Curmudgeon's Corner

Thanks to each and every voter who went to the polls yesterday to register their position on each ballot question. It has been reported that turn-out was in the range of 30% which is great for a spring election.

Also, my thanks to Charlie Hargan for many years of faithful service to Germantown. The voters were apparently ready for a change and voted that way. I hope that Tom Kempinski will govern with a steady hand in the interests of all Germantown citizens as I suspect he will. I haven’t seen Mr. Kempinski hoist a mug yet for MaiFest, but suspect he’ll be up to the task! Charlie always appeared very comfortable in that role!

I hope that the trustees, who openly supported Tom Kempinski, will not roll over and abdicate their individual responsibilities of properly analyzing each and every motion he may favor before simply applying “rubber stamp” approval.

We can all be thankful that the race for Supreme Court justice is over. I made no bones about my choice, so I am happy too with the outcome. I am very thankful that this race is behind us; it was the most singularly disgusting political race I have witnessed…including the most recent race for governor. I sincerely hope the outcome may help those who believe in mud-slinging to understand that we voters do sometimes have the ability to work our way through the real issues to make decisions. I doubt that it will have that desired effect, however; the mud-slingers seem unable to help themselves.

I was disturbed that our new justice was lax in a couple of instances, such as the hearings and dispositions involving the bank for whom her husband serves as a director. I trust she has learned a valuable lesson and note that their family investments are being moved into a blind trust to remove them from suspicion going forward.

I was disturbed that the opposition candidate permitted out-of-state dirty tricks people to be brought into Wisconsin to conjure up more dirt to be used to make some of the mud; and then denied that they had misrepresented themselves to a Washington County deputy. The deputy, a sworn officer, was there and the candidate was not.

It seems that local police officials are going to need to prevail in hearings or find a way to get along with the Mid-Moraine Municipal Court judge since he won re-election by something less than 400 votes.

Finally, I am happy that we taxpayers found the strength to stand up and say “No” to the referendum question concerning payment to assure development doesn’t occur. And, we did so in resounding fashion. Maybe that one will not find its way back for some time.