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We need more bloggers in West Allis

Posted by Michael James on Nov. 1, 2007

Development, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Other blogs, School Board, USBC Masters

(Picture me waving my finger at each of you in the international symbol of "shame on you".)

I have posted 11 blog entries since Aaron's last post.  12 entries since Steve posted last. 

And I have posted 17 times since Carol, Julie, the West Allis players and Mary Ann posted their last entries.

In fairness to the above mentioned posters, they each write a good blog.  Regardless of the dwell time in between posts (and I have been guilty of going over a full week a couple of times) each blogger has chosen his or her passion, and does a good job in expressing the intended thought.

Truth be told, most of my recent posts have been about the USBC Masters.  But that's OK.  I continued blogging about the Masters because the number of hits that I had.  My 10 entries about the Masters over the course of the week had over 1900 hits.  Granted, there very well may have been the same people checking each day, but when each entry averages 190 hits, that tells me that a lot of people every day were interested in that topic.  If my hit count would have been real low, I would have made far fewer entries.

When I first started blogging, FranklinNOW's Kevin Fischer sent me an E-mail stating that I should blog about what I am passionate about.  I also mentioned in my first entry last March that I may not blog much about West Allis.  As a matter of fact, when MyCommunityNOW editor Mark Maley and I were discussing my entrance to the blogosphere, I said up front that I don't have a lot of opinions on West Allis proper, but that I felt that what I had to say was interesting.

Now, with all that said, where in West Allis is somebody who has a passion for the city, for city government, the schools, the architecture, etc., who can write a coherent blog about what is really going on in the city?

I am not that person.  With a full time job, four kids, two dogs, two bowling leagues, an enjoyment of sporting events and very limited free time, I don't have the extra time or energy to attend school board meetings.  Or city council meetings.  Or open hearings about zoning.  Truth is, I can't comprehend most of it. (Blame the former West Milwaukee High School.  There wasn't a civics class to be found in 1984 through 1986.)

In my cynical view of life and politics, a successful candidate for any election will say whatever s/he feels will win that election.  Once in office, s/he will do whatever s/he can to maintain that office.  Those candidates with the wide-eyed, genuine stances on property taxes, school finances or development ideals usually get crushed at the polls.  If they get elected, they may try to advance the agenda, but after losing so many battles, they become one of the old guard.

As stated, I am not the one to call candidates on that stuff.  Or to push forward a public issue.  For example, I am absolutely certain that Mayor Jeanette Bell got paid off to "retire" in the form of a profitable sale of her house (in a horrible seller's market) for additional development in an area where the traffic is choking.  Maybe she floated the retirement idea, and somebody grabbed the bait, bought her off and sent her out into the sunset.  Maybe I am dead wrong.  But I am not the one to do that investigating.  I would rather check fantasy football stats.  However, somebody SHOULD be doing that checking.  What really got my goat was when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote this puff piece that mentioned how hard it was for her.  She's got seller's remorse and the MJS never even looks into the timing of her retirement and her house sale for development. (And that "I recused myself from the discussion" garbage.  I believe that like I believe that I am a World Cup goalkeeper.  She very well may have recused herself, knowing people would take care of her to get her out of the way so West Allis can be graced with yet another Walgreens.  Humbug.)

BrookfieldNOW has Cindy Kilkenny, who blogs multiple times daily about the Elmbrook School district, and about the mayor (who appears to be a shady charachter). 

NewBerlinNOW has Linda Richter, who was a former New Berlin school board memer who comments regularly about the wasteful spending of the school board (like this entry from early this week about the cost of a sign for Reagan Elementay school).

FranklinNOW has community journalists (the fancy way of calilng us "bloggers") in excess, but they have multiple players who comment regularly on the community.  Unfortunately, they usually end up arguing with each other and calling each other names, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Maybe the name calling is going to far, but civic debate on things like design of the in-construction Target store on Hwy 100 & Drexel, the school board jamming through a 5.9% increase in the property tax levy for schools or the need and agenda of an environmental commission are all laudible topics. 

West Allis residents... Are you our Cindy Kilkenny, Linda Richter or Fred Keller?  Contact Mark Maley and let's get the WestAllisNOW site acting like we belong to the second largest city in Milwaukee County.