VOTE411 Voter Guide

I am running for city council because I am proud to be a Sheboygan resident and have decided that now is the time to step up and help serve the people of our community. I will fight to keep our community a safe place to live. I am thankful to live in America and support our troops and police and want to do my part to serve others.

My goals are making public safety a top priority and always making financially responsible decisions for our community.

I would love to see stronger and stronger relationships continue to be built between our neighborhood associations, neighborhood watch groups, police officers, community members and city leaders. Having an open dialog between all of these groups will continue to lead to great things as well as an even safer Sheboygan. I agree with the concerns of many of my constituents that I have talked to about just how important it is to fully support our police officers. We can work together with them to help make Sheboygan an even better and safer place to live. I'd like to see the police continue their community outreach in different Sheboygan neighborhoods. I'd like to assist the police with these events to get our community members out to interact and have productive conversations with one another. We should ask what additional resources our police department can use to be even more effective, and see how we may be able to assist in that.

 Making financially responsible decisions for our community is a huge issue. Ultimately, there is only so much money to go around. We have to financially prioritize the most important areas of need for our residents. Limiting spending for less important areas is obviously the other part. Hard decisions will have to be made to cut here, while adding there. These decisions must always focus on what matters to our residents! Their needs and opinions are important. When the community has something to say, we must always listen!

Road conditions are also an important issue to many of my constituents. It is one of the most noticeable issues that many of us see and have to deal with on a daily basis. Our infrastructure must be properly maintained so it is always safe for our community to use.

There are currently many vacant houses around the city. I personally witnessed dozens and dozens as I have walked throughout the 8th district. Affordable housing is directly related to supply and demand. There are currently multiple apartment complexes being built in Sheboygan. That is a step in the right direction. Just as importantly, I want to find ways to encourage the property owners of these vacant houses around town to fix them up and list them as rental units. The more of these empty units that can be listed and on the rental market the better off Sheboygan will be. The prices will also be more affordable too.

Working in quality control for over 11 years has been a great experience. I have learned how to pay attention to detail and find ways to solve problems efficiently. I interact well with others and like to help people. My degrees in Business and Management will also be useful as an alderman. 

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I am seeking re-election for City Council because we need to continue to repair and replace roads, create more affordable housing in our community, and continue to help our local businesses grow and expand. While I have been in office we have achieved many great things in Sheboygan that directly impact the quality of life for citizens. I am proud to have sponsored the following two important ordinances as Alder: The Complete Streets program to make our road infrastructure more accessible to all residents (cars, pedestrians, cyclists), and The Responsible Bidder Ordinance to make sure that our city tax dollars are used wisely on city construction projects. I am also proud of the work we did as council to raise the minimum wage for all city employees to $15 an hour, and increase the Mead Public Library Budget. I look forward to continuing to serve my district and creating positive impacts in the community.

One goal of mine is to increase the number of roads that are being repaired and replaced in the city. Between 2022 - 2023, Sheboygan’s Department of Public Works repaired and replaced more than 15 city streets, and in my next term, I would like to see that amount increase. The most important issue that city council must address is continued maintenance on our roads, as the city has over 200 miles of roads within its’ limits. We must also create roads that are useful to all residents. The Complete Streets program is an essential start in making streets friendly to not just cars, but also bicyclists and pedestrians, by creating additional bike lanes and repairing sidewalks. Another goal I have for my second term as alderperson is to increase the housing stock in the city. Sheboygan has a major shortage of all types of housing, and I believe it is everyone’s right to have a safe and affordable place to live. Increasing the amount of housing in the city also increases the tax base, which in turn provides more funds for the city to use to provide essential city services, and improve life for all residents in Sheboygan. Additionally, I want to help our local businesses expand in our city and continue to provide well paying careers to our residents. The more we work with our local business leaders to provide them the infrastructure they need, the more our city can continue to grow and provide a high quality of life for employees and employers.

The City of Sheboygan must work with developers to provide grants to create more affordable housing, and the city must be more aggressive in pursuing development opportunities. City council and the city administrator should explore the creation of a Sheboygan specific low income housing credit, which would work in conjunction with state and federal low income housing programs. This will incentivize developers to create more affordable housing, instead of just up-scale apartments. The more housing that the city is able to provide, the more companies will want to expand within Sheboygan. Showing that the city council will move quickly and efficiently on developments demonstrates to employers that the city is committed to helping develop the workforce in Sheboygan. We need to continue our partnership with our local Sheboygan Economic Development Corporation to help create new residential developments in the city.

In my first term as Alderperson, I learned how to navigate the various departments within the city, and formed relationships with department heads and other city leaders. In this way, I am able to effectively help and serve my constituents that are concerned about issues that may arise in our neighborhoods or throughout the city. Since joining the City Council in 2022, I have enjoyed multiple leadership positions. I was elected to be chairperson for the Committee of the Whole by my peers on council in 2023. I also am the Chairperson for the Board of License Examiners, and in such capacity help Carpenters gain the necessary licensing to work in Sheboygan city limits. In my professional role as a Journeyman Electrician, I am a team lead and guide other apprentices and journeymen through tasks on our job sites. I am also proud to be on the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Executive Board, where I help approve charitable giving, financial reports and appoint business representatives for the local union hall. I earned my Eagle Scout rank with the Boy Scouts of America in 2013, where my focus was leading a troop of 40 other Scouts through troop activities and events. I am grateful for the many leadership opportunities I have had, and look forward to leading Sheboygan in my next term.

Sheboygan must continue to build housing in the city. We must develop a strategy that builds housing on all levels, including affordable, working, and upscale. Sheboygan currently has a vacancy rate of less than 1%. A healthy rate for a community of our size is between 5-10% vacant, available housing. City Council must continue to work with the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, as these organizations are key in recruiting new economic development in our area. The more that we invest in the community and utilize Tax Incremental Districts to maintain Economic growth, the more we will be able to recruit and maintain talent in Sheboygan. When we can offer housing options to all residents, along with clean parks, a beautiful lakefront, successful local businesses to shop at, and excellent restaurants to enjoy, we encourage them to make Sheboygan their forever home.