Germantown - At A Jumping Off Point. Vote On 4/1/2025.

Let's Get Back To Simply Running Our Village Well With Transparency & Representation Of Our Taxpayers.

A short video set the tone for the day. In it, a teacher is assigning her class an exercise to collaborate on a list of the seven wonders of the world. Everyone, except one little girl, turns in their list and agrees that the seven wonders are:

The Taj Mahal, The Empire State Building, The Grand Canyon, The Pyramids in Egypt, The Great Wall of China, The Panama Canal and St. Peter’s Basilica.

The little girl was asked if she needed help with her list, and answered yes, she was having trouble making up her mind, because her list was different:

To Touch, To Taste, To See, To Hear, To Feel, To Laugh, and, To Love.

The classroom went quiet.

The imagery of this story is powerful. Change can happen just like that.

Readers of this newsletter understand that this author has been following the activities of our current Village of Germantown (VOG) administration for roughly four years. In that time, we have witnessed a steady stream of those in the seats of power making decisions favoring some, not everyone. We have seen repeated preference for VOG choosing to work with outside developers, while making it more difficult for local people to start or conduct business.

We have also witnessed a disregard for taxpayers’ opinions to the point of neglecting actual representation. Some trustees have stopped talking with their constituents due to a difference of opinion.

First amendment anyone?

We can’t really tell where all our tax monies are as it has taken four years for the administration to convert from the old system to the new, and they are just now getting around to proper financial reporting. Oh, and planning on being transparent.

Further, we are currently witnessing some on the village board purchasing properties with our taxes, having no long term financing plan in place, and in secret while saying that nothing has been decided.

The current tab is $1.7M for the old Flower Source property, $700K for a vacant adjacent property, $5M for the Ascension clinic when it closes in June, and not to forget, the Grosenick properties another $1,078,000.

$8,478,000 total.

The math in the image is close, not exact.

What is clear is that we have a choice to change our trajectory with this election on 4/1/2025.

Which of the village president candidates regularly picks fights with residents and trustees in VOG public meetings?

What candidate for president thinks that it is ok to use a PR firm to affect referendum votes, and has allowed the administrator to do so?

What incumbent president of our village believes that because he has been elected he is free to do as he pleases with taxpayer money, without first asking the taxpayers?

All of the above is verifiable and documented. If you want proof, ask.

On Tuesday, Germantown has a choice to stay on the current path or switch lanes. Our current president seems bent on making our village something that is has never been, nor really has an appetite for - flashiness, being like Mequon or Brookfield. We have seen numerous comments from people asking to slow down development and truly include people in the transformation of the “Village Center”. We are left with a partially done, “guided” master plan with a vague outcome where no one except a few on the board and in the administration had actual input before the contract to purchase was signed last year.

It’s time for fresh eyes and minds.

Which is why this newsletter is behind Bob Soderberg for Village of Germantown president.

For more information about Bob’s campaign go to his website here.

Do we think that Bob is perfect and will make all our troubles go away? No. Bob will need help to fix some of the paths we are traveling down. Do we think that everything needs to be thrown out when Bob wins? No. There are many good people working for the village, however, some of the policies and practices do need to be reshaped.

Will we agree with everything Bob says or does. Probably not. But, he has committed to transparency and accountability for which we expect him to uphold.

We do think it is time for a change. Vote for Bob Soderberg for Germantown Village president on 4/1/2025.

We hope you agree.

Happy Spring, To Us All!