WHAT IS NEXT FOR RICHFIELD?

1/29/2016

Ten years ago Richfield residents had to consider how they would vote on a local referendum. They voted to support the Incorporation of the Town of Richifleld to become a village. At that time Jeff Gonyo and his buddies frequently spoke in opposition to the referendum.

On April 5, 2016 Richfield residents will have to decide how to vote on two referendums that were brought forth by Danah Zoulek. These referendums are supported by Jeff Gonyo since he circulated and signed many of the papers needed to get this request bought forward. The questions residents will have to consider and vote on, at the April 5th, 2016 Spring Village of Richfield election, were made public at the January 28th village board meeting.

The January 28, 2016 village board packet agenda notes the following Item 7e:

Two (2) referendum questions will be included on the Village of Richfield's April 5th, 2016 election ballot. These referendum questions were submitted by Ms. Danah Zoulek via procedures in Wisconsin State Statutes to amend the Village's Charter Ordinances.

Included in your attachments are the referendum questions. The referendum questions have been drafted by the Village Attorney and were submitted to the Washington County Clerk before Tuesday, January 26th, 2016. State statute requires the filing no later than January 27th, 2016.

Question 1: Shall the petitioned Charter Ordinance be adopted which would expand the size of the Village Board from five (5) members to seven (7) members and freeze the total Village Board compensation to exactly the compensation cost of the previous five (5) person Village Board?

Question 2: Shall the petitioned Charter Ordinance be adopted which would state that no person shall be elected to the Office of Village Trustee or Village President for more than three (3) terms two (2) years each] and serve no more than six (6) years for these respective positions?

Now it is up to Richfield residents to decide if they want their vote to support Jeff Gonyo and Danah Zoulek or continue what was decided in 2007.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR RICHFIELD? Can a failed 2015 Village of Richfield Trustee candidate and an anti-Richfield non resident continue to influence governance in Richfield?

What will be the outcome of these referendums?
ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE WITH YOUR VOTE!

7 Comments

Matt Stevens

1/29/2016 12:46:28 pm

If you don't support these referendums, then you are not a conservative. And to frame this referendum as "supporting Jeff/Danah" is the type of crap liberals do. This has ZERO to do with supporting Jeff or Danah. At it's core, it is a conservative principle to have term limits. I'm disappointed that Richfield Today feels the need to add a narrative to the questions in an attempt to undermine the referendum, rather than discuss the merits of the proposed referendums, regardless of who submitted them.

Shelly

1/29/2016 09:35:32 pm

True conservatives believe in smaller government.

Matt Stevens

2/2/2016 02:36:27 pm

You're right Shelly, they absolutely do. Not sure what this has to do with this referendum though. Neither of these really have anything to do with "smaller government".

Unless, that is, you are under the misconception that smaller government LITERALLY means the number of people on the board. The number of people on the board has nothing to do with smaller government. What smaller government means is less government intrusion and infringing upon your daily lives. It means less government controlling every aspect and interaction of private citizens.

For example, the village board deciding to eliminate the need for many of the permits or licenses currently required by the village would be smaller government. The village board deciding to give people more leeway with what they do or don't do with their own private property would be smaller government.

I hope you understand now what smaller government means, and that it has nothing to do with the size of the board. :)

Shelly

2/4/2016 08:59:10 am

Matt - just as there are many definitions of small so too are there many definitions of conservative. Your definition seems to lean towards a more libertarian view.

The argument you presented seems to be saying you want more people (on the board) in order to have less influence on the citizens.

Marie

1/30/2016 06:54:23 am

You have not been following this very closely go back and look at the numerous comments from months ago. Look at the facts that were stated on that we have representation...it's called elections. I don't know how you can make this conservative vs liberal. Doesn't work. All you are doing is rehashing all old arguments from Danah, gill and Jeff. Jeff has nothing to do with Richfield he does not live here.for many many years he has attacked our village and we all are sick of him

Marie

1/30/2016 02:31:52 pm

Hummmm.i wonder why the county downsized the county supervisors? Smaller GOVERNMENT!!!

Matt Stevens

2/2/2016 02:40:58 pm

Once again, the number of representatives on a village or county board has nothing to do with "smaller government". Small government is government which minimizes its own activities. It means less controlling our lives.

As for claiming I'm "rehashing old argument from danah or jeff, etc". I have no idea what arguments they have made. I'm not a sheep who simply parrots out what someone else has said. I research and make my own conclusions. And I am a HUGE proponent of smaller government. I believe in the constitution above all else, and my views fall in line with those of our founding fathers in most cases. Rand Paul and Ron Paul are the closest to my political leanings these days. So, I'm probably one of the biggest "small government" people you know Marie. :)

I hope we get a chance to talk again soon in person, I think maybe you misunderstand what I'm looking at here.

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WHAT IS NEXT FOR RICHFIELD?

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