Why do I know this, you ask?  Well, it might be time for people to start considering this course of action.   It might be the right course of action for the city.  This latest news about City Council President Ed Gale stepping down from the HR Committee, and leaving it directly at the feet of Mayor Tipple, is just ANOTHER thing that has not exactly gone his way.  Rosenberg leaves, the HR thing fails, Brzenski steps off the Committee, and now Gale leaves the Committee.  Factor in that this failure is an actual campaign plank: the consolidation of services. He spoke in Madison on the Capitol steps in support of consolidation, before he voted against it.  John Kerry called.

And he has yet to explain himself, or his vote, to anyone in the media.  And by extension, the public.

He surely has been absent from any sort of public eye, unless you count every place there is a free chicken dinner or a pint of locally-brewed beer.  We have not seen him, or at least I have not seen him leading the council, setting the vision, and driving us forward to a glorious future.  We have not seen him voicing the reason behind any of these recent events to anyone in the local media.

Do not get me wrong, I like Mayor Tipple as a guy.  He is pretty cool, easy going, and laughs easily.  These are all characteristics I like in a person.  They might not be the right thing to be if, say, you are leading a small city through a time of tremendous growth, and a bit of upheaval.

The 400 Block has remained an issue, the IC Willy’s shenanigans could possibly lead us to a lawsuit, is Christine Van De Yacht done?, the neighborhoods around downtown are crying out (and their voices are getting more angry and insistent) for attention from the city leaders; and our Mayor has become a sideline figure.  He could have easily rectified all of this by simply utilizing the media to communicate his vision to the people.  Clearly the Wausau Daily Herald wants to be supportive of this city, and as such have a passive goal of helping get the word out.

I have said consistently that growth is painful.  We all remember being a teen, and how it literally hurt to be alive some days.  Wausau is like that.  We have real challenges, and we need a leader.  Rosenberg left for a great new gig (and no one can blame him), but he was a passionate leader for this city for a long time.  Clearly the leadership style of Tipple is less public, and by extension, less clear for the public.

I am not sure that the Mayor stepping down is the right move, but I know that being this sort of absentee ghost of a voice that no one knows anything about is not working.  People have no idea what is going on at City Hall these days, and Mayor Tipple is the one responsible for crafting a message that people can understand.  We need to know someone is steering the ship.  Some people do not even need to know where we are going, but we need to know we are going someplace.

I wonder if there is any sort of corrective measure that can be taken, some form of accountability to be used to hold our Mayor to, or if as Mayor Daley said: “Mayors rule.”

I thought about how to make this positive in its resolution, how we can point to the future, and come up with something good.  I think this is the chance for the City Council to take control, spend time developing an effective media strategy, and take their jobs seriously.  We have a wave of new council people, and they need to step forward to fill the vacuum left by the Mayor.

Brad is not leaving us, not even close.  So, as you submit articles (please submit articles) for the front page, you will still be working directly with Brad.  He really makes this ship run, so we wanted to say thanks.

It was a summer of rock shows (that had surreal moments), arguing about MMA, and recording podcasts with Kevin and his buddy (”That just happened!”), so I consider it a great summer.

So, thanks Brad, see you again soon.

I believe bringing in high-tech industry is the biggest factor in attracting young talent to any city.  The job sectors have to be cutting edge and white collar.  The industrial sector is slowly grinding to a halt in this country. I am not against heavy industry; the fact is that society is switching from a manufacturing-based economy to a information-based economy.  Information is what will drive our economy into the future.

Wausau is a city heavily built around manufacturing.  It was a natural heavy-industry hub ever since the days of its inception with the Wisconsin River that runs through town providing an ideal logging route.

Eau Claire, which is located 85 miles west of Wausau, is adding jobs in the IT field.  They will add over 200 jobs by attracting a New York based company by the name of Genesis10.  That’s just one firm they have lured in with more to surely follow suit.  Eau Claire is a popular place for young professionals and it really isn’t that far off in culture and feel from Wausau.

Bottom line?  Add well paying high-tech jobs.

Young professionals are very active.  They are either newly married or on the prowl for a partner.  They like to get out and explore what their new city has to offer.  They would be looking for up-scale wine/cocktail bars, clubs, coffee shops, gyms, cultural events and live music.  There should be an adequate selection of these kinds activities.  Having these events in a “downtown district” is even more attractive to young professionals as it provides a “closeness” to their community of peers.

Young professionals want to feel connected to their community and their fellow peers as I hinted above.  They like networking with others their age to find opportunities they feel could allow them to advance their career.  This links back to having recreational areas like bars and nightlife downtown.  Having events sponsored by businesses and/or the city will fuel networking.  Have tweet-ups and wine tastings, conferences and seminars focused around the new tech jobs in your area.  Young professionals want to advance their professional lives in addition to their personal lives.

I’m in this very situation myself.  I graduate in less than 12 months from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a very strong resume and super-relevant experience.  From launching social media platforms on-campus, being appointed to numerous committees to shape the future of the university, and being featured in books about digital crisis communications and social media. I feel I can compete in large markets like Minneapolis, New York City and San Francisco. However, I don’t mind my hometown one bit.  My family is here, and some of my longest friends.  The real question is; does Wausau have the desire and career opportunity to lure a talented “hometown kid” to stay put?  I just don’t know yet.

The Public Health and Safety Committee met Monday evening and one of the items was a local liquor-license holder who also has an entertainment license.  They have been getting neighbor complaints about their activities (or numerous complaints from one specific neighbor according to the manager of the bar).  The bar even received a citation over the weekend for this.  Sound familiar?  No, we are not still on the IC Willys thing, this time it is the Hiawatha, which is located on 713 Grant Street, just a few blocks from downtown.

The issue is the Hiawatha’s new outdoor seating area.  With the new smoking ban, many bars have been creating outdoor seating areas.  Hiawatha’s outdoor area has a Tiki Bar theme to it and includes a single acoustic guitar player playing in the background a couple of nights a week.

The problem is that the entertainment license is separate from the liquor license.  And, although the outside Tiki Bar area is covered under the liquor license, according to statements made at the meeting by the City Clerk, the entertainment license only covers the areas inside the establishment.

Although not a hearing, owners, employees and neighbors of Hiawatha came to the Public Health and Safety Committee meeting to plead their case as they were hoping to expand the entertainment license to include the Tiki Bar.  The very emotional “testimony” pointed out that the noise levels can’t be heard from neighboring properties.

The City pointed out that the citation was not for noise, but was for entertainment without the proper permit.

One person speaking for Hiawatha pointed out that both the Mayor and the Chief of Police are there, have heard the guitar player, and have no problem with it.  An owner also pointed out that they have a more mature, older clientele.  However, the Committee were quick to point out that who does and does not frequent the business and who does or does not find objection to the activity doesn’t make an activity that is contrary to the ordinances okay.

Hiawatha representatives also pointed out that on earlier occasions when the police responded, they were not told they couldn’t have the outdoor entertainment, they were just asked to limit volumes and hours – which they did.

Although from time to time the Committee grants entertainment licenses for outdoor one-time events, they had reservations in allowing this license as an ongoing thing, especially when there were already a number of complaints (albeit all from the same person).  Expanding the license to include the outside Tiki Bar would open it up for any type of entertainment unless a large number of restrictions were put on it, controlling the type of entertainment, the days, the hours, etc.  Also, they had concern that with a large number of liquor license holders in the City, many of which are trying to accommodate smoking customers with outdoor seating areas, this could open up requests from them also wanting to expand their entertainment license to outdoors, even if it was just something like piping the music out there.

I said at the top of this that we are not still on IC Willys, but maybe we still are as the Committee mentioned a number of times that they don’t want to go down the same road again.  They don’t want to limit what one bar can do while allow a different bar to do it just because of who the clientele are.

There were comments in the articles Citizen Wausau did about IC Willys that rules are rules and need to be followed, and there needs to be consequences when they are not – and it should not matter who you are or whether or not you are “stand-off-ish.”  By citing the Hiawatha for violating the outdoor entertainment rules, and denying their permit, the Public Health and Safety Committee is doing just that.

Is treating the Hiawatha with the same policies and limitations as IC Willy’s right?  Is it fair?  What do you think?

(The application was recommended for denial by a 4-0 vote, and the final decision will be made by the City Counsel at their September 10^th meeting.)

Don’t misunderstand me. The fall version of Exhibitour will still go on as scheduled on Saturday evening, September 18th. (More information about this event can be found on Wausau Area Event’s website) Many downtown businesses will still be turned into art galleries for the evening. Most of those temporary art galleries will also be serving wine. The only thing this decision does is not allow participants to take the wine from one venue to another venue.

This was discussed in great detail here on Citizen Wausau during the spring version of this event. For those not familiar, here is a brief history. Exhibitour is in it’s 8th year according to testimony at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Although there is a Wausau ordinance that does not allow for open intoxicants on the public right of way (such as streets and sidewalks), there was a provision in the ordinance where an event could get a waiver of that rule, This waiver could be issued by one of two people: the chief of police or the chairperson of the Public Health and Safety (PH&S) Committee. In 2007, this waiver was applied for and then chairperson Deb Hadley granted the waiver. So, for the first time, wine didn’t have to be chugged or dumped at the door, you could carry it to the next venue.

This new policy continued in 2008 and 2009 with no reported issues. However, for 2010, Wausau Area Events has a new director, Kari Rasmussen. I should disclose that I know Kari pretty well professionally. She worked for me for a short time as an administrative assistant and impressed me with her attention to detail. If you need a person to make sure I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed, I can’t think of too many people better than her. Before working for me, she worked for a local real estate company as their proof-reader. She would make sure that all of the documents turned in were filled out properly. In Ms. Rasmussen’s attention to detail, she discovered that the events proceeded in 2008 and 2009 without the “formality” of getting the waiver. So for the spring 2010 version of Exhibitour, application was made of the current PH&S Committee Chair, Alderperson Lisa Rasmussen (no relation) who indicated they would not be granting this waiver.

There was a pretty good consensus that the procedure for getting a waiver for an event was flawed. There really was very little due process. The decision was made by one of two individuals, the Chair of the PH&S Committee, or the chief of police. To be practical, the decision was in the hands of one person because it would be unusual for any chief of police to grant any kind of waiver of a law intended to protect public safety. Exhibitour went on the way it had prior to the 2007 waiver. And, the City of Wausau (lead by Alderperson Rasmussen and her committee) changed the process of getting this waiver. As of July, the procedure for getting the waiver was changed to match the procedure for most licenses and waivers. The request comes through the Public Health and Safety Committee, who then makes a recommendation to the Wausau City Counsel. The Counsel then has the final yea or nea decision.

When the waiver application was made to the PH&S Committee for the fall Exhibitour, the committee recommended denial on a unanimous (4-0) vote. According to a Wausau Daily Herald article, one of the factors leading to this decision was testimony from Wausau Area Events that the change in policy did not appear to have an impact on participation numbers. The event was still a success without the waiver.

There was a great deal of interesting comments made at the City Council meeting before the vote. The chief of police and a few others indicated how uncomfortable they were with the potential problems that could happen by allowing open intoxicants in the public right-of-way. Others, such as Alderman Brezinski, indicated the importance of treating responsible adults as just that. Alderperson Wagner, who voted against the waiver in committee and shared his personal feelings on the need for alcohol to be included in events, did decide to change his vote to in favor of the waiver based on the history of the event and the lack of problems.

But when the smoke cleared, the waiver was denied. However, some new issues also came about through investigating this process. First, there is a city ordinance that if a retail establishment gets a temporary liquor license, their retail operation must be closed during the time they are serving alcohol. Apparently, at some point in the past, someone thought it would be a bad idea to use alcohol to loosen up wallets.

The next interesting thing is that some of the businesses participating in Exhibitour already have normal liquor licenses. Taking wine from business to business would be a problem because it is a violation of state law for people to bring alcohol into an establishment with a liquor license that they got from somewhere else.

Alderman Wagner did indicate a curiosity of how shutting down the retail operations of participating businesses will impact how many of those businesses will continue to participate. Although Exhibitour is “about the art” and has the added benefit of making people aware of what businesses are located downtown, making a sale or two off of the large number of people in downtown for the event didn’t hurt. Will any of these businesses that used to participate choose not to, so that they can be open for retail sales for the people who are drawn to downtown for this event? That will be interesting to see.

Exhibitour will go on. Art will be viewed. Wine will be consumed. Just, not on the public right-of-way.

SPECIAL NOTE: In what I feel is an interesting piece of irony, changing the waiver process so that one person doesn’t make the decision almost resulted in again, one person making the decision. The vote was a close 6-5 result. The 1 vote absent was from the 1st Aldermanic ward, which alderperson Rosenberg recently vacated and has not been filled yet. In my opinion, had Rosenberg still been a voting member of the council, based on his long time support for this event, it is a pretty safe bet he would have voted yes, resulting in a 6-6 tie. Had that happened, the decision would again be in the hands of one person, this time the Mayor.

I do not mean to harp on the IC Willy’s people, but I wanted to write something.  Since I sat in that room for over ten hours, so I think I’ve earned the right to do it.  I mean hanging out with Lehman, Starck, and Colby Robertson is awesome, but at some point we all just wanted it to be over.

I think the one thing I missed in this whole debacle is humility.  If months ago the owner of the club would have said to the Chief of Police: “Hey, I am sorry the music was up, we will try to get that under control,” I think it would have gone a long way.  I believe that even if the noise complaints had come again that Chief Hardel would have been far more accommodating if he had heard: “We are really sorry.  This is what we tried, but that is not working. We will try something else. Thanks a lot.”  That would have gone a long way.

But, that is not what happened.  What has happened is a steady escalation on the part of the owners of this club.  They, and their staff, have made personally disparaging remarks about both members of the City Council and the Police Chief on the Wausau Daily Herald comment section.  They have publicly lashed out against these people in ways that are just blatant personal attacks.

I know a bit about lashing out.  I am an expert at self-destructive lashing out.  And boy, this was some classic lashing out.  From the comment about infidelity, to the sarcastic and mean-spirited comment on the sign outside the club, this sort of lashing out never serves anyone.

Let us be clear about something though, the Nowells have been afforded every opportunity to be heard in this process.  They have not been singled out, and had special circumstances applied to them. In fact, the City Council has done more than it should have.  In the time the club was open, they were cited two times for serving minors.  According to the rules, these two citations are enough to have a license removed.  Granted, these citations are being contested, but the ordinance says nothing about being found guilty, they simply have to be cited, which they were.

You add those citations to a series of noise complaints, and you begin to develop an easy case for the City Council.

You add the two citations, the series of noise complaints, and the owners’ confrontational attitude with law enforcement, and it begins to develop into a perfect storm.

You add two citations for serving minors, a series of noise complaints, a confrontational owner, and an employee who says under oath that he decided to turn UP the music after getting a noise citation and a request to turn it down from the police, and at this point this seems like a gimmie.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  The idea of the police is always a bit iffy for me.  But, I think as I’ve aged I have come to terms with the fact that the police have far better things to do than worry about noise complaints (or me).  I think they need to be held to the legal standard, and I need to be aware of my rights, but I tend to think that they have other things to do than police the volume at a night club on Grand Avenue that appears to be failing with or without legal intervention.

I sat through what was a combative hearing.  Attorney Lister at several points was, in my opinion, arrogant, dismissive, and mean-spirited.  His when his objections were overruled, the line “Point made!” was constructed with such venom that it could not be seen as civil by me.

Clearly this entire 13-hour sham was some maneuver for an upcoming lawsuit to be filed by the Nowells and Lister against the City for something.  The constant repetition of question from Lister to the witnesses; the never-ending discussion of zoning with people who have literally NO KNOWLEDGE or expectation of knowledge of zoning information; the steady stream of objections made this into the meanest, most combative City related meeting I have ever been to. Lisa Rasmussen handled it very well, I thought.

No one wants to see a business go under, especially if it is not going under on its own weight, but rather by some move from the City.  But, in this case, the ownership of this club seemed to have a death wish from the beginning.  It is clear that they have done this sort of work in other places, but from the beginning they misjudged what Wausau is and would accept I think.

The City has a process in place, in advance, for this situation, and IC Willy’s was afforded every step in that process.  This man really was given a chance to alter the path he had chosen to walk down — one of defiance.  But, the steps taken seemed to not move him anywhere nearer to resolution.

It is my contention that any speck of humility would have served him well.  I do not think that we need to bow to the police or City Hall, or go along to get along.  But, I think that it would have been far easier, and less expensive, to sit down with the City and try to work this out, than to grab this lawyer and go to war.

Some Stuff I learned:

1. There are no qualified sound engineers in Central Wisconsin, as Mr. Lister claimed repeatedly that they had to go to the Twin Cities to find someone to install and set up the PA system in the club.  This was a shock to me because I know three full sail graduates in town, two sound engineers working in commercial radio, and four professional sound people who do it as their primary job.  But, the Twin Cities, that’s where real engineers are.
2. Lister hired his ex-wife, who is a private investigator to do objective sound readings.  Clearly, buying a $49.99 piece of gear from Radio Shack, and walking around with it, provides a scientific baseline for legal matters.  I am not sure how this is either scientific, or legal, but it is quite a bit of fun.
3. The IC Willy’s head bouncer talked about how “Asians are difficult to age,” so he used the signature matching technique when doing the door and carding people.  That can sort of stand on its own merit I suppose.
4. Mrs. Nowell tried to refuse to have her photo taken by Matt Lehman at a public meeting in City Hall.  Clearly, this is an unusual thing.
5. The staff DJ told the hearing that after the last sound ticket, he told Mr. Nowell to turn the music up, as an act of defiance.  This is also the guy who gave the committee the finger when it read the decision.
6. I learned some stuff about zoning, but honestly could care less.  And I think that hanging the discussion on zoning, was a giant mistake that was all about the later lawsuit, but wasted hours of my time.
7. Matt Lehman is one of the coolest dudes ever.
8. The Deputy Chief also rocks.
9. Lisa Rasmussen is turning into one heck of an alderperson, and clearly takes this stuff seriously.
10. The guy suing the City over the smoking ban is also represented by Mr. Lister.

I am not a dance club guy, so a dance club is not something I would lament the loss of.  I do not like to see a night spot go under, since I think the dark hours are when some of the coolest things happen in this town.  But, someone has to say that this might have been avoided if this dude had simply tried humility, and remembered what the goal really was.  Instead, the goal became to win, and not go forward, and now he has lost, and is left with a life that will be spent in courtrooms instead of having fun at his club.  Instead of spending money on trips with his wife, he will be giving an office of attorneys a bunch of money.

So, could this all have been averted by some human interaction — maybe.  Did the City do anything wrong? I can’t see anything.  I think maybe if the owners had done like my mom suggested, and went and apologized to work it out, this might have been averted.

In summation, I like the night life, and I like to boogie.

A few weeks ago, the editorial of the Wausau Daily Herald covered the revoking of IC Willys’ liquor license (and thus their ability to even be in business) from the angle of being a good corporate citizen.  It was clear from testimony at the hearing that the level of cooperation between IC Willys management and the neighbors, as well as the police department, was less than ideal.  It was also clear this level of cooperation (or lack thereof) played a role in the decision not to renew the license.  The question posed by the WDH is: if that was proper?  Other night clubs have had similar complaints, maybe even more in number, but they were not on trial to have a license revoked.

My reaction to the WDH editorial (no, I was not a member of their Editorial Board at the time that was written, so I can comment on it in good conscience) was that cooperation and management attitude did play a role, but it shouldn’t have.  It was my statement that I agreed the IC Willys license should not have been renewed, but I thought other liquor license holders with a similar number (or greater number for that matter) of similar violations should have been fighting for their lives as well.

Having had the chance to reflect on that opinion (which hasn’t changed), I realize the double standard that I now have.  I am saying to the City of Wausau and the Public Health and Safety Committee as well as the Wausau Police Department, when you break a rule, you break a rule. Whether you are nice to the neighbors, nice to the police or nice to the committee is irrelevant — a rule is a rule.

I say that when I realize that every single day in my chosen profession, I do the same thing the City of Wausau did.  How so, you ask?

To the one or two out there who may not be aware, I am a real estate investor – a landlord – who either owns or manages nearly 200 units throughout the Greater Wausau area.  These are tough economic times.  I have tenants who have lost their jobs, whose unemployment benefits have run out, and some who have no ability to make the rental payments.  So, what do I do?

The rules are fairly simple and straight-forward.  Pay the rent, and enjoy your home.  Don’t pay the rent, and you will find yourself in court followed closely by the sheriff, forcing you to move.  The economic conditions combined with overbuilding of multi-family units has lead to my personal vacancy rates hitting record highs of over 20-percent and vacancy losses of over $20,000 per month.  If I went ahead and evicted everyone unable to pay the rent, I could easily increase those vacancy numbers by at least 50-percent.

So, what do I do?  I take off my “black and white world” glasses that I love so much and take into consideration extenuating circumstances.  Have the tenants been up front with me with the situation as it developed?  Are they making an effort?  How long have they been with me?  These are all questions I ask before I decide to essentially make someone homeless.  Tenants who are honest with me, who demonstrate their good will, who make an effort — they are likely to not face court action.  I have more than one tenant who is months behind in rent, and thousands of dollars behind.  They make little payments now and then, paying me what they can with what little income they have coming in.  If something comes up where they can’t make a small payment, they tell me ahead of time.

On the other hand, I have other tenants who missed one rental payment.  We called them and are not able to get a hold of them or they won’t return my calls.  We send letters – nothing.  After not hearing from the tenant, I take a couple of sheets of paper down to the courthouse with a check for nearly $100 and start the process to remove them from the property.

I am guilty of the same thing that I said bothered me about the City’s decision.  If I was to be fair, everyone who missed a rental payment should be evicted.  But I take into consideration their level of cooperation and good faith with me.

Let’s face it, as much as many of us agree that there should be a consequence every time a rule is broken, ultimately that is why there are rules; we all hope that is not the case from time to time.  If you get pulled over for speeding for doing 8 or 9 miles over the limit, it is very possible the officer has not made the decision to write a ticket as they are ready to get out of their car.  Very often, your attitude and level of cooperation can make the difference between a warning or citation.

So, my personal feelings on the IC Willys matter?  It is sad that someone who invested a great deal of money is being put out of business.  It is sad that this adds a few more names to the unemployment roles.  However, it is not THAT sad because they did bring this upon themselves.  I don’t feel bad for people whom I have to make homeless when they are standoffish with me.  If I get a speeding ticket because 1) I was speeding AND 2) I was an a**h*** with the officer – I brought that upon myself.

It is sad that the ownership of IC Willys did not realize that by not being willing to cooperate with the neighbors or the police, they were putting their investment and their livelihood at risk.  The fact is they brought this upon themselves. Actions have consequences.  Why was IC Willys on trial and not Break-a-Way or the Polack Inn?  Simply because of those three, IC Willys demonstrated not only a lack of cooperation, but outright contempt.

Do I still think the City was right in not renewing the license?  Yes.  Do I still think other license holders should have had to gone to trial to save their licenses?  Yes.  Do I still wish that laws were enforced black and white?  That, my friend, is a very good question.

According to Jim, he will be resigning from his seats on July 24th.  I believe that this means one more City Council meeting, though he is done at the County Board.

I talked to Jim for a while yesterday about his time here, what he is proud of, what he will miss, and what lays ahead.  I think I was moved to tears while we talked.  Jim joined the Council in 1998, and by all objective measure he has been a part of leading this city in what might be its greatest period of development.  He sat through a few mayors, and a ton of council people.  He officially became statesmanlike (code for old elected official, or many times re-elected official) in recent years.

The reality for me personally is, I have not always understood Jim.  Heck, if being honest, sometimes I found Jim maddening, or even worse adjectives.  With that, though, the reality is I like Jim.  I respect him, and I think he treated me fairly.  I think Jim sees the world in a good, and positive way.  He and I share a similar definition of “community”. Jim talked about the Farmers Market on the City Square in terms of community, inclusion, and connection, which I find to be like catnip.

There is something to be said for the act of running and serving — for being willing to step forward and take the slings and arrows of those people who saw you as an enemy to their vision.  I know first-hand that Jim took that with great regularity.  He was often pounded on by “anonymous” people on forums, or in mail directly to his house.  In some strange way though, Jim never ever seemed upset by it.

Two years ago I saw demons, and conspiracies, and scheming in City Hall.  I was wrong. I was hoping for it to be like an episode of some television drama.  I have spent a bunch of time with Jim (and the others) over the years, and Jim has always calmly showed me when I have been wrong. He has been a good guy to me.  I have not always been a good guy to him, but like I said before, I am not that bright.  Often the whole gift horse in the mouth, or cut off the nose to spite the face, comes to mind.

I had thought of using a minor league baseball metaphor, something about getting called up to the big show or something.  But, that does not really work.  Rosenberg is a nice guy, a good dude, and a sort of passive mentor.  He has helped me learn some things directly, and others he has just simply lead by example.

Now he is going to go work in Madison.  As a community, we were lucky to have him.  We are lucky to have all those who choose to run and choose to lead.  We are even more lucky to elect those people who are willing to work, learn, take it seriously, and be accountable for their actions.  I think whoever takes his seats will have large shoes to fill, and a hard job to carry on with.

Good luck down there, Jim.  You might need a faster scooter, those cats do not play on those roads.

But a dark cloud looms. Recent testimony of experts on Capitol Hill suggests that the academic credit to debt ratio of students who graduate from these types of institutions may be too high. An article in this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education notes that many if not most students attending these businesses/colleges borrow money from the federal student loan program. This creates a spiral similar to the sub-prime mortgage fiasco that led to the recessionary bust, as students who cannot find reliable employment are unable to pay back their federal loans. The hedge fund manager Steven Eisman, who made a fortune in the for-profit college sector, provided the most caustic testimony. Eisman argued that these institutions prey upon the most vulnerable of society by filling them with false hopes that their degrees will improve their lives, but in reality leave them saddled with unpayable, unforgivable debt. Eisman contends: “Until recently, I thought that there would never again be an opportunity to be involved with an industry as socially destructive as the subprime mortgage industry. I was wrong. The for-profit education industry has proven equal to the task.” Eisman predicts that students attending for-profits will default on 275 billion dollars of debt over the next decade.

Recently, Senator Durbin of Illinois and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa joined a growing number of lawmakers critical of the growth and costs stemming from the “bad actors” in the for-profit higher education scene. Much is unknown and the benefits and consequences of the for-profit higher education industry are long-term question marks. To be sure, these institutions maintain their supporters. But a recent article by Patti Zarling in the Green Bay Gazette contends that these institutions “may not provide adequate training for specific jobs.” Thus, the US Department of Education has begun a review of financial aid payments to these post-secondary schools.

At both Globe University and Rasmussen College, tuition varies based on the program of study. Globe University charges over 400 dollars per general undergraduate credit, and their nursing program charges students over 600 dollars a credit hour. I found it difficult to track down exact numbers for Rasmussen College and their website doesn’t publish readily available information on costs. But from what I could find online courses at Rasmussen College cost roughly 400 dollars per credit hour. Including books, fees and administrative costs, students will pay close to 20 thousand dollars per year at both institutions for a full time credit load. Compare this to UW Marathon County and North Central Technical College at less than 200 dollars per academic credit. At both public and private institutions, costs will be mitigated by grants and other forms of financial aid.

As a public educator and a product of state education, I have my own bias where students will acquire the best learning experiences in the area. However, I imagine we all agree that students should take very seriously the kind of education they receive.

One factor in assessing the quality of a higher education institution concerns the type of learning environment that students must negotiate. A large portion (sometimes all depending on the program) of the classes from a for-profit are taught in a mediated format. Although everyone learns differently, people learn better when they enjoy the experience. Would you be a successful student taking accounting or anatomy online? I might figure out how to get a good grade, but I suspect I wouldn’t receive much out of the experience. This is because for me a significant part of the learning process derives from the face-to-face interaction with the teacher and the other students in the class.

Another key part in the educational calculus involves the qualifications of the instructor. Does it make a difference whether or not the teacher maintains expertise in their respective field with a doctorate (or relevant terminal) degree from a reputable institution? Of course it does. I still remember the stimulating influence that great profs had on my mind and it’s been over two decades since I graduated with a BA from San Diego State University. Relatedly, as cited in the Green Bay Gazette, Chris Lindstrom, higher education program director for the State Public Interest Research Groups argues that “More than 80 percent of federal aid grant and loan dollars (schools collect) go to revenue, while about 20 percent is instructional costs. Not only is the student maybe getting ripped off, but it’s costing taxpayers, too.”

Marshall McLuhan once said that “the trouble with a cheap, specialized education is that you never stop paying for it.” If the experts on capitol hill are correct, who will have to foot the bill for the defaults in the private, for-profit education industry? The individual students will pay, but also the general public and future generations. If you’re thinking about going to college, choose your school wisely. Do the research and realize that the money you borrow must be paid back.

Two city council members were absent.

Both attorneys Lister and Jacobson made 10 minute opening statements, then the Mayor called for a roll call vote. And it was unanimous.

This means as of midnight tonight, IC Willy’s will not have a liquor license.