This is a very disconcerting time for the city of Appleton as there are some serious concerns about the Finance Department leadership and staff. The city's 2025 audit was due in July 2026 but is still not completed or filed. Moreover, the 2027 city budget was to be presented at the last common council meeting but was not "ready" at that time.

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.

“School choice has never been in higher demand, just as particular state leaders are crowing about taking it away,” said Quinton Klabon, Senior Research Director at the Institute for Reforming Government. “Instead of sabotaging some of Wisconsin’s highest performers and ripping options away from parents, Wisconsin should ensure every city has an ecosystem of diverse, excellent schools.”

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 Congressman Tony Wied met with Village Administrator Alex Kaker in Suamico and Director of Public Works Andy Smits to discuss the water infrastructure improvement project that will meet the community's current and future water demands while safeguarding public health.

“School choice has never been in higher demand, just as particular state leaders are crowing about taking it away,” said Quinton Klabon, Senior Research Director at the Institute for Reforming Government. “Instead of sabotaging some of Wisconsin’s highest performers and ripping options away from parents, Wisconsin should ensure every city has an ecosystem of diverse, excellent schools.”