Recently I have been confronted in conversation, in the hallway, at the coffee shop, with this question or claim … Who is the smartest person in town? I do not have an answer for that.
I am not proposing a poll or something to that effect, but I think I shall publicly ask this question … who are the most substantial minds you have met, here in town, either professionally or personally?
What makes them so?
You see, the claim is often that the truly smart people do not choose to serve. They receive enough support and challenge in their workplace, and they receive enough positive reinforcement in their professional lives. So, often times the smart ones do not run for office.
So, it is two fold, who is the most substantial mind in town now, and who is the smartest person you have ever known?
Alex
2:16 pm on July 8th
Herb Tallitsch
John H. Fischer
9:47 am on July 9th
I understand the logic… that the smartest people are not the ones we find in government because they are smart enough to know it’s a thankless job.
However, there are so many different kinds of smart. I think of myself as very smart and am one of the best experts in the state on WI Landlord-Tenant law. Does that make me a good municipal/government leader?
My dad is smart when it comes to mechanical things.. if something – ANYTHING – is broke I will bet money he can fix it. However, he dropped out at 9th grade and is not what anyone would call “book smart”
I know so many people who are smart… but smart in certain areas. Sometimes too smart in some areas that they severely lack in other areas (the smartest person I knew based on IQ was a seargent I served with and for a short while he was my roommate – however when it came to common sense, he was easily in the bottom five of that asset).
Remember, the primary qualification to be an elected official is to… well.. BE ELECTED.. which requires ability to speak publicly, to at least have the appearance of being likable.. the appearance of being a people person.. having some natural charisma….
And the smartest, most visionary, big-picture people I know really don’t have the people skills to “be elected”. I, myself, have a strong desire to serve.. a strong desire to be elected… but I fear I fall into that catagory.
Dino Corvino
9:48 am on July 9th
Just pick
Cheryl Mathis
10:41 am on July 9th
I guess I don’t have an answer for this, but I’ll comment anyway. A person’s “smartness” is so subjective. Highest IQ? Best trivia? Deepest conversations? The most successful?
Some “smart” people bore the heck out of me. By developing this glossy sheen of intelligence and high thinking, they often forget how to relate to other people. I’m more impressed by those with amazing people skills who can hold conversations with nearly everybody and who can leave people feeling smart and delighted. Someone who has the time to deal with people on a personal level while orchestrating awesomeness behind the scenes.
I don’t have anyone in particular in mind for this, though. I think it’s a mix of people I’ve known throughout the years. Someone who can fulfill that role could be an excellent politician and serve the community well.
Dino Corvino
11:13 am on July 9th
Seriously, who have you met in Wausau, of Wausau, that you think…that man or woman has a serious mind?
I should have not put the second part in. Ignore that part.
Mohawk Matt
11:45 am on July 9th
Smartest person I ever met was named Scab. He ran a pool hall and fixed pinball machines. Never met anyone anywhere that could match this guys intelligence, wit, or wisdom.
Charles U Farley
6:51 pm on July 9th
Wausau is a very, very, very small pond where being the biggest fish doesn’t mean a lot in the big scheme of things. It’s not that there aren’t any good sized fish, it’s just that I fish in this pond for the enjoyment of the experience (OK…I’m too lazy to go to another pond…), not the catching of large fish.
To be _completely_ honest, when I think of a list the smartest people I know (and there’s a few on that list) none of them live in Wausau. Not intentionally, it’s just turned out that way.
I’d consider nominating our resident alderman, Mr. Rosenberg, but as I’ve never met him IRL I’m assuming he’s excluded.
Jim Sisko
7:34 am on July 10th
The smartest person I have ever known shall remain nameless since he would be embarrassed to be recognized in this way. This guy is so smart I find my own vocabulary ramps up whenever I’m around him. Most people who meet him for the first time find him rather odd and don’t take the time to get to know him well. That is too bad since he has a wealth of knowledge on just about any subject (particularly history), but doesn’t come across as a ‘know-it-all’. I’ve known this individual for almost 30 years, and I’m grateful for every moment we’ve spent together.
matthew
10:29 am on July 10th
It’s too broad a question to really answer. Dino asks for someone with a “serious mind”. There are many in Wausau who have serious minds. But one thing that Dino seems to not include in his definition is willingness to be involved. It’s a important thing. One example. The highesy IQ score ever recorded belongs to Marilyn vos Savant. She scored 240. Highest score ever. For her work she has a column that appears in Sunday newspaper magazine supplements. Her husband is Dr. Jarvik, who developed the artificial heart. Who has the more ’serious mind’? It’s a value judgement. The same came be said about Wausau. It doesn’t matter who has the most ’serious mind’. What matters is who among the willing has the best qualifications. And most people would agree that qualificatins include something other than basic intellectual ability. Scab may be the smartest person who ever lived and the best pinball repairer and pool hall oparator of all time. But is Scoab more serious minded than the person Jim Sisko knows? Who can tell? John’s father may be able to repair any machine ever – I doubt if he could repair the space station if it broke, because I doubt if any one person could. It is too complex for one person to solve. But, even if he could, would tha qualify him to perform LASIK surgery for example? Or the LASIK surgeon to pull a tooth. Or the dentist to fix a machine? Or any of them to lead a city government? One of the problems inherent in Dino’s question, and in the context of getting these people to be involved in city government, is that people with competence and/or expertise in a specific area can automatically apply that abilty to city government. I don’t think it’s true. I had a conversation once with the physician tha was the clinical head of the National Institutes of Health. He is a brilliant research physician. He told me that he had just spent a whole day trying to convince President Reagan not to cut the budget. He further said that almost all of his job was political in nature. Very little to do with his real set of skills. He left shortly after that to return to medical research. He was selected for the job based on a lifetime of experience and training that had almost nothing to do with the skills he needed to do the job. But he was exptremely serious minded and, if he lived in Wausau, would be selected as one of the best minds in the city. Does that mean he would among the best to lead the city? Not necessarily.
Dino Corvino
10:44 am on July 10th
It is broad, and all of those things on purpose.
Dino Corvino
11:55 am on July 10th
So I will start, since this is a boggling idea.
1. Mark Baldwin. I met Mark a few years ago when I was invited to be part of the Editorial Board. I spent a lot of time with him, and was completely impressed with the intellect he possessed, and the means he communicated it with me. I disagreed strongly with a lot of what he said, but the presentation was amazing.
2. Charles Hughes. I hardly have spent anytime at all with Charles, but I have emailed him often, and read much of his writing. He is a powerful, completely disciplined intellect, and is willing to be supportive and educational about the things he knows much about. Even during my first stint on the WDH forums I had high hopes that Matthew Sann or whoever, was going to work with Charles on developing his presentation of global warming as farce. Matthew lacked any sort of coherent position, and I thought he could be assisted by learning the basics.
3. Andy Laub. Clearly I spend a lot of time with Andy. The way that Andy sees the world is based on a sort of complete research, examination of options sort of thing. I really appreciate it.
4. I think that there are some downtown business cats that see things in ten year increments, and they are pretty amazing that way. Dudley, Noell, Weiroch, Ghidorzi, Colcord, Craig…these cats sort of build for tomorrow, and exist on this other level of long term planning.
5. Russ Feingold. The best part about Russ is his willingness to be smart. Some people abase themselves intellectually, and he does not. It is amazing to be in the room with him right after being in the room with someone like Herb Kohl who I feel falsely affects a folksy pose.
matthew
12:17 pm on July 10th
Who s the smartest person in town? Purely a subjectiver questions but some things in Dino’s post are objective. Dino, you have a group entry of the downtown “business cats” as #4. Does that mean that, collectively, they still fall short of the individual mind of Mark Bldwin, Charles Hughes, or Andy Laub? Can we assume that each of them possesses 1/6 of the mind of any of the ones mentined above them? As far as I know Charles Hughes does not live in Wausau. He has resided in Madison for a number of years. I know for certain that Russ Feingold has never resided in Wausau. Yet he comes in at #5. Stretching the criteria as widely as you did I’ll add Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Jefferson and as a collective entry all of the “cats” that have won the Nobel prize as having the finest minds in Wausau. I said the question was too broadly stated at the outset. You further expansion of the criteria makes it very simple. Anybody anyone cares to mention now qualifies as the best mind in Wausau.
Dino Corvino
12:23 pm on July 10th
I thought Russ was from Wausau. I just equated him with Wausau. My bad.
I think Charles originated in Wausau, and I know him of Wausau, not Madison.
Thank you for the response Matthew. I think I explained myself.
Mohawk Matt
2:17 pm on July 10th
I take it back. Matthew is now the smartest person I know. He amazes me.
deepintheheart
7:22 am on July 11th
Hoss.
Barry Liss
7:28 am on July 12th
Jeremy Rifkin is really smart. The beauty is you can youtube his speeches, buy his books…with the new communication tech he might as well live in town…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InZMWF6bl54
Rachel Olson
3:22 pm on July 19th
Just getting around to reading the blogs/questions on CW and was amazed how all of the “smartest people” turned out to be men. No prejudice from the “good ol’ boys” network here!
Dino Corvino
11:03 am on July 20th
RA…I do not have a lot of female friends. Being a wall flower and all, I am shy around women.
Rachel Olson
3:14 pm on July 21st
Dino – just because you are shy doesn’t mean you haven’t heard of any “smart” women in Wausau or in your family or job or whatever. It just strikes me as typical that all the responses were men and the only other woman who wrote said it was too subjective to choose. From reading the other thoughts, the names were of people who were known in the area. Even Herb Tallitsch – I believe Karen, his wife, was rather instrumental in starting up the Sylvan Learning Center in the area so she must be a “smart” person.
As I said – it was a comment after reading all the input that there was a definite gender bias to this question.
Mohawk Matt
4:41 pm on July 21st
I’m sorry, RA, if my OPINION isn’t pc enough for you.
Dino Corvino
9:13 pm on July 21st
Matt, I think the demonization of the concept of PC is simply more reactionary posturing, and I think you can do better. Claiming to not be PC, when someone brings a valid point into a discussion diminishes the discussion, and over all, I would like to see you engage the ideas instead of offering WWE style catchphrases created by the media.
RA…You are right. I am aware of that. For me, and only for me, the smartest person I have ever talked to was a woman. Rachel Gold. She was so overwhelming that I actually had to lay down on the floor of my desk at work as I was exhausted.
I wanted to speak from my experience. For example, I have heard Sara Rudolph is brilliant, but in fairness I do not think I have ever met her.
I think Laura Scudiere at Bridge is a bit of a frightening smarty pants.
I think Laura Ableman is one of the funniest people I know, and a mind that never seems to miss a beat.
I think you are right to point out that there were no females on the list, and that is in fact telling of my life experience, and just how sad I am.
Your point is a valid one, and a telling one.
Do you have someone of the female side of the gender spectrum you had in mind?
Mohawk Matt
9:14 am on July 22nd
I said PC because I really can’t find a better term. The fact remains that I do not believe I have met a woman smarter than the man I mentioned. So sorry to diminish the discussion.