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WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT FRANKLIN

Posted by Kevin Fischer on July 1, 2010

WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT FRANKLIN

In honor of America’s birthday, tonight I begin a special series that will run over the next few days featuring, in my view, the Top Ten of what’s best about Franklin, culminating in #1 on July 4.

We begin with #’s 8, 9, and 10.

10) FRANKLIN’S UNMET BUT GREAT POTENTIAL

At one time, our tiny town was the fastest growing area in southeast Wisconsin. The economy put the brakes on. We’ll bounce back, and we can then work on reaching our very best.

We have well-intentioned leaders at City Hall. They are to be commended for ebbing public servants. If only they’d read the papers and watch the news more often. We are in a recession. Time to stop taxing and spending was a long time ago.

We have great businesses, just not enough. We need more. Could we pull back on the obnoxious rules and regulations?

We have good restaurants, just not enough of them. We need more. One of two great ones would be nice.

Ditto for retail stores.

Schools? We’re not MPS by any means. But our schools could use improvement, especially in student achievement. The management of our system, especially our School Board, needs something close to a miracle to provide any sort of leadership.

Franklin could really be amazing, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility. We’re not there yet. That’s one of the reasons I blog.

9) COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Franklin really loves Franklin. I’ve seen it at parades, fundraisers, and athletic events. Here’s an example.

This past March, I was the timer for the Franklin-Hamilton boys basketball WIAA playoff game at Hamilton High School. By some weird WIAA quirk, Franklin was the home team, so when Franklin scored early, I put the score up for home. Hamilton fans starting getting uneasy, yelling at the scorer’s table, so, to make things easier, I asked the PA announcer to explain that even though Hamilton was the visitor, they would be HOME on the scoreboard. OK, that has nothing to do with my point, except this. Franklin should have been home. Even though Hamilton was by far the better team and, at the time, a favorite to go to state and win, and they were playing on their own gym floor, Franklin fans far outnumbered Hamilton fans.

They were there en masse with their Franklin colors and behaved, as they always do, in a classy manner.

Multiply that by football, girls and boys basketball, soccer, etc., and throw in Little League. Franklin cares.

8) FRANKLIN IS NOT VERY CONTROVERSIAL

Oh, we have our moments. But despite what some irresponsible bloggers who love to dwell in rumor, innuendo and speculation (anything but facts) love to write, Franklin is pretty quiet.

Our biggest blemishes that actually got the attention of a sleepy public the last few years:

Boomgaard. This is the best your PR group could come up with?

Mayor Taylor, a political figure, and his staff, that work for a politician, may have engaged in political work in a political building popularly known as City Hall.

Let’s face it. Our city, politically, is just about squeaky. Even if it wasn’t, an apathetic public would never notice. There is no graft, corruption, malfeasance, white collar crime.

Things generally are prettyy ho-hum around here, so quiet that some reckless writers have to invent controversy in a feeble attempt to make themselves relevant.

The Franklin School Board? That’s another subject. Eventually, they’ll pay for going too far, violating open meetings laws and lying to the public about tax levies and budgets. But this is a positive list. Don’t expect to see their names come up.


WATCH FOR PARTS 5, 6 AND 7 FRIDAY.


WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT FRANKLIN

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8) FRANKLIN LACKS CONTROVERSY

9) COMMUNITY SUPPORT

10) GREAT POTENTIAL