not a good idea because of ALL the baggage. (Of course I’m paraphrasing the board’s position….)
Do you agree? Is this a good idea? Are people just telling the Town Board members what they want to hear?
Please sound off. A simple answer is OK: I don’t know enough to have an opinion, I don’t agree with them, I agree with them, etc.
They read this blog, let them know how you feel.
Do you agree? Is this a good idea? Are people just telling the Town Board members what they want to hear?
Please sound off. A simple answer is OK: I don’t know enough to have an opinion, I don’t agree with them, I agree with them, etc.
They read this blog, let them know how you feel.
Please Read the Paper and ACT!
Dear Loyal Readers,
Thanks for keeping up with my rants regarding the current actions of the Town Board. As you can tell from my writing I firmly believe that the path were on is one of failure. The decision to disband the long standing agreement with Big Bend for fire service is a disservice to us and our entire community. Plus, I believe that it will cost the Town of Vernon more than $150,000 to divorce ourselves from the Village of Big Bend and establish our own fire department. This new department will provide a lower level of service than we have now and will cost us more than we pay now year to year. Please let me know if you disagree.
There are so many issues the Town Board has not addressed; as a matter of fact they have not addressed any issues yet. They have retained a consultant to evaluate the situation and to assist in developing the new department. This consultant will cost $25,000. Cha-ching…. we’re nearly 20% to my $150,000 estimate. I could go on and on, but I’ll get to the point. This is all entirely unnecessary. We just need to work with our neighbors to resolve the issues. Trust me; there are issues, but nowhere near $150,000 worth. Please get informed and get involved. Even if your involvement is just a comment or two on this blog!
So in order to provide the information that our Town Board refuses to provide, I have teamed up with several other concerned citizens of the Town of Vernon to create a group called Vernon Residents for Sensible Government. The VRSG will be holding a series of meetings to provide information so you can make an informed decision on this matter and so you can speak intelligently about this issue with your elected officials. Hey, you may disagree with us. That’s OK! We can respect that, but please only draw your conclusion after availing yourself of the facts. We’re willing to provide them.
So, why read the paper? We have sent a letter to the Editor of all the papers that server our area to outline some questions that YOU should demand be answered BEFORE we proceed any further with this matter. I know for sure this letter will be in tomorrow’s issue of the Mukwonago Chief. After tomorrow look for it in the Mukwonago Chief Letters to the Editor:
http://www.livinglakecountry.com/mukwonagochief/opinion/83357007.html
If this link does not work, go to the Mukwonago Chief Home Page and hit the “Opinion” menu option. The home page is:
http://www.livinglakecountry.com/mukwonagochief/
The VRSG plans to hold a meeting in early March so you may come and ask questions and become informed. It’s obvious that we’re very opinionated about this matter, come and figure out why!
Stay tuned.
Thanks for keeping up with my rants regarding the current actions of the Town Board. As you can tell from my writing I firmly believe that the path were on is one of failure. The decision to disband the long standing agreement with Big Bend for fire service is a disservice to us and our entire community. Plus, I believe that it will cost the Town of Vernon more than $150,000 to divorce ourselves from the Village of Big Bend and establish our own fire department. This new department will provide a lower level of service than we have now and will cost us more than we pay now year to year. Please let me know if you disagree.
There are so many issues the Town Board has not addressed; as a matter of fact they have not addressed any issues yet. They have retained a consultant to evaluate the situation and to assist in developing the new department. This consultant will cost $25,000. Cha-ching…. we’re nearly 20% to my $150,000 estimate. I could go on and on, but I’ll get to the point. This is all entirely unnecessary. We just need to work with our neighbors to resolve the issues. Trust me; there are issues, but nowhere near $150,000 worth. Please get informed and get involved. Even if your involvement is just a comment or two on this blog!
So in order to provide the information that our Town Board refuses to provide, I have teamed up with several other concerned citizens of the Town of Vernon to create a group called Vernon Residents for Sensible Government. The VRSG will be holding a series of meetings to provide information so you can make an informed decision on this matter and so you can speak intelligently about this issue with your elected officials. Hey, you may disagree with us. That’s OK! We can respect that, but please only draw your conclusion after availing yourself of the facts. We’re willing to provide them.
So, why read the paper? We have sent a letter to the Editor of all the papers that server our area to outline some questions that YOU should demand be answered BEFORE we proceed any further with this matter. I know for sure this letter will be in tomorrow’s issue of the Mukwonago Chief. After tomorrow look for it in the Mukwonago Chief Letters to the Editor:
http://www.livinglakecountry.com/mukwonagochief/opinion/83357007.html
If this link does not work, go to the Mukwonago Chief Home Page and hit the “Opinion” menu option. The home page is:
http://www.livinglakecountry.com/mukwonagochief/
The VRSG plans to hold a meeting in early March so you may come and ask questions and become informed. It’s obvious that we’re very opinionated about this matter, come and figure out why!
Stay tuned.
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