Rieckman column takes the words right out of my mouth
As I read this morning’s Oshkosh Northwestern article on the finances involved in Ben Ganther’s 100 block deal being protected by secrecy which started in our city attorney’s office, I began formulating my thoughts for this piece. Then I read Stew Rieckman’s column and realized my exact thoughts had already been published in the same edition of the paper.
Kudos to Rieckman; there’s not much more I could add to his words. I have said for years that while I like Warren Kraft as a person and he has been a wonderful friend to members of my family, I lacked confidence in him as our city attorney. I have also said what many others have and that is that he has a track record for erring on the side of caution and openness when something might benefit city hall in some weird or obscure way – such as his advising our common council members that they must notice their council member statements on the meeting agenda, no matter how innocuous or even seemingly trivial to some they may be – but opts for secrecy and closed government when it would otherwise benefit the public – such as we’ve seen in most all matters of importance and where our tax dollars are involved. Rieckman listed most of the things from Kraft’s office that we’ve been shocked and awed by in recent years, but there are a couple other items that have cost the city money and/or embarrassment that I believe also came from his office or at least passed by it.
Wasn’t it there where advice or approval was given about the wording of the smoking ban referendum question which ultimately landed us in a yearlong court battle because of its ambiguity? Wasn’t it advice from Kraft’s office that several members of the community said departed from the advice or guidance they received from other attorneys around the state regarding a troop withdrawal referendum being proposed for ballot placement? I suspect there are other things that I’ve either overlooked or don’t even know about, but it seems the lesson in all of this is that one never really knows for sure how much faith or trust to put in this “one attorney’s opinion” – especially when it’s so often contrary to everyone else’s.
Kudos to Rieckman; there’s not much more I could add to his words. I have said for years that while I like Warren Kraft as a person and he has been a wonderful friend to members of my family, I lacked confidence in him as our city attorney. I have also said what many others have and that is that he has a track record for erring on the side of caution and openness when something might benefit city hall in some weird or obscure way – such as his advising our common council members that they must notice their council member statements on the meeting agenda, no matter how innocuous or even seemingly trivial to some they may be – but opts for secrecy and closed government when it would otherwise benefit the public – such as we’ve seen in most all matters of importance and where our tax dollars are involved. Rieckman listed most of the things from Kraft’s office that we’ve been shocked and awed by in recent years, but there are a couple other items that have cost the city money and/or embarrassment that I believe also came from his office or at least passed by it.
Wasn’t it there where advice or approval was given about the wording of the smoking ban referendum question which ultimately landed us in a yearlong court battle because of its ambiguity? Wasn’t it advice from Kraft’s office that several members of the community said departed from the advice or guidance they received from other attorneys around the state regarding a troop withdrawal referendum being proposed for ballot placement? I suspect there are other things that I’ve either overlooked or don’t even know about, but it seems the lesson in all of this is that one never really knows for sure how much faith or trust to put in this “one attorney’s opinion” – especially when it’s so often contrary to everyone else’s.
posted by Cheryl Hentz at 9:35 AM
3 Comments:
Thank you Cheryl. The Northwestern did a good job on this. I have more faith in the Northwestern than I used to. I also have more faith in our current city council than I have had in the past. Didn't Winston Churchill comment on how messy U.S. democracy is, and how well it works?
Hi Gary; thanks for the comment. I was reminded of another "uh-oh" on the part of city attorney Kraft. He erred in the drafting of the contract for PMI's management of the Leach Amphitheater, giving them an additional year on their contract - I believe it ended up being four years instead of three. And a couple others have mentioned to me how the CORD group was allegedly steered in the wrong direction on multiple occasions by Kraft when trying to draft a change of government referendum question.
Indeed, anyone can make a mistake and no one is fail-proof, but when things are deliberate, as in the case of the the 100-block and keeping finances hidden from the people whose very tax dollars are involved, then something must be done in order to ensure the public's interests are being served rather than work product being self-serving or suited to best serve others instead of the people paying your salary. There are a number of people who seem to have this "I forgot who I work for" mentality in city hall. I am not advocating a total housecleaning but I do believe the interim city manager needs to take a good look at some of these folks and make judicious decisions that best represent the people's interests.
"like Warren Kraft as a person and he has been a wonderful friend to members of my family, I lacked confidence in him as our city attorney"
so let me see if I understand, like a corporation a persons ethics at work are separate from their interpersonal relationships. Hmm I like that.
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