MOUNT PLEASANT, WI AUGUST 3, 2022 — Local watchdog organization, A Better Mt. Pleasant will host a town hall meeting and panel discussion on the Foxconn development project on August 31, 2022 at the SC Johnson iMET Center from 7 to 9 p.m.
The town hall discussion will feature moderator: Nilay Patel: Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief The Verge, and Vergecast Co-Host; panelists: Lawrence Tabak: Writer, Novelist, Author of Foxconned: Imaginary Jobs, Bulldozed Homes, and the Sacking of Local Government; Kathleen Gallagher: Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist, Executive Director 5 Lakes Institute, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Columnist; Rep. Gordon Hintz: Seven-Term Wisconsin State Representative, Former Minority Leader, WEDC Board Member and David Merriman: Ph.D.: Stukel Presidential Professor in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the Univ. of Illinois Chicago.
“We are honored to host such a distinguished panel for discussion,” said Kelly Gallaher, spokesperson for A Better Mt. Pleasant. In addition to the featured panelists, Former WEDC CEO Mark Hogan, MMAC President Timothy Sheehy, RCEDC CEO Jenny Trick and Foxconn Project Director Claude Lois have all been invited to participate — as well as local and state officials in the community.
After Foxconn public project briefings were suspended in July 2019, Village and County officials held a public information meeting in March 2022. At that meeting, members of the public were disallowed from asking questions of the officials present.
“After waiting so long to finally get some answers, citizens were brushed aside once again.” Gallaher continued, “We became determined to host our town hall, with no gaslighting and no nonsense.”
“No one in Mount Pleasant was asked if they wanted Foxconn. The public had no input, and we certainly didn’t get what was promised.” said Gallaher. “Five years later, Foxconn is the largest failed publicly funded economic development in U.S. history. It deserves to be discussed.”
In addition to a panel discussion, members of the public will be allowed to submit questions.
This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. Tickets are available at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
The town hall will also be broadcast live on A Better Mt. Pleasant’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/
