Letter to the editor

[Following is a letter to the editor of the Oshkosh Northwestern by Dan Rylance, and we thank him for sharing it with us so we can bring it to you here...]

Letter to the Editor
April 26, 2012

The two "Stevie Wonders" on the Oshkosh Common Council need to explain their vote of Tuesday, April 24 waving the special events fee for Sawdust Days.

The two Stevies, of course, are Stevie Cummings and Stevie Herman, both recently reelected to their second term on April 3, 2012.

Let me explain.

On Janurary 24 before the April election, both Council members voted to assess the popular Farmers Saturday Market with the special events fee. Their vote represented a victory for the taxpayers and a confirmation of the intent of the special events policy adopted by the Common Council earlier.

On Tuesday, April 24, they flip-flopped and voted to grant Sawdust Days an exemption of the special events fee. Their vote represented a burden on the taxpayers and a reversal of the intent of the special events policy.

The two Stevies approached their vote differently. Cummings struggled with his vote. Herman, on the other hand, unabashedly supported the waiver.

As a result of the April 24th Common Council meeting, Oshkosh taxpayers foot city expenses for one of the biggest special events of the year while all other special events pay their own way. It smacks of favoritism.

Dan Rylance