Opinions
E-Bikes: Shorewood’s Proposed Band-Aid Fix
The October 15 Shorewood council meeting will introduce an ordinance regulating e-bikes. Until now, the council has not publicly discussed the e-bike chaos in our city.
There was no public comment before the creation of this ordinance. How this version came to be, with so few specifics, is unknown.
Here are 5 suggestions for creating e-bike regulations:
Updated – Continued Misuse of City Resources by Shorewood Mayor
Once again, what should have been a routine, informative email from the City of Shorewood, was delivered to residents under the heading “Message from the Mayor – July 2024”. This included a banner that had all the appearance of an election campaign sign, replete with Jennifer Labadie’s smiling headshot.
A Silenced Resident Speaks Out
Long-time Resident Greg Larson, who has volunteered and advocated for many issues over the years, attempted to speak at the July 9 park commission meeting.
What followed caused him to react with the following letter to the commission members. See his response.
Confusion vs. Clarity
Arborvitae and a fence “erroneously” built in the city right-of-way (ROW) took up considerable time and energy at two Shorewood council meetings.
On May 28, because of vague language in the ordinance, the Council engaged in a confusing conversation, followed by an unusual 43 seconds of silence, when no motion was made to correct the issue of the matter.
SCA: Looking Forward to Next Year
Shorewood Citizen Advocates (SCA) started as a concept four years ago. After three years of incubation, SCA went live in summer 2023. The goals were to provide service to residents focusing on accountability, transparency, environmental stewardship, and education. Flash forward to the SCA one-year anniversary.
How have things gone?
Why DO We Have a Park Commission, Anyway?
Shorewood is experiencing a 2+ decades decline in its natural spaces, trails and woodlands. Invasive species litter our parks. Trails need critical repairs and the growing number of dead or diseased trees desperately need removal.
The blame falls on city leaders, from the top down.
Public Process Matters
What started as just another Shorewood City Council meeting on Apr. 22, quickly became questionable for what was said, and not said.
Before the Council could approve the agenda, administrator Nevinski removed items 2H and 6C. He did not explain what those items were for the audience. He only said there were “notice issues and concerns.”
Shorewood: Chain Link or Picket Fence Model?
A Shorewood resident shares his observations of Shorewood leadership and submitted this article. Clarity, Alignment, and Commitment By Dr. James J. Lynn, 44 year resident Are people on the same page? Can staff communicate the purpose and values of the city in an elevator ride? Is there a clear message about who and what we are as a city? Do they know where the city is headed? Why are they showing up and doing their jobs? Is our vision compelling and does it inspire us all to make our city the best it can be? Clarity The chain linked fence is stronger than the picket fence. Picket fences are like silos, each department working alone, not together with other departments. Strategy that is well executed comes from alignment, teams working together to get results. This is a difficult challenge for many organizations and requires strong and smart leadership. Alignment Staff engagement
Policy Changes Without Process
When Policy Changes Without Process Someone, at City Hall, may have made a few changes in right-of-way enforcement policy without a public process. Read the SeeClickFix thread below. Warning: It’s long as it covers two years from the initial submission. City website states these exact situations should be reported to SeeClickFix. The final response is from Shorewood Citizen Advocates, asking for an explanation. Share your examples in the comments below. Watch for updates!
