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Supports Chief Draeger

In Silver Lake, the residents have come to expect the unexpected if not the bizarre.

Look at the drama of the past four months regarding the Volunteer Fire Department Chief.

Chief McFarlane resigned for lack of support from village government.

Chief Pattie resigned because he wouldn’t use unsafe vehicles after the village board refused to authorize a short-term agreement with a neighboring department.

Handpicked, unvetted and short-time Chief Korkecki resigned because the rift with the board was too severe to fix. We now have a new chief, Allison Draeger, the first female chief in Kenosha County.

She is qualified, principled, dedicated and has the support of the membership who elected her. She has already recruited new qualified members, created a command staff and will strengthen a department under siege by its own village board.

All finally seems well within, but will she have the support of the board?

Could it be she may not be enough ‘pro Silver Lake Rescue Squad’ – the controversial private company contracted by the village? It has seen its share of run-ins with the fire department.

Village President Sue Gerber is very “pro rescue” and her son is a long-time employee and president of the company. Two current trustees are also paid rescue squad employees.

Could there be conflicts of interest? You would hope not.

Citizens of Silver Lake need to issue a memo to their village board: enough is enough, public safety is your number one priority, stop the politicking already!

So, will Chief Draeger get village government support? Hopefully yes, but probably not. Welcome to the bizarre “normal” in Silver Lake.

Gregory T. Galich

Silver Lake

Burke not qualified to led Wisconsin

Mary Burke is trying to manufacture an image of a competent job-creating businesswoman at Trek, and an experienced government leader, touting her tenure as Commerce Secretary for Governor Doyle. She failed at both jobs.

Burke wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on a vacant lot on a Commerce Department deal under her “leadership” that created no jobs and leaves the state on the hook for $12.3 million. The Milwaukee Journal reported that after a federal review, the state is now required to repay the money.

Burke’s Commerce Department had no written commitment from Abbott to develop the property or create jobs. HUD concluded that Burke’s Commerce Department “participated in a speculative land banking venture without ensuring that the funded activity” would be eligible. We would see more boondoggles like this if Burke were governor.

Burke repeatedly touts her experience at Trek to show her business-building credentials. Trek outsourced jobs under Burke’s “leadership.” After the outsourcing was reported and Burke’s “leadership” was revealed to be detrimental to her campaign, Burke’s brother tried to take responsibility for it. There is no dispute that the vast majority (99 percent) of Trek bicycles are manufactured overseas, even though Burke dodges questions about it. She won’t say if Trek gets parts from China that it could get in the United States. She won’t say how much the workers who produce those parts, supplies and other materials are paid.

Mary Burke won’t answer questions because she is not qualified to lead Wisconsin.

Amy Holterman

Milton

Back-to-school eye exams recommended

Parents across the state will likely be preparing for their children to head back to school in the coming weeks. Certainly, parents of today’s kids are familiar with how often their children spend time using electronic devices at home. What’s both easy and understandable for them to overlook, however, is just how much time their children are using digital device technology in the classroom. Children’s use of electronic devices essentially doubles when they go back to school, significantly increasing their chances of developing digital eye strain.

Wisconsin Optometric Association (WOA) members in Wisconsin report more children complaining of burning, itchy or tired eyes this time of year as a result of prolonged electronic device use.

Some children experience headaches, loss of focus, blurred vision, double vision, or head and neck pain. All are symptoms of digital eye strain. Such conditions might arise the need for eyewear or optical Glasses for the children that might help in reducing eye strain.

The “20-20-20 rule,” taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes to view something 20 feet away, can help children protect their vision and eye health from digital eye strain.

In addition, parents should know that school vision screenings miss too many children with visual diseases and disorders, which can only be diagnosed by a licensed eye doctor from somewhere like SharpeVision.

Undiagnosed vision problems can impair learning and negatively impact a child’s quality of life. Children’s vision is a priority, and the Wisconsin Optometric Association recommends yearly back-to-school eye exams from a licensed eye doctor for all school-age children.

David T. Bobka

Dir. of Communications, Wis. Optometric Association


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