MONROE - While five seats on the Monroe City Council are on Tuesday's election ballot, only one, in Ward 4, has more than one contestant. Alderman Jan Lefevre is being challenged by Dan DeMuth.
Aldermen Paul Hannes (Ward 2), Keith Ingwell (Ward 6), Dan Henke (Ward 8) and Charles Schuringa (Ward 10) are running uncontested.
The Times asked each of the Ward 4 candidates to answer a set of questions about Monroe city issues. Here are their answers:
Address: 2115 14th St.
Business or job position: Sales and marketing, Mr. Ink
Community organizations: Board of Directors, Kiwanis Club; teaches China Mosaics and have my mosaics in three artisan galleries; antique dealer
Length of time in office: Four years.
Reasons running for office: I enjoy serving on the council and feel I have made a positive impact.
What specific expertise, skills and interests would you bring to the Council?
I welcome challenges and feel that my sound reasoning, willingness to ask questions and ability to deal with difficult topics and being able to listen openly to both sides of an issue are strengths that have served me well in the position of alderperson.
Which city committees or boards would you like to serve on?
I currently serve on the Public Property Committee, Historic Preservation Commission, Green County Historical Society, Housing Authority Commission, Board of Review, and Board of Health. I am an alternate on the Salary and Personnel Committee. I would like to continue on these committees. Because I want to understand the thought process on various committees that I'm not on, I attend many of those committee meetings as well to ascertain how I will vote on many things.
Should the City of Monroe fill the City Administrator position? Why, when and how should it go about doing that?
Yes. Smooth and efficient government demands the expertise of a visionary with skills in various fields, such as budgetary experience, human resources and effective managing of the various departments.
What should the mayor's role be?
The mayor's role is to be the goodwill ambassador for the city. He also sees that the policies and bylaws for the improvement and good government of the City are carried out by the council. He appoints council members to various committees based on their strengths and how he feels they can carry out their duties.
What should be the city government's role in economic development, and who should head up or oversee that work?
I have always put a lot of emphasis on this. It is very important that the City is always exploring economic development whether it is through the position of the administrator, mayor or someone else who has shown to be successful in their field. The council will determine who that person is that fills the need of the position the best.
What is your stance/opinion on the city's second fire station on the west side? Explain.
I have been struggling with the need for this station at the present time ever since it was first suggested. As development continues to move in that direction, it will be inevitable that it will be needed at some point in time. However, given the economic climate now, I would like to see a guaranteed grant by the government that would cover all the cost of the station and not incur any additional cost to the taxpayer. I don't want to add additional employees or equipment at this time, either.
How would you approach balancing next year's budget? Do you have any creative ideas for the Finance and Taxation Committee? What would you be willing to cut? What should absolutely not be cut?
After having sat in many budget meetings regarding this year's budget, I can tell you we cut to the bone. I would like to see if there is any overlap in job performance by employees where there would be more efficient use of worker's time resulting in savings. Sometimes one person could effectively do a job that currently uses two people. I don't want to see wasteful use of an employee's time.
Would you be willing to lay off city personnel, and where, if it becomes necessary?
We tried not to eliminate jobs; however, if the rising cost of the operations of the city and rising insurance costs for employees continues at the current pace and we have to stay with a mandated state cap of 2 percent, we will have no choice but to lay off city personnel and I would vote to do so, but reluctantly. I would like to maintain the core employees that are essential to the safety of the citizens of Monroe.
On contentious issues, will you vote your preference and conscience, or with the consensus of your constituents?
On contentious issues, I have always voted the consensus of the majority of my constituents when they indicate to me what they want. They don't always let me know, so then I try to vote what I feel is in their best interest. I also try to find a happy medium, by looking for a satisfactory alternative for the minority. I try to find a win-win situation whenever it's possible.
What, in your opinion, is the main issue the City of Monroe faces, and how would you address it?
I have felt that assessment to property owners for what I believe is infrastructure is wrong (i.e. street work, sidewalks, curb and gutter), and I've led the way and was successful in eliminating assessments to property owners for street work. I would like to see a transportation utility established where all residents share equally in the cost of these improvements since they all benefit from them. It should not be a part of their tax bill.
Other issues you believe need to be addressed and how:
We need to start working soon on funding, and hiring a city administrator. The council will have some difficult decisions to make to come up with the money for this position, but we cannot have an elected official whose job is temporary and could change at the will of the voters to perform these duties. We have been very fortunate to have the mayor fill in and perform these duties during this transition period. A full-time administrator will allow for smooth government. We also need to look to ways to ensure that the spring citywide pickup continues as we've known it in the past.
Aldermen Paul Hannes (Ward 2), Keith Ingwell (Ward 6), Dan Henke (Ward 8) and Charles Schuringa (Ward 10) are running uncontested.
The Times asked each of the Ward 4 candidates to answer a set of questions about Monroe city issues. Here are their answers:
Address: 2115 14th St.
Business or job position: Sales and marketing, Mr. Ink
Community organizations: Board of Directors, Kiwanis Club; teaches China Mosaics and have my mosaics in three artisan galleries; antique dealer
Length of time in office: Four years.
Reasons running for office: I enjoy serving on the council and feel I have made a positive impact.
What specific expertise, skills and interests would you bring to the Council?
I welcome challenges and feel that my sound reasoning, willingness to ask questions and ability to deal with difficult topics and being able to listen openly to both sides of an issue are strengths that have served me well in the position of alderperson.
Which city committees or boards would you like to serve on?
I currently serve on the Public Property Committee, Historic Preservation Commission, Green County Historical Society, Housing Authority Commission, Board of Review, and Board of Health. I am an alternate on the Salary and Personnel Committee. I would like to continue on these committees. Because I want to understand the thought process on various committees that I'm not on, I attend many of those committee meetings as well to ascertain how I will vote on many things.
Should the City of Monroe fill the City Administrator position? Why, when and how should it go about doing that?
Yes. Smooth and efficient government demands the expertise of a visionary with skills in various fields, such as budgetary experience, human resources and effective managing of the various departments.
What should the mayor's role be?
The mayor's role is to be the goodwill ambassador for the city. He also sees that the policies and bylaws for the improvement and good government of the City are carried out by the council. He appoints council members to various committees based on their strengths and how he feels they can carry out their duties.
What should be the city government's role in economic development, and who should head up or oversee that work?
I have always put a lot of emphasis on this. It is very important that the City is always exploring economic development whether it is through the position of the administrator, mayor or someone else who has shown to be successful in their field. The council will determine who that person is that fills the need of the position the best.
What is your stance/opinion on the city's second fire station on the west side? Explain.
I have been struggling with the need for this station at the present time ever since it was first suggested. As development continues to move in that direction, it will be inevitable that it will be needed at some point in time. However, given the economic climate now, I would like to see a guaranteed grant by the government that would cover all the cost of the station and not incur any additional cost to the taxpayer. I don't want to add additional employees or equipment at this time, either.
How would you approach balancing next year's budget? Do you have any creative ideas for the Finance and Taxation Committee? What would you be willing to cut? What should absolutely not be cut?
After having sat in many budget meetings regarding this year's budget, I can tell you we cut to the bone. I would like to see if there is any overlap in job performance by employees where there would be more efficient use of worker's time resulting in savings. Sometimes one person could effectively do a job that currently uses two people. I don't want to see wasteful use of an employee's time.
Would you be willing to lay off city personnel, and where, if it becomes necessary?
We tried not to eliminate jobs; however, if the rising cost of the operations of the city and rising insurance costs for employees continues at the current pace and we have to stay with a mandated state cap of 2 percent, we will have no choice but to lay off city personnel and I would vote to do so, but reluctantly. I would like to maintain the core employees that are essential to the safety of the citizens of Monroe.
On contentious issues, will you vote your preference and conscience, or with the consensus of your constituents?
On contentious issues, I have always voted the consensus of the majority of my constituents when they indicate to me what they want. They don't always let me know, so then I try to vote what I feel is in their best interest. I also try to find a happy medium, by looking for a satisfactory alternative for the minority. I try to find a win-win situation whenever it's possible.
What, in your opinion, is the main issue the City of Monroe faces, and how would you address it?
I have felt that assessment to property owners for what I believe is infrastructure is wrong (i.e. street work, sidewalks, curb and gutter), and I've led the way and was successful in eliminating assessments to property owners for street work. I would like to see a transportation utility established where all residents share equally in the cost of these improvements since they all benefit from them. It should not be a part of their tax bill.
Other issues you believe need to be addressed and how:
We need to start working soon on funding, and hiring a city administrator. The council will have some difficult decisions to make to come up with the money for this position, but we cannot have an elected official whose job is temporary and could change at the will of the voters to perform these duties. We have been very fortunate to have the mayor fill in and perform these duties during this transition period. A full-time administrator will allow for smooth government. We also need to look to ways to ensure that the spring citywide pickup continues as we've known it in the past.