Monday, April 16, 2012
Problems still exist in government, even though lake park will no longer be a reality, says Muskego resident.
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Monday, April 16, 2012
Recently, while collecting recall signatures, I have been asked “why we have not dropped the recalls now that we (MEG) killed the lake park?” Put simply, as far as I am concerned, the lake park was only the final straw that broke the camel’s back. The recalls were initiated in response to a pattern of voting and manner of conducting City business which bypasses legal processes when it suits them, minimizes citizen input and which is detrimental to the long term interests of the citizens of Muskego. As an example, Mayor Chiaverotti, Ald. Schaumberg and Ald. Werner voted to spend $2.6 Million dollars on ‘beautification’ of Pioneer Drive for the benefit of eight (8) businesses and against input from 75 affected residents. If this is not …
Friday, April 13, 2012
Ease of access, transparency cited as reasons to invest in new web design and purchase of new software to publish documents and eventually video related to meetings.
Anyone with complaints about finding information on the city of Muskego website may have their prayers answered by fall 2012. A combined investment of about $39,000 will overhaul the website, seen by many as cumbersome and out of date, as well as incorporate new software that will help provide more online documents and eventually include streaming video of meetings. CivicPlus was recommended for the website redesign. The total cost of the package was $31,850, but the city will realize a $5,000 award from the company. Annual support and maintenance, which will begin in the second year of the contract, is $5,037, and includes a complete website redesign in the fourth year. SIRE document management software will also allow access to meeting …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Common Council OKs assignment of outside legal help if recalls proceed, with the understanding that individual assistance to officials targeted for recall won't be part of the deal.
As efforts to recall two aldermen and Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti are under way, the city will hire an outside legal firm to handle any questions it may have about the process. The Common Council met Tuesday night to discuss the option, with questions on what the limits of the outside counsel would be. Residents also posed similar questions during a public input session. "The aldermen and the mayor should have a right to counsel, however, I don't feel it should be done at the taxpayer's expense," said resident Henry Plum. However, Finance Director Sharon Mueller clarified that should there be an issue with the sufficiency of the paperwork or submitted signatures, that the clerk's office would use the outside counsel of Maistelman and …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
As the debate turned downright nasty in some races, local candidates on both sides of the results say it's time to get back to work for the city's best interests.
Whether it was a winning candidate, or one who ended up short in the vote count, the tone of conciliation mixed with a little fatigue over Muskego elections was evident. "While it's a happy time, I'm also concerned over how the races went, and how negative everything became," said 3rd District Alderman Neil Borgman, who will be back on the council for a fifth term, defeating challenger Larry Lefebvre. "I'm honored to serve my district, I've worked hard, and I've tried to listen to what they're saying as I've made decisions on the council," Borgman added. "Our race was fairly clean in comparison to what Tracy (Snead) and Dan (Soltysiak) had to face, which was sad." Snead was also ready to move on after her loss to Robert Wolfe, who posted a…
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Depending on which side you were on regarding recalls, you had an opportunity to honk your horn and wave, or honk your horn and sign to recall the mayor and possibly an alderman.
With Mitt Romney in town, the political season was truly in full swing on Saturday, and you didn't have to drive far to come face to face with government issues, on either side of the road (literally). A planned petition signing drive was held near the Tess Corners Fire Department on Janesville Road in downtown Muskego by the citizens political action committee (PAC) called Muskego for Ethical Government (MEG). The group was there from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to allow residents to sign a recall petition against Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti, and (if you lived in their districts) 4th District Alderman Keith Werner and 6th District Alderman Neome Schaumberg. Spokesperson Lorie Oliver said they were pleased at the response so far and nearing the end of …
Friday, March 30, 2012
Clerk's office will confer with legal counsel to determine if recall papers are legitimate; in the meantime, groups will gather to collect signatures. If all is OK, here are some numbers to consider.
The group pushing for a recall of Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti and two aldermen has turned in the paperwork needed to launch the effort and now has 60 days to collect enough signatures of force an election. Muskego for Ethical Government registered with the city on Thursday to recall Chiaverotti, and aldermen Keith Werner and Neome Schaumberg. The group wants to remove the three from office because they opposed holding a referendum on whether to purchase land for a park on Little Muskego Lake. But City Clerk Jill Blenski said there are some questions over whether the group filed the paperwork correctly. The group initially filed as a political action committee when papers were submitted for the petition for direct legislation to force a …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Muskego for Ethical Government filing petitions for recall on Thursday of Chiaverotti, Aldermen Werner and Schaumberg.
Citing the city's refusal to hold a referendum on the lake park issue and "irresponsible decision-making" when it comes to spending, recall papers will be filed with the city Thursday afternoon against Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti, and aldermen Keith Werner and Neome Schaumberg. Muskego for Ethical Government, which circulated petitions earlier this year to try and force a referendum on the purchase of land to be used as lake park, will again be out along Janesville Road near the Tess Corners Fire Department to collect signatures on Friday. The group had netted 3,409 signatures in its previous effort, which was rejected by the city. Problems existed with the language of the petition, the city said, and as a vote on the issue was already taken …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Relocation of recreational trail comes at request of residents, at little cost.
Road construction on Pioneer Drive, which is likely to begin late May or June, will reflect a change requested by residents who are concerned about the placement of a recreational trail along the entire route. Plans initially called for the trail to run on the west side of the roadway, with placement toward the "home side" of the culverts. However, City Engineer Dave Simpson told the Public Works Committee on Monday, Feb. 20 that he had heard from eight of the 10 residents who had concerns that the trail was too close to their homes. "We met with the residents on site with Alderman (Keith) Werner, and we determined we could relocate the trail to the front side of the ditch and still allow for the required separation from the road and …
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
What happened and why during the Common Council meeting, which is more than any of us wanted to know about parliamentary procedure, shouldn't overshadow a creative solution.
For most who sit through the average Common Council meeting in Muskego (remember those?), a certain rule of order needs to be followed and is really in place to ensure discussion is fair, public and open. So, while it seemed like matters were buried at the Tuesday night meeting at Lake Denoon, it's actually done to meet open meetings requirements. After public comment was over, the next agenda item was a discussion to reconsider the resolution which passed 4-3 on Jan. 24. However, an item on the agenda first needs to be moved to the floor for discussion. And as the item was the reconsideration of a voted-upon resolution, only those who voted for that resolution have that ability. None of the 'yea' votes did so, and therefore a discussion …
Common Council meeting draws crowd as lake park proposal again takes center stage
The Muskego Common council convened again in a different venue with concerns over a purchase of two parcels of land along Janesville Road drawing a larger than average crowd. Under new business on the council's agenda, the discussion item labeled "Reconsideration of Resolution 003-2012" was what drew a greater number of residents to the meeting, as what may have been perceived as a 'done deal' on Jan. 24 remained as a discussion item. Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti explained that she had placed the discussion item to reconsider onto the night's agenda, and along with it the previous resolution, which passed on a contentious 4-3 vote, with Aldermen Dan Soltysiak, Kert Harenda and Neil Borgman opposing. In the meantime, 3,400 signatures were …
Mike Hunt
9:55 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
I think MEG really stands for Muskego for Enticing Goons. After all, they use a place owned by this guy as their main base to collect signatures for their recall drive: http://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetails.do;jsessionid=7F78560C6C3EDEDB177530A3D42FC828.render6?caseNo=1988CF000465&countyNo=67&cacheId=D0CA588CA7970B46673E00C37B89043F&recordCount=32&offset=27&mode=details&submit=View+Case+Details more ›