Thank you Sarah, for the very accurate reporting.

The mayor blames the council, blames the bloggers, blame, blame, blame. If he were my son, I would suggest a little introspection is necessary to get ahead or even to get a long in this world.

Mr. Wieserman, I do not know what you are basing your opinions on but the Hekkers' have done nothing but promote the downtown. Your comments would be better if they were directed at certain business owners downtown. All we as property owners have done is get together to discuss how to help the downtown, our tenants and our property values. For this we are accused of having "coffee-clutch meeting". I guess what we have to do is to be an entity like the WDBA (Roger Igelski, Norm Bruce) or the West End Artists (Lynn Gaffey) run organizations and then we are able to vilify whomever we wish. Our frustration comes with the Mayor's continued appointment of his favorite lackeys to boards and commissions. He might think he is being coy but his actions are quite transparent. Mr. Scrima may publicly claim not to have any side in the BID issue but his appointments clearly show which side of the board he believes. What he has said, in my opinion, is that Meghan Sprager is a liar. She was not even given the dignity of having her allegations investigated. How would you feel if you were treated in such a manner?

This is all about Vickie's need for power and control, nothing less. If something is being done and it doesn't meet up to her standards, right away it has something to do with some form of corruption in city government - this is right from the horses mouth at their BLOG:
"I suppose you could just believe that their motives are pure and trust that they will be good stewards of the downtown and have confidence that the city will enforce the building codes. But then what would you do if it turns out their motives weren't so pure. Would you then expect and trust that the already overburdened police would clean up the mess?
Or
You could be a little wary (depending on your past experiences) and ask questions along the way. I am wary and so is every other developer who has been through the building about its soundness, the fire escape route, its basement, its lack of parking, its bypassing the plan commission, its lack of a fire suppression system.. Etc...Etc...Etc."

Attitudes of this sort by Vickie are replete in that forum and she demonstrates a flagrant disrespect for the Mayor, Common Council, BID, or an other entity that restricts her perceived power.
She doesn't run anything downtown! She just lives there[.]

Hey everyone, let's try to cool it with the personal attacks...

Christine VanderBloemen stated that the mayor continues to appoint “his favorite lackeys to boards and commissions.”

This is interesting since this same mayor appointed Christine VanderBloemen to the BID board.

Does this mean that Christine VanderBloemen is one the mayor’s favorite “lackeys?”

Seems as though Christine VanderBloemen is confused and conflicted.

If anyone commenting here would like to get together for coffee, I am all for it. Perhaps if you took the time to meet with Tom and I, you would understand our motives and our love for "the sha".

Class move Vicky, the attacks on the Hekkerses are commonplace downtown. The situation downtown is complicated and has a lot of history. There is a small group of individuals who think they run downtown. They have been very active and have done many good things to help the downtown. Yet unfortunately, they believe that only their opinions matter and have a “’ it’s my way or the highway” mentality. If someone expresses a divergent opinion they are systematically ostracized and marginalized. Rumors are spread, boycotts are called, people are shunned, individuals opinions are ignored and belittled. People are bullied into retreating from participating. It eliminates opposition because the price to pay for standing up is just not worth it to many.This was done covertly but widely and until recently many business owners felt they were the “only ones”. These tactics only work well in secret and now their dirty little secret is out. They can no longer hide these actions behind their achievements.

Until the WDBA leadership finally understands that addressing concerns of their neighbors is a good thing versus ruling with an iron fist, things will not change. Real leadership is lacking. Instead, they dig in and refuse to address concerns. They had a real opportunity to make a stand against bullying but failed to do so. They had an opportunity to change their bylaws to improve the organization and didn’t follow through. They have lost membership over the past two years but refuse to acknowledge the reasons why.

This has been going on for a long time but has been exacerbated by the mayor’s unconditional support. He has widened the divide downtown and the leadership of the WDBA obviously feels empowered by his support. If the WDBA and mayor were truly concerned they would try to build bridges instead of widening the divides downtown. Unfortunately, they have shown no interest in doing so.

We have had two mass exoduses of staff from the BID in the past two years due to this environment downtown yet the mayor and leaders of the WDBA feign ignorance over the issues. They think that if they say there are no issues, there are none. It is classic example of “stick your head in the sand and hope the problems go away”. Past Bid Executive Director Meghan Sprager exposed the culture downtown in hopes that the issue would finally be addressed. She did it because she cares about downtown and wanted things to change. For her efforts, the mayor and former BID and current WDBA leadership essentially called her a liar and have not made any attempt to investigate her allegations. It’s appalling.

The mayor’s actions of continually trying to stack the BID Board are very transparent. He is trying to blame the council for not having enough members to operate. The simple truth is that he has no interest in having a balanced board and that is why the council has had to challenge him on his appointments. I wish he had learned more from his Harvard leadership class.

Anti, he already had that one mastered. :)

Hey Barta, this same mayor appointed you to the BID board and you quit. Quiters and bloggers have very little credibility. Just what exactly are you smoking in that smoke shop of yours?

Hey Copper, it is the same mayor who appointed me. It is the same mayor who rammed through a $15,000+ pass through the BID without BID Board approval. It is the same mayor who ignored problems on the BID that despite him saying he was never aware of any problems. he actualy was and so was everyone in Waukesha (there were newspaper articles early this year concerning threats made to Meghan). Did the mayor ever check this out, did he contact the Executive Director? Did he investigate when the allegations came out? The answer is no. He chastised the council for not contacting his appointments, all of which the council had seen numerous times. Yet he was guilty of the same with the BID.

And Copper, yes I quit because the Board's leadership lacked credibility and integrity. They were the cause of the hostile work environment and the mayor backed them up without investigating the allegations. Hewas quoted immediately in the paper, saying the allegations were false. Amazing that he could come to that conclusion without talking to Meghan or Board members other than those accused. So I quit because it was clear that Board would do nothing and the best I could do was draw more attention to the situation. I'm glad I did and would do it again. Also notice, I took responsibility when I spoke to the council. I was part of a Board that couldn't get it done right and I owned that.

.

I will offer the same as Vicky did, if you want to sit down and have coffee I'd be happy to buy.

I suspect that the Freeman's change in policy concerning sound off posts being attached to a real name has caused some people that peppered the Sound off with propaganda to move to the Patch so they can't be identified. Your tone sounds familiar

Very interesting discussion we have going here ;-)

@ jeff Barta: I'm transparent with nothing to hide. A couple of questions, if I may?
Just wondering why you're dragging the Downtown Business Association into the BID issue? Further, although you took responsibility by letting the Common Council know what was happening after the fact, wouldn't addressing the issue while it was happening have been the right thing to do? Just curious, and I know that you are not to blame...
I vehemently believe we need to wipe the slate clean with this BID issue and leave the past where it lies. No "one" individual can be faulted if several people were alleged to be privy to what was happening. But it's done and over and cannot be changed.

From my perspective on things the Mayor has an obligation to make recommendations and that is what he is doing. It's always easy to stand on the sidelines and criticize someone's decisions, but I'm certain that there are reasons why he makes the decisions he does. Who am I to question them?
(continued)

I suspect that the Mayor would make other recommendations if individuals were not belittling him or the downtown BID. If I were in his position and knew an individual or group of individuals had negative beliefs and attitudes towards me and my plans for the progression and growth of downtown Waukesha, I couldn't recommend them either. And what if the Mayor recommends a person that doesn't wish to get involved in what has turned into a huge mess? You can't recommend someone who doesn't want to be a part of it, so you're left in a position with limited options, right?

A real big question to ponder is, who is performing the duties and obligations that remain in spite of a defunct BID board? People are quick to claim to support and do a lot for downtown and do nothing but criticize and condemn those who actually DO something!
Are any of the critics doing anything to help the downtown continue forward? Does anyone here know who has invested time to organize the Christmas Parade? And what about managing the Waukesha Farmers' Market so it would continue on as scheduled?
Maybe the BID should be dissolved and the downtown can be left to the devices of those who hate an organized forum of leadership.
There's a lot of work that needs to be done and I suggest that people either step into the volunteer line or HELP the Mayor find some quality people for BID!

Good questions, Scott!
I brought the WDBA into the conversation because they have been effective in claiming to be the voice of downtown. They have created the environment that we currently have. I agree that dealing with the issue while it was occurring would have been better but out of the respect for our Executive Director, who thought she could deal with the problems, I did not, my mistake.
Simply saying the past is the past and let’s move on serves no purpose other than give permission for the behavior to continue. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t acknowledge it.
You are right the mayor has an obligation to make his appointments. He also has an obligation to represent all of downtown, the BID’s constituency. The council made it clear they wanted a council member and had a preference to property owners (the ones who agreed to be taxed to pay for the BID). The mayor did not listen, only 2 of the 6 current members are property owners and he didn’t appoint a council member.

The mayor’s limited options are self imposed.The council supplied names of interested individuals. 20 downtown property owners supplied 6 qualified volunteers of which only Bill Huelsman was included. The mayor is trying to stack the board, while ignoring a significant portion of downtown. While that is his prerogative, it’s not what is best for downtown. I commend the council for recognizing it and holding him accountable. As far as your comments about not criticizing the mayor, I can only say that if you run for public office you are subject to criticism of your decisions. Our system of government is based upon the premise that we all have a voice in government. If that voice is being ignored and systematically vilified, shouldn’t I & others point out the inequities? It’s called a dissenting viewpoint and it usually results in better solutions. I understand your statements concerning the work that is being done in the absence of the BID. The use of the same people associated with the BID troubles is questionable at best. The choice of the mayor to give them those responsibilities is highly suspect. Again without talking about it, we condone it and give permission for him to continue to make poor decisions. I’ve repeated stated these individuals have done a lot for downtown, but it doesn’t excuse the behavior. If he truly believed in their innocence, he should have called for an investigation to clear them of the allegations. He chose not to do so.

Scott,
I respect your right to your views and thank you for using a civil tone in your arguments, all of downtown can learn from that. I hope I answered your questions.

Mr. Barta,

We know, that although the mayor appointed you as a member of the BID board, that you quit this board. And we know that you like to spend a lot of your time writing on these blogs.

But what we really want to know is what have you specifically done to improve downtown? Have you helped out with the Farmer's Market, Christmas Parade, the Arts Crawls or the Santa Run?

Mr. Barta, just what have you specifically done to help recently?

Ashley,
Actually I don’t often contribute to these blogs, only when an issue is important.
There is a myth perpetuated by some that if you don’t participate in an event downtown that you are a not worthy of downtown. We all contribute in many ways.
I don’t feel the need to tout what I do. I get my satisfaction from building a solid business which is a daily contributor to downtown; that brings in people from all over the Metro Area and beyond.
Since you’ve asked and will likely criticize me if I don’t respond, here is some of what my wife and I do to improve downtown. While on the BID I’ve worked on the development committee. I’ve volunarily cleaned streets, sidewalks and tree grates. I assisted staff whenever I could. We’ve mentored , collaborated with, and supported other businesses. I’ve advocated for other businesses. We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars improving our building. In our radio ads we promote Historic Downtown Waukesha. We refer our customers to other business routinely.
There are many ways to contribute downtown. I’d be happy to sit down with you to discuss further and maybe hear what you do.

This Barta fellow quit the BID board, period. Now he seems to be a wining, insecure, sympathy-craving, self-indulgent, self-important, over-privileged blogger.

Macanudo, I quit the Board because it was corrupt and unable to function. Now you can attack me all you want. That is the truth. I use my own name and don't hide behind poorly concocted aliases. This childish attack is indicative of the behavior of downtown "leaders" and gives credence to what I said before. Nice try, it doesn't work anymore.

Barta says the BID board, which he was part of, was "corrupt.” This implies that the entire board was morally perverted, evil or depraved. How can all 13 members of this board be “corrupt?” Barta provides no names, specific examples, or hard evidence on anyone… yet he says they are “corrupt.” Perhaps Barta is the corrupt one.

Funny how all these first-time posters are all of a sudden interested in the BID. Once again an anonymous attack, old tactics at work, just a different venue. For those of you who have doubted what we have been dealing with downtown, this is another example for you.

I called the board corrupt because leadership of the Board had no interest in investigating the allegations of our Executive Director and the board didn’t have the will to stand up to leadership. Norm Bruce as President of the BID could have initiated an investigation. An ad hoc committee was formed but did nothing to investigate how this occurred or how it could be prevented in the future. Then the night Bruce and his supporters resigned, err withdrew from the BID, they complained about being convicted in the media without an investigation. There has still been no investigation, I doubt there will be one as it will reveal the actual facts.

What needs to be investigated is Barta's personal relationship with the former Executive Director... Downtown Waukesha has sordid secrets.

Peyton, If I were Jeff, I would have an attorney so fast your head would spin. This is absolutely slander and it is in print. You have went too far!

Once again another post by someone who has never posted before, hmmm. Once again, another anonymous lie meant to discredit someone who has spoken out about what goes on downtown. It is yet another prime example of what happens downtown when someone dares to question the WDBA or one of its leaders. These tactics have gone on for years. Meghan had the courage to expose it which takes away its effectiveness. The mayor without investigation, dismissed her allegations and defended his buddies, effectively calling her a liar. Her claims were never investigated.
This poster, who again is anonymous under yet another alias, has done nothing more than help me and others make the case for exposing the bad behavior downtown. Unfortunately, it looks like old habits die hard.