A resolution calling for Excessive Vehicle Noise Data Collection was unanimously denied by members of both the Board of Health and the Safety and Licensing Committee last week. I expect that there will be a few concerned citizens speaking to the issue of noise downtown; but I also expect this resolution to be defeated by the majority of the full council.

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 Congressman Tony Wied traveled to Randy's Place Bar & Bowl in Suring to meet with local veterans to thank them for their unwavering service to our country. If you or anyone you know is in need of assistance with the Veterans Affairs (VA) or any Federal Agency, contact Wied's District Office at 920-301-4500 or submit a message through his website. 

The Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) released the Agency Sunshine Report on Thursday, finding that most Wisconsin offices and agencies failed the State’s own public records performance test. The report examines how quickly state agencies and constitutional offices answer the public and is accompanied by an interactive dashboard displaying response times.