Opinions
Shorewood Election 2024: “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”
There is one thing we should be able to count on in a local election: respect and civility among the candidates.
After all, those running for elected office in our city are our neighbors, friends, and possibly relatives.
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.”
Take the Poll: The Effective City Council Member
Candidate filing for office in Shorewood is July 30, 2024 until August 13, 2024 at 5 pm. You will vote for three expiring terms: Labadie, Callies and Zerby. City council members represent their constituents. A council member must be honest, transparent and accountable to the public when making responsible decisions that are in alignment with codes, statutes and best practices. Know who you are voting for! Watch council meetings on Zoom. See them in action. Budgeting: Understand and actively participate in the budgeting process, including allocating funds to various departments and projects, regular clear reporting to the public; Provide ongoing monitoring and study of the city’s financial health and expenditures. Oversight: Effective council representatives Provide transparent oversight of city departments and contractual obligations to ensure that the public is being effectively served; Diligently require city staff to provide detailed, understandable information for public understanding; Expect equitable enforcement of applicable laws and governing
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
