Open Letter to the Citizens of Beloit
(Copy of original letter to the Beloit Daily News)

Respect. Respect for the citizens of Beloit and respect for the position of Economic Development Director that I held was a prime motivational force in my duty to the City. For the two years the I held that position, I had great respect for the City's administration and in particular the City Manager, Jane Wood. I had great respect for the Beloit 2000 board for the immense contributions they gave to the City in the way of community revitalization and rehabilitation along the riverfront. I have great respect for the Downtown Beloit Association for their service in re-creating a central business district that is the envy of all of Wisconsin. I had great respect for the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce for the ongoing vision they instilled in our community in developing and marketing a renewed image of our city. I had an ever-growing respect for the administration of the Beloit City Schools and their ongoing cooperative working relationship with the Board of Education. Most importantly for me, I must respect those for whom I work because they control the destiny of the City of Beloit. The City Council sets the standard by which the City as total entity creates an atmosphere of positive business growth and increasing job opportunities. I lost all respect for the members of the Beloit City Council because they lost sight of their duty to the City and its citizens. That is the reason I left employment with the City.

For anyone that regularly read the daily column of Mike Royko, famous political columnist for the Chicago Tribune, they would be familiar with the term "wannabes". Wannabes are people who for various reasons "wanna be" elected to political offices so that for at least one time in their lives, they can be somebody important...somebody who can demand respect...someone who once a week can ascend to the dais and hold court over their fellow citizens...someone to whom people "genuflect and ask to kiss their ring". More often than not these individuals are people who never held a position of management or control in their private lives. Having been good soldiers to the "political machines" they worked for or with, one day they might be rewarded with being tapped for running for political office where "the machine" would get them elected into office, not on their personal attributes so much as a reward for being a good and obedient foot soldier. More often than not, when "wannabes" win political office the average citizen scratches their head and wonders, "How in the world did this person get elected?". It's simple. The vast majority of those citizens qualified and capable of holding elected office choose not to go through the effort of running a campaign and, oftentimes, getting down in the muck and mire of a political campaign because their lives are quite fulfilled with their families, careers and other activities. As a result, the "wannabes" get elected. Unfortunately for the City of Beloit in the previous few years, the qualified citizens in the City chose not to run for political office and the "wannabes" had their day. I have no respect for "wannabes". And our City council is filled with "wannabes".

The initial response to such a statement might be that Beloit does not have any "political machines". That would depend on your definition of "political machines". In this case it might be a certain group of business people that regularly get together at a well-known restaurant for breakfast, or it could be a certain group of individuals that gets together regularly at a local watering hole to commiserate on the affairs of the City, or it could be more organized groups like public employee unions that promise political support in exchange for council votes that are friendly to their cause, or finally, it could be developers that promise business support in exchange for Council support of a project when it comes before the City Council. Unfortunately, such as been the case of the Beloit City Council over the last two years. All the efforts of the previous, and current city managers to professionalize the operations of City government have all been undermined by the reintroduction of political interest groups having their hand-picked candidates speak for them on the City Council. And, frankly, most of what they have to say is not in the best interest of ALL the citizens of Beloit.

Why must the City Council regularly commiserate amongst themselves on a constantly evolving strategy of winning total political power and control of City government at the expense of an efficient and nonpartisan operation of the City that benefits all citizens? Why must an inordinate amount of time be spent trying to undermine the City Manager and her staff while allowing the business of city government to suffer as a result? I can personally say that in my 26 year career of working in, and for municipal government, I have had the opportunity to work with over 40 different city managers. Ten years of this career was actually spent being a city manager myself. I can honestly say without equivocation that Jane Wood was the most qualified, hardest working, ethical, and all-around best city manager I ever had the pleasure to work with. Were it not for the ongoing antics of the City Council, I would still gladly be working for the City of Beloit! I have too many years of experience in my profession and too much pride in my own work to be affiliated with elected officials that would like to run the City as if Beloit for a small version of Chicago in the 1950s. Cutting political deals with the taxpayers monies, favoring certain business people in town while short-changing others, and approving bad legislation in favor of outside developers strictly to spite the City Manager and her staff not only smacks of political cronyism but also childish pouting and posturing. I understand the latest "secret plan" of the Council is fire the City Manager after the April election and appoint one of their retired member to fill that position. What a mockery of the system that would be!

While I no longer work for the City of Beloit, I am still a resident of the City, and as such can share with other residents my "insider's view" of the operations of the Beloit City Council. I don't believe the best interest of all citizens are currently being served by the existing City Council, especially by the incumbents seeking reelection in April. I personally know the three candidates-Bill Watson, Gary Seidel, and Terry Fell- that are running as block seeking to obtain the seats of the incumbents. I have spoken to them extensively about city government and its operations. I believe that putting these gentlemen on the City Council would be a swing back to professionalism, open government, and a public sense of duty that needs to be reincorporated into our City Council.

Then I would have more respect for the Beloit City Council.

Bob Skurla
Former Beloit Economic Development Director