Darien to vote on police in referendum
DARIEN — Village residents in April will get to share their opinions about the future of the village's police department.
The village board on Monday unanimously voted to put a referendum question on the April 7 ballot asking residents if they want village officers to continue providing round-the-clock police protection.
The non-binding referendum will be a research tool as the board looks for ways to address budget concerns, village board member Craig McCue said.
The village budgeted $540,000 for police protection in 2009, Administrator Marc Dennison previously told The Janesville Gazette. Total operating expenses for the village are budgeted at $1.49 million.
The intent is not to eliminate the police department or even eliminate 24-hour police protection, said village board member Kurt Zipp, who introduced the referendum to the board and worked on the ad hoc committee that wrote it.
The intent is to gauge how "passionate" residents are that village officers provide police services, Zipp said.
"Do the residents feel there shouldn't be any alternatives other than the village police providing 24-hour protection?" Zipp asked.
The referendum question will round out an already full ballot. Eight people, including three incumbents, vie for three seats.
The five challengers are Cheryl Kaufenberg of 209 W. Washington St., Joel Gauer of 22 Washington St., Debi Olmstead of 185 Andrea Court, Helen Burton of 310 N. Cavanaugh Court and Cynthia Holmes of 30 E. Beloit St.
Village board incumbents seeking re-election are Philip Putman of 425 Jefferson St., Craig McCue of 39 N. Walworth St. and Allen Kenyon of 344 W. Beloit St.
For village president, Evelyn Etten of 436 Oak Ridge Drive will challenge incumbent Robert Metzner, 340 W. Beloit St.
A primary election is Tuesday, Feb. 17.
The board Monday night talked about options for a candidate forum, but details were not confirmed. The law prevents the village from hosting a forum, Dennison said. It would be up to a community group to do so, he said.
Feb 17, 2009 at 7:53 a.m.
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DebiO
"I believe at least 2 of the above items are not legal." Which two?
Feb 16, 2009 at 9 p.m.
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It's official - Darien seems to have seceded from the United States of America.
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At tonite's Board Meeting, King Metzner :
* Did not allow citizens to participate (yes, it's true!) No FREE SPEECH here in Darien
* Changed the agenda around at the last minute to suit himself
* Would not address Chief DeVoy's situation, instead, he 'decreed' that the Chief's future would be decided in a closed session, by a vote I can guarantee will be 5-2.
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I believe at least 2 of the above items are not legal.
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And why was Cheryl Kaufenberg the ONLY citizen allowed to speak? (Why were her comments just a tirade against Craig McCue?)
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GUESS why. The writing's on the wall, citizens.
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PLEASE turn out to vote tomorrow. Help some GOOD people help YOU. The insanity of this communistic behavior has to STOP!
Feb 16, 2009 at 12:23 a.m.
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lifeisawheel i asked the question about the cannon, so you don't know, and quit your whining about people not responding ..maybe they don't want to give the enemy any ammunition .
Feb 15, 2009 at 10:28 p.m.
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Unbelievable. Two and a half months of posting and blogs, I say the Chief is coming back and nothing. Zero. Mission accomplished apparently. No one has anything to say?!?! Cannon? Ummm, okay sure.
Feb 15, 2009 at 6:55 p.m.
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Is the old cannon still in the park in Darien ?
Feb 14, 2009 at 9:58 p.m.
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ATTENTION!!!
It is on the agenda for this Monday's meeting to reinstate Chief DeVoy!!! Come one, come all!!! Monday, February 16, 2007 at 7:00pm. And don't forget to vote the next day on Tuesday to make sure nothing this messed up will ever happen again!!!
Feb 12, 2009 at 3:29 p.m.
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The vote is not to disband the PD it is to find what kind of protection the people expect...it is only to find out information, not to act on.
Feb 11, 2009 at 10:56 a.m.
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Bigmama -
ResponsibleCitizen is right, the April Meeting Minutes have been restored now.
Feb 11, 2009 at 10:38 a.m.
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BIGMAMA...know what you are talking about before you make accusations...I have no friends on the board or in the office...my only interest is in what is best for the village. I live here and attend meetings. All I state is what is fact not rumors...all of the gossip on here does not help matters. Our chief will not be back or fired until the attorney is done. We will not have a new board unless people vote properly. The biggest problem with our Village is the lack of citizens participation, the Gossip on these blogs DOES NOT HELP our situation...Please talk to people before you talk about them.
Feb 11, 2009 at 9:28 a.m.
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The April 2008 Minutes are the same as they have been...I've noticed that the minutes for the December 1, 2008 meeting have been changed from a PDF file to a DOC file...Someone might want to request a formal copy of the minutes from Mr. Dennison.
Feb 11, 2009 at 5:17 a.m.
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I have seen nothing changed...
Feb 11, 2009 at 5:17 a.m.
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what was tampered with?
Feb 10, 2009 at 8:06 p.m.
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WAIT WAIT WAIT!
Female candidates running for the Village Board are being harrassed? One by a current Board Member?
This is a new low by good old boys, I must say.
I only hope that the residents are following these blogs, even as the blogs get shut down one by one.
And now we have illegal tampering with Public Record of Meeting Minutes.
What will it take to get King Metzner and his minions out of office?
Feb 10, 2009 at 6 p.m.
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bigmama -
Yes, they killed another one! Please tell what you mean about females running for the board!
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I think that altering Public Records (meeting minutes) is a crime, and it's happened for the second time now.
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But Metzner hasn't been around so who did it? The Administrator?
Jan 22, 2009 at 6:17 p.m.
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RonBurgundy
Well said.
Jan 20, 2009 at 6:18 p.m.
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A decision on Devoy can not and WILL not be made until after and only after Walworth County Sheriff's Dept. turns the evidence back over to Phil Koss District Attorney and he makes a final decision on what the position of the DA's office will be. My feelings are that Bobby Boy will push for the Village to press charges on Steve if the DA comes back with a negative. Until the DA's Office has made a decision the Board can not and will not re-instate or Fire Devoy. If you want to push the issue call the DA's office and ask where we are at...if they can give you info they will. http://www.co.walworth.wi.us/District%20...
Jan 20, 2009 at 6:10 p.m.
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Here is a quote from the article...
"A primary election is Tuesday, Feb. 17.
The board Monday night talked about options for a candidate forum, but details were not confirmed. The law prevents the village from hosting a forum, Dennison said. It would be up to a community group to do so, he said."
I spoke with the Wisconsin's elections boards, Senator Neal Kedzie's office and Representative Kim Hisxon's office and all 3 of them confirm there IS NOT A LAW that prevents the village from having a forum.
So I called Mr. Dennison to ask about it, and he stated, "He never said it was against the law, rather the village attorney David Danz, indicated it would not be in the best interest for the village to do so."
When I told Mr. Dennison about MY 1st amendment rights and my conversation with the Wi elections board, he said that we could have the forum at the village hall..just not sponsored by the village..
So what are the current VP and other board members trying to hide?? They probably do not want to be shown up by the competition...
Jan 20, 2009 at 6:03 p.m.
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Bye Bye Mikey! Snuggle up to your man at Evansville and maybe he give you your job back. If they don't it, you can still hit for the cycle by trying to take the position of Chief in the Town of Milton. Without your full time job you go back to private security and part time work out of the lime light. Ever thought about moving far far away? I bet you have 5-6 departments that would be happy to give you a rosy recommendation to see you hit the road.
Jan 20, 2009 at 4:45 p.m.
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if you would read it...it is not to vote to get rid of the PD it is do we want DARIEN 24hr police protection...it is also a NON-BINDING referendum
Jan 20, 2009 at 9:25 a.m.
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Citizens of Darien: You do not want to eliminate 24 hour police protection. I know the economy sucks but, this is one area that should not be shorted. The worse the economy gets, the more you will need the police. I know at times it seems like a waste, but it sure pays off when you REALLY need them and they are there. You will not want to have to wait long periods of time for a Walworth Deputy to arrive. They are short staffed too and have bigger areas to cover. I am sure that if you looked hard enough, you could find other areas that could stand to be cut financially. If anything get rid of SGT. ROSCO! That would save money in his pay and lawsuits. IMO
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