I have recently heard many people who are excited about the increase in the home inventory in the city praise the Thrivent development process and the TID/TIF... as if the only way to make development happen on this Thrivent land is with a TID/TIF.  But they fail to take into account that this development can absolutely happen without a TID/TIF. 

The first discussion of a potential Wheel Tax came at a Special Town Board meeting held on June 23, 2026, at 9:00 AM. Only two residents, myself and one other, were in attendance at the special meeting. That means, with only one discussion, and without seeking any resident input, the Board, in a vacuum, created a new Town tax in just a two-week period. This special Town Board meeting raised several issues.

On Monday, July 6, Fox Valley Initiative will feature two speakers: Laura Ackmann of Moms for Liberty and Carolyn Pierre of Guardian School Consulting [invited]. Both organizations are working to protect children from sexual predators in schools. The problem of sexual misconduct by teachers and other school staff has grown in the Fox Valley and across Wisconsin.

I have questions about the Wilden Portfolio Park development (at Thrivent) and the proposal that Appleton create a 14th Tax Incremental District (TID) to help incentivize this development. The Appleton City Council should consider both sides of this pancake. The colorful sprinkles presented by Thrivent’s request to create a Tax ID are all obtainable without a TID.

According to the 2020 Census, nearly SIX TIMES as many people in Outagamie County are Catholic: 62,763 Catholics versus an estimated 10,725 LGBTQIA+. Add in the numbers who belong to other Christian faiths, and you can see how many more people in Outagamie County are Christian than LGBTQIA+. So why is the Pride Flag being flown at the County Courthouse, but the Christian flag cannot be?

Wisconsin Elections Commission Chair Don Millis tried to create the impression that local election clerks are the elections authority by saying the elections are “administered” by the clerks. Local clerks throughout the state diligently oversee the tasks associated with conducting elections, but ask any one of them and you will learn they rely on the WEC to understand how things are supposed to be done.

Over the last several weeks, the Wisconsin Supreme Court (SCOWIS) has released a series of decisions that will affect property owners, employers, taxpayers, landlords, colleges, and state government. These aren't technical legal disputes. They shape who can sue, how government exercises power, what constitutional protections mean, and how laws will be interpreted for years to come.