Academy of Local Politics

Like most states, Wisconsin has mandated that local governments do some comprehensive planning.
Unfortunately, it gets labeled as "Smart Growth" Planning.
Smart Growth has many negative connotations at times.

Every Comprehensive Plan has a deadline of January 1, 2010. That was ten years warning you need one done.
Many communities have not even started. Others have started and stopped.
Others have passed a plan only to have it overturned by a new Board.
It's a mess.

Luckily, Common Senseville and Skarburrow County have both completed their Comprehensive Plan.
We knew that those who procrastinated would be many.
We didn't want to be one of them doing a plan, just to do a plan, 'cause we had to do it.
If we were going to do a plan, we were going to do it right.
At least try and we think we did it right.

Something about plans.
It doesn't really matter what the words on the paper say today.
It's how those words are interpreted and enforced in the future that matters.
If you don't have good people doing that, the plan will be bad.
If you do have good people, the plan will be good.
That simple.

Mayor Al

Money Magazine is out with their "Best Places to Retire and Live" list.

Once again, Common Senseville is nowhere to be found on the listings.

To be truthful, Common Senseville has never been listed in any publication's
listings of "Best Places" to do anything.

That's OK. We know how good we have it here!
We don't need validation from them, or anyone else.

CommonSenseville.US
"America's Best Kept Secret"

Mayor Al

"State voters want local governments to pool resources
and jointly work on development and land use issues..."

Really, they do. And not just in Pennsylvania where this article came from. 
The problem? State law often times does not allow it.
It's frustrating for local elected officials from coast to coast.

You want to cooperate with your neighbors and you find
some stupid state law that you must overcome.
You contact your State Representative. They promise to help. You wait.

You find out that what you need changed, won't be changed.
Your Representative belongs to the minority party.
Doesn't matter how good the idea is...
your city will be punished because your Representative
has the wrong party label behind their name.

However, I have found an even bigger obstacle than the
State Government to Local Government Cooperation,
is the local turf battles that ensue when local governments
attempt to consolidate services and/or processes.
 
I wish that Common Senseville could get along better with their neighbors especially in Zoning and Subdivision Platting issues. I really do.
But alas, that will not happen as long as the present local officials are in power.
Who is at fault?
Well, I think the neighboring Towns are, and they think we are.
Sound familiar?
Common Sense? Out the window on these issues.
And, I am at a loss as to how to overcome these turf battles.

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Mayor Al

As Mayor, I get asked many times about the City Motto of "Wisdom" and "Mr. Wisdom".

Here is the legend as I know it. No documentation is available.

Many decades ago, the citizens of Common Senseville and the citizens of Skarburrow were feuding.
As they always did. 

Skarburrow is the County Seat of Skarburrow County.
Named after an early settler to the area, Jacob Skarburrow.
Common Senseville is also located in Skarburrow County

Anyway, the City Fathers of Common Senseville decided to pronounce the City Motto as "Wisdom".
This was done in a back handed way of telling Skarburrow citizens, they weren't very wise.

After many decades of "neglect", Mayor John Warden in the 1960's,  put it back on the City Letterhead.
It has stayed there ever since.

Recently, the Common Senseville Chamber of Commerce ran a contest to find a new logo for the City of Common Senseville ... Marketing and promotion of the city.  

"Mr. Wisdom" won.

Short and sweet. That's the story.
 
If you're lucky, sometime in the future I will post the legend of Jacob Skarburrow!

Mayor Al