THE BRIGHT SIDE

Elkhorn’s city officials are still under fire for their situation with emergency services and the whole community over it.
Last week’s common council meeting brought quite a mixed crowd of taxpayers, citizens, plus current and past employees. Many spoke during public comments. A former firefighter stated the city of Elkhorn made it impossible for her and other staff to adequately do their jobs. A current paramedic has repeatedly voiced concerns about the safety of the people they treat and the department’s own staff. Many locals are disappointed in the lack of transparency about the funds committed to the fire department and emergency services.

The firehouse is in desperate need of repairs. The city hired an agency to inspect the firehouse and recommend what improvements need to be made. There weren’t many items that passed the test. Yet, with a fire department that’s falling apart, Lafayette pulled from an agreement of shared services, resulting in a loss of funds. Meanwhile, with a deeply concerned community, the city administrator’s solution was to ask for a raise for himself.

This item on Monday night’s agenda was addressed several times during public comment, and then in a closed session to discuss this pay raise for Elkhorn’s City Administrator, Adam Swansong.  Yes, he received this untimely and patently ridiculous pay raise with full support from the council.  The example that preceded this shameful decision was the big raise for Lake Geneva’s own ‘David the Hut’ in different but similar circumstances.

The community voiced its concerns and asked for the raise to be denied, and money committed to public safety, but once again, the people lost, and the good old boys won.  Lake Geneva isn’t the only small Wisconsin community that sometimes travels a crooked road through life.