By Kim McDarison

Whitewater City Manager John Weidl, within a memo referenced as “media response,” released Tuesday within a meeting packet to members of the Whitewater Common Council, noted that the city’s staff had “received a significant amount of correspondence from various sources regarding the approved letter on the growing population.”

Weidl and Police Chief Dan Meyer, following a discussion with members of the common council in December, released a letter addressing fiscal concerns as they related to a “newcomer” population, to several elected officials, including President Joe Biden. 

Within his memo, among responses, Weidl additionally cited several elected representatives, including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin; U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, a Republican representing Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, and State Rep. Ellen Schutt, R-Clinton, as among those corresponding with the city.

He noted that “a multitude of news agencies” contacting city staff ranged from “local news stations” to “those from Washington DC.” 

“The correspondence we received extends beyond media inquiries. We have also received phone calls and emails from community members, both within Wisconsin and from across the country. These conversations have varied greatly, ranging from hurtful racist comments to curious and productive exchanges,” Weidl wrote.

Attached to his memo were various examples of the types of communications received at city hall, included, Weidl wrote, “to provide the common council with a comprehensive understanding of the correspondence received.”

Weidl’s memo further expressed a recommendation from city staff to forego the creation of a second letter, the crafting of which had been discussed by council in December.

Referencing the December discussion regarding the second letter, Weidl wrote: “Initially, when this letter (signed by Weidl and Meyer) was presented to the common council, I asked the council to hold on to any sentiments they wanted to add to the letter. I, at that time, offered to write a letter on behalf of the council that expresses your interests. However, at this time, the city staff does not think it would be effective to write a secondary letter.”

Weidl asked council members to instead give city staff time to “follow up on leads and action items that have been brought forth.”

Additionally, he wrote: “While meeting with Senator Baldwin, her staff mentioned some federal grant money and strategies that the city is eligible to apply for.”

During Tuesday’s council meeting, after a brief discussion, council members opted against directing the city manager to write a second letter on their behalf.

During the public comments portion of Tuesday’s meeting, the letter that was sent to Biden in December was addressed by Orin Smith, who is a candidate running unopposed in April for an Aldermanic District 2 seat.

An earlier story about the candidate’s comments to council on Tuesday is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/candidate-to-council-neo-nazi-group-targeting-campus-last-month-related-to-citys-biden-letter/.

Among examples of correspondence received at city hall attached to Weidl’s memo was an email to Meyer from an individual who described himself as a retired police officer. In his email, the individual cited a story published in “westernjournal.com,” writing: “I am appalled by your callous disregard for good sense with your foolish and dangerous cowardice when I read an article such as this.”

He called the “mayor” a “sub-human politician,” and the city’s police chief and “mayor,” both a “pansy a** coward.”

Whitewater uses a city manager-council form of government. The community does not have a mayor. 

Another email, sent to Meyer by an individual, wrote: “Hey, many people read your letter to the illegitimate Biden whining about invaders taking over your town. They wonder if you are on drugs? A drinking problem clouding the brainbox? They think you are a sick incompetent puppy. Do you have a reply to these folks?”

Additionally, a letter from Baldwin to Biden was included, in which the senator wrote: “I wish to express my concern and request immediate assistance for cities and towns across the State of Wisconsin as migration increases demand on existing state and local government resources.”

The senator expressed her support for “bipartisan negotiations on legislation that will help fix our broken immigration system, secure our border, and provide the resources the Administration has requested for critical border enforcement activities, communities receiving migrants, and to stem the flow of fentanyl across the border.”

Further, she wrote: “I want to ensure your attention to a request you recently received from the City of Whitewater, Wisconsin. Whitewater estimates that between 800-1,000 migrants have arrived since 2022, a population increase of approximately 7 percent. The city reports that it lacks the resources to provide the types of communication, transportation, housing, and public safety services that are necessary to best serve its community.”

In her letter, Baldwin said she was “working to connect the city to existing resources that may offset these costs.”

She cited several aids that have been proposed as part of a “national security supplemental appropriations request,” which would make monies available for services to migrants through grants to local governments, among other remedies.

In a letter to Meyer and Weidl, Schutt, who represents Assembly District 31, in which Whitewater is included, thanked the city officials for a letter from them which she had received.

She wrote: “You may be aware, on January 5, 2024, my colleagues and I sent a letter to President Biden emphasizing the need for additional federal resources to provide relief to strained public services in the City of Whitewater.”

Additionally, she wrote: “I applaud your efforts to seek assistance from the federal government.”

Steil, too, writing to Meyer, stating that he had read the chief’s letter to Biden, adding that “I will continue to work on resolving these challenges. I have visited the southern border multiple times, most recently this January, and saw firsthand how dire the situation has become. I am working to force the Biden administration to change course to secure the border and stop the flow of illegal migrants into the U.S. and places like Whitewater.”

Steil, accompanied by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican, arrived in Whitewater last November, during which time the two elected officials held a press conference where they focused largely on national politics and U.S. border control.

A link to a story about the November press conference held by Steil and Johnson in Whitewater is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/johnson-steil-hold-press-conference-in-whitewater-discuss-immigration-border-security-initiatives/.