Mitchell A. Skurzewski
Reporter
8th District Alderman Tim Meehean has done enough listening on the aldermen recall topic. Meahean is one of five aldermen up for recall at the now-approved Alermanic Recall Election on July 16.
LaDonna Fermanich spoke during the public comment portion of the city council meeting on June 11 on behalf of Mark Bares, both of whom are recall organizers. Bares’ statement was about fiscal responsibility returning to Merrill and likened it to boiling a frog in a pot of water.
“…If you slowly turn up the heat the frog would boil to death in the water without knowing it. But the 7.4 percent tax increase turned the heat up way too fast and the frog jumped out of the pot,” the statement read.
The statement also said that it wasn’t just a few people that were upset with the tax increase, but the recall gathered 750 signatures in just 1/3 of the amount of eligible voter houses in the five districts.
“They want change and they want it now,” the statement continued.
Alderman Meehean spoke up in response.
“I have sat at these council meetings and heard untrue statements, made up facts,” he said. “When Mr. (Steve) Sabatke stood in front of this committee, he said things weren’t personal, just some things needed to change. He said it’s all about the taxes, but at the meetings the taxes were not mentioned once. It was all personal attacks on all the aldermen. None of which were true… Yet we continue to hear it’s not personal, yet it is personal. It’s what it’s been about this whole time…I am done letting these things go, I am rebutting and will be rebutting these things every chance I get.”
Other news from the June council meeting
- For cost saving measures the Aldermanic Recall election will be a hand-counted vote as opposed to the optical scan voting machines.
- Mayor Derek Woellner brought forth a proposed fixing of the Lincoln County Fair barn. A beam had split and the motion was easily approved. The cost of the fix is $2,500 but a necessary fix not only for safety but with the Lincoln County Fair fast approaching.
- Harvest Foods’ development agreement with the city was approved. It will be building a large building similar to the Rhinelander location. Meehean said “he knows quite a few people that travel from Merrill and Wausau to get to Rhinelander to shop at Golden Harvest.” The store will be a major coup for Merrill providing 50 jobs combined between full- and part-time.
- The City of Merrill and Merrill Area Public Schools will rent the lower level of City Hall commonly known as the old Senior Center/Merrill Area Enrichment Center. A three-year lease agreement, with a $400 monthly rental rate was approved.