Mayor’s Column July 5, 2025
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun, and Happy Independence Day Weekend!
Jenny and I took the girls out to my mom’s for the 4th. My mom was in heaven having all the grandkids over for swimming, fishing, boating, food, food, and more food! I hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend. Independence Day is one of my favorite days of the year, regardless of who the President is or what the political environment of the day is, I have always loved celebrating America’s birthday, and all that this country is.
Last week, Fox Cities Magazine did a feature story on Waupun, an article called, “Waupun, Worth the Drive.” The article talked about our history as Prison City, but quickly pivoted to our other nickname, “Sculpture City.” The article talked about Waupun’s natural beauty, our arts, our cultural assets, our hot downtown shopping scene, and all that Waupun has going on! It’s really cool that Waupun has become a destination place to visit, and that we’re gaining statewide attention.
The article also mentions the kindness of our community, how neighbors help each other during natural disasters, and how we come together as a community, and that’s something I want to address in this article.
Waupun is a great place to live, and we are a kind community, however, there’s something going on right now that I feel I should address. As you all know, there was an incident in the Town of Chester regarding a dog that died. Passions are high and people are very emotional over what allegedly happened.
As I’m sure you also know, the person the allegations are against has passed away. This news story about that dog, and the person’s death have both made statewide news, and that’s where this story gets ugly. While everyone has the right to their opinions, the right to be angry, the right to protest, etc. when people take it to the level of threating this person’s family with threats of harm, including death threats, that’s going too far and is also illegal, and must stop! From the Dodge County Sheriff’s press release, he is taking threats seriously and will press charges against anyone who violates the law.
There have been so many threats that the funeral home had to remove the obituary from the website, the family has pulled it off social media, and some friends and relatives are in hiding. The threats are credible enough that Waupun Police and the Dodge County Sheriff’s office are now providing security to allow this family to have time to morn and have a peaceful funeral service.
Whatever becomes of the allegations against the deceased, his loved ones are innocent bystanders and his friends and family deserve to be allowed a peaceful time to mourn, and the city will assist with that in any way that we can.
As I said, everyone has the right to be passionate, but one person’s rights end when they infringe on another person’s rights. It’s also true that just because you have the right to say or do something, it’s not always the right thing to do. Let’s come together as the great community we are, lower the temperature, be kind, let the funeral happen in peace, and let the investigation reveal what it reveals.
Thank you and God Bless,
Mayor Rohn
