I wrote about this in detail here, but i recently came across a letter I wrote to the village board prior to the 19 month appointment of Mike Mikalsen. Part of the letter is here, where I cut it down to make it a LTE. The Village Board received this letter and I received not one response. I just wanted to remind everyone voting in Cottage Grove that Paula Severson and Micah Zielke took your vote away (Diane Weiednebeck(current presidential candidate) was the lone vote for holding an election (www.diane4president.com))and decided that they were more qualified to pick a president for the village than the people of the village were to vote for one. We have a chance now to have our voices heard.
Here is my letter(written Oct. 2009):
I was surprised to see on the agenda for this evenings’ board meeting, that the board has decided to go ahead with the appointment of the Village Board president for the full term. I am not going to endorse or speak, for or against, any applicant. I still feel that while there are other options, the only one that truly represents democracy is to appoint an interim until the next election. Had the previous board been in this position, and chosen this path, would you have supported them? It is also noticeable that if you allowed the people to elect their president, with 3 seats also open, it could allow the makeup of the board to change. If you truly feel the people of Cottage Grove have spoken, and have the courage of your convictions, then this should not be an issue. It is not too late to do the right thing!
That being said, if you still choose this ill begotten path, there are some things that need to be addressed.
1. Per the latest Herald-Independent editorial, I believe that Trustee Hubing needs to explain why he was telling a citizen of Cottage Grove that the board only had two options, appoint someone for the remainder of the term or leave the presidency vacancy open. Was he intentionally trying to mislead the citizens of Cottage Grove, or was he just confused as to what the law stated? If he is confused on what the law stated, would he like to rethink his vote?
2. In terms of the applicants, there is some very disturbing information on one that I believe you have an obligation to address. In this article (http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=8991) it is stated: He (Mike Mikalsen) also makes more inflammatory comments than his boss. Explaining Nass’ 2005 push to make faculty follow codes of conduct, including not making “anti-American” statements, Mikalsen says, “Part of the issue is we have foreign-born professors. Those professors say things.”
I do not know Mr. Mikalsen personally, and cannot and will not speak to his character. This quote however is an extremely disturbing, offensive, and a borderline racist statement. That is unacceptable in our community in light of the recent racial tension and incidents. I believe that the people of Cottage Grove deserve a full explanation to what he is attempting to say here.
I know that some will dismiss this as a vendetta against Mr. Mikalsen, but I did an internet search of all applicants and he is the only candidate that I could find who had made such a xenophobic statement. For the record, of the 6 presidential applicants, I only know one person personally.
Finally, if a full term appointment is the end result, As you question and interview each applicant, I hope that you have a set group of questions and qualifications, so that the people of Cottage Grove will know the exact parameters used in the selection process. I also hope that you value public opinion, as you have stated in the past, and allow the public to question the applicants directly. I believe it is very important, in the interest of open government, that each Trustee explain why they are voting for the applicant that they choose.
One last thing that I would like to address. In much of the misinformation being floated around the Village, there is talk that precedent has been set in terms of voting V appointment.
In 1848 Wisconsin became the 30th state in the Union and our Constitution adopted the most liberal voting laws in the country at the time. Other states agreed with Wisconsin’s policy and quickly adopted similar laws.
On November 18, 1872 Susan B Anthony was arrested for voting illegally in the presidential election. Through much suffrage and activism, women were finally granted the right to vote Via the 19th amendment in 1920.
In early 1965 Martin Luther King, Jr. launched a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama. Nearly 2000 black demonstrators, including King, were jailed by County Sheriff James Clark for contempt of court, juvenile delinquency, and parading without a permit. On March 7. 1965 black voting-rights demonstrators prepared to march 50 miles from Selma to Montgomery. As they crossed a bridge spanning the Alabama River, 200 state police with tear gas, nightsticks and whips attacked them. Their suffrage and activism, led to the 24th amendment banning poll taxes and the voting rights act of 1965. The provisions of which were renewed in 1970, 1975, 1982 and 2006. Thus allowing even greater access to the polls for ALL Americans.
In 1970, in the midst of the Vietnam war, the 26th amendment was passed lowering the voting age to 18 from 21. Making sure that a person who was old enough to be sent to war was old enough to vote.
The Americans with Disabilities act was passed in 1990 allowing people with disabilities full access to the polls.
While this is a very simplified history of voting in America, it shows that there is definitely precedence for people in America demanding the right to vote on who their representatives shall be. There is also precedence showing that in Wisconsin we lead the way in access to the polls for its citizens.
“If liberty and equality are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.” – Aristotle.
Thank you for your time,
