I THANK THE ORGANIZERS AND PETITION CIRCULATORS WHO WORKED HARD TO GATHER SIGNATURES AND BRING LIGHT ONTO THE ONGOING NATIONAL DEBATE REGARDING THE WAR IN IRAQ.  I THANK EVERYONE HERE THIS EVENING WHO CAME TO LISTEN AND SHARE THEIR VIEWS.  I ALSO THANK EVERYONE WHO CONTACTED ME VIA PHONE, EMAIL AND ONLINE.

 

FOR ME, THIS ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE QUESTION HAS MERIT WITHIN THE CITY OR IF IT’S AN APPROPRIATE QUESTION FOR A REFERENDUM.  I BELIEVE THE QUESTION IS APPROPRIATE AND I’M NOT SURE ANYONE COULD LEGITIMATELY ARGUE THAT THE IRAQ WAR HAS NOT IMPACTED THE CITY OF OSHKOSH – WHETHER PERSONAL THROUGH SERVICE OF A LOVED ONE AND BEING AWAY FROM THE FAMILY OR THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, LOSS OF LIFE – BUSINESS THROUGH THE LOSS OF AN EMPLOYEE – ECONOMIC THROUGH THE EXPENDITURE OF OUR TAX DOLLARS, ETC. – THE CITY OF OSHKOSH HAS BEEN IMPACTED BY THIS WAR.

 

SOME PROPONENTS OF THE REFERENDUM QUESTION SAY THEY WERE GIVEN WRONG/INACCURATE/INCORRECT INFORMATION FROM THE CITY REGARDING DIRECT LEGISLATION.  I AGREE AND AM VERY DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THAT.  ACCORDING TO MR. KRAFT, HOWEVER, NOT ONE PERSON FROM THE ORGANIZING GROUP CONTACTED HIM DIRECTLY EXCEPT FOR AN ORIGINAL ORGANIZER STATING HE WOULD LIKE TO TALK WITH HIM ABOUT THE PETITION PROCESS (THIS WAS DURING A BREAK AT ONE OF THE VERY FIRST SESSIONS OF THE NEW LOCAL CITIZEN’S ACADEMY – BACK IN SEPT.). THAT INDIVIDUAL, HOWEVER, DID NOT FOLLOW UP WITH MR. KRAFT.

 

I FEEL BAD THAT THE GROUP GOT INCORRECT INFORMATION.  I ATTENDED THEIR FIRST ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING ON JULY 20TH AND TOLD THEM WHAT I HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN TOLD BY THE CITY ATTORNEY – THAT NO MATTER HOW MANY SIGNATURES THE GROUP COLLECTED, THIS WOULD NOT QUALIFY AS DIRECT LEGISLATION.  HOWEVER, I RECALL DISCUSSION AT THAT MEETING PERTAINING TO CONDUCTING THE PROCESS AS DIRECT LEGISLATION (60 DAYS, 15% OF PREVIOUS GOVERNOR ELECTION NUMBERS – THE SPECIFIC NUMBER WAS EVEN DISCUSSED) AND THAT IT WOULD BE PRESENTED TO THE COUNTY BOARD.  I DO NOT HAVE THE SPECIFICS ON WHAT CHANGED AND WHY (BETWEEN THE JULY 20TH MEETING AND THE AUGUST 31ST KICK OFF) WITHIN THE LOCAL GROUP AND LOCAL PROCESS, HOWEVER, EVEN THE WISCONSIN NETWORK FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE, A LARGER ORGANIZATION THAT HELPED SPEARHEAD THIS AND OTHER WISCONSIN PETITION DRIVES, HAS SEVERAL DOCUMENTS POSTED ONLINE: URGED TO ACHIEVE REQUIRED NUMBER OF SIGNATURES TO “ENSURE THAT THE MEASURE WILL QUALIFY FOR THE BALLOT” – AND “IN ALL MUNICIPALITIES, THE MEASURE REQUIRES 15% OF THE VOTES CAST IN THE MOST RECENT GOVERNOR’S ELECTION” – AND REFERENCES TO THE “60 DAY TIME FRAME” – AND 2-3 ADDITIONAL ITEMS ALL REFERENCING DIRECT LEGISLATION.  REGARDLESS, I WISH THE GROUP HAD CONTACTED THE CITY ATTORNEY DIRECTLY, THAT THE “CHANGE” IN HOW THE PETITIONS WOULD BE VIEWED WOULD HAVE SOMEHOW BEEN COMMUNICATED TO THE PETITIONERS AND I WISH THE DIRECT LEGISLATION APPROACH WOULD HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED.

 

NOW, SOME OPPONENTS SAY THIS IS NOT A CITY ISSUE AND NOT SOMETHING THE COUNCIL SHOULD BE DEBATING.  SOME EVEN SAY THIS TYPE OF DISCUSSION OR DEBATE IS BAD FOR OUR TROOPS OR WILL HELP THE TERRORISTS.  I COULDN’T DISAGREE MORE.  THE BEAUTY OF OUR SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IS THAT WE CAN DEBATE, EVEN VEHEMENTLY, THIS ISSUE (AND OTHERS LIKE IT), WITHOUT CAR BOMBS, IEDS, GUERILLA ATTACKS, ETC.  AFTER ALL, WASN’T THE SPREAD OF THIS TYPE OF DEMOCRACY ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE WERE TOLD WE MUST GO TO WAR AND LIBERATE IRAQ?

 

IT NOW BOILS DOWN TO THIS: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE OSHKOSH COMMON COUNCIL PLACING THIS ITEM ON THE BALLOT?  WHAT HAPPENS AFTER APRIL 4TH?  WHAT ACTION WILL THE COUNCIL THEN TAKE?  IF WE’RE PUTTING THIS ON THE BALLOT, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO “DO SOMETHING” WITH THE INFORMATION AND RESULTS, JUST AS THE WINNEBAGO COUNTY BOARD DID WITH THE INFORMATION THEY RECEIVED LAST YEAR FROM THEIR ADVISORY REFERENDUM QUESTIONS.

 

I BELIEVE IF WE, THE OSHKOSH COMMON COUNCIL, ARE GOING TO PUT A REFERENDUM QUESTION ON A BALLOT, WE SHOULD HAVE FULL INTENTIONS OF DOING SOMETHING WITH THE INFORMATION AFTER THE ELECTION.  TWO MORE RECENT REFERENDUMS RESULTED IN ACTION – THE SMOKING BAN (DIRECT LEGISLATION, BINDING) AND THE NEWLY DIRECTLY-ELECTED MAYOR (COUNCIL ACTION TO PUT TO REFERENDUM, BINDING).  EVEN A PREVIOUS ADVISORY REFERENDUM ON A SEXUAL OFFENDER FACILITY RESULTED IN A FORM OF ACTION.

 

WHILE I BELIVE IT IS APPROPRIATE TO HAVE A QUESTION SUCH AS THIS ON A BALLOT, PREFERABLY THE NOVEMBER BALLOT SINCE IT’S A NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL ISSUE WITH LOCAL IMPACT AND NOVEMBER IS WHEN WE CAST OUR VOTES FOR NATIONAL ELECTIONS, I DO NOT FEEL IT IS THE OSHKOSH COMMON COUNCIL WHO SHOULD PLACE THIS QUESTION ON THE BALLOT.  THE APRIL ELECTIONS SHOULD BE ABOUT LOCAL CANDIDATES AND THEIR VISION FOR THE CITY OF OSHKOSH, HOW THEY WILL DEAL WITH THE BUDGET, ETC., NOT ABOUT THE WAR IN IRAQ.

 

I WELCOME THE CHANCE TO VOTE ON THIS ITEM IN THE VOTING BOOTH, HOWEVER, BELIEVE IT SHOULD COME FROM THE DIRECT LEGISLATION PROCESS AND NOT THE COUNCIL.

 

SOME PEOPLE WILL SAY IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MANY SIGNATURES WERE GATHERED, THAT THIS IS NOW A COUNCIL-INITIATED ITEM.  WHILE I DO NOT DISAGREE, I AGAIN BELIEVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS SHOULD COME FROM A PETITIONING PROCESS AND BE PLACED ON THE BALLOT VIA DIRECT LEGISLATION, NOT THE COUNCIL.

 

SOME PEOPLE WILL SAY THAT, BY NOT PLACING THIS ON THE BALLOT, I AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL ARE NOT LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE OF THE COMMUNITY.  I DISAGREE.  I’VE RECEIVED QUITE A BIT OF CONTACT REGARDING THIS ISSUE – ALMOST EQUAL OR 50-50 FOR AND AGAINST THE REFERENDUM QUESTION.  ALL OF IT HELPED MAKE MY DECISION.

 

SOME PEOPLE WILL SAY THAT BY NOT PLACING THIS REFERENDUM QUESTION ON THE BALLOT, THE COUNCIL IS SUBVERTING THE DEMOCRATIC (SMALL ‘D’) PROCESS.  AGAIN, I DISAGREE.  SUBVERTING THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS WOULD BE THIS COUNCIL DENYING A REFERENDUM QUESTION WHEN PETITIONS SUBMITTED HAD THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF SIGNATURES COLLECTED WITHIN THE ALLOTED TIMEFRAME.  THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED.  IF ANYTHING, THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS WORKED – AN IDEA WAS BROUGHT FORWARD, CITIZENS EXPRESSED THEIR VIEWS, COUNCIL MEMBERS DID THE SAME AND A VOTE TOOK PLACE.

 

I, HONESTLY, DID NOT MAKE MY DECISION ON HOW I WOULD VOTE UNTIL TODAY, TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE TO LISTEN, ASK QUESTIONS AND DELIBERATE.  I KNOW MY DECISION WILL DISAPPOINT SOME WHILE OTHERS WILL APPROVE.  HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT ABOUT HOW I PERSONALLY FEEL ABOUT THE WAR.  I MADE MY DECISION BASED ON HOW I SAID I WOULD IN THE PREVIOUS ELECTION – LISTEN, GATHER INFORMATION, ASK QUESTIONS – IN OTHER WORDS, “DO MY HOMEWORK” – IN ORDER TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION POSSIBLE FOR THE CITY OF OSHKOSH, BASED ON THE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES AT HAND.  AND IT WAS NO EASY DECISION TO MAKE.

 

I AGAIN THANK THE ORGANIZERS, THOSE HERE THIS EVENING AND THOSE WHO PREVIOUSLY CONTACTED ME.  I ENCOURAGE THE ORGANIZERS TO CIRCULATE NEW PETITIONS, COLLECT THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF SIGNATURES WITHIN THE ALLOTED TIME FRAME AND SUBMIT THEM TO THE CITY CLERK.  AND ONCE THEY ARE CERTIFIED, YOU HAVE MY WORD THAT I WILL BE FIRST IN LINE, WITHOUT ANY HESITATION, TO VOTE “YES” TO PUT THE REFERENDUM QUESTION ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT.

 

FOR THE REASONS STATED ABOVE, I CANNOT SUPPORT A DECISION FOR THE COMMON COUNCIL TO PLACE THIS ITEM ON THE BALLOT AND WILL VOTE AGAINST TONIGHT’S RESOLUTION.