VOTE411 Voter Guide

I think serving in elected office is such a wonderful way to learn about all the incredible initiatives and work being done by our county staff to keep us safe, provide beautiful green spaces to explore, and provide so many critical services for our most vulnerable folks. Having this insight into the day-to-day operations of the county is amazing and I learn something new every day. My job is then to be available to the public for questions and to advocate for our county staff, so they can do their jobs.

I have been on the county board since 2020. I am currently the Chair of the Planning, Resources, Agriculture and UW-Extension committee. I also serve on the Health and Human Services committee. I serve as the County Board representative on the Lakeshore CAP board. I was also elected by state Land and Water staff to the state Land and Water Conservation board, which oversees every county's Land and Water Conservation plans and updates. I also serve on the Wisconsin County Association's Land Use, Agriculture and Environment steering committee as well as the County Representative on the City of Sheboygan Marina, Parks and Forestry board. I try to attend as many other committee meetings as I can. Obviously, protecting our natural resources is important to me. And I enjoy learning how different county departments work together, like UWEX and the ADRC or Public Health and Conservation. There is a LOT of work to be done every day in the county, and I love supporting staff in that work.

Well, the first step is to see what committees I will be on. I enjoy both the PRAEcom and HHS committees. I also hope to take on more of a leadership role on the board, through the executive or finance committees. I want to work more on state legislative side, attending meetings at the Capitol to advocate for more dollars for child care, county conservation and DNR staff, as well as mental health. With constant changes at the federal level, we need to ensure as a state and a county we continue to provide the quality programs people expect in Sheboygan County.

Air quality is a HUGE risk. There is debate (for me) about some transport and drift issues from the south, but we also have a high manufacturing base here. I have concerns about federal changes that may impact transportation legislation. Cleaner transportation would have a major impact on our air quality. We also recently entered a lawsuit regarding PFAS. We need to do ample testing and have a plan if we discover PFAS in areas around the county. Climate resiliency is another big concern. We are seeing higher, more intense rainfall events. This raises concerns for culverts and bridges and for our farms and community in what kind of runoff we are seeing. Same for Lake Michigan and shoreline erosion, or impacts of increased building along the lakeshore and increased impervious surfaces. Good planning now can really help save us money in the future. Clean water is a priority. How can we better work with businesses and residents to conserve water, and keep phosphorous and other nutrients out of our waterways? I am really proud to see our County Conservation staff is doing more environmental education - they are a small but mighty staff.

I think it is very important that we as elected officials bring the impacts of climate change home, and not just what is happening nationally... What does a warmer and wetter winter mean for our salt use, and how does salt impact our budget and soils and water? What happens with high heat days and air quality issues? How ozone impact our forests and public health? What do high rainfall events mean for our water treatment plants, culverts and bridges? Are we budgeting for replacement of these things? With a warming climate in Sheboygan, what does that mean for invasive species moving north and being harder to eradicate? Are we going to see more people wanting to move here to avoid natural disasters occurring elsewhere, increasing demand for more services? What kinds of things can the county do to conserve energy use, not only for cleaner air but to protect us from rising energy costs? We can debate the cause of climate change, but we need to acknowledge that it is here in Sheboygan. Good planning will help, because it is easy to get caught up in the day to day stuff, and not think long term.