Mount Pleasant Village Officials Threaten and Censor Foxconn Area Residents
“Village refuses to allow members of the public to speak about Foxconn redevelopment plan affecting their own properties.”
MT. PLEASANT, WI May 14, 2018 – Local community organization, “A Better Mt. Pleasant” has filed a request with the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of Open Government to investigate recent Village Community Development Authority (CDA) meetings in which members of the public were specifically barred from speaking on a redevelopment plan listed in the agenda during a public comment period.
“The public was invited to speak and offered forms to register by the village stating they could speak on any item. When the meeting began, the public was told by the CDA Chairman, Rob Richardson, they would not be allowed to address items on the agenda during public comment and threatened to be ruled out of order if they tried,” said Kelly Gallaher, a spokesperson for the group. “These residents live in the redevelopment area which was being discussed in these meetings and it was their sole reason for attending the meeting. They were denied to their right to speak about the redevelopment plan while other members of the public were encouraged to comment by Mr. Richardson about anything that was not on the meeting agenda. It was an act of willful discrimination.”
The Village of Mt. Pleasant has a checkered history of violating free speech rights during public comment periods in the past.
In March, 2017, the village was forced to relax an ordinance which prohibited candidates for office from speaking during public comments after a lawsuit was initiated. In September, 2017, Village President David DeGroot was formally censured by the Village Board stemming from an incident during a public comment period in a board meeting in which he threatened to have one resident arrested and disallowed another from speaking until an oral and written apology was submitted to him first.
Mt. Pleasant is currently preparing a redevelopment plan in anticipation of the Foxconn manufacturing plant. The redevelopment has been a controversial issue because it includes designating large areas as blighted, leaving some residents vulnerable to eminent domain processes.
Approximately a dozen residents have yet to negotiate purchases with the village and have been critical of the village’s threat to take their property through eminent domain instead of offering prices they feel are fair.
The redevelopment plan is set to be approved by the Village Board in June.
A Better Mt. Pleasant is a nonpartisan, community organization dedicated to advancing a fair,
accountable and transparent local government in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Foxconn Facility
- Biden Hails ‘Transformative’ Microsoft Project in Mount Pleasant - Sophie Bolich - May 8th, 2024
- Microsoft’s Wisconsin Data Center Now A $3.3 Billion Project - Jeramey Jannene - May 8th, 2024
- We Energies Will Spend $335 Million on Microsoft Development - Evan Casey - Mar 6th, 2024
- Foxconn Will Get State Subsidy For 2022 - Joe Schulz - Dec 11th, 2023
- Mount Pleasant Approves Microsoft Deal on Foxconn Land - Evan Casey - Nov 28th, 2023
- Mount Pleasant Deal With Microsoft Has No Public Subsidies - Evan Casey - Nov 14th, 2023
- Microsoft, State Announce Massive Data Center Expansion, Land Purchase - Joe Schulz - Nov 11th, 2023
- Gov. Evers Announces Microsoft Makes Major Investment in Wisconsin - Gov. Tony Evers - Nov 10th, 2023
- State Can’t Regulate We Energies $100 Million Project for Microsoft - Joe Schulz - Sep 20th, 2023
- Foxconn Selling Green Bay, Eau Claire ‘Centers’ - Joe Schulz - Aug 16th, 2023
Read more about Foxconn Facility here
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by A Better Mt. Pleasant
As Foxconn Fails, Village Trustees Act to Expand Political Power
Jan 21st, 2022 by A Better Mt. Pleasant“With no ballot referendum or public input, unaccountable village trustees will extend their terms in office from two to three years. A first in Racine County.”
Mount Pleasant Agrees to Settlement in Foxconn Lawsuit
Jan 11th, 2022 by A Better Mt. Pleasant“They stole the land and knew they would lose in court.”
Very UnAmerican.