Councilman Yuri

5 Lessons of 2009

2009-12-20T23:43:00.002-06:00

Here is a reprint of my latest column for the Janesville Messenger:

As we look towards the approaching 2010, there are two important tasks to be completed before we begin the cycle anew. The first is to remember what took place over the past year and the second is to see what we can learn from the past. Here are my top 5 lessons for 2009:

Lesson #1. We can work together to succeed. Earlier in the year, there was a possibility of GM making vehicles in Janesville once again. While ultimately unsuccessful, the fact that the state and local governments came together, and the union stepped up in a major way, says that we are serious about making our communities succeed, and we can work as a team. This fact should not be dismissed out of hand, especially when the common wisdom is that Wisconsin is not known for its business-friendly climate.

Lesson #2. Education for a better future. Over the past year many of us, including myself, have gone back to school, while both the UW-Rock County and the Blackhawk Technical College have seen a substantial increase in the number of new students. Between losing a large part of our manufacturing base and gaining a new hospital, it is clear that to get a good job one needs more than a high school diploma, even in Janesville. From the community where everyone knew or was related to someone who worked at GM, we have become a community where everyone knows someone who went back to school. That is a huge change. The other important lesson here is that in times of economic downturn it is our educational institutions that become powerful economic engines in our communities. Creating more opportunities for local residents to go to school not only increases the chances of success for that particular individual, but it also provides jobs for other residents who are involved in the educational process.

Lesson #3. Community matters. Over the past year we have all seen people struggling through financial difficulties and yet we have also seen people step up and show leadership where the previous efforts have left off. The community food drive which is now run by the Janesville School District is one example of that leadership. The Rock Aqua Jays looking at taking over the 4th of July festivities may be another. The spirit of community is alive and well in Janesville because as a friend of mine says “if you can help, you should.”

Lesson #4. Community events are fun. Between the cost of gas and the economy overall, people are looking to rediscover local and that has resulted in more fun events with growing attendance around town. The Janesville Farmers Market is a great example: With the hard work of dedicated volunteers and the residents who appreciate the value of buying and eating local, the JFM has become not only a nice place to pick up some produce and check out other great local products, but the place to visit with friends on a Saturday morning for 6 months out of the year. The Janesville Jets games are another example of a new local activity that quickly caught on with the residents.

Lesson #5. The only permanent thing in life is Change. Life will continue to shower us with change but the lesson is that we can change also. If we do not like where we are in life, we have an incredible amount of power to change it. And so may the changes we see in the New Year be the ones we wish for, and may we be healthy, happy and loved. Happy Holidays everyone!

UPDATE: Due to my status as a candidate for the Janesville City Council, starting next month my columns will be on hiatus until after the election.

Catching up: the skate park and more

2009-12-16T20:59:00.009-06:00

Lately there's been more things I wanted to talk about then time to talk about them. So I decided to speak briefly to address as many of these as possible.

On Skate Park

The fact that Janesville does not have a skatepark comes as no surprise only to those who live in Janesville. The fact that many smaller communities around have skateparks does nothing but reinforce the reality of the skateparks being considered an important part of recreation available to the public.

The City Council agreed to put up $50,000 if the skating park committee raises $250,000. Some of the questions this raises include:

1. What is the total cost of a skatepark?
2. Where will this park be build?
3. Considering the results of the fundraising efforts to this point, is there any reason to think that $250,000 can be raised by the end of next year?
4. Should public money be used?
5. Who should decide where the park will be built?

What we know is not encouraging but I see the willingness both on the side of the organizers of the initial effort and on behalf of the city council, the willingness to work to make this happen. Now it's time to see the level of support for this idea in the greater community.

Avatar

If you have not seen it, you really really should.

If you have seen it not in 3D, you really really should see it in 3D.

This is an unbelievably enjoyable experience and for all the mean things that I've heard about James Cameron, as Rogert Ebert has said: it's nice to know that there is a man in Hollywood who knows how to spend $250 million dollars.

I wonder if this is like going to the first talking picture or perhaps a first movie done in color.

Oh yeah, and it's a great story expertly told.

Staff

One of the most important things I have learned over the past two years is that there is a logic behind every decision made by the City staff. Sometimes I hear (or read) people say "I don't know what the City was thinking - that was the dumbest decision ever!" Well, in my position of being able to ask questions of the decision-makers, I have seen that no decision is made just because. Not all decisions are necessarily the right ones but we do have a lot of highly trained professionals on staff who work hard to make sure that Janesville runs smoothly and that the residents' concerns are addressed.

Holiday Lights at Rotary Gardens

Had the opportunity to walk through the Rotary Gardens to see the holiday light display and I'd like to take off my hat to all involved with putting this show together. It was just fun to walk through a patch of decorated Christmas trees, followed by a patch of lights hanging straight down from trees. There's been so much fresh snow that the lights looked exactly like they should - colorfully glowing through the snow. It's hard to describe it but it was an awesome light display and if you have not seen it this time around - make plans to check it out next year.

Why is the council looking to spend money on ...

This is a question that comes up on regular basis in discussions on the Gazette's website. The answer is fundamentally simple: until the council looks at something, it can not decide whether to spend or support a project or not. Most things that affect the residents deserve time in front of the Council, even if it is only to be told that support from Council is not likely at this time. In fact, sometimes the most useful thing that a project organizer can do is to bring their project in front of the Council to learn what it is that needs to happen in order for the Council to support a given project.

Signatures update:

This has been a busy holiday season: I've attended many great gatherings as well as played piano at a few myself, all while gathering signatures to get on the ballot. At this point I have the necessary number (and then some) so I will be looking to turn in my signatures to the city clerk's office tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who signed and thank you to everyone who took the signature sheets and got me more signatures. Getting to 200 does take an effort and with your help, we did it!

Janesville Gazette column on JATV

2009-12-08T13:59:00.003-06:00

My column on JATV was printed in the Janesville Gazette this morning. Here is the reprint:

"Among the many useful services the city of Janesville offers to its residents, one that sometimes appears to fly under the radar is JATV. The local Janesville TV station, funded by Charter Cable, is located in Hedberg Public Library. The station staff includes one full- and two part-time city employees, who spend their time taping different events in our community, editing and then broadcasting them on the channel’s new place in the cable line-up—Channel 98 (digital 994).

Just recently, you may have seen JATV cameras and its dedicated operators Mike Collins and Mike Rogers at the Janesville Farmers Market, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Wings and Wheels, National Night Out and many other fun local events. Currently the only way to see the station’s programming is by being one of Charter’s 21,000 subscribers in Janesville or surrounding areas.

JATV is the community station, which means that by its design, public access channels provide a public forum for a variety of interests, hobbies, activities and points of view. This means that if you take a camera, record and edit a program and then bring the DVD of it to the station, JATV will run the program provided it fits production and community standards. Period.

Producing programming for local television is not all that difficult, and in fact you may have already done it but did not realize it. For instance: have you ever set a series of nature photographs to music using software that came with your computer? What about taping a school concert? How about putting together a video of a song by you or your friend’s band?
Burn those videos on a DVD and get them to JATV. Chances are you will see your photographs shown on TV and—as is the case with all of JATV programs—they will be shown more than once. In your videos, you can even use music recorded by someone else.

While YouTube and other Internet video hosting sites have become the accepted way for people to share and distribute video content, public access channels continue to provide an excellent opportunity for producers of local television to show their programs to a wide number of local viewers. And now with the introduction of the “Digital Neighborhood” service by Charter Communications, those subscribed to the digital cable can see JATV in many cities surrounding Janesville, including Beloit, Fort Atkinson, Whitewater and others. Here in Janesville, we can see stations from those cities, as well.

If you are interested in being more involved with the station, it is easier than you might think. The station regularly runs classes for volunteers who then are able to check out the equipment available, such as cameras and microphones. Before you know it, you, too, could be producing local programming that would bring a spotlight to issues that are important to you, be they environmental, political, historical, musical or anything else. Remember—JATV is a great community resource, and it is there for you!

Yuri Rashkin is a member of the Janesville City Council and recently did an unpaid internship at JATV while working toward a master’s degree in mass communications at UW-Whitewater. He can be reached at (608) 754-2424; e-mail rashkiny@ci.janesville.wi.us."

On Dangers of Backyard Chickens

2009-12-07T12:38:00.002-06:00

The following email was sent to the Janesville City Council over the weekend from the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center in Springfield, Vermont.

"As the country’s largest coalition of animal sanctuaries involved in the direct care of unwanted chickens, we are writing to you with our recommendations regarding the recent trend in backyard chicken-keeping. As the popularity of raising backyard flocks has grown, our shelters have become inundated with calls to take in unwanted chickens. In addition, we understand many communities are now besieged with requests to legally regulate the keeping of backyard flocks. Recognizing the importance of this issue, we have crafted the attached Position Statement.

Backyard chicken-keeping by amateurs raises many serious concerns regarding both the welfare of the birds, and the community. Moreover, it raises serious concerns about ordinance enforcement issues, and the burden placed on already overwhelmed local shelters when birds are abandoned, seized, or surrendered.

Further, it must be pointed out that hatcheries marketing chickens for backyard flocks use cruel factory farm methods which include overcrowding, de-beaking, and the shipment of day old chicks by mail—a process that subjects them to temperature extremes, injury, and sustenance deprivation. Unmarketable male chicks are often included as living packing material—leading to their eventual abandonment or surrender to local shelters. .

For all of these reasons, we respectfully urge you to read and consider the issues raised in the attached position statement on the keeping of chickens. We urge you to consider the reasons we give for encouraging your municipality to resist becoming zoned for chicken-keeping. If zoning is already in place, we urge your municipality to establish and enforce strict requirements designed to protect both the birds, and your community, from serious problems that will, quite predictably, otherwise result.

Thank you very much for your consideration. For more information, please contact [ ] and we’ll be more than happy to talk with you.

Sincerely,

Miriam Jones, spokesperson for the CoalitionEastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center"

Announcement

2009-12-01T11:13:00.003-06:00

It has been nearly two years since the Janesville voters elected me to the City Council. Back then, hiring of the new city manager was among the main issues in the election. The economy was a concern but the GM plant was still making SUVs and the future of our community seemed likely to be more or less the same as it ever was. So much has changed.

It is now the time to take out the papers at the city clerk’s office for those who are looking to run in the spring election and I have done so. I look forward to a good discussion on the last two years and on what needs to happen in Janesville in the next two. And I very much look forward to getting your signatures on my nomination papers.

Some have said that being on the City Council is a “thankless” job but if anything, I find myself filled with an incredible sense of gratitude for being given a unique opportunity by the voters to have this kind of impact on our community. And for that I thank you.

I am running for the Janesville City Council because I want to continue to make a positive difference in the way our council and community function. I am running because I want to make sure that no matter what the discussion is, that all the voices are being heard. And I am running because Janesville has been a community that has given me so much and I want to continue to give back.

I am also acutely aware of the importance that government plays in our lives and as a member of the Janesville City Council I intend to continue to make sure that this power is used responsibly and appropriately.

Much has changed over the last two years in my life as well. I am now a graduate student at UW – Whitewater, working towards earning a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication. I continue to play much piano but in the last year I have also created and now produce and host my own television program.

I am very glad to have Nick Fitzgerald join me once again as my campaign treasurer. Over the past two years Nick has made a great name for himself in our community and I’m proud to call Nick a friend.

Because feedback and communication are very important to me, I always look for ways to create more opportunities to interact with you in person, on the phone or online. My website is http://www.yurirashkin.com/ and the Facebook page for my campaign will be up shortly. I always welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions.

Once again, I very much appreciate the opportunity you have given me two years ago and take this occasion to ask one more time for your signature, your support and your vote.

Sincerely,

Yuri Rashkin

Introducing "Piano Holidays"

2009-11-27T18:21:00.002-06:00

Taking a break from all things serious, I'm very pleased to be able to bring to you my latest CD called "Piano Holidays". Featuring some of the best Christmas music as well as original compositions, "Piano Holidays" consists of just over an hour of some of the most relaxing piano music you'll ever hear. In this potentially stressful season it will help you find that restful place and it also makes for great gifts! You can purchase the "Piano Holidays" from me or from these fine local vendors:

Book World
Codos Coffee
Fairview Florist
Gathering Place
Hedberg Public Library
Raven's Wish

Part of the fun of releasing my own albums is to work with various local artists in designing the art for the CD cover. Here's a video featuring the wonderful artwork done for the cover of this album by Judith Detert-Moriarty.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Why did the chicken cross the road?

2009-11-17T14:02:00.007-06:00

Sometimes an issue comes up in front of the council that does not have a clear cut answer. To me, the matter of letting the residents keep a few chickens, is just one of those issues. Personally, I very much doubt that I will ever be raising chickens in my home. Buying a dozen eggs at Woodman's on a semi-regular basis works for me just fine. I'm also not into doing more housework than I have to. So to create more mess that somebody would have to clean up, feels counterproductive to my goals.

However, over the last couple of years, several people have approached me about allowing Janesville residents to keep chickens in the residences. Regardless of how I feel personally about raising chickens, I feel that this is the right time for the council to weigh in on this matter. After all, sometimes the best thing the government can do to help the residents, is just to get out of the way, especially in these tough economic times. Simply not blocking the ways for people to become more self-reliant and to control their cost of living can be a very useful function of government.

The fact that Madison passed a similar ordinance which appears to have resulted in very few problems is important though Janesville is clearly not Madison (not that anyone would ever imply that). Still, it is encouraging at the same time because as Madison is a community larger than ours, I would expect there to be proportionally more problems with this type of an ordinance. But according to story in the Gazette, Madison code inspector has received just 3 complaints this year in connection with the chicken ordinance.

There are some questions that need to be answered: If my neighbor decided to keep a few chickens, how would I feel about that? My first instinct is that it's my neighbor's business. But sometime shortly after or even before considering the benefits of the whole enterprise, I would think about the impact that my neighbor's decision is going to have on me. Will the chickens stink? Will they keep me or my family up with noise? How messy is the whole thing? So while it is up to an individual to decide whether this makes sense for them and their lifestyle, the questions of potential impact of such ordinance on people living close to a henhouse need to be addressed.

So now it is time for feedback and I'm glad to report that everyone I talk to about this, appears to have strong feelings one way or the other. Some people have been raised with chickens and therefore they see the benefits of keeping chickens themselves. Others have been raised with chickens and therefore they do not want to have chickens anywhere near them.

All in all, the next logical step seems to have the Sustainability Committee take a look at this issue and report back to the council with some recommendations. In the meantime it is important for all of us to learn more about this in order to make an informed decision whether we as a community will allow chickens to be kept in individual residences or not.

And to answer the question posed in the title of this post: Evidently the chickens are planning on crossing the road in groups not to exceed 4 (no roosters allowed) with the goal of producing eggs at individual residences. Not that funny but could be a good idea.

Thank you Teri!

2009-11-04T16:38:00.006-06:00

Teri Huber has been running the Janesville Farmers Market for the last 4 years and now that its season is officially over, Teri deserves a great deal of gratitude from our entire community.

I don't want to speculate, but it's pretty obvious that without Teri, the market would feel and just be very different. (You may have seen Teri skate up and down the market in her roller blades, but did you know that she had to replace the wheels on her blades this year because she wore them out at the market?) Her enthusiasm and willingness to make the vision of local producers marketing their goods to local buyers has come true and we are all better for it.

At the same time, Teri has had a lot of help from different people including Renee Dommershausen and the entire JATV crew, who filmed and broadcast the Weekly Market Updates. The Busker program, featuring street performers (spearheaded of course by Judith Detert-Moriarty) helped raise the market experience to a new level.

The market has become a weekly community event where one can not only buy some local produce, as well as check out arts and crafts, but also the place to meet and chat with friends and even see what the different organizations such as the Beloit Janesville Symphony are up to.

By helping make all of this happen, Teri and the Janesville Farmers Market reminded us of the fun and the value of shopping Local.

And for this, Thank You Teri!

For those who want to learn more about Teri and the JFM, check out this Discover Janesville interview with Teri from earlier this year.

NBC 15 features the Ice Arena

2009-10-28T23:02:00.003-05:00

Today, I got a call from Chris Woodard at WMTV NBC 15 in Madison. He read my post on the New Ice Arena and was able to come down and do a story about it. Here it is. I think it turned out quite well: entertaining, informative yet respectful.

On the New Ice Arena

2009-10-27T09:02:00.003-05:00

So the question is: if you take a stand and the Gazette does not cover it, did it really happen? Thanks to WCLO for including my comments in their coverage.

Over the last few weeks and months, I have heard quite a bit from you about the possibility of building the new ice arena. Some of it was to my face, some of it was anonymous, but I very much appreciate all the feedback that I get though I will always give more credence to opinions with real names attached to them. Being on the council is a huge responsibility and it is very important for me to hear from you.

There is no question that comments have been mixed but I felt that the reasonable argument last night rested on the side of waiting to see what impact the Jets will have on the existing facility. When the old ice arena is known in the community as the "white elephant" for 30 years, it should take more than a handful of exciting games by a new semi-pro team to warrant building a new ice arena. After all, the current ice arena is likely to be in usable condition for at least a couple more years and at that point, with the Jets doing well, hopefully, I would expect the community to demand and expect a new ice arena to be build.

Naturally, I appreciate the private partners stepping up and looking to raise millions of dollars for this project. At the same time, the city will be borrowing its share of the funds and at this time of economic distress, I feel it is perfectly justifiable to be cautious about overextending ourselves.

As far as "let's not pour money into the old facility" argument: the current ice arena location is only one of possible sites for the future fire station #1 and it is not unlikely that the old ice arena facility will continue to exist but serve a different purpose for the residents than it does now. In that case, it makes a lot of sense to do the basic improvements such as addressing the roof needs. And considering the the compressor would be moved to the new ice arena, paying for the piping underneath which would remain with the facility regardless of its future use, would have been a good price to pay to ensure that the ice arena continued to function while we took a reasonable amount of time to figure out what is the best thing to do next.

I think it's important to point out that I have been a supporter of the new hockey team in Janesville from the beginning. Having lived in other communities, I've seen first-hand the value of sports to a community's spirit. Frankly, considering how much of our state pride seems to be affected by how well the Packers and the Badgers are doing, one does not have to go far to see the importance that sports play in our lives.

Finally the location. I continue to insist that it is disingenuous to speak of the value of the Downtown to Janesville, and then proceed to take away a facility that is finally bringing over 600 people to the area every Friday and Saturday. But considering the moving parts involved such as the possible location of the new fire station #1, and the overall rush to get the new ice arena under way, the south side of town in my opinion is the better of the two real choices available.

The key to our future success continues to lie in working with other communities and to take advantage of our central location in the region. Beloit is in at least or probably more of a dire need of a new ice arena than Janesville, and taking the time to bring them or perhaps even the County into this discussion would have been another good thing that the council could've accomplished last night by delaying making the decision to proceed with the new ice arena. After all, the new location was chosen to make it more attractive to Beloit residents.

When I ran for a position on the Council two years ago, I said that it is very important to make sure that all the voices are heard when an important decision is made. I feel that last night we missed an opportunity to hear other voices that will be impacted by our decision.

Despite problems, Janesville has residents with right stuff

2009-10-25T14:00:00.002-05:00

Here's my latest Messenger column published today:

Late last year, while talking with a friend who specializes in video production, I said that I'd like to host a talk show that features regular people as guests; not stars who have books and movies coming out, but regular people who are busy living their lives and making a difference every day. my friend like the idea and helped me with the taping of the first episode. This month, we taped the 11th episode of "Discover Janesville," and there are more on the way. You can watch the program on JATV and at www.DiscoverJanesville.com.

This has been quite a year for Janesville as we near the one-year anniversary of the closure of the General Motors plant, and it is fair to describe Janesville as a blank canvas. We are a community that can be anything we want to be. We continue to have a great location and we will remain attractive to businesses that understand that value of a city with all the amenities, located close to Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago.

But as a community in upheaval, it is clear that we need to recognize and celebrate our strength and assets. The main asset of any community always is its people - people who who leadership and who work hard to preserve our culture and history, and people who make our businesses and our city services run.

So, what is "Discover Janesville", and what does it look to help the community? Of all the different types of talk shows out there, the one that appeals to me the most is when the host does the least amount of talking possible and gives the guests the time they need to give a thoughtful answer. In other words, "Discover Janesville" is designed to be about the guests. My guests have included the person who runs Spotlight On kids, the chairman of the Janesville Historic Commission, the vice president of the Friend of Riverside Park, as well as a member of the Janesville School Board, two Rock County Board supervisors and a great-grandson of George S. Parker.

What do all of these people have in common? They all care about doing good things for our community, an dI am really interested in learning what it is that motivates them. Why are they involved? What lessons have they learned? And of what are they most proud?

"Discover Janesville" also offers an opportunity to learn about people who work and make Janesville a better place for the rest of us. Too often, we only know people in our immediate circle, and we forget that we live in a community where our neighbor could be running the farmers market, or be a longtime school principal and an accomplished educator. All of these people have lessons they learned while becoming engaged and taking on leadership roles. Theirs are the stories that I want to share with the viewers.

In fact, one of my proudest moments on the show actually occurred off camera. While preparing for the taping, it turned out that two of my guests lived only a few houses away from each other for years, yet they did not meet until they were both guests on "Discover Janesville."

In the end, it is simply important to see that, no matter what happened in the past, there are people in Janesville who are optimistic about the future, and they ware willing to work hard to make sure that we get there as a community.

New Polls

2009-10-23T16:47:00.002-05:00

Take a look at the new polls on the ice arena. Your vote is appreciated.

Celebrate Arts During October, Throughout Year

2009-10-19T23:47:00.003-05:00

My guest editorial was published in this morning's Gazette. Here it is:

October is not only national arts month but the state of Wisconsin and city of Janesville have declared October the official Month of Arts in Janesville. This first-time observance replaces ArtsFest, which took place at the Janesville Performing Arts Center in October in years past. This year, the United Arts Alliance, the organization behind the ArtsFest, decided to devote the entire month to promoting and featuring all of the events that are presented by its many members. ArtsFest will resume next year.

For those who might not know, the UAA represents many Rock County arts organizations and individual members such as myself. The Beloit Janesville Symphony, Janesville Little Theatre, Hedberg Public Library, Spotlight on Kids, Janesville Presents and Badger Chordhawks are just a few of the UAA organizations. The UAA is the opportunity for all county artists, artistic organizations and businesses to work together towards the greater role of promoting the arts and their value to residents.

Another thing you may not have known about UAA is that it's the organization behind the buskers - street performers - who have been entertaining crowds downtown during the Janesville Farmers Market and other events the past two summers. In Janesville, a street performer can only solicit money when representing a nonprofit organization. UAA stepped up and created a program that allows these performers to join the organization and keep all of their proceeds, which for some have become fairly lucrative.

The value of arts to our quality of life is beyond question. however, it's important for the artists to network, meet and support one another. UAA encourages local artists and supporters to join the organization in order to meet and get to know other artists in our community, either at our regular meetings or at various events that UAA hosts and sponsors throughout the year.

Janesville and Rock County may not be New York City or Chicago, but we have a lot of talented and dedicated people who work very hard to put together quality theater productions for adults and children, run choirs, bring national performing artists to our area, teach, work to provide scholarships, engage the imagination of their audiences with great visual art, volunteer and inspire others to participate in the arts.

getting out and seeing the many events that are offered is a great way to spend an evening not only in October but throughout the year. The arts are truly for everyone, and those who are concerend about the cost of entertainment in these tough economic times should be aware that most arts organizations offer a variety of possible discounts, including pay-what-you-can performances and inexpensive or even free tickets for students.

the best way to learn about arts events in any community in Rock County is by going to the UAA Web site, http://www.rockcountyarts.com/, to see what's happening near where you live. If you're an artists and want to be a part of the next ArtFest or any of UAA's other activities, get in touch with UAA and let us know!

Polls - Volleyball bar and earlier starting time for Council meetings

2009-10-15T10:21:00.002-05:00

Please vote on these two issues at the poll on the right side of this website. If you would like to post a comment, just click on the "comments" link below this post. Thank you.

Healthcare resolution - passed

2009-10-13T15:56:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the City Council voted unanimously to support the Healthcare resolution, which was introduced by myself and Councilmember McDonald. Here's my prepared statement, which I read at the council meeting:

It is important for the City Council to stay only to issues that have directly to do with the City of Janesville. But some national issues affect everyone in Janesville. One of these issues is our health and its care.

Everyone in Janesville has been affected by the closure of the General Motors. Many of those with health insurance are scared of losing the benefits that they worked for so long and so hard to get. And there’s little question that health care costs played a key role in the General Motors' outcome.

I think we can all agree that our health care system is not functioning well. It does not work for the hospitals, patients, or doctors. The incentives have been set up in all the wrong places.

We live in a system where a person without health insurance considers it reasonable to wait as long as possible before finally seeing a doctor. Naturally, this person is likely to cost more to treat than a person who is pro-active about their health care. The system is broken and it needs to be fixed.

And it is about time that we acknowledge that Health is not a political issue. It’s a human issue. Regardless of political affiliation, we all want and deserve access to high quality health care. Yet it is becoming accessible at a higher price to fewer and fewer people.

The question of healthcare reform should not be a question of “if” but “how” will the system change. How do we make the changes that are needed, and how can a system be designed with the incentives put in the right places? How can people be motivated to stay healthy and to see their doctors at the first sign of trouble? How can the doctors be motivated to keep their patients healthy and out of trouble? There are a lot of questions and it’s about time we got some answers.

The point of this resolution is to have our federal representatives get the message loud and clear that people of Janesville want the healthcare system fixed because nobody should go broke when they get sick or die because they do not have health insurance.

I want to thank the members of the council for offering changes to this resolution, all of which were included in this document. I look forward to voting on this resolution, but I look forward even more so to having a real healthcare reform take place in our country.

On Budget

2009-10-10T23:38:00.003-05:00

I read the following statement prior to the beginning of the budget study session this past Thursday:

"I’d like to thank the staff, the directors and the city manager for putting together this document. It took a lot of work and I appreciate the effort, the expertise and consideration that went into its preparation.

I’ve been very impressed with this budget because not only does it seeks effectively to minimize any possible damage to services caused by the cuts, but it also offers some exciting opportunities, such as looking at working with an outside vendor to develop sponsorship opportunities for private businesses.

This budget seeks to improve and to streamline. You may recall that back at the so-called “retreat”, furloughs were mentioned by several council members, including myself, as potentially a necessary way of dealing with the shortfalls in the budget. Yet in this document, there are no layoffs or furloughs proposed. And in today’s economic climate, that is extremely significant.

It’s hard to even say that I am looking forward to working on this budget because of how long and difficult the process was last year. One way to improve the situation, I believe, is for the council to keep in mind that this is as much about the direction that we want the city to take in the future as it is about the impact that our decisions will have on the tax payers. We will have a lot of choices to make, but let us remember that the city staff consists of highly trained and skilled professionals who have well thought-out reasons for their recommendations.

There will be a lot of questions asked and that is the way it should be, but I want to assure the staff as well as the residents that the council is as concerned about maintaining the best level of services possible, as it cares about the cost of these services to the Janesville taxpayers.

Finally, I'd like to thank JATV for broadcasting these study sessions at no additional cost to the city. "

Talking Janesville Mile with Stan Milam

2009-10-06T15:48:00.003-05:00

This morning I was a guest on Stan Milam's show. Stan and I spent the half-hour talking about the Janesville Mile and what it would take to make this concept a reality. Check out the audio right here: http://wclo.com/podcasts/stan-milam-show/2009/oct/06/janesville-mile/

As always I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

Janesville Mile

2009-09-26T16:54:00.003-05:00

Here is a reprint of my column from tomorrow's Janesville Messenger:

Have you been to the Janesville Mile? Perhaps you have but just did not notice. It is the stretch that starts with the Rotary Gardens, goes on to Lions Beach, the Ice Arena, the Janesville Performing Arts Center, the Hedberg Library and then reaches the downtown with the Janesville Armory, Speakeasy, Metropolitan and other great food and retail establishments.

This list includes several major “magnets” as well as businesses that service these destinations.

These have appeared on the Janesville’s landscape over the last five to 10 years, and for the first time in many years, the downtown business district has all the pieces it needs to generate commercial momentum.

What is needed now is a concerted effort to promote all of these destinations as one. That would include package deals that bring people downtown to, for instance, eating dinner at the Armory and seeing a show at JPAC for one low price, or going to the Jets game and receiving a discount at the Time Out Pub afterward.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau already does something similar by promoting various packages to the bus-tour companies that bring visitors to Janesville from other places.

Getting the visitors in and outside of the city to see our downtown as one destination could be vital to downtown revitalization efforts, a topic of regular and passionate discussion in our city. Usually, such a discussion comes to a grinding halt when trying to determine whose job it should be to lead these efforts and generate funding for them. The City itself clearly is not the vehicle for such a project, and the business improvement district attempts have been unsuccessful. So what’s next?

Perhaps it is time for those businesses and entities that comprise the Janesville Mile, to work as a group to promote its members jointly. As long as administrative costs are limited and most of the money is spent on the group’s promotional efforts, recruiting enough members to make a difference, should not be difficult.

One interesting idea is to have an old-fashioned antique bus, designed to look like a trolley, shuttling people along the Mile. While purchasing a remodeled bus could be cost-prohibitive, the city could contribute an old city bus to the effort, and have local artists decorate it. With some minor remodeling, this could be a unique and fun way to showcase our artists in much the same way that Chevys on the Circuit did a few years ago.

There are a lot of great people who are working hard to make their enterprise succeed in our downtown. And that is not always easy. I have met many of them and their dedication always impresses me. But when it comes to the downtown, it is important to stop looking at the trees and begin to concentrate on the forest. Look at the district as one unit, and you can see that on any given night, there could be a concert taking place at JPAC, a hockey game is on at the ice arena, and live music can usually be found at the Time Out, SpeakEasy or at the Armory.

The downtown is no longer the city’s shopping center any longer. And perhaps it is not the financial district as once was envisioned to be. But what it does have now is arts, sports, food and drink. And that is a good place to start.

Promoting it as one destination – the Janesville Mile - will help everyone see it.

Catchinig up

2009-09-13T10:12:00.005-05:00

Lots of things going on, but on the council side it's been pretty quiet. I'm back to driving to classes in Whitewater, working on Discover Janesville (watch for some very exciting news there!) and playing as much piano as ever. On top of that, I expect the next week to be even more interesting as the council will have a study session on the Note as well as the regular council meeting on Monday night. There are a few items on the agenda that appear to be generating a substantial amount of concern. I look forward to taking a look at these tomorrow night.

In the meantime a few updates: the Healthcare resolution has been substantially changed to include suggestions from several council members. It will be on the September 28th agenda.

The council walked in the Labor Day parade and distributed an incredible amount of candy, all purchased by the council president Bill Truman. Did you know that it is a tradition for the council president to buy all the candy tossed by the council members during the parade? And did you know that there are specific rules outlining how the candy can be tossed?

These days I am communicating quite a bit through Facebook so if you would like to "friend" me on Facebook, please do. It really is an excellent way to keep up with friends and to see what is going on around town and in the world. If there is a festival, a movie worth seeing, or a news story worth reading, I know one of my friends on Facebook will post about it or link to it.

Yesterday I managed to visit the Farmers market, the Family Fun Fest and the Chilimania in Edgerton. Then I came back and played at Codos. Now that was a fun day.

A thought that has occurred to me and on which I plan to expand more shortly: we have a great line up of attractions stretching from the Rotary Gardens to Lions Beach to the Ice Arena to JPAC, Library and then ending with the downtown bars and restaurants, which feature good food and lots of live music, with the Time Out being the newest addition to this great line up.

There should be a person or an organization whose job it would be to promote all of these great attractions as ONE.

Check out the latest things at the Rotary Gardens, have dinner in a downtown restaurant (Metropolitan, Armory, Speakeasy, etc.) and go to a show at JPAC, all for a low price of "$x". Go to the Jets game and then listen to a good band at Time Out. Check out a program at the Library and go to Codos for coffee and a movie. And so on. The city clearly is not the vehicle for this promotion and the BID did not happen. But we have a downtown that is very close to really hitting its stride, and perhaps all it needs is to let people know what's there and how it all works together. I can see a cross-promotion between these different venues working well and really helping our entire community be proud and enjoy what we have right here in Janesville.

Finally, congratulations to Duane Brewer on being named JATV Director of Media Services. With the passing of Judi Kneece, the station lost not only a great person but half of its staff. I have gotten to know Duane through my interest in multi-media and in JATV and I was glad to learn of his promotion. JATV provides an invaluable service to our community through its broadcast of the council meetings and other original programming. In big part this is due to Duane being at various events that take place all over our community during all times of day and night with his camera and taping, editing and broadcasting these on JATV 98.

Council on the web

2009-08-27T12:14:00.004-05:00

While I'm very glad that from now on the Janesville City Council study sessions will be broadcast on JATV, the next step in creating more government transparency and increasing citizen access to the council, would be to put the video of the Council meetings and study sessions on the web.

However, it is clear that engaging in such an undertaking at this time is going to take a substantial financial undertaking (read: not likely to happen at this time). In my experience, that means that in order for the council to pursue this option more actively, the initiative has to come from the community, indicating that this is a valuable addition to the services that the City of Janesville currently provides to its residents.

There is a company out there that specializes in streaming government meetings on the web, called Granicus. They offer a number of excellent features including helping residents navigate through agendas, allowing for public comment, linking agendas and comments with appropriate video and many others. I invite you to visit Granicus for yourself at http://www.granicus.com/ and see for yourself.

Council meeting update: Healthcare resolution and JATV

2009-08-24T23:23:00.004-05:00

Last night, the council looked at several important issues. Two were of particular importance to me:

#1. The Universal Access to High Quality Healthcare resolution, which did not pass. However, it did not fail either. In the spirit of cooperation, rather than having the resolution be voted down as presented, Councilmember McDonald and myself requested it to be pulled and reworded, to address councilmembers concerns with the language of the resolution. Some of these included the exact number of people who are uninsured currently in the United States and making sure that the protection is only extended to citizens of the United States. While I wonder if that could be specified to mean anyone who is a legal resident of the United States, there is no discussion I am aware of that is looking to extend insurance coverage to illegal immigrants. Still, it was my impression that members of the council have universally expressed their dissatisfaction with the current system, as well as the desire to see our federal lawmakers to work together towards solving this problem. Therefore I am optimistic that language can be found that would allow the council to express such sentiment.

#2. Broadcasting of the council's study sessions on JATV. This was a very important question and I appreciate Council President Truman putting this on the agenda. By making broadcasting of the study sessions a part of the agenda, the council was able to answer this important question once and for all.
To me, the conversation here is first about the government transparency and second about the comfort level of the council. Yes, I would probably prefer to get together with the other members of the council and the city manager over a nice dinner at a great local restaurant and discuss most any subject. However for a number of reasons, that is neither practical nor reasonable or even legal. In fact, this particular process has to be as transparent as possible even if it is not as comfortable as it could be, for one main reason: Because its government.
I very much appreciate the rest of the council members who voted to support broadcasting all future council study sessions.

Finally, I'd like to acknowledge Councilmember Voskuil. She is the only female member of the council, and without her, and the City Clerk Jean Wulf at the last night's meeting, there were nothing but men sitting at the dais. Frankly, that seemed inappropriate.

Presenting: Janesville Farmers Market Award Winning Mediterranean Salad Recipe by Judith Detert-Moriarty

2009-08-16T22:02:00.004-05:00

This is the dish that unanimously won the first place at the Janesville Farmers Market Tasting Contest last Saturday, August 15, 2009.

Ingredients
* 3-4 tomatoes (different varieties even better)
* 1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
* 1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin
* 6 oz part skim mozzarella cheese
* 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
* 1/4 c. sliced black olives
* 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
* 2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
* 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Dressing:
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 Tbsp lemon juice
* 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
* 1 Tbsp fresh ground pepper
* 1 tsp oregano, chopped
* 1 tsp thyme, chopped
* 1 tsp garlic powder

Cut tomatoes and cucumber in 1 inch chunks and place in large bowl. Add sliced onions, garlic, basil and parsley to bowl. Cut mozzarella into 1/2 inch pieces and with crumbled feta cheese, add to bowl. In small bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Add dressing to large bowl and toss until well blended. (I later thought adding some artichokes might be really good, too....)

On Healthcare

2009-08-16T17:49:00.006-05:00

It is important for the City Council to stay only to issues that have directly to do with the City of Janesville. But some national issues affect everyone in Janesville. One of these issues is our health and its care.

Everyone in Janesville has been affected by the closure of the General Motors. Many of those with health insurance are concerned about losing the benefits that they worked for so long and so hard to get. And the health care costs clearly played a role in the General Motors' outcome.

I think we can all agree that our health care system is not functioning well. It does not work for the hospitals, patients, or doctors. The incentives have been set up in all the wrong places. We have a health care system where the insurance companies charge the highest possible premium and are rewarded when they do not provide coverage.

We live in a system where a person without health insurance prefers to wait as long as possible before seeing a doctor. Naturally, this person is likely to cost more to treat than a person who is pro-active about their health care. The system is broken and it needs to be fixed.

And it is about time that we acknowledge that Health is not a political issue. It’s a human issue. Whether a Democrat or a Republican, we all want and deserve access to high quality health care. Yet it is becoming accessible at a higher price to fewer and fewer people.

The worst thing that could happen now is what happened in 1993: Nothing. We are over 15 years further down the road and the system needs a major overhaul more than ever.

Now, there are a lot of scary rumors floating around because people do not know the details and are instead being fed fears and doubts. For instance, I heard people say that now the health care in America will be like the one in Russia. Personally, I had my tonsils removed without anesthesia at a hospital in Moscow, Russia as a child. And what was particularly frustrating, was that my parents paid the bribe to have the anesthesia used. Let’s get serious, this will not be the Russian healthcare.

People who yell about health care at town hall meetings, are often upset because they are afraid to lose the coverage they got. But there is little doubt that even those people are frustrated with the current health care system.

Casting these fears aside then, this should not be a question of “if” but “how” will the system change. How do we make the changes that are needed, and how can a system be designed with the incentives put in the right places? How can people be motivated to stay healthy and to see their doctors at the first sign of trouble? How can the doctors be motivated to keep their patients healthy and out of trouble? There are a lot of questions and it’s about time we got some answers.

Another thing that should help everyone are the tens of millions of new patients that doctors and hospitals will get access to when people who are not covered in the current system are able to begin to address their medical needs. And all the additional multitudes of patients that will come from the group who are insured now but are hesitant to go due to the price such a trip likely to incur, and the potential implications of getting diagnosed with an ailment. There will be a dramatic need for doctors, hospitals and nurses to help take care of the new patients. This will create jobs and powerfully stimulate our economy for years.

The Janesville City Council at its next meeting on August 24th will take up a resolution in support of Universal Access to High Quality Healthcare. If passed, it will send a powerful message that people in Janesville are paying attention and are interested in reform that will result in universal access to high quality health care. In addition, it will urge our federal lawmakers to work together and to get this legislation done.

I am also very impressed that Councilmember McDonald is co-sponsoring this resolution with me. As you probably know, Mr. McDonald is an attorney who works in the injury law. Yet he also sees the need for change.

But this resolution does not have to pass. Janesville City Council consists of 7 people who do not agree too often. And that’s why it’s very important that on August 24th the council sees a room full of people – acting responsibly - in support of an issue before the vote is taken.

So if you feel, as I do, that this is an important issue that touches every one of our lives, and if you believe that this is an issue that needs to be dealt with now, I urge you to show your support by coming to the council meeting on Monday night, and emailing the council showing your support for this resolution. You can read the resolution for yourself below.

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said nearly a hundred years ago: “Every voter is a member of the government.” I urge you to take these words to heart and add your voice to this debate.

Tomato.

2009-08-11T23:05:00.003-05:00

This saturday morning, I will be on a panel of judges in a tasting contest at the Janesville Farmers Market. Anyone can submit a dish, as long as it has the special ingridient, which was not purchased in a grocery store. The special ingridient is as you may have already guessed it: Tomato.

If you are interested in entering, please bring a dish before 10 am to the Farmers Market. The winner will receive a bag of goodies from the vendors at the market.

UPDATE: A mediterranean salad by Judith Detert-Moriarty unanimously won the first place. It was delicious! Thanks to everyone who entered, my fellow judges and to Teri Huber and Renee Dommershausen who organized this fun event.

Resolution supporting universal access to quality health care

2009-08-07T21:46:00.002-05:00

FILE RESOLUTION NO. 2009-629
A Resolution supporting universal access to quality health care.

WHEREAS, the Janesville City Council recognizes that it is increasingly difficult for many residents to obtain quality health care and supports the concerted efforts of local jurisdictions to encourage the United States Congress and other decision makers to design a rational health care system; and

WHEREAS, about 45 million people in the U.S. lack health insurance1; and

WHEREAS, rising health-care costs have affected employers' ability to provide health care benefits for their workers and have sharply increased the costs of doing business; and

WHEREAS, employers are the principal source of health insurance in the United States, providing health benefits for about 159 million people, or about 53% of all Americans; however, the percentage of employers who offer such benefits has been falling with 69 percent offering health coverage benefits in 2000, compared to 63 percent in 2008 2; and

WHEREAS, since 1999, family premiums for employer-sponsored insurance have increased 119%, while wages have increased 34% and inflation has increased 29%3; and

WHEREAS, most of the 45 million uninsured are in working families and do not have access to employer-sponsored insurance and are unable to obtain it through another family member1; and

WHEREAS, unemployment within Rock County is increasing; therefore, more local families do not have access to employer-sponsored insurance and are finding it difficult to obtain affordable, private insurance; and

WHEREAS, more than eight in ten of the uninsured are in low- or moderate-income families and most low- and moderate-income uninsured adults are not eligible for Medicaid1; and

WHEREAS, the uninsured suffer from negative health consequences due to their lack of access to necessary medical care and are less likely to receive preventive care and services for major health conditions1; and

WHEREAS, 20,000 Americans die every year of preventable and/or treatable diseases because they are uninsured1; and

WHEREAS, the Janesville City Council desires a rational system for delivering quality health care to ensure all Americans have access to these necessary services at a cost that is reasonable to them and to their employers; and

WHEREAS, several legislative proposals for universal health care are before the United States Congress and the Janesville City Council encourages our Wisconsin Representatives and Senators to examine these proposals carefully to ensure they meet the needs of Wisconsin residents and employers;

NOW, THEREFORE, LET BE IT RESOLVED By the Common Council of the City of Janesville, on this 24th day of August 2009 that every person in the United States should have the right to health care of equal high quality. The U.S. Congress should enact legislation to establish and implement this right and we request our Wisconsin delegation of legislators to support universal access to quality health care.

Sources
1 Kaiser Family Foundation, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, September 2008
2Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits, 1999-2008
3Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits, 2000-2008. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, U.S. City Average of Annual Inflation (April to April), 2000-2008; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Seasonally Adjusted Data from the Current Employment Statistics Survey, 2000-2008

Much thanks to Rebecca Smith, Management Assistant.