[Update: Alderperson Fenton has apologized for the comment and clarified that she was referencing the end of the election and not commenting on anyone’s right to run.]
During the recent election, Mike Schinke had been running for a spot on the Appleton Area School District Board of Education. Although over 5,600 local residents voted for him, he was unsuccessful, coming in 6th place, but he indicated on his campaign page that he intended to remain involved with school issues, posting, “You only lose if you don’t try! This isn’t over!”
Appleton Alderperson Denise Fenton (District 6), who had just been re-elected to her position on the Appleton Common Council, commented in response, “Yep…it’s over”.
The comment has since been removed, but the sentiment behind it has not been retracted. This was not something that was posted on a private page or a comment made off the cuff among friends, and I find it concerning that an elected representative would deliberately go to the public campaign page of someone who holds different views than her and express opposition not to his views but to the basic idea of him engaging with local government.
Upon losing his race, Mr. Schinke expressed his intention to continue being civically involved—as is the right of every citizen whether they hold office or not. Alderperson Fenton essentially sought out a local resident’s campaign page and publicly voiced her opposition to the basic concept of that resident continuing to exercise his right to participate in local government and to advocate for his desired goals and policy outcomes. That position is antithetical to some very fundamental American principals including the concept of “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” and the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom to petition the government for redress of grievances.
I reached out to Alderperson Fenton and asked what her intention behind the comment was. I also asked her, as an elected official, what her position is on residents participating in local government and engaging in advocacy. She has thus far not responded.
It was not even a year ago that Mayor Woodford spoke to the Common Council about the dangers of contempt and of his desire that decorum and respect be maintained not only in Appleton’s physical community but also in its online community. At the time, he was talking about the interpersonal relationships amongst the alderpersons, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to extend that to interactions with people seeking local office outside of the Common Council and certainly to non-elected residents seeking to be involved in local government issues. As Mayor Woodford so aptly said last year, “The community looks to us for leadership, and I don’t know that we’re always showing them that. And I think we need to.”
h/t to Blong Yang for the screenshots.
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