Mayor’s Column February 25th, 2023
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun,
Because of the snowstorm and two days of no school, along with a busy week of Mayor events, working around snow at my full time, and packing for a four-day trip to Washington, D.C. to lobby on behalf of cities like Waupun, who own our own municipal electrical utility, I just ran out of time for a regular Mayor’s Column.
So, this column is being posted late and is a little short, but don’t worry, we’ll be back to normal next week.
Speaking of that storm, that was quite a snow storm! Someday, I think I’m going to present a mayoral proclamation to all corner lot owners! I feel your pain as the snow piles up and the plows come around the corner and two feet of heavy wet slush lands in the driveway!
In all seriousness, I want to thank the city Public Works crew for the great job that they did. I drove down Main Street about Noon on Wednesday, and for as hard as it was snowing; the street conditions were pretty dang good. The crew worked all day until 6:00 pm and then came back out at 2:00 am to start all over again. We take it for granted, but there’s some 60 miles worth of roadway that has to be maintained with an ever-shrinking department. Kudos to the DPW crew on a job well done!
Next week I want to write a more detailed column about shard revenue, and MSP payments, and how they are negatively impacted the City of Waupun. I’ll have a detailed list of cuts that we made for this upcoming year, and will lay out even further cuts in services if the governor and legislature do not fix the broken funding formula.
One quick example, in 2000 Waupun had some 17 members of the DPW crew, we’re down to 13 with many more miles of road to clear, parks to maintain, and building to operate. I’ve always said I will use my position as mayor to be Waupun’s biggest advocate, and I will do everything we can as a city to make sure our legislatures know what’s happening. Waupun has always been a conservative community, but has maintained a high quality of life. That lifestyle is in jeopardy without changes from the legislature.
Wish me luck in DC! I don’t fly much, so I’m a little nervous.
Thank you and God Bless,
Mayor Rohn
