April 3, 2012 Election
I’ve put up a lengthy, link-filled post about Tuesday’s election at my new District 8 blog, at d8appleton.wordpress.com
We’re Moving…
As the transition from my representation of District 16 to that of District 8 nears its conclusion, it’s time to announce that I’ll soon be posting exclusively to the site of my new alderman blog: d8appleton.wordpress.com.
To this website’s readers both faithful and sporadic, to subscribers, to visitors via search engine, to fans and detractors alike, I thank you for having taken the time to read what I’ve written over the past 1.5+ years. Visit me at d8appleton.wordpress.com!
Appleton Primary Election – February 21, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 is the date of Wisconsin’s non-partisan Spring Primary Election. Most Appletonians headed to the polls will see one race on the ballot: the three-way race for Mayor of Appleton. Those residing in District 4 and District 10 will vote to narrow their field of aldermanic candidates from three to two. My District 8 constituents vote at McKinley Elementary School, side entrance, 1125 East Taft Avenue. Below, I’ve included relevant information about all of the races on the ballot. For more information about Voter ID, polling locations, district maps, and voting results, please visit Appleton City Clerk – Voting Information.
Map of Appleton Districts, Wards, and Polling Locations
APPLETON MAYOR
Sharing space on the ballot are incumbent Tim Hanna, veteran alderman Curt Konetzke and political newcomer Don Geenen. Hanna is seeking his fifth term as mayor, having first been elected in 1996. Konetzke, currently serving his fifth term as alderman, is general manager at Tri-City Glass & Door. Geenen is an application engineer at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and is active in local biking and sustainability initiatives. I will repeat here what I’ve told those constituents who have asked me–my stance is officially neutral regarding the outcome of this race. I’ve posted the web links for each mayoral candidate’s campaign below:
DON GEENEN
- Website ~ sbcglobalpwp.att.net/d/g/dgeenen/index.htm
- Facebook ~ www.facebook.com/geenenformayor
- Twitter ~ twitter.com/geenenformayor
CURT KONETZKE
- Website ~ www.curt4mayor.com/
- Facebook ~ www.facebook.com/curt4mayor
- Twitter ~ twitter.com/KonetzkeCJ
TIM HANNA
- Website ~ www.mayorhannaforappleton.com/
- Facebook ~ www.facebook.com/pages/Re-elect-Mayor-Hanna-for-Appleton
- Twitter ~ twitter.com/Hanna4Mayor
DISTRICT 4 ALDERPERSON
District 4 residents have an interesting race on their hands for alderperson. Alderman Jeff Lutz has served what has been District 4 for several years, and Alderman Joe Martin has served what had been District 8 for several years. Both reside in what are the newly-drawn boundaries for District 4. Therefore, there are technically two incumbents on the ballot. Megan Pickett, a political newcomer, is also on the ballet. Lutz is a CNC programmer at a local staircase manufacturer, Martin is a sales executive, and Picket is a professor of physics at Lawrence University. Here is a link to the Post-Crescent’s candidate profiles: http://tinyurl.com/7oyca42. District 4 residents vote at Lawrence University’s Alexander Gymnasium, 1100 East South River Street. I’ve posted the web links to each candidate’s campaign below:
JEFF LUTZ
- Facebook ~ www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Lutz/1058766566
JOE MARTIN
- Website ~ www.aldermanjoemartin.com
- Facebook ~ www.facebook.com/home.php#!/MATCH0love
MEGAN PICKETT
- Website ~ meganpickettforalderperson.blogspot.com
- Facebook ~ www.facebook.com/MeganPickettForAlderperson
- Twitter ~ twitter.com/meg_pickett_04
DISTRICT 10 ALDERPERSON
Incumbent alderman Mike Smith faces two challengers. Marcus Molenda is a graphic designer, and Jason Schmitz works as a metal worker at a local foundry. This is Molenda’s first political race; Schmitz has run for local office in the past, unsuccessfully. To the best of my knowledge, none of the District 10 candidates have a web presence for their campaign. Here is a link to the Post-Crescent’s candidate profiles: http://tinyurl.com/7e2uwep. District 10 residents vote at St Matthews Church, at 129 South Mason Street.
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Now, GET OUT AND VOTE! And please, when you do, thank your poll workers! They endure long, grueling hours and their responsibilities have greatly expanded thanks to the new Voter ID legislation. Polls are open from 7:00am – 8:00pm. Just in case you’re still looking, I’ll again post a link to the map of Appleton Districts, Maps, and Polling Locations:
Map of Appleton Districts, Wards, and Polling Locations
NEW Appleton Polling Places
Below I have listed the polling places for Appleton voters, arranged by aldermanic district. Not sure which district you’re in? You can find out a few different ways:
- Call the Appleton City Clerk’s office at 832-6447
- Visit the Online District and Polling Place Map
- Visit www.appleton.org, click “My Neighborhood,” and enter your address
Clicking on the name of the district will open the aldermanic boundary map for that district.
District 1 First United Methodist Church, 325 E. Franklin St
District 2 Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 740 E. College Ave
District 3 Emmanuel Baptist Church, 2020 E. John St
District 4 Alexander Gymnasium (Lawrence University), 1100 E. South River St
District 5 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 2330 E. Calumet St
District 6 Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 930 E. Florida Ave
District 7 Fox Valley Lutheran High School, 5300 N. Meade St
District 8 McKinley Elementary School, 1125 E. Taft Ave
District 9 St Bernard Catholic Church, 1617 W. Pine St
District 10 St Matthew Lutheran Church, 129 S. Mason St
District 11 Riverview Lutheran Church, 136 W. Seymour St
District 12 St John United Church of Christ, 1130 W. Marquette St
District 13 Faith Lutheran Church, 3100 E. Evergreen Dr
District 14 St Joseph Middle School, 2626 N. Oneida St
District 15 Hope Lutheran Church, 415 E. Hoover Ave
Appleton Snow Plowing Update (1/28/12)
Here is the update provided by the Department of Public Works, this morning at 7:40am:
“The Department of Public Works (DPW) crews are currently out salting and plowing the main streets, and residential streets. We will continue this operation into the early afternoon hours. Please use caution while traveling and keep a safe distance from all salting equipment. DPW will continue to monitor the conditions and will adjust operations as necessary. “
At this point, a Snow Emergency has *not* been declared, so there are no on-street parking restrictions in place. Visit the city’s “Winter Page” for updates, information, rules and regulations, tips, and answers to frequently-asked-questions:
Calling all potential aldermen…
At City Hall on Wednesday, November 30 at 7pm, the city will host its annual “How To Be An Alderperson” class. Mayor Tim Hanna, Council President Cathy Spears, Council Vice-President Chris Croatt, and Clerk Cindi Hesse will lead the class. RSVP with City Clerk’s office at 832-6443 is appreciated.
I attended the class two years ago in 2009, in anticipation of my run for the District 16 seat in April 2010. It was interesting and informative, though if you’re seriously considering a run for city council, I’d encourage you to explore well beyond Wednesday evening’s very basic primer.
Of note: odd-numbered seats on the city council are elected in odd years, and even-numbered seats are elected in even years. So for April 2012, districts 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 are up for election. Appletonians from odd- and even-numbered districts, and even those who don’t know what district they live in, are welcome to attend the class. As I explained on this site previously, the Appleton City Council will go from 16 to 15 districts effective 2012. Our District 16, in addition to losing its name, will see some dramatic changes: if you live west of S. Carpenter St. you’ll be in District 15, and if you live east of S. Telulah Ave. you’ll be in District 5. The large middle portion of what is now District 16 will become the new District 8, and will absorb the areas surrounding Reid Golf Course, Jaycee Park, and the Olde Oneida flats. So, the district I currently represent will be called “District 8″ after April 2012, and will look like this:
Here is a link to the entire City’s new district and ward boundary map:
Appleton Christmas Parade Nov 22
The 41st annual downtown Appleton Christmas Parade will be held Tuesday, November 22 along College Avenue. The parade will begin at 6:20pm, with the Santa Scamper race to begin at 6:03pm [note: the starting line for the Santa Scamper is the intersection of College Ave and State St, and the 1-mile race finishes at Jones Park]. The parade will be broadcast by WFRV (5) starting at 7:00pm. This year, the City of Appleton will be enforcing a new rule for parade attendees:
- ”No person or object may be used to reserve a location along the College Avenue parade route at any time prior to noon on the day of the Christmas Parade. Persons may place items along the route after noon of the day of the parade only if they remain with those items. Items left prior to noon or after noon without a person present will be removed.”
Basically, don’t try and save a seat before noon, and don’t leave your belongings unattended after noon. This rule was created because seat-saving had been getting out of hand, with people leaving chairs and sleeping bags unattended on College Avenue as early as 5am the day of the parade. Hopefully there’s room enough for all in attendance! Last year’s parade had an estimated 80,000 participants and spectators in attendance.
For more information, including the parade lineup, parade route, parade facts, downtown street closing information, etc, click the following link:
APL Book Sale Nov 18 & 19
The Friends of the Appleton Public Library Fall Book Sale is underway in the lower level of the Appleton Public Library.
- Friday, Nov 18 9am-5pm
- Saturday, Nov 19 9am-5pm
City Budget Adoption Meeting Tonight, 7pm
Tonight the Appleton Common Council will meet at 7pm on the sixth floor of City Hall, 100 N. Appleton St., to debate amendments and ultimately approve a 2012 budget.
The public is welcome to speak at the beginning of the meeting.
Public Hearing Nov 2! Come and Be Heard!
On Wednesday, November 2 at 6:00pm, on the sixth floor of Appleton City Hall, the Appleton City Council and the Mayor will assemble to listen to public comment on the proposed 2012 Budget. I anticipate a packed house and a lot of speakers. Don’t let that deter you! We as elected officials need to receive your input on the budget. Proposals that will likely generate impassioned public statements:
- $3.2 million toward the construction of a downtown Exhibition Center
- $1.5 million toward the reconstruction of Houdini Plaza
- Cutting Valley Transit bus service 1 hour on weekday evenings, 3 hours on Saturday evening
- Amendment to reduce funding for (and potentially eliminate) Diversity Coordinator
- Extension of family health insurance benefits to same-sex registered domestic partners
- Potential merger of Parks & Recreation Department with Facilities & Grounds Management Department
- Stormwater project planned for Reid Municipal Golf Course
