LETTER: Vote yes to reign in officials who ignore citizens’ concerns

To Ozaukee Press:

The April 7 election is pivotal as it provides voters with the opportunity to obtain the freedom to choose by way of referendum whether to approve or disapprove massive transformational projects proposed by politicians and their special interest allies. 

Voting yes in the TIF essentially gives voters the right to say no, a right they currently do not have. Presently, massive projects exceeding $10 million requiring a TIF only need to pass through a few tepid public hearings, an ultra quick Plan Commission review and then the Common Council’s rubber stamp of approval. Nowhere in this outdated process is there an allowance for the voters to have a direct and meaningful impact on the outcome, which is generally preordained long before the public even has knowledge of the project. 

The economy of Port Washington will not be grinding to a complete halt and you won’t be voting every week as a consequence of the referendum being passed.

In short, the concerns of the voters have been ignored in Port Washington. When politicians ignore representative government it results in an erosion of the public trust. The representative system fails when citizens feel unheard.

This all changes for the better with the passage of the referendum. Power will be wrested out of the hands of the special interests and the easily swayed politicians who do their bidding and placed back into the hands of the voters where it rightfully belongs. 

Failure to pass the referendum will only embolden politicians and their special interest allies to pursue even larger projects having potentially dire consequences without needing any public support at all. Critics contend that rather than always complaining about the current state of affairs people should go to the polls and vote for a change. April 7 provides Port Washington voters the opportunity to do just that. Please take advantage of it and vote yes.

James Parez

Grafton

Editor’s note: The proposed $10 million limit would have required a referendum on Port Washington’s successful downtown TIF district. The base value of the district when it was formed in 2010 was $13 million.