The Appleton Common Council met on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Jake Woodford and adjourned at 7:42 PM. Key actions included the approval of the College Avenue Lane Reconfiguration following an 18-month pilot, and the granting of alcohol licenses for two establishments.
Good evening. I now call to order the Wednesday, March 5th, 2025 meeting of the Apple and Common Council. Tonight's invocation will be delivered by Alder Fenton. Please rise. Good evening. I usually ask to give an invocation during Women's History Month. And although the theme for this year, moving forward together, women educating and inspiring generations. Seems like it was created during a very different time. I'll stick with women's history. My usual impulse is to focus on a notable pioneer in women's history, one of the leaders in the suffrage movement, or someone who is a historic first in a visible field. However, I keep being drawn back to Bishop Marion Edgar Buddy of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and her sermon at the National Cathedral on January 21st of this year. Her position as an episcopal bishop is relevant women's history for me. I was a freshman at Rice University when Helen Havens was ordained as the first episcopal uh minister in Houston. She, with her husband Professor Husband and their family, lived at a house adjoining our residential college when as our college family. Like many others, I ordered Buddy's book, How We Learn to Be Brave Decisive Moments in Life and Faith, more as a gesture of support than with any intention of actually reading it. I picked it up last week after I decided to talk about her tonight. She writes about seven decisive moments in life when we have to push past our fears and act with strength. I expected references to scripture and religious scholars. I was surprised to also read quotes from Brene Brown, Madeline Albright, Avowed Atheist Tanahisi Coates, and multiple references to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Chapter four, accepting what you did not choose, really resonated with me. I mostly want to skip past the accepting the things you cannot change line in the Serenity Prayer and start changing things. Buddy writes in The Fellowship of the Ring that after Gandalf tells Frodo Baggins that the ring came to him for a reason, Frodo despairs. I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish that this had never happened. Gandalf replies, so do all who live in such times. But while we cannot choose the times we live in, we can choose how to respond to the time we are given. Frodo finally says, I will take the ring, but I do not know the way. Gandalf later assures him, there are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Buddy concludes the chapter by saying that this kind of acceptance is not passive or fatalistic, but rather a courageous choice at a decisive moment. Saying, I will do now what I must. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty, justice for all. Roll call of Walders. All are represented with the exception of Alderperson Croat, who is excused, and Alder Person Heffernan who is absent. Roll call of officers and department heads. All are represented. All right. Need a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting. We have a motion and a second to approve. Is there any discussion of the minutes? Hearing none, please cast your votes. All right, that motion passes 13 to zero. The minutes have been approved. All right, moving on to business presented by the mayor. I just want to make you aware of uh MS Awareness Month, which is happening in March. I'm not sure about another challenge with our friends in De Pier. Uh we presented presented the proclamation to a representative from uh the local organization uh earlier this week.