OUR PLACE
Who is running things and how in the City of Lake Geneva, as it begins to plow head on into another summer of huge tourist visiting, developers fighting for zoning and other favors.
Well, things are not really ‘running’ at all. The city council amended the parking fines down from fifty dollars to thirty dollars, but the city’s ‘real’ leadership, Mayor Mayor and the city’s six-figure administrator decided, in concert with the six-figure city clerk and six-figure town controller not to put that new ordinance into effect until July. They are mad. Mad about the fact that the elected officials on the city council are not doing what they are told, recommended to do or anything else they don’t want to do.
So, far, since the recent election, the council is divided, with four alderpersons doing exactly what Mayor Mayor tells them to and the other four consistently in opposition. That leaves Mayor Mayor to break the tie votes. Mayor Mayor still gets what she wants but she has to get her way in full view of everyone and also revealing herself as the Queen of this new Lake Geneva Wonderland…or Wasteland, take your pick. No committee chairs appointed by Mayor Mayor means no committees meet. None. No appointment to the vacant police and fire commission, so that commission isn’t meeting either, or the Tourism commission. It’s ‘full ahead, stop,’ to use nautical commands.
Dan Draper, the city’s forever city attorney, is also forced to confirm everything this new cabal is doing, or not doing. He confirmed that, since once in 2019, against state statute, the police and fire commission was called into meeting without having a valid president or vice president to call the meeting that this ridiculous ‘illegal’ meeting could serve as a precedent for the current commission’s not being able to meet because there is now no president nor vice-president. Brilliant. But there it is. The Mayor Mayor of Lake Geneva rolls the garbage downhill right into Dan Draper’s waiting lap.
The next big social event that will take place in Lake Geneva is the Gage Marine private celebration, invitation only, to be held at the Riviera on the 18th. Will Mayor Mayor be invited? Will she show up? The Geneva Shore Report, with all staff, will be on hand to cover more of this developing, or not developing, situation.
