News

At an election to be held in the City of Whitewater on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, the following offices are to be elected to succeed the incumbents listed. (Note: all incumbents are eligible for re-election.) The term for Council member offices listed below begins on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 and expires April 19, 2022.

OFFICE INCUMBENT

Council member, District 2 Matthew Schulgit

Council member, District 4 Lynn Binnie

Council member, at large James D. Allen

Information pertaining to district boundaries and nomination procedures may be obtained from City Clerk Michele Smith at 312 W. Whitewater Street, msmith@whitewater-wi.gov, or 262-473-0102

The final day for filing nomination papers is Tuesday, January 7, 2020, 5:00 p.m. in the office of the City Clerk. At least twenty signatures are required for district seats, and at least forty signatures for an at large seat.

If a primary is necessary, it will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2020.

The Presidential Primary will also take place on April 7.

As of 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 6, Jaclyn Tueting indicated that only Casey Judd and Steven Ryan had filed to run for one of the three seats that is open. Any interested persons are encouraged to file by Tuesday, January 7.

Residents of the Whitewater Unified School District are encouraged to consider seeking a position on the School Board. The final day for filing for those interested in becoming a candidate for one of the three open positions on the Board is Tuesday, January 7, 2020, by 5:00 p.m.

Any person who is a United States citizen and a qualified elector of the Whitewater Unified School District is legally qualified to become a member of the School Board. In addition, Board candidates should have a genuine interest in and devotion to public education, a willingness to give time and effort to the position, a capacity to understand people, and the ability to work cooperatively with others.

The School Board is the District policy-making authority and is responsible to the public for the success of all education services offered by the District. This success is dependent on many individuals, but also upon each Board member’s understanding of the workings of the District-wide operations and each member’s ability to participate meaningfully in the decision-making process that governs the District.

Three positions will be on the spring ballot. The incumbents are Miguel Aranda, Casey Judd and Steven Ryan. One incumbent, Miguel Aranda, has filed a non-candidacy document. Prior to the winter break it was reported that no additional candidates had filed.

The Board will provide an orientation for Board candidates in order to help them become quickly acquainted with the election process and Board members’ duties and responsibilities in January. The District Administrator has developed, in consultation with the Board, a candidate orientation program to be presented by District staff and a Board member appointed by the Board President.

The candidate filing documents may be obtained and filed at the office of the School Board Secretary at the Whitewater Unified School District Central Office, 419 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater. School Board candidates do not circulate nomination papers but the School Board Secretary, Jaclyn Tueting, will assist to complete necessary filing documents. One current Board member indicated that the process could be completed in as little as 15 minutes. The Central Office will be open on Monday and Tuesday, 1/6-1/7, from 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Again, the deadline for filing candidacy paperwork is Tuesday, 1/7 at 5:00 p.m.

The City of Whitewater – Department of Public Works will collect Christmas trees on Tuesday, January 7, 14, 21 and January 28. Please do not place your tree on the terrace before 4:00 p.m. on the Sunday prior to the scheduled Tuesday collection.

Trees that have been flocked or contain wire will not be collected. Please place these trees for collection by John’s Disposal on the second Thursday of the month, your bulk pick up day.

Kelly Freeman, Superintendent, Streets/Parks/Stormwater Utility

The Whitewater Community Food Pantry has been very blessed with the generosity of so many individuals and organizations. This made it possible for us to be very generous with our patrons.

The Whitewater High School and Middle School students collected 1300 lbs. of food with their Homecoming Food Drive. Beth Babcock, the “Stuff The Bus” coordinator, accompanied the students October 14th to drop off the food donation at the Whitewater pantry.

Monday, October 14^th, through October 18th, the FFA and elementary school students collected food as well for the Stuff The Bus event.

October 21^st, the Nelson stuffed bus delivered to the pantry 6,507 lbs. of food, and Beth Babcock presented a monetary donation of $7,212.00 collected through the generosity of many Whitewater citizens. We are very grateful to Beth for all her work in putting on this yearly event and to Dave Nelson for providing the Nelson Bus.

Also this past October, Festival Foods donated $1,000.00 worth of food for Thanksgiving.

November 10^th, the Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Delta Theta, and Alpha Sigma Fraternity donated 1400 lbs. of food and $824.10 from their Fall 2019 Food Drive.

St. John’s Masonic Lodge brought in 70 cases of canned vegetables.

The Stone School 4H Club and the Katzman Family held a fundraiser to purchase 150 fruit pies to give to the Whitewater Community Food Pantry patrons to go along with their Thanksgiving meal.

December 12th, Stuff The Squad Car organized by the Whitewater Police Officers collected over 1200 lbs. of food.

Maclean Fogg donated 18(20 lb.) turkeys.

Large donations came in from the Congregational Church. The Congregational United Church of Christ collected ‘Gift-of-Love-Bags’ to be given to our pantry for Thanksgiving. Richmond Methodist Church, St. John’s Church, and St. Patrick Catholic Church, and several other churches and individuals, too numerous to mention, also brought generous Holiday donations.

Derek Harvey, a young man from Waterford, and his mother collected 2 large cart fulls of groceries for the pantry.

Dardan Agushi, a young Whitewater University graduate bought 12 bags of groceries for The Whitewater Community Food Pantry. He was so happy to be able to make this donation to the pantry.

We wish to thank the Whitewater Community and Walmart for their support and generosity.    

The pantry will be open January 2, 2020, from 8:30 to 12:00 noon. Being the New Year, everyone needs to bring identification for all family members and a current address.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Submitted by Pat Chaput and Barbara Quast, Managers of The Whitewater Community Food Pantry

SCHOLARLY SCOOP

Friday, January 3, 10:30 a.m.

Starin Park Community Building

504 W Starin Rd

Many Americans have become cynical in response to a perceived loss of civility in politics in recent decades. Social media and the 24-hour news cycle contribute to this seemly unbridgeable divide. Lines have been drawn, and heels dug in, as the left and right regularly square off for vicious exchanges in what now passes as American politics. We understand the frustration felt when facing an ideological opponent, but less understood is why the two sides exist in the first place. Brian Bentel takes on this daring question with the goal of increasing understanding between left and right, and adds another important question: are the values of either side reflected in the policies enacted by our two dominant parties? 

Speaker: Brian Bentel, Ph.D., Lecturer, Dept of Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology, UW-W

Liz Cordio-Schneider will be celebrating her 90th birthday with an open house celebration on Sunday, January 5, from 1-3 pm, at the Cravath Lakeside Community Center, 341 S. Fremont, Whitewater, WI. The Cordio Family would like to extend an invitation to those who would like to wish her well and celebrate this milestone together.

Whitewater has a rich tradition of giving from within our community that ensures that we all have opportunities for happiness and success. The Whitewater Community Foundation (WCF) invites you to join us by investing in Whitewater. Our mission, “to enhance the quality of life in the Whitewater area through educational, cultural, charitable or benevolent expenditures,” depends on the generosity of people like you. 

In 2018, the Foundation and the Whitewater Unified School District were honored to receive a $100,000 endowment from Kikkoman Foods Foundation, Inc. establishing a fund within the WCF to provide scholarships for students graduating from Whitewater High School. To thank the Kikkoman Foods Foundation, our Board of Directors has committed to raise matching funds, and we are asking you to be a part of that.

A gift from you by December 31^st, 2019 can provide necessary funding to ensure that the WCF can continue its original mission to award scholarships to graduating students from Whitewater High School. Through Community Action Grants given twice a year, WCF supports programs such as Lakeview School providing students with PE equipment, Trailhead Perspectives offering an SEL based summer school program, WALCO Bookworms providing sets of books for children, and Washington School which provided ukuleles to students for imitation, exploration and improvisation learning.

To donate, simply send a check made payable to Whitewater Community Foundation at P.O. Box 428, Whitewater, WI 53190, or donate online at www.whitewatercommunityfoundation.org by clicking the “Donate” button. You may donate to our General Fund or, if you prefer, you will have an opportunity to choose a designation for your gift by selecting a specific category or focus area that you are passionate about. For tax purposes, the Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. The Foundation asks permission to announce your generous donation in future annual reports.  If you prefer to remain anonymous, please state your preference with the donation.  For more information, contact info@whitewatercommunityfoundation.org.

Thank you for considering the Foundation as a part of your charitable giving for 2019. 

Contact:
Bonnie Miller
whitewatercommunityfoundation.org 
262-458-4088