Mayor’s Column September 12, 2025
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun,
Before I get into my weekly update, I wanted to begin this week’s column reflecting on the news of the week. On Wednesday, Charle Kirk was murdered, presumably for his Christian Conservative values. A couple weeks ago, little Catholic kids were murdered, presumably for their Catholic beliefs. Last summer, a Democrat state senator in Minnesota was murdered. This spring, the governor of Pennsylvania’s residence was firebombed, probably because he’s a Jew; an insurance company president was gunned down walking to work in New York simply because he ran an insurance company. In 2017 the Republican baseball team was shot in an ambush, and a member of congress almost lost his life.
Political violence isn’t exactly new, since the assassination of Lincoln, we Americans have gotten used to having to protect our elected leaders, and fortunately we’ve never had to do so in a city like Waupun. I can honestly say I’ve never felt unsafe or scared, but my wife has had a couple moments that have spooked her. We’ve gotten a few strange postcards in the mail over the years, and once a homeless person rang our bell late at night expecting to be able to sleep on the mayor’s couch. Waupun Police discreetly and professionally handled both situations. And while I don’t want to overreact to the recent news, it has crossed my mind that if someone is willing to show up at a senator’s door and shoot her, maybe someone would do the same to a mayor, or other locally elected officials.
As someone in politics and government, I’m all for passionate debate and pushing for what one believes in. I’m also Irish, and I’ve been known to get worked up and maybe say something I shouldn’t have, it’s something we’ve all done. But violence is never okay, and we all need to help to lower the rhetoric when it comes to politics. I have several friends from several different political leanings, and while we may not agree, we still like each other. I think it’s important we remember that when we’re criticizing someone for their beliefs, whether an elected official or not, that they are people, too. We all have feelings, and we should all be better at being respectful and agreeing to disagree.
Finally, we should all pray for America to heal. America has been here before, 1860’s, 1968, etc. and we’ve always made it through. What unites us is more than divides us, let us not forget that; and may God bless America.
In city news, this weekend is Volksfest, I hope to see you under the big tent having a dark beer and enjoying polka music.
“Let’s Go Taco” stickers have been showing up on signs around the city, especially on the boardwalk; one even was stuck on my Jeep. The stickers look like a Trump Pence sign, with the wording “Let’s Go Taco.” Taco is an acronym for “Trump Always Chickens Out”. Now, I don’t care if you like Trump or don’t like Trump, but I do care if someone is vandalizing city property. Vandalism is wrong. Knock it off and if you get caught you will be ticketed.
On Tuesday, I attended the annual Disturbance Control meeting at Waupun Correctional Institution. I attend annual meetings at the different prisons where we go through training exercises just in case something was to go wrong. I also attend regular meetings at DCI, called Community Corrections. It helps keep the city, the county, the community, and the State of Wisconsin on the same page. Having three prisons in our city sure does make being Mayor of Waupun a very unique position.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and prost!
Thank you, Waupun, and God Bless you all.
Mayor Rohn
