JANESVILLE Grow Janesville Responsibly continues its efforts to educate voters on why they think a No vote on the upcoming GM/JATCO site ballot referendum in Novembers election would give the city a better shot at redeveloping the blighted property.
At a press conference held across the street from where Zoxx Social Club once stood, and near the former front doors of the General Motors factory, members of Grow Janesville Responsibly stood in formation, holding orange signs that read: VOTE NO GM/JATCO.
George Cullen, CEO of J.P. Cullen and chair of Forward Janesvilles board of directors, said his group wants to highlight what it believes is a clear distinction between the referendum and data centers.
He said the referendum, which seeks voter approval for any projects at the GM site totaling more than $450 million, would impact all types of uses at the defunct manufacturing parcel including housing, manufacturing, industrial and mixed-use.
Cullen referenced agriculture industry giant CHSs announcement Wednesday that it will break ground in Evansville on a $700 million plant that will add 80 permanent jobs to the community.
He said if the referendum passes, it could jeopardize projects similar to Evansvilles soy plant from happening at the old GM site.
The site has sat empty since 2014, he said. It has had many headwinds and things to prevent development from happening, and this referendum would be the biggest one. So we must vote no on this referendum.
Cullen said its important to have responsible development, public transparency and input, and that the current development processes allow for that.
He said the referendum, if voted into effect, would put the site at a disadvantage.
Cullen said Monday at the City Council meeting that Grow Janesville Responsibly and Forward Janesville, the citys main chamber of commerce, support a 12-month data center moratorium that city staff is proposing. The two groups both think a moratorium would provide the best way for the community to research and learn more about data centers and tech megaprojects.
Zach Brandon, president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, also spoke at the press conference. He said the GM site is already a difficult site for redevelopment. He thinks the referendum would add layers of conditions, making it more difficult to redevelop the site already facing challenges, including the prospect of costly environmental cleanup.
When it comes to economic development, there are many aspects that you cannot control, Brandon said. But on the ones you can control, the worst thing you can do is create more complexity. And thats how we keep good-paying jobs in places like Janesville: is to not add complexity, but to reduce the work.
Brandon said that Rock and Dane Counties have economies that are largely interconnected.
if one fails, we all fail, he said.
Cullen said the GM/JATCO referendums project price trigger, $450 million, is a number that doesnt factor in inflation. Plus, he said, its not specific to any type of project.
He said Grow Janesville Responsibly seeks to educate voters, mostly through invite-only town halls, but the group also will be speaking at the Kiwanis Club and Rotary Garden. He said the service clubs invite any conversation about the referendum.
As Forward Janesvilles chair, Cullen said the organization also is formally asking its members to vote No on the referendum.
We know the more we can educate people about this issue, theyll understand the negative implications of this referendum, he said.
Opposition
Cathy Erdman, a south-side Janesville resident and organizer of the grassroots neighborhood group SNOW Janesville, is part of a coalition of residents who support the referendum and are actively calling for voters to vote yes on the GM/JATCO site referendum.
Erdman said her group is watching Grow Janesville Responsibly and Forward Janesville organize information campaign events opposing the referendums passage, mostly at invite-only events.
The south-sider said her group has begun campaigning in support of the referendum in ways Erdman said are aimed at reaching residents in public, rather than hosting invite-based events.
Erdman said the group has launched a social media campaign, but in the coming weeks it aims also to canvas crowds in downtown Janesville and elsewhere to talk directly to Janesville residents.
Were going to take all the time we need in the next six weeks to make sure that voters know that decisions at the GM-JATCO site affect their lives in a multitude of ways, and to make sure they have a seat at the table when those decisions are made, Erdman said.