Last night's common council meeting clearly showed there is a problem at Franklin city hall and it starts with Mayor Olson. The common council scolded the mayor about his comment, "I've been prohibited by the common council to encourage any development outside the Rawson/Loomis area." It was clear the aldermen were upset that Olson would insinuate they had taken any kind of action to preclude him and his staff from getting and keeping businesses in Franklin. The council vigorously denied Olson's claim, except Alderman Andrea (Olson's 2017 campaign manager).
Former Mayor Tom Taylor was in the audience to voice his concerns about Olson's ridiculous comments. The controversy was over a document that former Mayor Tom Taylor drafted and was submitted to the common council by former alderman Doug Schmitt. Taylor confronted Mayor Olson by saying nowhere in the document he refers to did it say it restricts the mayor and his staff from doing development in Franklin. Taylor was upset that he was being blamed for the lack of development in Franklin. The line of people being blamed by Mayor Olson continues to grow.
Alderman Barber, who circulated 2017 nomination papers for Olson, expressed his concerns about the numerous calls he's getting from constituents on the lack of economic development and businesses leaving Franklin for Oak Creek. Barber was quoted as saying, "Oak Creek is handing us our lunch." He went on to state that Franklin must do something about this. Was he saying that Olson is the problem, not the solution?
The common council made it cear that Olson was introducing politics in his bid for re-election by blaming everyone but himself for the poor economic development in Franklin over the past 25 years.