The $600,000 Silo of Dreams: Lindsey Graskey and the Grain Elevator Glow-Up

“Paint It Pretty—But At What Taxpayer Cost?”

Well, hold on to your tax returns, kids—Superior’s Finance Committee, in a financial fever dream straight out of a Monet-meets-Monopoly crossover, wanted to drop a cool $600,000 on a public art project involving—wait for it—a grain elevator mural. Because nothing screams “fiscal responsibility” like putting lipstick on an industrial pig.

And who’s at the wheel of this 2021 paint-splattered hayride?
Council President Lindsey Graskey, 2025 edition.
Yep, your local government wanted to go full Bob Ross… with your tax dollars.

Art or Arrogance? You Decide.

Let’s roll the tapes. Graskey, clearly channeling a Renaissance patron with a city-issued debit card (with poolside rooms), declared the grain elevator mural a game-changer. Here’s her glitter-drenched mic drop:

“This mural… would change the ultimate perception of Superior, period.”

A bold claim for a town better known for potholes, and crooked politicians than Picasso.

She continued:

“It’s a huge opportunity… nothing like anyone’s ever seen.”

Right. Because what the crumbling infrastructure of Superior really needed wasn’t fixing—but flair. Who knew the answer to municipal decay was an Instagram backdrop?

Budget Breakdown or Breakdown in Judgment?

The meeting revealed this juicy tidbit:

“If we pay for the whole thing—and we won’t—but start to finish, high watermark on that was $650,000, low end $350,000.”

Translation: “We’re guessing. Wildly.”

City officials twisted themselves into policy pretzels trying to justify how throwing half a million bucks at a giant painting was, somehow, not off the rails. One speaker practically begged:

“Is there some quantifiable return on investment with art?”

Mayor Paine, dodging facts like dodgeballs in gym class, replied:

“Yes… but I don’t have it in front of me.”

That’s politician-speak for “Google it yourself.”

Silo Wars: The Budget Strikes Back

While the mural may inspire the occasional tourist selfie or #GrainGoals post, other council members raised some sobering points:

“This is a first-year category… to give it $500,000 is a little too fast for me.”

Another gem:

“We have to take care of our internal needs before we start doing some of these fun projects.”

Imagine trying to get a raise at work and your boss says, “Sorry, we spent your salary on an Instagrammable wall.”

The Grand Performance of Priorities

This “external art” fund was voted down from $500K to $250K—but not before a full-on philosophical TED Talk about whether murals reduce crime (spoiler: they don’t when the lights don’t work). Meanwhile, roads remain third-world chic, public services are strapped, and inflation’s making every budget tighter than your grandma’s Tupperware lid.

And the mural? Off the table. Because nothing says “Superiority Complex” like slapping a coat of paint on your poverty.

Final Thought

As your taxbills climb and your streetlight flickers like a haunted house, and you pay to fix your own alleys,  just know that your leaders were debating brushstroke budgets for an artist “who wants one mural per state.”

Super flattering to be the Wisconsin pick, but maybe—just maybe—it’s good we  passed?