Village of New Glarus
Four candidates are vying for three open seats on the New Glarus Village Board. Incumbents Petra Streiff and Greg Thoemke are seeking to retain their spots against challengers Chuck Philipson and Shaun Dow.
Position sought: Village Trustee
Age: 51
City/town of residence: Village of New Glarus
Family: Daughter Madeline, age 13
Education: University of Wisconsin, Economics
Occupation: Financial Advisor
Previous elected positions held: 4th term Village Trustee (includes 4th term member of Personnel and Finance committee, Chairman of Parks and Recreation Committee, Chairman of Community Development Authority, Chairman of Tree Board.
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve it?
Economic Development and Redevelopment: Growth is critical to maintaining and even reducing the property tax expense of Village residents / businesses, but facilitating smart growth is difficult in a landlocked municipality such as New Glarus. Though we shouldn't rule out expanding Village boundaries, we need to do all we can to leverage in-fill and redevelopment opportunities. I'll leverage my experience on the Community Development Authority to continue pursuing these objectives. I'll put my familiarity with the tools available to the Village (such as revolving loan fund, facade improvement grants, tax incremental financing and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation resources) to use in attracting and retaining business and development.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
Annual Budget Process: The Village of New Glarus is in better financial health than many communities, but there aren't enough resources to satisfy every budget request. I'll utilize my experience on the Village Board to stretch village resources, in order to continue meeting as many of the community's needs and wants as is reasonably possible.
Attracting and Retaining Quality Village Staff and Personnel: Experienced and competent employees improve the quality of life of Village residents. New Glarus must compete with larger and wealthier nearby communities for Village staff, police department and utility employees. Though we may not always win these competitions, lean and efficient budgetary practices give us the resources to compete on a reasonably level playing field with other municipalities. I'll leverage my experience on the Personnel & Finance Committee, as well as my professional experience in issues related to employee benefits and compensation to help New Glarus compete and win in a challenging labor market.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
In two words, experience and preparation. Experience: I'm in my fourth term representing New Glarus residents and businesses in an elected capacity, and I've also logged over a dozen years of community service to New Glarus in various volunteer roles. To the best of my knowledge, two of my three competitors have no previous experience as an elected office-holder, and certainly none in the past decade, in our community.
Preparation: Only a small portion of the time I devote to my elected office is spent in actual Board or Committee meetings. I put much more time and effort into studying the issues, seeking input from constituents and consulting with Village staff on the issues confronting us.
Age: 51
City/town of residence: Village of New Glarus
Family: Daughter Madeline, age 13
Education: University of Wisconsin, Economics
Occupation: Financial Advisor
Previous elected positions held: 4th term Village Trustee (includes 4th term member of Personnel and Finance committee, Chairman of Parks and Recreation Committee, Chairman of Community Development Authority, Chairman of Tree Board.
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve it?
Economic Development and Redevelopment: Growth is critical to maintaining and even reducing the property tax expense of Village residents / businesses, but facilitating smart growth is difficult in a landlocked municipality such as New Glarus. Though we shouldn't rule out expanding Village boundaries, we need to do all we can to leverage in-fill and redevelopment opportunities. I'll leverage my experience on the Community Development Authority to continue pursuing these objectives. I'll put my familiarity with the tools available to the Village (such as revolving loan fund, facade improvement grants, tax incremental financing and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation resources) to use in attracting and retaining business and development.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
Annual Budget Process: The Village of New Glarus is in better financial health than many communities, but there aren't enough resources to satisfy every budget request. I'll utilize my experience on the Village Board to stretch village resources, in order to continue meeting as many of the community's needs and wants as is reasonably possible.
Attracting and Retaining Quality Village Staff and Personnel: Experienced and competent employees improve the quality of life of Village residents. New Glarus must compete with larger and wealthier nearby communities for Village staff, police department and utility employees. Though we may not always win these competitions, lean and efficient budgetary practices give us the resources to compete on a reasonably level playing field with other municipalities. I'll leverage my experience on the Personnel & Finance Committee, as well as my professional experience in issues related to employee benefits and compensation to help New Glarus compete and win in a challenging labor market.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
In two words, experience and preparation. Experience: I'm in my fourth term representing New Glarus residents and businesses in an elected capacity, and I've also logged over a dozen years of community service to New Glarus in various volunteer roles. To the best of my knowledge, two of my three competitors have no previous experience as an elected office-holder, and certainly none in the past decade, in our community.
Preparation: Only a small portion of the time I devote to my elected office is spent in actual Board or Committee meetings. I put much more time and effort into studying the issues, seeking input from constituents and consulting with Village staff on the issues confronting us.