News doesn’t report it, does anyone even know it happened?
It was last night at 6:00, some notices were for 7:00 and only noticed 13 days prior.
Nothing at the Wisconsin State Journal
Nothing at the Daily Cardinal or Badger Herald
Nothing on even the city’s own tv channel
And the mayor doesn’t really listen . . .
So if the mayor holds an alleged listening session and no one reports it, did it happen?
I was going to go, got stuck in a meeting (people at my meeting hadn’t heard about it) and ultimately blew it off. Looks like everyone else did too . . . budget, smudget.
Did anyone go?
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Update: (summary from a friend that went)
1. Began with a gloom and doom scenario (saying nothing about Judge Doyle Square of course). No public market, community centers, maybe can’t even maintain services.
2. Invited people to text responses as to what should be spent proportionally on “Public Safety” versus “Youth Development and Human Services”, “Infrastructure”, “Neighborhoods”.
3. People prioritized things than other public safety more than public safety, as constructed in that context. We talked about racial disparities, concerns with police, “Public Safety” spending doesn’t make us safe.
4. Mayor said that people would have to stay involved but he would bring a budget that represented doing things differently. We could try to fund non-profits that are less established, for example. We could prioritize differently. City could fund social workers.
5. Then he ranted about the cost of the bad homeless (sex, drugs, alcohol, not using shelters) whom he distinguished from the good homeless (families) and dismissed us.
6. There was still 10 minutes left. M Adams asked a question which he did not really answer but talked about wanting a youth center downtown. Everyone then left.
I find it interesting it was held downtown and based on texting and yet public safety lost out . . .
Omg I started laughing out loud in the library when I read your words, “And the mayor doesn’t really listen.”
98.1 reported that the mayor said there would be a 7,.1 million deficit and that he would lay people off. Maybe they were talking about the listening session that no one heard.