Local
ROB ABRAHAM: Examining the Mayor’s Homeless Efforts
Mayor Mitch Reynolds’ handling of our homeless situation and the appointment of a homeless coordinator have sparked widespread doubts and concern. According to city staff, there is a general lack of understanding regarding the coordinator’s role, leading many to call it “useless.”
Rob Abraham is a La Crosse County Board member, representing District 21
To make matters worse, Mayor Reynolds’ strategy to shift-blame is infuriating. The city’s inadequate response to our homeless situation, followed by the his attempt to dodge responsibility, warrants a closer look at the facts.
First and foremost, it is undeniable that the city spent substantial tax dollars on initiatives that inadvertently attracted homeless individuals to the area. This administration’s fiscal mismanagement is laughable, and highlights a lack of foresight and planning on the part of city officials. While it is essential to provide support to those experiencing homelessness, it must be done in a way that is sustainable and considers the long-term consequences.
Additionally, it is worth noting that Reynolds disregarded the input of city police from the beginning, only recognizing the severity of the situation when it reached a critical point. Other organizations that service this population have similar accounts.
His complete lack of collaboration and communication has undoubtedly exacerbated the challenges faced by the city. Additionally, reports of extensive damage to the hotel designated for homeless individuals, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars, further underscore the need for a more effective and comprehensive approach.
Now, Reynolds suggests the use of UWL rooms or taking over the County park as potential solutions. These proposals raise serious concerns about the impact on local businesses, the tourism industry, and overall revenue sources for the county. It is crucial to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of such measures before hastily implementing them.
Ultimately, the responsibility falls upon the taxpayers who elected Reynolds into office. By electing individuals with no prior government experience and relying on unsubstantiated claims from former colleagues, we have allowed ourselves to be led astray. It is high time that we demand more from our elected officials and prioritize competence and expertise in matters of governance. Only then can we hope to tackle the complex issue of homelessness effectively and with compassion.
Gary t
June 21, 2023 at 11:07 pm
It’s about time someone says somthing about the mayor my personal opinion is that the mayor has no clue on how to be a mayor or how to govern the city of lacrosse my personal feeling he is using the homeless for his own personal gaine becouse there is no way it cost 30.000dollars to house some homeless last winter the city owned the building they say it was for security and cleaning bull hell for 30 grand you could renovated the whole build someone needs to check his pockets now the homeless it don’t take a rocket scientist to know that you need to lay down rules to these people make them pick up after them selfs id say 75 to 80 percent of them don’t want to work they come here for the free hand out becouse of word of mouth I was born and raised here and when I drive by Cameron houska and see it all tore up garbage everywhere to me that’s a slap in the face and should be to to the people who grew up here and its ridicules lay down rules and and some laws and they don’t abide by them send the back to where they came from if they want to camp in the park ok run it like the jail does you wake up for the day you make your bed and you make sure your area is clean that means everybody that’s in the park and since most want to work they just want the hand out and do there drugs well if there gonna be in the park they ain’t gonna lay around and party all day they can either be out looking for a job or if they don’t want to do that then fine you will work in the p ark sweep sidewalks empty trash trim bushes mowe grass earn there keep but no more free hand outs you want to come here fine we will help as much we can but you got to want to help your self and give them a time frame and if they don’t want to follow the rules we’ll send them packing to where they came from and you just don’t say you do it ok you do that a few times Il put money on the homeless problem starts to shrink they need rules and structure now the other thing is these management company’s are out of control if you have any kinda police record no matter big or small or any eviction they won’t even deal with youthat is not right if some one makes a mistake or even if the person got evicted becouse someone else caused it there suppose to pay the rest of there life and not be able to have a roof over your head that’s not right and there ripping people off they charge you 25bucks to check your record and they check it and they won’t rent to you and they keep the 25 bucks that’s hiway robbery if you ask me and not right and how is someone down on there luck and homeless but is trying to better them self how are they suppose to pay for it I think if they want to check your record and stuff they should be the ones to pay the fee now I’m no politician or or the smartest guy in the world but I’m smart enough to know what needs to be done enabling the homeless is only making it work and the management company’s need to stop doing what there doing there the bullys on the block lay down rules and laws its not that hard people the mayor is just throwing money out the door that could be used for the city and the people of the city make the homeless earn there keep either they can get a job on there own or they can work for there keep and help the parks dept instead of letting them tear up the parks make them make keep the parks clean and the city no more sleeping or parting all day or tearing up the parks either go find a job on your own or we will put you to work no more free ride the end
Joyce capps
June 22, 2023 at 7:55 am
Gary T. You are so right about everything you say. The mayor is giving our money as handouts not handups. All the business’s that suffered with Covid did not get the Covid relief money from the government, the mayor gave it to the homeless with his crazy ideas. The tax paying citizens of LA Crosse need to revolt and impeach.
Bob N.
June 22, 2023 at 9:24 am
Thanks, Rob, for your insight and courage on this critical matter.
Mayor Mitch vowed during his campaign to “not rest” until the homeless problem was solved. Now the ‘Buck doesn’t stop’ at his desk anymore as he begs others to solve the problem for him. The liberals like Hizzoner think these vagrants can be bought off with free rooms and food. Addicts (which most of them are) are smarter than the City and County leaders. They plot and scheme day and night on where their next fix comes from and how to rip off the “system” daily. Bleeding hearts, meanwhile, pat themselves on the back while they enable these druggies and send them down a path to death. Their families have already disowned them.
As far as innocent people mixed in? Victims of bad luck? There are a very few, but isn’t that what the County’s 62 million dollar yearly budget is supposed to pay for?
Pat Zoellner
June 22, 2023 at 6:29 pm
Thanks Rob you nailed it, one term Mitch conned the good people of LaCrosse to get elected, he was a average radio personality with no polictical qualifications to run a city and ran it in the ground he did, all the money he wasted on his ideas could and should have gone to help the small business owners struggling or help our seniors instead of trying to take their center away or other areas of the city that needed help, as our homeless coordinator where has he been lately besides hiding out in city hall with Mitch, you create a problem and you don’t have the common decency to try and resolve the mess you created just stay silent and let the city suffer for your ineptness, do the right thing Mitch and just resign, so the good people of LaCrosse can get a real leader in city hall, Mr. Abraham I hope you really consider running for mayor in next election, I think and many would say you have what it takes to be a leader for LaCrosse and are someone that would be able to clean up one term Mitch’s mess
Pat Z.
June 22, 2023 at 6:54 pm
Thanks Rob you nailed it, it’s about time someone or others start calling out one term Mitch for his ineptness and cowardly acts he has performed as the leader of LaCrosse, he was a average mouth on radio with big ideas but never had a plan to carry thru with any of his ideas, he sold the good people of LaCrosse on how he was going to change things, indeed he did, change for the worse, now he has dug the hole to deep for himself and has no clear plan on how to fix the problems he created, this is not a leader, he seems to surround himself with others that share his vision, whatever that is, his homeless coordinator what does he coordinate, where is he when there are important issues to deal with and try and figure out a solution his boss created, I guess he is taking a page out of one term Mitch’s playbook, all the money that has been wasted could have been spent on struggling small business’s , instead of trying to buy property way over the market value or trying to take the senior center away from the seniors and other the list goes on and on, do the right thing Mitch and resign so the good people of LaCrosse can get a actual leader for LaCrosse, I hope Mr. Abraham that you decide to run for mayor in next election, the city of LaCrosse needs a person like you that has the leadership experience and common sense to be Mayor and make LaCrosse great again instead of a laughing stock it is now
C Lynn miller
June 25, 2023 at 8:51 am
I m one of the liberals people are talking about but I agree with Rob Abraham on all accounts. I am tired of the Homeless targeting our city destroying our parks and dividing the community . I never thought Mitch Reynolds’s could be mayor he dies not have the savy.
Saying that we need to find a solution ? What is it?
That is a question I can not answer wish I could but I know there is an answer , tiny houses , how about restoring old box cars there is a stretch of railroad not being used ? Could be really a safe spot , need to hire security so people feel safe
from the not so nice element . People need to feel proud to survive and we can not keep handing out everything we , most of us have worked for . I know I speak for many , just extremely tired of seeing homeless in every corner of my life . My dad always use to say “what’s the world becoming “ , well we are seeing what ? Ye Gads do something talk talk talk that’s all the city council is doing .