development key issue in delafield mayoral race 2a
TRANSCRIPT
The Freeman - 03/20/2020 Page : A02
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By Jake [email protected]
262-513-2657
BROOKFIELD – Two can-didates are competing forone seat on the ElmbrookSchool Board in the April 7election. Jennifer Roskopfand Leanne Wied spokewith The Freeman andoffered their views on whatthe direction of the districtshould be going forward.
The seat is open becauseKathryn Wilson did notseek re-election.
The FREEMAN: Whyare you running for a seaton the school board?
ROSKOPF: My childrenare receiving an excellenteducation through Elm-brook and I want to ensurethe district’s reputation forexcellence continues togrow. I believe ongoingexcellence requires main-taining a strong foundationin core subject areas whileadapting learning systemsto evolving student needs,enrollment changes, andexpectations of employersand post-secondary institu-tions. Having engaged par-ent stakeholders on theboard is important to con-tinue this excellence and Iam concerned the board hasonly one remaining mem-ber with children currentlyattending Elmbrookschools.
WIED: I am runningbecause I believe my uniqueunderstanding of both theclassroom environment andboard budgets and policies
will allow me toc o n t r i b u t eimmediatelyto our contin-ued success. I
have workedc o l l ab o r at ive ly
with the school board andadministration for 10 yearson each of the four schoolboard committees, includ-ing finance and operations,and on several differenttask forces. The ElmbrookSchool Board is losing twoexperienced members thisyear. Through my workwith the board, I havelearned that it takes a fullterm for a new board mem-ber to become knowledge-able and effective.
The FREEMAN: Whatdo you believe is the mostimportant issue facingthe Elmbrook district?
ROSKOPF: Our district’sgrowing enrollment and thepotential to exceed our ele-mentary schools’ capacityis the most important issuefor families and taxpayers.To successfully address theenrollment issue and makeappropriate facility deci-sions, the facility andenrollment committee,made up of community anddistrict members, shouldcontinue to monitor andanalyze enrollment fore-casts, understand studentand family impact, and pro-vide transparency to stake-holders. I am honored toserve on this committee aswell as to have providedanalytic leadership for the2016 Enrollment BalancingTask Force.
WIED: Elmbrook is anexcellent school district butall institutions canimprove. These are some ofthe issues I want to tackleimmediately as a boardmember: improving ourinstructional model ofinclusion to meet the needsof all children in a moreflexible, responsive andeffective manner; increas-ing teacher, aide and staffretention; and taking amore conservative, criticaland analytical approach tobudget expenditures thatbetter improve and impactstudent learning outcomes.
The FREEMAN: Whatdo you believe can bedone to improve the edu-cation of students in thedistrict? (We ask thisquestion to candidates inevery school board race)
ROSKOPF: In thisunprecedented global crisisrequiring an at-home learn-ing environment, the valueof technology has beenclear. Our district wasextremely well preparedwith technology infrastruc-ture and tools as well ashaving staff equipped withthe necessary knowledgeand flexibility to quicklyshift to an at-home learningenvironment. Technologyis being used to supportcommunication, instruc-tion, practice, and class-room connection (and) pro-jecting forward to thereturn to classroom learn-ing, one improvement areawhere our district can focusis to more clearly define andcommunicate the specificrole of technology in oureducation processes.
WIED: Elmbrook has awell-deserved reputationfor excellence, opportunityand innovation. Our chal-lenge is maintaining thatreputation. We can continueto improve the education ofstudents in our district byworking with those whomour decisions directlyimpact. Parent, student andteacher input on the imple-mentation of inclusionwould result in an improvedmodel. We have hired over100 new teachers in the lasttwo years and we struggle toattract and retain parapro-fessionals as well. Thisdirectly impacts the educa-tion of our students. Thedistrict can improve staffretention without incurringadditional costs. As a class-room teacher for 33 years, Ihave seen trends come andgo and I know what willstand the test of time.
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Speedbump
Development key issue in Delafield mayoral raceBy Kelly Smith
DELAFIELD — The city’s eco-nomic development policies —including plans for new downtowncommercial buildings — are a cen-tral issue in the April 7 mayoralelection.
Sandra Felker is challengingincumbent Kent Attwell in his bidfor a second two-year term.
Because of the coronavirus cri-sis, voters are encouraged to imme-diately apply for absentee ballots atmyvote.wi.gov. and mail their bal-lot to City Hall.
City Hall will be the city’s onlypolling place since the usualpolling place, Christ the King
Church, will not be available dueto coronavirus precautions.
The city’s economic policy, fordecades, has been to react andreview development proposalsrather than to encourage and pro-mote them.
“When you are located betweenan interstate highway exchangeand a lake, you do not have torecruit developers, they will cometo you,” according to former MayorEd McAleer, who served in city gov-ernment for two decades and is notendorsing either candidate.
Felker argues the city needs to bemore aggressive in establishingpartnerships with developers sothe tax base can grow to pay for cityservices without borrowing money.
“Over the past 11years, our net newconstruction has notexceeded two percent.We are not being
proactive and we needto start talking about pur-
poseful growth,” she said during arecent candidates’ forum.
She noted it has taken the citytwo years to review HendricksCommercial Properties plans tobuild two four-story commercialbuildings on the corner of Mainand Genesee streets.
She criticized the Plan Commis-sion’s failure to approve the pro-ject at its Feb. 26 meeting.
Attwell responded there aremore than 90 engineering anddesign issues in the Hendricksproposal that must be resolvedbefore the city can approve the
project.He said he supports “thoughtful”
economic proposals that comple-ment downtown Delafield’s Colo-nial style architecture and complywith the city’s land use plan andzoning code.
The city’s approval of the pro-ject has been delayed because ofchanges in state law and the localzoning codes as well as necessaryrevisions in the design of thebuildings, according to Attwell.
Attwell, during the forum, allud-ed to his more than 15 years’ expe-rience in city government andnearly 25 years living in the com-munity.
“I am the only candidate whounderstands the city history withthe experience and proven leader-ship to help keep this city a greatplace to live and work,” he said.
Incumbent Attwell challenged by Felker Kent Attwell (i)Age: 53Occupation: Execu-tive with SABIC/Gen-eral Electric plasticsYears in community:25 Prior Elected orAppointed Experience: Mayor,alderman, plan commissioner, LakeWelfare Committee chair
Sandra FelkerAge: 42Occupation:Stay-at-home mom,former managementconsultantYears in community:threePrior Elected or AppointedExperience: None
ELECTION2020
By Nikki [email protected]
262-513-2651
MUKWONAGO — Twoseats on the Village Boardare open in the April 7 elec-tion.
Jay Vermeulen is not run-ning for another term andincumbent Jason Wamseris running for re-election.Two new candidates, JohnMeiners and Daniel Adler,are running for a seat.
AdlerAdler said he’s a good fit
for the board because he isa fourth-generation resi-dent of Mukwonago, with afamily history of electedofficials in the village.
“I understand what peo-ple care about and kind ofthe overall picture that a lotof people in the village arelooking for the village tolook like,” Adler said.
Adler said it’s importantthat infrastructure is takenseriously in the village.
“I know that it’s an issuefor many many residentswhere we figure out some-thing to reroute the traffic... I think (the Highway 83reroute is) something that Idefinitely would support ifit made sense to enhancethe downtown life andenhance traffic,” he
said.Adler said he thinks it’s
important for the village toincrease accountability andtransparency with resi-dents.
“With the changing tech-nology, I think there’s a lotmore ways that the villagecould reach out to the com-munity about what is hap-pening,” he said. “Peoplefind out too late what’sgoing to be done and by thetime they get their voiceheard it’s too late in thegame, there’s already deci-sions being made. I thinkit’s making sure that ourresidents are aware in thebeginning process.”
MeinersMeiners said he is a good
fit for the board because ofhis experience and work on
the comprehen-sive plan for thevillage, whichhe fully sup-ports.
Meiners saidhe supports the
bypass to reroute Highway83, yet there is room formore information on it. Hesaid ultimately that deci-sion lies with the state andthe village can ask for thehandout. He said his overallgoal for running is toenhance the downtown.
“During my campaign, Ifelt this way beforehand,many people with youngchildren tell me that ourparks need help,” Meinerssaid. “To tie that together,my plan is to get myself onthat committee, as well theDowntown Committee.”
Meiners said he is for thegrowth of the village.
“Specifically, the reasonis because the large indus-trial and commercial build-ings that we’re placing onthe far side of Highway 43are going to provide the taxdollars to give us these ser-vices like better parks and adowntown without havingto increase property taxes,”Meiners said.
Wamser Wamser said he’s been
involved in the communityfor five years in variouscommittees.
“I’ve had experience andI’ve played a role in some ofthe mechanics that makethe community move for-ward,” he said.
Wamser said regardingthe reroute of Highway 83,he supports investigatingfurther what it would takefor that to happen. He saidhe doesn’t yet have an opin-ion either way because it isa fluid discussion rightnow, as the board continuesto meet and discuss newinformation.
“On the pro side there’sdevelopment that wouldlike to work its way throughthe downtown and thereroute could be a benefitfor that,” he said. “On thecon, it’s about moving traf-fic and people are con-
cerned about the trafficimpacts.”
Wamser said it’s veryimportant to balance devel-opment with communitywants and needs. He saidit’s hard to make everyonehappy, but he works to doso.
“On the community side,people want to live here,they want their familieshere, and people want tohave things that are posi-tive for their family,”Wamser said.
ELMBROOK SCHOOL BOARD
Roskopf, Wied vie for seat
Jennifer RoskopfAge: 48Occupation:Homemakerand communityvolunteer, for-merly manage-ment consul-tant Years in district: 18 years Prior elected experience:None Address: 2225 Derrin Lane,Brookfield
Leanne WiedAge: 57Occupation:high schoolmath teacher Years in district: 20years Prior electedexperience: None Address: 1800 Dundee Road,Brookfield
ELECTION2020
MUKWONAGO VILLAGE BOARD
Three run for two seatsDaniel AdlerAge: 27Address: 206S. Rochester St.Occupation:Court clerk fora WaukeshaCounty judgeYears in village: 25 yearsPrior elected/appointed experience: None
John MeinersAge: 62Address: 516Small FarmRoadOccupation:CAD drafting fora residentialremodelingcompany Years in village: 17Prior elected/appointed experience: Member of thePlan Commission, member ofthe committee for an updatedcomprehensive plan
JasonWamser (i)Age: 47Address: 604Prairie Hill Ave.Occupation:Estimator forarchitecturalsign companyYears in village: 7Prior elected/appointed experience: Member of thecommittee for an updated com-prehensive plan, member ofthe Economic DevelopmentCommittee, representative forPublic Works on the Plan Com-mission
ELECTION2020
WAUKESHA — TheWaukesha Water Utility isreminding customers tocheck for leaks duringnational Fix a Leak Week.
“Leaks can cost families alot of money,” said MaryAdelmeyer, customer ser-vice coordinator. “Toiletleaks tend to be invisible andare one of the most commonleaks.”
Toilets are the mainsource of water use in thehome, nearly 30% of an aver-age home’s indoor waterconsumption. The waterutility recommends check-ing for toilet leaks at least
twice a year.According to the press
release, replacing toilets thatwere installed before 1993 isone of the best ways toreduce water usage. Pur-chasing a 1.28 gallon perflush toilet can save home-owners about $115 per yearon water and wastewaterbills.
“If you live in the city ofWaukesha, you may alsoqualify for the $100 toiletrebate and a $25 shower headrebate,” the release said.
For more information,visit www.waukesha-water.com/wtc.html.
Public reminded of nationalFix a Leak Week
Reporting onLake Country
KellySmith
Phone: 715-292-3560Email: [email protected]
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