This is a tough, tough FOI issue...

I fear the legislative blowback from stuff like this...granted, there IS an issue about the location of the town center, but...

The donors of the $10 million gift to Mount Pleasant are a brother and sister who say they have no development ties, according to records.

Emil Ebe, 86, and Lorraine Ebe, 84, gave the donation to be used for the construction of public buildings in a new village complex. The contract was accepted by the village on March 10 and announced the same day at a board meeting. They signed the contract Feb. 29.

The Ebes requested anonymity for their donation. They revealed their names to The Journal Times in a letter after the newspaper filed a request March 17 to view the contract under the Wisconsin Public Records Law.

"We have made this donation to the Village of Mt. Pleasant with no expectation of anything in return from the Village of Mt. Pleasant. We are not now nor have we in the past been developers in the Village of Mt.Pleasant," they wrote in the March 18 letter. "It was our intent to provide the Village of Mt. Pleasant with a new Village Hall and other Village buildings.

The Ebes are not listed as owning any property in the county other than their residence, according to the Racine County Treasurer’s office. They have lived in Mount Pleasant since 1949.

More here.