Mayor Emily Kuhn has repeatedly been shown to be acting against the wishes of her constituents, Middleton's staff attorney, the city's Water Resources Management Commission, and countless other experts giving valuable input. Along with her actions, and lack thereof, in Common Council and Plan Commission meetings, there has been additional behavior on her behalf that is concerning for an elected official. These include a complete lack of transparency, stating unbelievably biased "facts" in meetings with no sources cited, an outward lack of knowledge on the items she is presiding over (and zero effort to take the time to learn the facts before the vote) and perhaps most alarmingly, ignoring the City Attorney's expert opinion and adopting amendments without a legal quorum.

Here are a few of the reasons we are recalling Middleton Mayor Emily Kuhn.

Emily's campaign promises, per her site emilykuhn.com

Promises she made but acted against. She claims on her site: "The city should pivot to encouraging developers and landowners to move towards affordable starter homes, duplexes, townhomes & condos." Instead, she cast the deciding vote for high-density high-rise apartments on a fragile parcel of green space at 2159 Allen Blvd. Hundreds of constituents and watershed experts have registered in opposition, with only the developer (and Emily!) in favor of this. Apartments built on this site overlooking the lake will in no way be "affordable".

Fake letters of support

The only letters in support of the development at 2159 Allen Blvd. were thinly cloaked letters from the developers themselves. For some reason, the developers were allowed to anonymously submit multiple duplicate copies of the same letter (shown below) signed from addresses of rental properties they own. No names nor email addresses were published for these submissions. When confronted about this obvious deception, Abby Attoun, Middleton's Director of Planning and Community Development, acknowledged that all of these duplicate letters were sent in one pdf from one email address.

Letters in opposition, in contrast, were required to include names and mailing addresses, and personal email addresses were also published. No such requirements for the developers' "support" letters. There were more than 800 letters and speakers in opposition, and only the developer (and Emily) in support.

Recusal

For reasons not made public, Emily has repeatedly recused herself from discussions and votes involving the new subdivision Redtail Ridge. Strangely, in all the discussions and votes, and in which she cast the tie-breaking vote for zoning changes in the neighborhood in which she lives, she was not recused. This is a clear conflict of interest and she should have been recused from these proceedings. She even said at a town hall meeting that was held the day AFTER the final zoning vote (2/21/24) that she felt it would not look good to the rest of the city if she voted against this development in her own neighborhood.

Alder publicly calls out the Mayor's concerning actions

Alder Kendra Wochos, who serves on the council with Emily and has a front row seat to the Mayor's concerning actions, describes them in detail in her letter sent to Middleton Review. Click here to read the full letter, which was published on January 18, 2024.

Emily alone decides to adopt the comprehensive plan

Emily pushed thru a vote for the new zoning plan (which allows multiple high-density high-rise apartments on the soccer field site at 2159 Allen Blvd). This, despite her very own City Attorney stating that the vote that occurred on 11/21/23 with three abstentions is a dead vote. (Skip to 1:53:25 if you would like to witness the abstensions and resulting confusion). The Attorney (Larry Bechler) advised that ideally the vote should be re-taken with all present. Emily decided to ignore this expert advice, and instead, decided on her own to push thru the vote “to have closure”. Emily, interrupting the Attorney as he explained this, declared: "I have the floor" and “Amendment two of the comprehensive plan is adopted”. She cites a previous vote as a reason for this declaration, but that vote had council members absent, and several that were present were confused about exactly what was being voted on. Hence the abstensions at this more recent meeting.

Here is a link to that meeting if you'd like to see for yourself. Skip ahead to 35:37 if you are only interested in the Attorney's opinion and Emily's interrupting him to declare the vote. This is the Common Council meeting on 12/19/23.

Emily pushes ordinance that will allow her to quit her position on the Plan Commission, enabling her to dodge "divisive" decisions

To the concern of City Alders and Middleton residents, Emily would now like to quit her required position on the Plan Commision. Doing so would allow her to no longer be involved in difficult city votes and decisions. Per Alder Wochos, Emily quitting her position "is a way to deflect public scrutiny and critical decisions", leaving Emily with zero accountability. During her Town Hall after the incredibly botched Allen Blvd re-zoning, Emily let the crowd "be the first to know" that she will be appointing former Mayor Kurt Sonnetag to replace her. This is an odd statement considering this requires a new ordinance, which had not yet even been presented.

That meeting can be viewed here.

Middleton Review:
How to erode the trust between government and citizens

From the March 13, 2024 Issue 367 Middleton Review, regarding the rezoning request by a developer for the Terrace Avenue parcels:

Less than two weeks after the City of Middleton's new zoning code went into effect, the City is dealing with a rezoning request for a controversial multi-family redevelopment proposal on Terrace Avenue.

The Comprehensive Plan includes protections for natural features and the environment. It is a fundamental long-range vision that not only guides City policies, but also provides residents with a document on which to base their personal plans. If, however, it can be altered at the whim of City officials or at the simple request of a developer, the whole basis of trust between local government and the city's residents is eroded. This is all the more disturbing as it seems that City Planning Department officials already knew about this developer's plans before the Comprehensive Plan's amendments and FLU map (as well as the new zoning code) were approved.

This is an exact repeat of what the City and the developers did with the Allen Blvd site. It is indeed beyond concerning, on many levels.

You can watch this meeting here.

Letter to the Editor: Cap Times

In response to this article from the April 1 Cap Times Tribune: Historian Mollenhoff laments power shift to Madison planners

Here is the full text, or you can view the letter here.

Fanlund’s Apr 1 editorial struck a chord. I was born on Doty street and have observed the changes in Madison for decades, but this was really painful to read. So, too, are the parallels in the nearby City of Middleton where Soglin’s idea of neighbors having a say falls on deaf ears. City planning staff, a few alders and Mayor Kuhn are running roughshod over local resident opposition, real environmental issues, and concerns from the city’s own committees, approving one high-density zoning change after another. Examples include a 4-story apartment building with lake views despite the opposition of over 600 petitioners, a zoning change for a 7-acre single-family parcel to enable a 5-story apartment megaplex next to two neighborhoods, two parks and a conservancy, and finally, the imminent demise of a neighborhood plot – including ancient oak trees -- on Terrace Avenue. In a confusing and startling plot twist, Mayor Kuhn has now removed herself from the Planning Commission, a key accountability for any mayor worth their salt. Middleton could really be that “Good Neighbor City” if it actually listened to its local tax-paying residents, not to mention its own expert committees. Sadly, unless things change at the top, Middleton is headed down the same unfortunate road as Madison in this regard.

Letter to the Editor

From the March 28, 2024 Middleton Times:

Mayor's Lack of Vision Concerns about recent actions

Mayor Emily Kuhn not only lacks a vision for the city's contentious and unbridled development, she has now formally asked the Common Council to be relieved of any responsibility having to do with it.

During the Common Council meeting on Tuesday, March 19th, Mayor Kuhn successfully passed her proposed amendment to the Middleton Municipal Code Section 2.06(1) allowing her to avoid sitting on the Plan Commision.

Her justification was that her time on this Commission kept her "too busy hearing plans in the pipeline".

The Panning Commission recently delayed a vote regarding rezoning

two parcels of land just south of Terrace Avenue from Residential to Mixed-Use in order to build a 5-story, 70-unit apartment building. However, no commercial activity is included in this project. All units are either efficiencies or one-bedroom. These will be luxury apartments, not workforce housing. Young families are clearly unwelcome in this plan.

The developer will blast into the hillside to dig out bedrock and mature root strctures for underground parking. No environmental impact report has been completed and shared. No assessment of existing erosion problems, let alone an event like the monumental flood of 2018. No regard for the impact on the Quarry Hill Conservancy area when so many mature oaks are removed.

Should you, a concerned citizen, wish to look up the Quarry Hill Conservancy Area on VisitMiddleton. com/location/quarry-hill-conservancy-area/, you will find the page was removed. District 6's Alder Janairo, who sits on both the Planning Commission and Workforce Housing Committee, took it down less than 24 hours after the contentious March 12th public hearing on the aforementioned development.

Our city's future is being driven by a Mayor and an Alder who campaigned on environmental sustainability and housing. Yet they permit blasting in a residential neighborhood and provide no protections for historic landmarks on Terrace. Avenue, including beloved Little Red Preschool.

The Mayor has excused herself from accountability pertaining to Middleton's development. It is her duty to be a part of the decision-making process. If she chooses to evade contentious discussions, she should not be in office in the first place.

Concerned? Ask why an environmental assessment of this development is not taking place and attend the next Common Council meeting to observe how your Alderperson votes on this issue.

Mary Bechtol

Middleton

From NextDoor and Council Member Erin Summers

Neighbor Sara to Council Member Erin Summers: This recall is not about "the development" of the Allen soccer fields, (which you say was pulled in August, and if so, why the urgency to push through the zoning??). It is about the Mayor's handling of the proceedings with regards to the zoning changes. It is about her conflict of interest, her going against the City Attorney's legal opinion on the abstentions, it is about the fake letters of support. And more recently, it is about her stepping down from the Plan Commission as she announced at her town hall, which is one of the Mayor's jobs.

She was unable to give one reason why she continually pushed for high-density on this spot. She only said that the Kestral turned into an eyesore because it was only 3-stories, so she wants 6 stories because then the building will be prettier. But when asked if the city has any say in the aesthetics of the building, she admitted they do not. She said that the buffer would have a stream and rows of trees, but that too is false, as the developer can do whatever they want in this "buffer zone", up to 3-stories. She also began explaining the layout of the roads that will be part of the development, which is suspect since as you said, the development was "pulled". There is zero transparency. And the alder that she appointed to this area, Jenifer Cole, is completely unresponsive and was a no-show at the town hall for these zoning concerns IN HER OWN DISTRICT.

With all the uncertainty with regards to traffic, soil conditions, and with the watershed experts noting that this spot should have no more than 35% surface coverage (but which Emily approved 70% and 80% coverage), we were just asking for the vote on zoning to be delayed until we could ALL educate ourselves on the right zoning here. There was no reason to rush this vote.

Those that say this is a NIMBY situation could not be more wrong, and would know that if they attended or watched ANY of the meetings. We are excited for development here. We want it to be one that will not soon sink into the wetland muck, and which will not cause another flood as happened several times here, most recently in 2018. Once it's built, there is no going back, so why not take the time to dot the i's first. Doesn't seem like too much to ask in comparison to the implications of this huge development.

Council Member Erin Summers responds: the zoning overhaul was for the entire City, not a specific development as you and others keep focusing on. A 30 year old zoning code was long overdue to be updated for multiple reasons, and our City staff along with various commissions members spent 9 months on this with 6 public workshops, absolutely nothing was rushed and the City has been overly transparent throughout the entire process.

Sara: My apologies. "Rush" was not a good choice of words as this has been unbearably dragged out, you are right. My point was that it for some reason needed to be voted on BEFORE the environmental implications could be assessed (or even considered!). And I agree that the entire zoning code likely needed a modern overhaul, but this parcel was broken out to be considered and discussed separately.

As far as transparency, looks like we will have to continue to disagree on that. Perhaps from your vantage point you were aware of all the implications, but we neighbors and some of your fellow council and plan commision members remain confused. All any of us were asking was time to consider the expert input so that decisions were made based on facts and not opinions such as "I want to be able to walk to a coffee shop" which was Alder Jennifer Cole's argument for this huge development, (who actually can walk to THREE coffee shops from her address). Further, the city does not get to specify what kinds of shops would be here. And! there is a high retail vacancy rate as it is, so more likely than not could be empty storefronts. Or vape shops. Could be anything, we can't make that call.

Quote in Middleton Times-Tribune:

From the April 11, 2024 Issue of the Middleton Times-Tribune:

"Middleton City Hall is in the middle of a public relations nightmare and it is of your own doing," remarked Angie Ostrom, a Terrace Avenue resident who stated her opposition.

"The actions of both past and present employees have cost you the trust of what I would say is the majority of your constituency. You are entrusted to make logical, honest, responsible decisions on our behalf. And some of you have forgotten this," Ostrom told the council.

"Constituents' distrust is warranted, it is deserved, and it is on public record. The most recent examples of poor decisions coming from this building: you gave permission to build a parking lot behind the high school. That was not your permission to give. The deceit, the lies, the cover up that came from this building, I have seen, and it is embarrassing. It's all in black and white, it's all on paper, it's for everybody to see — it's there. It is astounding and it is infuriating."

Print your own sign!

Click here to download a pdf of a sign that you can print and use in your neighborhood.

If you have further evidence of our Mayor's concerning actions, feel free to submit them here.

Donate please!

If you would like to donate to the recall efforts, please email us. Donations will be used for yard signs and other fees necessary to conduct the recall petition, as well as costs associated with the election of her replacement. Any funds left over after these efforts will be donated to a charity local to Middleton. Thank you!

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse