VOTE411 Voter Guide

I am running because I love Sheboygan County and want it to be the best place it can be. Stuffs expensive. Nature is precious. People need fun things to do. Since becoming more involved in local politics, it has been frustrating seeing a lack of movement, a lack of hustle, in doing more for our citizens. In 2020, I left my software development job to become a teacher because I like working with people, wanted to be more involved in a community, and hoped to make a difference. We have some excellent elected representatives and employees in Sheboygan County — we need more.

I've been in local politics for the past few years. It started with being an active member of a book club at Mead Public Library that read books about: building community, making roads safer, addressing the housing crisis in our cities, helping our homeless neighbors, and what makes a city fun. Since then, I started attending local government meetings, speaking out, and advocating to our local elected officials and staff. Mayor Sorenson appointed me to the Zoning Board of Appeals in April 2025. I've been learning along the way and am ready to step into an elected role in local government. As a teacher, public service is something I'm passionate about.

1) Affordability. After watching dozens of county board meetings, I have not seen the board vote on or discuss anything that would reduce the cost of living of any citizen in Sheboygan County. We have a 216+ million dollar budget. The county recently purchased a lot and stated that it has no current plans for it. Clearly, there is enough money. We need to meaningfully take on the task of helping people. We should at least try. I'd work with county staff to allocate more of our budget to directly helping citizens in Sheboygan County. Any increase would be a positive. My particular areas of interest are affordable housing and more convenient modes of alternative transportation. Americans spend an average of $13,174 a year on car/transportation costs, according to the United States Department of Transportation. Making it easier and more approachable to reduce car travel would save Sheboyganites thousands of dollars.

2) Homelessness. We have awesome people in our community, including staff and citizens, who help. The Housing Coalition and many local nonprofits do their best. We need to fund and support our staff and community members working on solving the problem. Our homeless neighbors need more access to transitional housing and supportive services.

3) Sustainability. It is our responsibility not to compromise the needs of future generations. That means preserving the beautiful natural world we were given: the lake, clean water, clean air, our parks, trails, and our natural resources. Sustainability also means not passing on burdensome debt. When voting on projects, I will be careful when taking on large amounts of debt or future maintenance obligations.

4) People to have fun! Sheboygan has great local businesses. I eat, play, and shop local and believe these awesome places make our community so much more fun. I'd approach local businesses to see if there is anything we can do to help them. I want the City and county to facilitate more community and recreational events.

5) Try. Work hard. As an elected representative, I promise to give it my all. We need elected representatives who are not afraid to put in a little work.

At the moment, data centers. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, a large data center can consume 5 million gallons of water per day and uses as much electricity as 100,000 households. According to Microsoft's website, its data centers employ approximately 50 people. While 50 jobs isn't nothing, it sounds like an awful lot of risk to the community's local resources for mostly shareholder gain. I would strongly oppose any data center in Sheboygan County.

We should certainly try! Preserving the beautiful natural world we were given should be a top priority for any elected official at any level of government. There are some common-sense steps we could take: regulate/oppose data center construction in our county, and have the county join the DNR's Green Tier Legacy Communities program to increase our opportunities for grant funding. We should also support methods of active transportation in our county to help reduce air pollution.

To represent the residents of District 7 while serving Sheboygan County. By doing so working to maintain Sheboygan County as a place to live, work, and play.

With many years of representation of others through various opportunities, and serving 18 years on the County Board on various committees and advisory committees, it is felt that past experience, and interaction with others provides a solid qualification for this postion.

I wish to continue to work with my County Board colleagues, along with Local, State, Federal officials, and the private sector for the benefit of District 7 residents and Sheboygan County as a whole. This is done through communication. Continuing to support Rocky Knoll our County owned an operated nursing home. Doing so by communicating with staff and management at the nursing home, while advocating for proper reimbursements through various public and private funding sources. Lastly to continue to advocate for other resources when funding County Programs. ( Property taxes for county purposes have risen less than inflation, averaging 1.24% per year over the last decade)

Natural resources are always on the radar at Sheboygan County. Fresh water, water runoff, habitat restoration, to mention a few. Currently Sheboygan County manages the Sheboygan Marsh as a wildlife habitat and educational center. we also have acquired the Amsterdam Dunes of which I am currently on the advisory board for. We are engaged in an ongoing process to restore the natural habitat, while encouraging and planning for trial, hunting and wetland mitigation processes. We work together with Local residents and conservation groups as well as the DNR, State, and Federal groups to provide us the resources and ability to accomplish our goals and manage our risks.

The County has limitations when it comes to climate control. Many initiatives are Federally led. But we do play an important role when it comes to locally managing our buildings, through weatherization and modernization of energy use, which affects our climate. Also our many various programs on habitat restoration play an import part in climate control. Forestry, and land use can assist in providing a more favorable climate.