LETTER: ‘Courage’ gave Port flawed, overpriced safety building

To Ozaukee Press:

The City of Port Washington’s mayor and Common Council members need to be more responsive to the people they serve.

In 2021, we had a candidate who campaigned for mayor with these words quoted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “I would develop measures for accountability, increase proactive communication and maintain a conservative approach to the allocation of financial resources.”

That candidate was elected and, unfortunately, is maintaining his “conservative approach.” I will illustrate with two current examples.

After the Common Council approved a $33.5 million public safety building, the mayor congratulated the council members for their “courage.” Courage to do what? Courage to approve something without it being fully vetted for need? Courage to approve it in spite of Ald. Patrick Tearney’s and Ald. John Sigwart’s advice at the time to “slow down” in order to properly review the needs of a safety building when there were clearly less expensive alternatives? Courage to put aside other capital improvement needs, including a new senior citizens center, remodeling of the Niederkorn Library beyond the grant financing it received and stabilization of the Upper Lake Park bluff?

So, now we are stuck with a safety building under construction that already has issues: Sharing an entry drive to the site with the Eernisse Funeral Home. Exiting the site through a roundabout to get to Grand Avenue and all points east.

An overly designed building with some exterior components (six or seven roof

lines) included that have nothing to do with the functions of the building, which could have saved money for the city projects noted above if eliminated.

Then there is the data center championed by the mayor. I don’t believe the city has fully vetted the implications of what the data center will cost citizens in terms of damage to natural resources and the ambience of living in a small town. I blame the mayor and the council for not being more open and forthright in the planning of both the public safety building and the data center. 

I agree with the writer of a recent letter to the editor published in Ozaukee Press calling for city officials to be voted out of office. I would even suggest that a recall effort is in order for the mayor and the majority of council members. Does someone in the community have the courage to take on that responsibility?

            Barrett Genson

Grafton