Vin Santo closes
The popular downtown Middleton restaurant Vin Santo (pictured above; photo by visitmiddleton.com) has announced that it is closing, at least temporarily, because of the fall-out from the coronavirus pandemic.
On their website, owners Gregg and Clarissa Edwardsen announced:
'It is with tremendous sadness Clarissa and I are announcing that we will be suspending operations at Vin Santo effective today, September 8th, for the foreseeable future. Due to the covid-19 regulations imposed on businesses like ours in Dane county it is not possible for Vin Santo to continue on as is. After being closed for 70 days followed by another well over 100 days of severely reduced capacity with no end in sight (as well as other restrictions not in our control) it has become very clear this is the only reasonable option for our small family business, our staff, our families and frankly our personal well being. We would need the business climate to change significantly and soon if we are to carry on. We have not totally given up yet and will keep you all posted as to our future plans. (...)'
Vin Santo specialized in Tuscan home-style cooking, and had been operating on Hubbard Avenue since 1998.
Creative inertia
Middleton's Community Development Authority (CDA) is an odd assembly. Its official brief consists of promoting economic development and affordable housing in the downtown area (TIF district 3, really), and in the past it has led a quiet life collecting rent from downtown properties it owns (like the Hubbard Activity Center, for instance), paying for snow removal in downtown public spaces, supporting events like the annual Christmas tree lighting and National Mustard Day with financial grants, and the like.
But since the coronavirus-pandemic has led to a collapse in business activity, it has had to shift its focus. To its credit, until very recently when the Common Council finally awoke from its beauty sleep, the CDA was the only City institution that seemed to realize that local businesses were in trouble, and that discussed ways to help them. It even made and implemented some decisions, that turned out to be popular successes, like putting picnic tables in public spaces downtown, and facilitating ordering from local restaurants through the 'Pick Your Picnic' initiative. Under its impulse, the License and Ordinance Committee (L&O) earlier this week approved an ordinance allowing alcohol on the green space next to City Hall (called City Hall Commons for the occasion - see Middleton e-View 19), and the Council approved sidewalk cafés to spill into the street. (To be fair, the City's administration has also supported local businesses, for instance by tacitly allowing restaurants to extend their sidewalk cafés as much possible.)
The driving force behind much of the CDA's and L&O's activity has been district 1 alderwoman Kathy Olson, supported by district 3 alderwoman Katy Nelson who, as a small-business owner, knows better than most how dire the situation is for the business community. But in a way she also represents the limitations of the CDA in that her district is for the most part outside the CDA's sphere of influence.
But while the CDA deserves credit for what it has done so far, it also exemplifies a decision-making process that works well enough when it comes to routine events, and non-essential, non-urgent issues, but that is useless, harmful even, when quick, unorthodox decisions are required to deal with an unprecedented situation.
Thus for instance, and symbolically, maybe, the CDA has not only not accelerated its monthly meeting rhythm in spite of the crisis, but it didn't meet at all before June of this year, and it is only now, six months after the first government-mandated business shutdown, and at the end of the outdoor season, that the CDA is considering maybe holding a special meeting to speed up its decision-making.
At its most recent meeting, September 10, the CDA and the Downtown Middleton Business Association (DMBA) had an official joint meeting for the first time since the crisis began (there had been other on-going contacts between CDA and DMBA members and, especially, City staff before, though).
A number of ideas had come out of an earlier CDA 'brainstorming' session, although none have been implemented yet (some of those for obvious reasons: they won't be relevant until later in the year). These included allowing businesses from outside the downtown area to use the downtown plaza to showcase or sell their products; installing lighting at the plaza; installing fire pits or other heaters at the plaza; having chalk-artists decorate downtown; enhancing the landscaping; closing streets on a temporary basis to allow for a 'streateries' program, a pedestrian shopping atmosphere and the possibility for better physical distancing; moving the Christmas tree lighting to the plaza (they call it 'tree lighting'; the 'C'-word is verboten by the thought police to protect the sensibilities of the perpetually offended); providing additional funds for promotion to DMBA; live-streaming events at the plaza; and installing a temporary ice rink.
The DMBA has added its own suggestions to the mix, some of which with the CDA-generated measures, with electricity at the plaza and string-lights over downtown streets (not just the plaza) at the top of the list. Other items include heating elements, a covered structure at the plaza, more live music (the Village Green has sponsored several performances so far), space for kids' activities, and portable toilets (an upcoming issue of this newsletter will provide more details about the DMBA's concerns and proposals).
One problem is thus not so much a lack of ideas, as a lack of execution. And not just a lack of execution or action, but the opposite - a pronounced effort to justify not taking action. Some CDA members, not all, mind you, seem to have a natural instinct to try to talk themselves, and their colleagues, out of doing whatever was just suggested. Whether it is creating an ice rink, or temporarily closing a street to car traffic, or promoting events, or anything else that is new and exciting - they don't try to find ways how it could work; they try to find reasons why it wouldn't work: ice will turn to slush, a pedestrian street won't allow for curbside pick-up, an event might attract too many people, ... the defeatists' imagination in conjuring up all kinds of unforeseen unforeseeable problems is endless. Add to that the CDA's extreme consensual approach to decision-making, and it means that a minority of ditherers can prevent anything from being accomplished. In the CDA's world, doing nothing is always preferable to doing something that might fail or that does not have unanimous support.
The tragedy of course is that while they endlessly discuss their hypothetical failure scenarios, what is really needed is urgent action. And the only way to find out if something new works, is to try it out in a controlled environment and with reasonable safeguards against foreseeable problems. If the ice rink fails, then we'll know why, and either change the set-up for next time, or not do it again. Same with the pedestrian street. We learn from failure; it's the scientific method.
Unfortunately, the CDA seems to be suffering from what is commonly known as the Public-Works-Directorate-Syndrome: It is not there to get things done; it is there to explain why things can't be done. Combine that with the three tenets of the rule-by-committee faith (1. It takes more time to do things quickly. 2. It takes more money to do things cheaply. 3. It takes more discussion to do things simply.), and you end up with a practice known as 'creative inertia'. The CDA excels at it.
Example: For several months now, it has discussed getting electricity to the site of the downtown plaza to string lights across it. With shorter daytime hours, it is the most urgent request that the businesses have. City staff has tossed around several possible solutions, none of which work, because they would take too long or be too expensive or both. That problem was solved recently when the Village Green offered to connect the lights to its own electric supply for free. The next problem is: How and where to string the lights? (If you're waiting for an answer, you might want to take a seat.)
Other example: For several months now, it has discussed putting up some sort of shelter on the site of the downtown plaza. With the weather changing, it is also a request from the local businesses that is gaining in urgency. City staff got an early estimate that it would cost about $5,000 a month to rent a structure for the plaza, and that was the end of it. Now, I don't know what kind of tent or shelter this quote was for (although it is no secret that the City's Planning Department likes things grand and gold-plated, especially where the plaza is concerned), but it would seem that faster, cheaper and simpler shelters are available at every hardware, camping or do-it-yourself store (although that would violate the three tenets).
The CDA's lackadaisical approach to effective decision-making is shown in its accomplishments last Thursday: It did not directly approve any of the more substantive measures discussed previously and/or requested by the businesses, but it decided to create several informal sub-committees to study the matters further.
Oh, and it might hold a special meeting before the first snowfall.
David Lorman for Airport Commission
Middleton mayor Gurdip Brar has nominated David Lorman to fill the last vacancy on the Airport Commission. The seat was left open after the Common Council rejected the mayor's attempt in May to reappoint Middleton Town Board chairwoman Cynthia Richson, an outspoken airport opponent, to the commission. In July, the mayor withdrew his second-choice nominee, town of Springfield resident Steve Sperling, also an airport opponent, after it became clear that the Council would most likely not approve his appointment either.
David Lorman is a city of Middleton resident and certified single-engine pilot based out of Middleton Municipal Airport/Morey Field, as well as a member of EAA Chapter 93. He had originally applied to become a member of the Airport Commission on April 20, 2020. The Common Council will vote on his appointment this coming Tuesday, September 15.
Robert Burck for AMPAC
And in that context, the Council will also vote on approving the appointment of district 2 alderman Robert Burck to the Airport Master Plan Advisory Committee (AMPAC), which would increase that committee's membership to 13.
AMPAC became infamous last year for the disruptive and obstructionist behavior of three of its members (airport opponents Robert Bartholomew, Julie Loeffler and Cynthia Richson - the so-called Gang of Three), whose antics brought committee work to a virtual standstill. The situation deteriorated to the point where the Common Council had to pass a special resolution to remind the committee members of their responsibilities, and to rein in the worst excesses of the Gang of Three.
The appointment of Robert Burck, who is also a member of the Airport Commission, might be a signal by the Council to Cynthia Richson and her two fellow gang members that there will now be an adult in the room. It could also be a move to counteract any attempt by Cynthia Richson to take control of AMPAC when it meets again on September 24 - for the first time in more than a year.
For that, a bit of background: On June 6, 2019, two people were nominated to chair AMPAC: Cynthia Richson and Leif Hubbard, the delegate from the City's Plan Commission. The latter defeated the former with 6 votes to 3. As a conciliatory, albeit misguided, gesture of goodwill, the AMPAC members then unanimously elected Cynthia Richson to be vice-chairwoman.
In the spring of this year, mayor Gurdip Brar, in one of his customary underhanded political moves, refused to reappoint Leif Hubbard to the City's Park, Recreation and Forestry Commission (PRFC), which led to a cascade of resignations: As chairman of PRFC, Leif Hubbard, by ordinance, was also a member of the Plan Commission. And as member of the Plan Commission, he had been delegated to AMPAC, which he chaired. So, when he lost his position at PRFC, everything else followed. Which means that the upcoming meeting of AMPAC will begin with Cynthia Richson in the chair. Leif Hubbard, by the way, has been replaced at PRFC by Gurdip Brar supporter John Schaffer, who, via the Plan Commission, will also sit on AMPAC, but not as chairman.
Now, there are two ways this can play out, and there are no prizes for guessing which one Cynthia Richson would prefer: Either a new chairperson is elected, or the vice-chairperson stays in the chair. Arguments can be made on both sides.
It is customary, and often statutory, that new officers are elected at certain intervals, when a committee reconvenes, when old members' terms are up, when new members have been appointed, or for similar reasons. That is usually the case for standing committees and ad hoc committees that follow standing-committee rules. AMPAC operates a bit differently, though. It is an ad hoc committee that convenes on-call for a specific mission: To guide development of the Airport Master Plan, and then report to the Airport Commission (which will report to the Council). Its members' terms don't expire at a certain date; they serve one term, which lasts until the work is done and the committee is dissolved.
Cynthia Richson, therefore, could argue that there is no need to elect a new chairperson, but that in the absence of the elected chairperson, the vice-chairperson takes over and continuity is assured. After all, that is what a vice-chairperson is for.
On the other hand, it could also be argued that it is the function of the vice-chairperson to sit in for the chairperson on a temporary basis only, and that when the chairperson leaves permanently, a replacement needs to be elected. After all, that is why the members of AMPAC had previously elected Cynthia Richson vice-chairperson, but not chairperson.
One way or another it is unlikely that anyone can chair a committee without the support of a majority of its members.
Which leads to some idle and irresponsible press speculation: Is the Council setting the stage to have Robert Burck become the new chairperson of AMPAC?