MONROE - The election for Ward 7 alderman this April is not going to be just another face-off between incumbent Thurston Hanson and his neighbor Louis Armstrong, who lost to Hanson in 2010 by an 87-81 vote.
This year, a third candidate, Tony Gratz, has entered the race, and the ward boundaries are slightly different after redistricting. Ward 7 still includes the downtown business district, but the territory now lies more to the east and less on the southeast.
And the candidates are certainly not campaigning in lockstep on the big issue - money.
Hanson zeros in on the problem of rising taxes; Gratz thinks the budget needs more council oversight; and Armstrong fears the financial problems in the city tax increments districts will eventually do more harm.
"Personally, I think the (biggest) issue that is continuing is taxation," Hanson said, "along with keeping spending in check. Property tax is an issue that can drive people away from our city. Budget time is the one time of the year aldermen can let our preferences be known, and with past budgets, I voted against them, because taxes went up. Rising taxes keeps people out of your community."
Gratz said he doesn't like the way the council currently sets the budget.
"I don't like the budget process; I'm a fan of zero-based budgeting," he said. "I think they (council members) should be going through it line by line. The city administrator can, but I think ultimately it should fall on the city councilmen."
Armstrong was more specific about his concerns over the budget: Tax increment districts. The downtown TID No. 7, in particular, is failing to draw enough tax revenue to keep up with its debt payments. The city stepped in this fall to cover about $270,000 of the last payment, with the stipulation that the TID would eventually repay the city. That's not good enough, said Armstrong.
"In the long range, it's going to cost us," he said.
Armstrong noted a proposed $8 million senior housing project would have helped raise more property taxes for the downtown district. That project fell through recently.
He also pointed out that the proposed World Cheese Destination Center, a non-profit effort to draw more tourism to the city for education and entertainment, as well as reclaim an unused factory in the district, could be the next large boost for the TID fund.
"There's not much you can build to increase the net worth" (in TID No. 7), he added.
The candidates split even further on what they thought voters wanted most from the council members.
"It's the pocket-book issues," Hanson said. "We have to be ever mindful; property tax is a big concern. People want to see taxes spent properly. Taxpayers don't seem to mind spending more, if it's spent properly. The council is a fiscal steward - we all want what is in the best interest of the people, but taxpayers want us to be prudent with their spending and decisions on taxes. Last year, taxes should have been a lot less."
Armstrong thinks voters would like to hear more from, and less about, the council members.
"I think they'd like less of the personality conflicts," he said. "It's something I'd like to see less."
Gratz saw a similar council problem, with a slightly different twist.
"Voters want to be able to call up their alderperson and tell them what they have a problem with or an issue with, and ask them to present it to the council or a committee - and to be taken seriously," he said.
Gratz believes voters are most concerned about a lack of growth in economic development, and want to see some changes to get that restarted.
"More industrial growth, more mechanical industries, more of anything," he added.
Gratz said the city needs to streamline the building permit process so companies have a "steady target" to quickly accomplish their plans.
"The city should offer incentives, such as tax deferrals and roads and infrastructure" to companies wishing to move into the city's industrial parks, he added.
"The North Industrial Park is half empty. People have come out there, but the question is, they (the city) worried about Zuber Meats, how the (wastewater) treatment plant would handle it, but what if a large meat processing plant wanted to come, how can it support these? In 2006, Aeromotors (an FAA certified repair station that repairs and makes parts for airplanes) ended up going to Browntown. The process of getting a building permit and the zoning commission's changes sent them packing."
The clash of positions among the Ward 7 candidates has been ongoing since before campaigns started, with Hanson defending his votes on the budget, on remaining with a ward election system rather than changing to at-large elections - even his abstention from voting on whether to hold a spring primary this year.
Hanson made a public statement at a council meeting Feb. 21, explaining that, while his challengers had been publicly labeling him as the "silent" alderman for Ward 7, he saw that he could potentially benefit from the vote, and chose to remain un-entangled in that debate.
The candidates did not hold back from revealing anything in their criminal backgrounds that could discredit them.
"Not that I'm aware of," Hanson said. "I did get a ticket for speeding about three or four years ago, and one for failure to stop. But I learned; I'm paying higher insurance (rates) because of it."
Armstrong said he received a speeding ticket in 2009 and had a traffic accident involving a city police vehicle. He said he hit black ice on a corner turn, spun around and hit a nearby police car.
"About four or five police officers and sheriff deputies arrived within about 5 minutes," he said.
In late 2000, Gratz was charged with a felony hit-and-run which involved a death, but the charges were not proven; he was found not guilty by a jury in 2001.
"There was an unfortunate accident and somebody died, but to hold that against somebody is to say you're better than (a jury of) my peers" in the judicial system, he added.
This year, a third candidate, Tony Gratz, has entered the race, and the ward boundaries are slightly different after redistricting. Ward 7 still includes the downtown business district, but the territory now lies more to the east and less on the southeast.
And the candidates are certainly not campaigning in lockstep on the big issue - money.
Hanson zeros in on the problem of rising taxes; Gratz thinks the budget needs more council oversight; and Armstrong fears the financial problems in the city tax increments districts will eventually do more harm.
"Personally, I think the (biggest) issue that is continuing is taxation," Hanson said, "along with keeping spending in check. Property tax is an issue that can drive people away from our city. Budget time is the one time of the year aldermen can let our preferences be known, and with past budgets, I voted against them, because taxes went up. Rising taxes keeps people out of your community."
Gratz said he doesn't like the way the council currently sets the budget.
"I don't like the budget process; I'm a fan of zero-based budgeting," he said. "I think they (council members) should be going through it line by line. The city administrator can, but I think ultimately it should fall on the city councilmen."
Armstrong was more specific about his concerns over the budget: Tax increment districts. The downtown TID No. 7, in particular, is failing to draw enough tax revenue to keep up with its debt payments. The city stepped in this fall to cover about $270,000 of the last payment, with the stipulation that the TID would eventually repay the city. That's not good enough, said Armstrong.
"In the long range, it's going to cost us," he said.
Armstrong noted a proposed $8 million senior housing project would have helped raise more property taxes for the downtown district. That project fell through recently.
He also pointed out that the proposed World Cheese Destination Center, a non-profit effort to draw more tourism to the city for education and entertainment, as well as reclaim an unused factory in the district, could be the next large boost for the TID fund.
"There's not much you can build to increase the net worth" (in TID No. 7), he added.
The candidates split even further on what they thought voters wanted most from the council members.
"It's the pocket-book issues," Hanson said. "We have to be ever mindful; property tax is a big concern. People want to see taxes spent properly. Taxpayers don't seem to mind spending more, if it's spent properly. The council is a fiscal steward - we all want what is in the best interest of the people, but taxpayers want us to be prudent with their spending and decisions on taxes. Last year, taxes should have been a lot less."
Armstrong thinks voters would like to hear more from, and less about, the council members.
"I think they'd like less of the personality conflicts," he said. "It's something I'd like to see less."
Gratz saw a similar council problem, with a slightly different twist.
"Voters want to be able to call up their alderperson and tell them what they have a problem with or an issue with, and ask them to present it to the council or a committee - and to be taken seriously," he said.
Gratz believes voters are most concerned about a lack of growth in economic development, and want to see some changes to get that restarted.
"More industrial growth, more mechanical industries, more of anything," he added.
Gratz said the city needs to streamline the building permit process so companies have a "steady target" to quickly accomplish their plans.
"The city should offer incentives, such as tax deferrals and roads and infrastructure" to companies wishing to move into the city's industrial parks, he added.
"The North Industrial Park is half empty. People have come out there, but the question is, they (the city) worried about Zuber Meats, how the (wastewater) treatment plant would handle it, but what if a large meat processing plant wanted to come, how can it support these? In 2006, Aeromotors (an FAA certified repair station that repairs and makes parts for airplanes) ended up going to Browntown. The process of getting a building permit and the zoning commission's changes sent them packing."
The clash of positions among the Ward 7 candidates has been ongoing since before campaigns started, with Hanson defending his votes on the budget, on remaining with a ward election system rather than changing to at-large elections - even his abstention from voting on whether to hold a spring primary this year.
Hanson made a public statement at a council meeting Feb. 21, explaining that, while his challengers had been publicly labeling him as the "silent" alderman for Ward 7, he saw that he could potentially benefit from the vote, and chose to remain un-entangled in that debate.
The candidates did not hold back from revealing anything in their criminal backgrounds that could discredit them.
"Not that I'm aware of," Hanson said. "I did get a ticket for speeding about three or four years ago, and one for failure to stop. But I learned; I'm paying higher insurance (rates) because of it."
Armstrong said he received a speeding ticket in 2009 and had a traffic accident involving a city police vehicle. He said he hit black ice on a corner turn, spun around and hit a nearby police car.
"About four or five police officers and sheriff deputies arrived within about 5 minutes," he said.
In late 2000, Gratz was charged with a felony hit-and-run which involved a death, but the charges were not proven; he was found not guilty by a jury in 2001.
"There was an unfortunate accident and somebody died, but to hold that against somebody is to say you're better than (a jury of) my peers" in the judicial system, he added.