VOTE411 Voter Guide

I believe it is important for everyone to contribute, within their ability, to the well-being of the community where they live. I believe that serving in local elected office is a good way to contribute to one’s community. I have previously served as our District 13 alder on the City of La Crosse Common Council from 2021 to 2025. I would like to serve my neighbors in District 13 again as their representative on the County Board. My health remains good, and I continue to have time to contribute. I have already proven my ability on the City Council.

Our La Crosse County 2024-2029 Strategic Plan identifies its mission to be “We deliver the services our community needs and fulfill state mandates.” If elected, I expect to work toward achieving this mission. While serving on the City Council, I sometimes heard Council Members lament that, when addressing certain concerns, “We need more County involvement for addressing these issues.” Sometimes, we felt like we in the City were burdened with issues that needed wider County support. As a Board member, I would try to remember this lament and advocate for the health and well-being of our neighborhoods, flood and major storm risk management, safe roads, and economic stability on behalf of my Southend City neighbors.

The two issues are 1) how we decide the uses for our community resources and 2) how we explain those decisions to our constituents. In local government, we pool our private resources (i.e., taxes) to benefit our local community. Our primary County Board responsibility is to use our resources to the best of our ability for the benefit of our entire community. This decision is hard work for our County Supervisors. We, the constituents, want to know how deliberations lead to the decisions that are made. It is most important for the citizens of La Crosse County to be informed of why and how their pooled resources are used for their benefit.

I would do as I did in my service on the City Council. I would personally ask my constituents for their opinions on issues that come before the County Board. And more directly, I would strive to respond to all communications from constituents via email, text, phone, or in person to understand their concerns and recommendations for addressing the issues that matter to them. This is the work I did as a City Council Member, and I would expect to do the same if elected to serve on the County Board as their representative.

It has been a privilege to serve our community on the County Board for the last 5 terms. During my recent two years as Chair, I have seen firsthand the results of a culture of respect and collaboration. I am running because I believe a brand of leadership grounded in assuming positive intent from our colleagues and demonstrating mutual trust is more vital now than ever. Our board’s ability to embrace non-partisanship to find pragmatic, fiscally responsible and sustainable solutions serves as a blueprint for effective governance. I am eager to apply my experience to ensure La Crosse County continues providing critical services with excellence and remains a model of civil, productive leadership for our region.

Our board is statutorily bound as an arm of the state, yet state-shared revenues often fall short of covering mandated services. Despite these constraints, I take immense pride in our fiscal track record. We have consistently maintained a balanced budget while keeping La Crosse County at the 5th lowest tax rate per capita in Wisconsin since 2022. To further benefit our district, I advocate for increased state-shared revenue and greater autonomy. Restoring these funds to our community would reduce the burden of unfunded mandates, allowing us to protect our low tax rate while finally securing the discretionary resources needed for local infrastructure and targeted community investments. We’ve proven we can be lean; now we need the flexibility to be proactive.

The two most critical issues facing La Crosse County are the homelessness crisis and the deficit of affordable, available housing. While these are definitely connected to each other and are national trends, their local impact requires a targeted, data-driven response.

La Crosse County recently completed a housing study identifying the specific units needed for "functional zero" homelessness and sustained economic growth. I fully support the city of La Crosse/ La Crosse County collaborative Pathways Home plan to bridge this gap. With 40+ units arriving in 2026, our next step is a capital campaign to develop the remaining specialized housing. This crisis requires a united response. I will continue to engage our business, healthcare, and philanthropic partners to share this responsibility. By adhering to our data-backed roadmap, which has already achieved a 90% housing retention rate, we can provide humane, sustainable solutions. The goal is to ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring while maintaining our commitment to fiscal excellence.