La Crosse City Mayor Choose 1
A mayor is responsible for implementing local laws (ordinances) passed by the city’s legislative body.The mayor proposes an annual budget for the city and acts as a liason between their city and thecounty, as well as other municipalities. The mayor can sign or veto actions of the legislative body. Voterselect the mayor for a term of four years in nonpartisan elections. There are no term limits.
Biographical Information
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/kahlowforlacrosse/
Education
B.S. , University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Community Involvement
City Council president, City of La Crosse 2023-present; City Council Member 2019-present
What current city initiatives or policies will you support and sustain?
La Crosse is at a crossroads: we face real challenges and also have significant opportunities. This is no time for on the job training. We need a Mayor who can hit the ground running on day one and my
experience on the City Council, as a small businessperson, and as someone deeply involved in her neighborhood and community make me uniquely qualified to lead our City. As Mayor, I will strengthen ordinances to improve public safety. I will prioritize upgrading aging infrastructure. I will collaborate with neighboring communities for a comprehensive regional strategy to combat homelessness. I will support vibrant, safe neighborhoods.
My budgets will reflects the values of our citizens, with great basic services, support for mass transit, and the beautification of public spaces.
How can the City of La Crosse develop its appeal as a place in which to work, live, and raise a family. In other words, how will we attract more long-term residents and fewer commuters?
La Crosse’s population is declining. As Mayor, I will take a effective, focused and collaborative approach to ensure our City is a place where people want to live, work, and raise their families. I will focus in three key areas: Support our local business. Small businesses are the heart of our community. I will support them with resources and incentives to grow jobs. Housing and Safe Neighborhoods. We need safe neighborhoods and housing options that fit everyone’s needs, including affordable homes, townhouses, and “missing middle” housing. Focus on our quality of life. To keep and attract residents, I will continue to make our city vibrant and welcoming. This means investing in our parks, trails, and the arts.
What is your understanding of neighborhood associations and their role in the city?
The Mayor must ensure the City’s business is conducted openly so that the public is fully involved. Neighborhood Associations are a vital link between our residents and the people elected to serve them. As Mayor, I will actively engage residents in city planning by implementing initiatives that bring government closer to the people and ensure everyone has a voice. I will prioritize supporting
neighborhood associations by providing resources, fostering collaboration, and ensuring they have a direct line of communication with city leaders. Strong neighborhood groups are essential to healthy communities and effective city planning.
If elected, what are your three top priorities for your first term as mayor of La Crosse?
Public safety, strengthening neighborhoods, and working collaboratively with residents and stakeholders to solve tough problems. As Mayor, I will focus on maintaining and enhancing the quality of life for all residents. This includes supporting strong public safety to protect our citizens and businesses, as well as
enhancing our parks and preserving open spaces. I will also work collaboratively on housing and homelessness issues, aiming for regional, state, and federal cooperation. I will prioritize a mix of housing options that balance affordability with maintaining the character and charm of our neighborhoods, ensuring sustainable growth and community vitality.
How would you describe the relationship between the mayor, the Common Council and city department heads?
All of City government must work together to meet the needs and realize the aspirations of our residents. The Mayor must be a leader for the entire City and communicate her vision for the City with
the people she serves. The Mayor must be an effective manager and successfully interact with our talented, hardworking city staff. I am the only candidate for Mayor who has served as an elected official in City government. My colleagues on the Council chose me as their President. As a City Council member, I have listened to residents and taken action to address concerns. I have a collaborative, respectful relationship with city staff. I appreciate the role of the City Council and respect their representation of the people in their Districts.
Biographical Information
Facebook
Shaundel for Mayor of La Crosse
What current city initiatives or policies will you support and sustain?
The mayor’s most recent State of the City address highlighted that we still have a lot of work to do, and I believe it is imperative that we do that work together. As mayor, I would continue to support our city housing initiatives such as Pathways Home, neighborhood revitalization programs, and our ongoing city development projects.
How can the City of La Crosse develop its appeal as a place in which to work, live, and raise a family. In other words, how will we attract more long-term residents and fewer commuters?
La Crosse serves as the regional hub for the workforce, supported by three great higher education institutions, two major health organizations, and several large manufacturing companies. We will always have a large number of commuters. However, I believe that there are ways that we can make our city more attractive to people looking to put down roots. First, we need to make sure that our housing initiatives focus on a variety of different housing to create and maintain more diverse neighborhood make-ups. Second, we need to not only maintain and grow a highly trained workforce. Finally, we need to continue to highlight our incredible local culture and all the different ways that people can find where they belong in our city.
What is your understanding of neighborhood associations and their role in the city?
Neighborhood Associations have historically served as a place to foster community, connect neighbors, including homeowners and renters, and advocate for neighborhood needs. It is important to highlight that Neighborhood Associations have not always been accessible to everyone. As a city, we must remain committed to ensuring that Neighborhood Associations represent and advocate for the needs of all residents. The city should improve the communications between the neighborhoods and the mayor's office by holding regular meetings with the neighborhood association, the mayor, and city council. As mayor I would also strongly encourage neighborhood associations to resemble the makeup of their neighborhoods.
If elected, what are your three top priorities for your first term as mayor of La Crosse?
My three top Priorities are addressing housing, specifically increasing the city's involvement with Pathway homes and ensuring that the city recommits to being involved in this collaborative project and following the model with fidelity. In addition I would work with the planning department to explore our options with buildable land, vacant buildings, and mixed use housing projects. I will work with the Council to finalize a decision about the city administrator role more specifically how we make the new position work for our city. My third Priority would be working with directors and common council to explore better ways to engage the community in our decision making processes.
How would you describe the relationship between the mayor, the Common Council and city department heads?
The relationship between the mayor, the Common Council, and city department heads should be one of collaboration, communication, and mutual respect. My administration would prioritize working towards a city administrator with a structure that best fits the City of La Crosse and formed with input by the community. An administrator would enable higher efficiency within our city government and greater responsiveness between the departments themselves and the mayor’s office. This would enable higher community engagement as the mayor would have more capacity to bridge the common council and the community as a whole. This approach ensures that all voices are heard and that the city government works effectively to address the needs of all.