From The Journal Times.com:
"RACINE — In the latest development stemming from Mayor John Dickert’s
settled slander suit, he and the city find themselves painted into a
corner, and it’s taking another lawsuit to get out of it.
"The city
taxpayers who paid $100,000 for the mayor’s slander suit, brought
against him by a former employee, do not know how it was settled. The
Journal Times filed an open records request with the city and mayor
contending: 'Taxpayers of a community have the right to know how and why
their money is spent,' as per a 1994 Wisconsin Court of Appeals
decision.
"And now Dickert, and possibly the city, is caught
between the state open records law and the confidentiality clause he
agreed to with former city employee William Bielefeldt, who has
reportedly refused to release the settlement. The lawsuit filed
Wednesday by the city and the mayor thus asks a judge 'to issue a
judgment declaring the responsibilities and duties of the parties
regarding the release.'"
Was Dickert acting as mayor or not when he entered into the confidentiality agreement? No matter, the lawyers always win. This is Racine's version of "Dallas.
__________________________________
Update: From RacineUncovered.org:
"Mayor Dickert/City of Racine serve summons on Father’s Day"
"1:24 p.m. – Sources have confirmed that William Bielefeldt‘s
wife was served with a summons today from Mayor John Dickert/City of
Racine- plaintiff vs. William Bielfeldt- defendent . The summons was
served out of jurisdiction in Mount Pleasant and was served by a
uniformed Racine Police Officer at 8:30 a.m. Mount Pleasant Police were
not on scene. Bill’s wife stated how pleasant the officer was while
serving the summons. This is a summons and complaint concerning Bill
Bielefeldt’s refusal to sign a release concerning the settlement, which
included a confidentiality clause."
Read more: http://racineuncovered.org/2012/06/mayor-dickertcity-of-city-serve-summons-on-fathers-day/
What an incredibly cheap shot from a cheap shot artist. When they fired Mr. Bielefeldt, the police delivered a letter to his home just before midnight. As one of the commenters on RacineUncovered said, this is to be expected from Dickert.
The fault for this lies directly with the Common Council. It is the Aldermen of Racine, led by Greg Helding and Jim Kaplan, who have allowed all this nonsense to go on. They have decided to SHAFT the residents of Racine, again, and again. You can only describe the Common Council of Racine as a biased good-old boys club that is comprised of incompetent, ineffective and self-centered persons. The concept of Civic Duty and Public Trust does not reside with any of them. They are unaccountable and consider the tax revenue their personal source of funds.
ReplyDeleteI have repeatedly advised people to flee the crumbling City of Racine - it is heavily in debt, tax rates are too high, the infrastructure is in terrible shape, public employees and government officials are grossly overpaid/overcompensated, the tax assessor is simply LYING about the value of homes, businesses are leaving in droves, and John is spending like a drunken sailor on things like North Beach, Round-abouts, bike trails, Root River Walkways, and the Harbor area for all his rich white SWPL friends.
Right - that's what's it all about- taxing Rubberville and the Slums so The rich white SWPL's can sit on their boat in the harbor and have some relaxing fun with their alcohol - or visit Bennie's Beach Bar, The Oasis, of John's Landing, or any of the other attractions for the rich, white and powerful SWPL's of Racine and Illinois.
I'm NOT saying there is anything wrong with the above - I have a problem with the poor of Racine being taxed so those areas can be infused with millions of dollars to subsidize their partying.
No JOBS JOHNNY D - Here is a clue for you - It is the 21st. C and a global economy - Racine MUST compete in the Global Economy. Stop wasting tens of millions trying to turn Racine into a mini Key-West - it will never be. JOBS - the people need JOBS. You can't keep LOOTING businesses through excessive taxation rates so you and your friends can live the good life!
OF course, No Jobs Johnny D lives in the furthest most outer reaches of Racine, far from the ghetto, filth and slums he has spawned.
No Jobs Johnny D displays all the traits of a Sociopath - so he doesn't feel you pain - or even care - because he only cares about himself and his friends. It's self evident - just take a ride around Racine - you see a full blown third world slum with a little slice of heaven, where the rich, powerful, politically connected and white live and play.
No Jobs Johnny D with his buddies on the Common Council - Guilty of LOOTING A CITY OF ILL-REPUTE.
YEAH, yeah, I know, Place reason here _________ why this reduces the effectiveness of my message, which is why I didn't put it above - but I have to get this off my mind.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young I used to get National Lampoon - the Magazine, along with MAD, which has permanently warped my sense of humor, BUT, every time I see Jim Kaplan - I think of Zippy The Pin-Head! Inside, I just start laughing - it's just the way it is.
Of course, that becomes a metaphor that fits him, IN MY MIND - making it all the more hilarious.
Yeah - it's unkind, but it's true!
See the remarkable resemblance for yourself:
Zippy The Pin-Head
How the nonsense starts, tax and spend, what is the appropriate use for public monies?
ReplyDeleteI ride my bicycle everywhere - and I travel all over Racine - especially the slums and ghettos - which are unavoidable, so I get to see a lot. What do I see at North Beach? Lots of people having fun. LOW COST FUN! Fun that pays (mostly) for itself - picnics, cook outs and gatherings on a manicured lawn - LOW COST. But then, a select group of people want more - and I am OK with this - as long as it is PRIVATELY FUNDED - a self-sustaining profitable operation - and that is where Racine loses it. The select few demand the rest pay for larger and larger operations that are only used by those select few - and of course, in the interest of diversity and fairness - government must then tax the people to fund a wide variety of these operations - WHICH IS WRONG.
Look at Festival Hall - does ANYONE really know the cost? Look at the City Budget, and see the cost to subsidize it. Better yet, all the maintenance costs become rewards to preferred people with public funded project $$$. LOOK AT THE CITY BUDGET - and be amazed. Do the people need this expense?
Every single day - the grassy areas of North Beach prove that big expensive facilities are NOT necessary for the people to have fun. IF the public wasn't taxed for all this expensive non-productive infrastructure, tax rates could be dramatically lowered, business would flourish - and people would have jobs - and the $$$ to decide for themselves if they wanted to support such endeavors - privately.
In the old days - politicians weren't there for the $$$, retirement, and to get rich quick - they cared about their neighbors and kept the tax rates low - they didn't help themselves to others money, or abuse taxing privileges. Those days are gone - and what do you have - RACINE? Take a look around! Perhaps we need a two-tier property taxation system - one for the ghetto, and twice the tax in rich parts like North Bay - it's time for PROGRESSIVE PROPERTY TAX- so the rich white SWPL's who want all this can pay their way.
Something to think about.
I learned alot.
ReplyDeleteI learned alot (I know it's grammatically incorrect) about the insides of the rich when I built houses for them. Many of them are different - and the thought always comes to mind of somewhere in the Bible, it describes them as white-washed sepulchers, etc. etc - the inside vs. the outside. Don't get me wrong - we all have our problems inside, and the poor express it also - but it is an insight I gained - It was a luxury house, and these people were the nouveau rich - and all into themselves and the outside,etc - which is a prerequisite. So - this was a luxury master bathroom - in these you have his and her separate vanities, the toilet is in it's own room behind a door, the raised bathtub, enclosed in a platform, had a small gas fireplace, and then the TV shelf, yes, the TV shelf. Joanie just couldn't figure where to place the TV, and we were discussing it - and she was asking if I could put it in the corner, just off to the side of the door, well, sure I could, but I pointed out that it was really unviewable, from a practical point of view in that position - OH SILLY ME! "IT's A LOOK" I was told - OH - I guess I just didn't get it.... LOLOLOL.
How does the stink continue to get worse? There sure are some arrogant folks running the joint.
ReplyDeleteFleeing your home town might not necessarily be an option. Many of us love this city. Many of us have hopes for a brighter future. Maybe those who are not behaving in the city's best interest should leave or get ousted?
Maybe now that our newspaper is charging for online access, (to nothing but AP stories and slanted local reporting) they might fall asunder and we can get some competition around here who is willing to call out these power hungry manipulators. That would be a breath of fresh air. Can you imagine looking forward to an unbiased/unslanted daily newspaper again?
"get ousted?"
ReplyDeleteYes, Racine has no future with the John and Tom Show bungling things.
Racine can have a bright future with a new leader.
Dickert's supporters say that he is mayor 24/7. Then how can he use our money and sign a confidentiality agreement which is against the laws of public disclosure? Then, he (we) sues Mr. Bielefeldt for not agreeing to dismiss the agreement. Why are more of our tax dollars being used for this? Dickert signed an illegal agreement, make Dickert break the agreement and suffer the agreed upon punishment, at the least.
ReplyDeleteIs the insurance still covering this, or is this a new claim because it's a new lawsuit? We'll have to pay an additional $100K to cover the deductible again, won't we? All because Dickert won't man up.
Excellent point OrbsCorbs! Of course, truth and facts have no standing with a liar like John Dickert and a complicit Common Council led by bumbling fools like Greg Helding and Jim Kaplan.
ReplyDeletePARTY ON! Lying' John
It started out personal and it looks like it will end personal. I'm leaning on the side that both parties have some culpability. Too bad that the taxpayers are the true victims in all of this petty bickering and unlawful politics.
ReplyDeleteTSE, GEEZ, your 2nd paragraph sounds like here, and NOBODY gives a shit except me. I can't get out of here, because of the house. We have like over 100 homes foreclosed on or just being sold In this city. NOTHING good Is happening.
ReplyDelete