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Franklin Alderman Olson responds to former alderman about warning sirens

Posted by Kevin Fischer on March 18, 2010

Because of problems with this website, Franklin Alderman Steve Olson was unable to post a comment in response to former Franklin alderman Don Dorsan about my blog on tornado warning sirens.

My blog follows, then the comments,  followed by Olson’s response:

This is why I strongly support Franklin Alderman Steve Olson. He’s the only member of the Common Council that has any measure of common sense.

DISCLAIMER: I know all the Franklin aldermen. I met Steve Taylor once and gave him the benefit of the doubt, but since being elected he’s been a major disappointment, masquerading as a conservative, but making constant liberal statements and votes. My alderman Kristen Wilhelm is a lost cause. She hasn’t met a tax increase or new spending proposal she doesn’t like. But then, as she once told me, “Kevin, you’re just one constituent.” Wrong, Kristen. I am “a” constituent. “Kevin, you are just one constituent.” Translation: Screw you.

My feelings about tornado sirens for Franklin are well documented. They are too expensive and totally unnecessary.

News bulletin to Franklin residents: The city is flat broke. We are in a deficit. We don’t have extra cash to toss around to spend willy nilly. And even if we did, warning sirens in this day and age are not necessary.

Bravo to Franklin Alderman Steve Olson for making this statement Tuesday night at the Common Council meeting:

"I'm going to make this statement, (and) I'm sorry if it offends people: I don't need the government to tell me when to come out of the rain. Just because we have the cash doesn't mean we have to spend it."

Amen.

Do we have to depend on City Hall to tell us to run inside and hide under our beds?

Olson was 99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999% right.

FRANKLIN MAY HAVE SET THE MONEY ASIDE FOR POSSIBLE SIRENS, BUT THE CITY IS OUT OF MONEY.  IF THE CITY DOESN’T ROB YOU (AND IT WILL) THEN THE SCHOOL BOARD IS POISED TO STICK THE REVOLVER IN YOUR RIBS.

Is it any wonder they keep taxing and spending when people keep asking for new taxing and spending and then, when it’s far too late, moan and groan every December? They gaze at their property tax bills and wonder out loud, “Gee, how in the world did this happen?”

Franklin taxpayers, when you’re being fleeced and are bending over saying take more, please take some more, you have yourselves to blame.

ddorsan

Kevin, There is a difference between wasteful spending and necessary spending for public safety. The fact is that tornados are 2.5 times more likely to kill between the hours of midnight and dawn. Precisely the time when we are in our beds is the time when we need City Hall to tell us to hide under them, as you say.

It is irresponsible for Steve Olson to appeal for a vote or two in an attempt to appear to be the lone fiscal conservative on the council.

I'm glad he was the only member on the council to share your views on this.

Kevin Fischer

Tell me, Don.

How has Franklin managed to survive all these years without the warning sirens?

On previous blogs of mine, you have preached fiscal responsibility. On this issue, you break open the empty bank.

Why?

We know why, don't we Don.

If Steve Olson voted no, the answer obvously is yes, right?

Don, please write back with your plan on how many sirens Franklin should erect, where they should go, why we should put them up (how many tornadoes have actually hit anywhere near Franklin the last 30 years) and how would you pay for them?

ddorsan

Fred, I will gladly respond.
How many tornado’s hit Barneville Wisconsing before 1984 where 9 people were left dead in its wake? They aren’t predictable and don’t strike in the same place frequently. To say we shouldn’t have this basic protection because we haven’t had a tornato is like aruging against smoke detectors because your house hasn’t burned down yet.

How many do we need. I have no idea. There are experts easily found for that. You could probalby find basic calculations for this on the internet.

Where should they go? Again defer to the experts but I hope they go close enough to my house to wake me up at 1 am if a F 5 tonrnato is bearing down on Franklin as was the case in Barneville.

How are we going to pay for it? Stop funding things like the boondoggle in Boomgaard where we spent $370,000 to hire a consultant to come up with that gem of a name. Yes I’m fiscally conservative, thank you, but there is money well spent and then there is money thrown down the drain.

My position on tonato sirens has not recently changed for some political advantage as you imply. I brought this issue forward way back when I was Alderman. It was voted down. Thank God we haven’t had a tornado since then. And thank God there was only one grand stander vieing for politial points on the council this time!

Kevin Fischer

Fred?

Fred?

Do you even know who the hell you're talking to?

Fred?

Who the hell is Fred?

If you're going to respond to someone you should at least get their name right. Don, that's called common courtesy.

Fred?

Are you talking about the Franklin blogger that nobody reads anymore because he's become such a joke?

At least you didn't confuse me with that idiot Franklin blogger you think so highly of, the tax and spend lover. You know who I'm talking about.

Back to your response. If you admit you have no idea how many sirens we need than your opinion has no credibility. You have no facts to back up your argument other than to say to me, go find the experts.

That's not how I want my Common Council to vote. Duhhh, gee, I'm sure there are experts out there. I haven't found them, but I'm sure they're out there nad they'd support me if ony I could find them.

Don, your argument is that Barneveld, and yes, it's Barneveld, once had a tornado? Are you serious? That is ridiculous. With your crystal ball, you should be in Vegas, not commenting on FranklinNOW.

Oh, Jennifer...Don Dorsan says Barneveld had a tornado 20, 25 years ago. We better hide in the basement!!!

No, Don. You are not a fiscal conservative. Not if you're willing to spend money we don't have willy nilly on a huge expenditure we don't need.

And next time you write, the name is Kevin.

K-E-V-I-N

AM

I

TALKING

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DON?

steveo8091

Kevin has me banned. I have a response for Don and Kevin but after 4 attempts, frankly, I have better things to do.



Steve Olson’s response to Dorsan:

Don:

I respect your opinion as always, but there are facts that you either don’t know or chose to ignore.  I’ll go with “don’t know.”

First, you and many in your circle use the word “grandstand” very liberally when it suits your argument.  I’ll proudly take the mantle when it’s related to my efforts to try and control the spending at city hall.

What you don’t know is that on page 3, top of the page in the STAFF report written by our own Fire Chief James Martins, he writes:  “This system (sirens) also alerts those presently outside, away from media sources such as radios and televisions…  The PRIMARY DISADVANTAGE (emphasis mine) are the initial investment AND THE FACT THAT THE SIREN SYSTEMS LACK THE DECIBEL OUTPUT NEEDED TO ALERT THOSE INSIDE A HOUSE, POSSIBLY ASLEEP.”  (emphasis mine)

For the city taxpayers to install a system to rouse you and your family out of your post 1974 constructed home we would need perhaps triple the sirens. 

As a fiscal conservative, I’m certain you appreciate the fact that in this instance, given the limitations of the technology, the individuals in this city would be far better off to protect their families with the purchase of a $35 weather radio.

Here are a couple of other facts you may not know.  Last year the system was activated a total of 4 times.  No tornadoes.  Certainly there were none in Franklin.  You also may not know that the system is county wide.  So what you say?  Any time Brown Deer gets a tornado watch Franklin citizens will be heading to the basement.  Not a very effective way to operate.

All of this would be an interesting discussion and probably well worth the investment if we were in good economic times.  We are not.

Last year, very quietly and against my vote, the Common Council transferred $700,000 from fund balance (the city savings account) to the general fund to cover revenue shortfall.  That’s a fancy way of saying WE DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY COMING IN TO PAY FOR WHAT WAS GOING OUT!

So, as a former alderman, I ask you what your priorities would be when June comes around and our financial statements show a huge (pick a number) revenue deficit and bills for a $145,000 shiny new ambulance (the current one could have been fixed for less than $10,000), two shiny new highway snow plows (more than $300,000), two new pickup trucks for the summer help ($37,000) AND a brand spanking new tornado siren system for MORE THAN $150,000.  What would you do to balance the budget?  Raise fees?  Look around.  See much building going on?  Take a look at the report we just received from the Planning Department.  They have practically NOTHING going on (we have 4 planners and a secretary). 

You know that the work Planning does now impacts revenues about 5 months later in engineering which then impacts revenues in Inspection.  THERE’S VERY LITTLE REVENUE coming in.  What would you do?

I choose to try to tighten the belt and NOT BUY things that we’ve done without.  We’ve done without sirens since this area was pastures and woodlands.  We can do without them until revenues pick back up.

By the way, the Barneveld tornado was on June 8, 1984 in Southwest Wisconsin, NOT Franklin.

What would you do?