New Glarus Village Board
Six candidates are running for three spots on the village board. Incumbents are Mark Janowiak, Eric Gobeli and Peggy Kruse. Also running are Ben Kahl, Barbara Anderson and Tammy Newberry. All candidates were asked to submit answers to questions.
Family: Married to Randy Kruse. Children, Kory, 33; Collin, 32; Allison. 28.
Education: BA, University of Illinois, MA+ Viterbo University
Occupation: Retired high school language arts instructor. Presently a caregiver in a community-based residential facility for assisted living.
Previous elected positions held: New Glarus village trustee since 2009
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve them?
At present, the village finds itself in a fiscally-challenging time. Over the years, I have learned the importance of research when making decisions on behalf of our taxpayers. With imposed levy limits, state cutbacks in funding, slow growth of the village populace, and demands for improved and new facilities, the impact of our decisions to upgrade infrastructure, purchase equipment, and improve facilities are fiscally restraining. We cannot meet all of these demands using only existing resources, so the board has to prioritize and choose cautiously. If elected to my fourth term as a trustee, I will continue to make decisions on behalf of the taxpayer that will move the village forward. I will look for ways to make the village an attractive place to lay down new business roots, maintain the village center as the viable and healthy heartbeat of the community, provide the children an improved library, and meet our service needs, in order to keep the village safe and well-maintained. These goals are general, but they have specific direction and require tough decisions. We cannot do it all, but we can move forward in steps that will not significantly impact the local taxpayer.
Priorities will include: Improving the present library, continuing to maintain and upgrade infrastructure, remaining proactive in attracting new businesses, keeping a fiscally responsible budget, and sustaining the village's identity as one of the historical gems of the state.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
Foremost, I would like the ongoing preparation and planning for an expansion of our library facility to be resolved. However, before the village board can responsibly make an informed decision, we need to know that if a library is expanded, it can also be operated on the present village contribution of approximately $150,700. There should be no undefined variables in the equation of expansion. The village board's decision-making has to be based on facts and precise expense numbers. This will allow the village board to make informed decisions and meet our needs with fiscally responsible insight.
If the citizens of the village borrow $1,000,000 to help build the new library, they will be faced with years of ongoing, additional expenses to maintain the facility. These new expenses should be clearly laid-out and agreed upon, and funding sources identified, before any definitive steps are taken.
Inevitably, if one looks at the future of the "free" library system in the United States, most can agree that it is on the cusp of great change and restructuring. We would be mistaken to expect no change in the future relevance of print media, as digital resources become available to the common citizen. If the internet becomes "free" as it should, (after all, the electromagnetic spectrum belongs to American citizens), then digital and video resources will become exponentially more available to everyone. This will change the way we use our library system, and if our library is to sustain itself for the next 30 years, we need to address how a future library will serve the community. I do not want our citizens paying for a facility that they cannot afford to maintain, nor do I want future generations of New Glarus residents angry at the financial burden that this village board gave them, 30 years earlier.
As trustee, it is my hope that I can help be a part of the decision to improve our library, in a way that can be sustained and maintained within the limits of projected budgets. It is important to realize that not only does New Glarus need an improved library, but it also needs to be able to support its maintenance, staffing, and resource additions.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
New Glarus has been our home since 1981. My husband was welcomed by New Glarus to begin his veterinary career, and I continued my career in education. We have been so fortunate to have raised our children in a community with such cultural identity. As villagers for so many decades, it is important to us to keep this community in responsible hands. I believe I can help address the needs of this village and solve its issues with foresight and care.
Education: BA, University of Illinois, MA+ Viterbo University
Occupation: Retired high school language arts instructor. Presently a caregiver in a community-based residential facility for assisted living.
Previous elected positions held: New Glarus village trustee since 2009
What are the top issues facing this district/municipality and how would you work to resolve them?
At present, the village finds itself in a fiscally-challenging time. Over the years, I have learned the importance of research when making decisions on behalf of our taxpayers. With imposed levy limits, state cutbacks in funding, slow growth of the village populace, and demands for improved and new facilities, the impact of our decisions to upgrade infrastructure, purchase equipment, and improve facilities are fiscally restraining. We cannot meet all of these demands using only existing resources, so the board has to prioritize and choose cautiously. If elected to my fourth term as a trustee, I will continue to make decisions on behalf of the taxpayer that will move the village forward. I will look for ways to make the village an attractive place to lay down new business roots, maintain the village center as the viable and healthy heartbeat of the community, provide the children an improved library, and meet our service needs, in order to keep the village safe and well-maintained. These goals are general, but they have specific direction and require tough decisions. We cannot do it all, but we can move forward in steps that will not significantly impact the local taxpayer.
Priorities will include: Improving the present library, continuing to maintain and upgrade infrastructure, remaining proactive in attracting new businesses, keeping a fiscally responsible budget, and sustaining the village's identity as one of the historical gems of the state.
What are other key issues facing the district/municipality, and how would you work to resolve them?
Foremost, I would like the ongoing preparation and planning for an expansion of our library facility to be resolved. However, before the village board can responsibly make an informed decision, we need to know that if a library is expanded, it can also be operated on the present village contribution of approximately $150,700. There should be no undefined variables in the equation of expansion. The village board's decision-making has to be based on facts and precise expense numbers. This will allow the village board to make informed decisions and meet our needs with fiscally responsible insight.
If the citizens of the village borrow $1,000,000 to help build the new library, they will be faced with years of ongoing, additional expenses to maintain the facility. These new expenses should be clearly laid-out and agreed upon, and funding sources identified, before any definitive steps are taken.
Inevitably, if one looks at the future of the "free" library system in the United States, most can agree that it is on the cusp of great change and restructuring. We would be mistaken to expect no change in the future relevance of print media, as digital resources become available to the common citizen. If the internet becomes "free" as it should, (after all, the electromagnetic spectrum belongs to American citizens), then digital and video resources will become exponentially more available to everyone. This will change the way we use our library system, and if our library is to sustain itself for the next 30 years, we need to address how a future library will serve the community. I do not want our citizens paying for a facility that they cannot afford to maintain, nor do I want future generations of New Glarus residents angry at the financial burden that this village board gave them, 30 years earlier.
As trustee, it is my hope that I can help be a part of the decision to improve our library, in a way that can be sustained and maintained within the limits of projected budgets. It is important to realize that not only does New Glarus need an improved library, but it also needs to be able to support its maintenance, staffing, and resource additions.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
New Glarus has been our home since 1981. My husband was welcomed by New Glarus to begin his veterinary career, and I continued my career in education. We have been so fortunate to have raised our children in a community with such cultural identity. As villagers for so many decades, it is important to us to keep this community in responsible hands. I believe I can help address the needs of this village and solve its issues with foresight and care.