Tuesday, June 7, 2011

RACE UNITY SOCIAL


Let's All Make New Friends"
at this year's
RACE UNITY SOCIAL

Sunday, June 12, noon to 4 p.m.
Abe Rochlin Park
(corner of Oshkosh Avenue and Sawyer Street
co-sponsored by:
Oshkosh Area Community Foundation
Oshkosh Baha'i Community
Division of Academic Support - UW Oshkosh
Multicultural Center at UW Oshkosh
Oshkosh Diversity Council

Monday, June 6, 2011

My Statement at the We Are Wisconsin Press Event Today

In Febuary 2011, Gov Scott Walker dropped a bomb on WI Citizens and taxpayers.  The “Budget Repair Bill” took money, services and rights from middle class and working families, students, children, City and County Services, Bus Lines, the elderly, the disabled, and the environment.

These groups, when you add them together make up the vast majority of Oshkosh, Winnebago County and the Great State of WI.

This package of bills in the initial ‘special session’ of the WI Legislature not only removed these rights, funds and services from those who most need and deserve them, but the series of bills turned many of these funds over the wealthiest and least needing of these funds. 
Gov. Scott Walker did not do this alone; he had a well-placed ally in the WI State Senate and on the powerful joint finance committee - Senator Randy Hopper. 

But, I would like to clear the air.  Many people have since said that Senator Randy Hopper was following Gov. Scott Walker without question – going along with marching orders from his party and his Governor.  I disagree, I do not think that was what Senator Hopper was ‘going along’.

Senator Hopper was leading the way on these family and job destroying policies.  He was a co-sponsor or author of many of them.

Now, as Scott Walker’s anti-WI, anti-poor, anti-family, anti-worker, anti-job budget is released from Sen Hopper’s Joint Finance Committee, it is no longer Gov Walker’s budget, It is Senator Randy Hopper’s Budget.

Randy Hopper supported most of the anti-WI Family, Student, and Community provisions in the budget, and made several of them worse.

He has also introduced legislation and budget amendments gutting the State of WI’s ability to collect revenue funding services for City Busses, plowing, garbage collection, County Human Services for the frail elderly, vulnerable disabled and birth to 3 development programs, to name a few. 

His attack on worker and family rights to make a decent middle class living will not only harm those workers and families, but as I stand here on the gateway to the revitalized Oshkosh Main St, I am reminded that everyone of these families, elderly, disabled individuals and students are their customers.  The shock to Oshkosh’s economy when the city can no longer afford to run the busses that bring their customers here, and if they get here, these customers will no longer have the funds to shop at their places of business.

You see, this is where jobs are created in the markets and by everyday consumers.  By limiting funds to cities and counties, the services we provide to encourage local business will stop.  By cutting pay and protections of state workers, we not only lose the money they spend in the local economy, but the comparables that are used for pay in the private sector locally.  The pay scale of a professional working in the Bank Building across the street is directly affected by the pay of professionals at the university.

When Rany Hopper cut the Homestead Credit for people who earn less than $24,500 a year and the Earned Income Tax Credit – a $20 million dollar tax increase on working families he denies Oshkosh business the local funds that many families spend here on Main St, Oregon St, the frontage roads and throughout our local economy.  These are jobs, revenues for schools and security for our citizens that Randy Hopper has shipped away.

I will end my remarks with the statement I made to Sen Hopper’s Committee on Joint Finance at the Neenah hearing: “The budget is a moral statement.” Sen Randy Hopper has decided it is moral to balance the budget at the expense of the vulnerable, students, city and county services and all, public and private who go to work every day hoping their sweat, time, talent and knowledge will create a better future for their families and communities. 

Those are not Oshkosh Morals.  Those are not Winnebago County Values.

And that is not the WI Heritage I learned.

Friday, June 3, 2011

OshNW: 5 things to know about the Oshkosh Farmers Market

Great article here:



Fresh produce, handmade clothing and everything in between will be on sale at the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market. The market begins at 8 a.m. in the 400 and 500 blocks of North Main Street. Here are a few must-know facts about the market before heading out tomorrow morning:

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Oshkosh Citizen Survey Released

View it here.

City Releases Sustainable Oshkosh Annual Report

City Releases Sustainable Oshkosh Annual Report

(Oshkosh, WI.) The city of Oshkosh has just released its first annual Sustainable Oshkosh Report. The project was a joint effort between the Sustainability Advisory Board and city staff. The report is the result of training received by city staff at last year’s Fox Valley Sustainability Training Seminar.

“Several municipalities in the Fox Valley area have been working towards sustainability initiatives over the past few years and this report highlights some of Oshkosh’s efforts,” said Oshkosh Principal Planner Robin Leslie.

The report is available on the city website, www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us.

If you would like more information, please contact Principal Planner Robin Leslie at (920) 236-5058.

###

City of Oshkosh
City Hall
215 Church Avenue
Oshkosh, WI 54901
www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us
For Immediate Release: May 20, 2011
Contact: Dean Leisgang, Communications Coordinator
(920) 236-5269
dleisgang@ci.oshkosh.wi.us


See all City of Oshkosh News & Updates here.

OTS Releases Draft of Transit Development Plan - Information Meetings Announced

OTS Releases Draft of Transit Development Plan

(Oshkosh, WI.) A draft of the Transit Development Plan (TDP) for the Oshkosh Transit System (OTS) was recently finalized and is now available for public comment. The TDP planning process included a comprehensive examination of Oshkosh Transit services. The plan identifies recommendations for improving
the system and its services over the next five years.
Two public information meetings will be held to take public comments on the draft plan. The locations and dates include:

Oshkosh Public Library
Room AB
Monday, June 13th - 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
(Presentation at 2:00 p.m.)

Oshkosh Seniors Center
Willow Rooms
Monday, June 13th - 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
(Presentation at 6:30 p.m.)

The draft TDP can be viewed at www.oshkoshtransit.com or by clicking here.

Hard copies of the plan can also be reviewed by contacting Dave Vickman of the Oshkosh Transit System at (920) 232-5340.

The draft TDP was created through a process facilitated by the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and overseen by a steering committee comprised of community representatives and other stakeholders. Numerous public input opportunities were made available throughout the planning process.

Public input was the primary driving force for recommendations identified in the plan.

The previous TDP for OTS was completed in July of 2005.

For more information, please contact Chris Strong, City of Oshkosh Transportation Director and Manager of the Oshkosh Transit System, at (920) 232-5342 or cstrong@ci.oshkosh.wi.us.

###

City of Oshkosh
City Hall
215 Church Avenue
Oshkosh, WI 54901
www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us
For Immediate Release: May 27, 2011
Contact: Dean Leisgang, Communications Coordinator
(920) 236-5269
dleisgang@ci.oshkosh.wi.us


See all City of Oshkosh News & Updates here.

The Leach Goes Green for Waterfest 2011 - "All of the electricity for the Leach Amphitheater will be supplied by renewable energy for all the Waterfest performances"

The Leach Goes Green for Waterfest 2011

(Oshkosh, WI.) The Leach Amphitheater will once again host Waterfest, Wisconsin’s Best Community Concert Series, every Thursday evening from June 9th through August 31st (final concert is Wednesday, August 31st). This year a new partnership has given the event some new energy. All of the electricity for
the Leach Amphitheater will be supplied by renewable energy for all the Waterfest performances. This includes wind and biomass technologies.

The new program is possible through Wisconsin Public Service’s NatureWise partnership with Waterfest and the City of Oshkosh. “The renewable energy features of NatureWise help show the city’s commitment to sustainable practices and our environmental principles,” said Oshkosh Parks Director Ray Maurer.

“I think the partnership with the city and the NatureWise program will bring some added pop to Waterfest,” said Mike Dempsey of Waterfest. “The fact that we’re using clean, renewable, and sustainable energy for the series will make our roster of artists feel great about kicking up the amps.”

The Waterfest concert series begin at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 9th with Men in Suits, The Tossers, and Vic Ferrari. For the complete Waterfest schedule, please visit www.waterfest.org.

For more information on NatureWise, please visit http://www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/business/wi_naturewise_tell.aspx.

For information on the City of Oshkosh parks system including the Leach Amphitheater, please visit www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/Parks/ or contact the Parks Department at (920) 236-5080.

###

City of Oshkosh
City Hall
215 Church Avenue
Oshkosh, WI 54901
www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us
For Immediate Release: June 1, 2011
Contact: Dean Leisgang, Communications Coordinator
(920) 236-5269
dleisgang@ci.oshkosh.wi.us


See all City of Oshkosh News & Updates here.