PAGE 10 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - MARCH 26, 2014
A smaller Polk County Board, many contested seats
Gregg Westigard|Staff writer POLK COUNTY – The Polk County Board is reducing in size from 23 to 15 members. The Tuesday, April 1, election reflects the reduction of eight seats, resulting in 16 incumbents facing the prospect of facing each other or retiring. Of the present 23 supervisors, 19 filed for re-election and four retired. Two of the 19, Brian Masters and Rick Scoglio, were defeated in the February primary and 17 are on the April ballot. Also on the April ballot are three former county board members and seven people running for the board for the first time. Twelve of the 15 seats have contests. No one filed against Dean Johansen in District 3 and Kim O’Connell in District 9. Russ Arcand had an opponent in District 13, but Larry Voelker died before the election. His name is still on the ballot. The Leader interviewed the 24 candidates for the attached profiles. All the interviews were face to face except for one by phone, and all but two of the 23 remaining were held in the candidates’ homes. We met their spouses, children and grandchildren. We met their dogs, drank their coffee, ate their cookies and popovers. We talked about county issues but also discussed theology, business, medicines and the old days at the county. We have known some of the candidates for years, others we met for the first time. All the interviews, except for the two in the primary election, took place from March 13 through March 22. The candidates are a varied lot. Many are working full time, but others call themselves retired. We did not ask their ages but did find out that there is an age range of over 40 years between the oldest and youngest. All the candidates were talkative and willing to share their views, but a few were very analytical. As a result, our interview notes range from three pages to eight pages. We started each interview with a variation of the question on what they thought was the main campaign issue. For incumbents, that question was “What do you see as the coming issues for the county?” For the newcomers it was “What got you in the race?” The interviews were mostly listening, asking a minimum of questions and trying to not get off track on conversations.
District 1
William Johnson, Herschel Brown in rural northeast corner of county DISTRICT 1 – The largest district in the county has a contest between two incumbents, William Johnson and Herschel Brown. The district includes the village of Frederic and the towns of West Sweden, Clam Falls, Lorain and McKinley. Johnson is completing his seventh term and is the county board chair. Brown is completing his third term. William Johnson “I can bring institutional knowledge to the new smaller board,” Johnson said, “as we see how the 15-member board will play out.” Johnson first came on the county board in 1996 and, except for a fouryear gap, has served since then. He has been attending all the town board meetings in the three new towns he might represent and says that the towns go about their business William Johnson in spite of the county government. Johnson says a challenge is to make the county government more inclusive of the towns, to open better communications so the towns and their needs are better represented at the county. One thing he has heard is that snowmobilers say they need the routes through the county forests and are concerned about talk of decreasing the size of the forest. Once the public land is gone, it is gone forever, Johnson says, and won’t be there for everyone to use. We need to have a strong Economic Development Corporation that can make contacts with state agencies and organizations and help bring more business here, Johnson says. But manufacturers need good roads to move their products, and we have to keep the roads in good
ELECTION PROFILES Polk County Board of Supervisors shape. He says the county should keep the highway plan funded. Johnson has been very active in promoting the county as a tourism destination. He says he has been involved in regional planning organizations outside the county. The business of the county board is not limited to the county lines, Johnson says. Johnson is a lifelong Frederic area resident. He is the Frederic Village president and is serving his second term as county board chair. He is the sound engineer for the Festival Theatre and does residential construction. Herschel Brown Stable taxes are beneficial to Polk County, Brown says, but the county government does not have a lot of control since the county share of the property taxes is 20 to 30 percent. There is a need for new employment in the county but much of that falls on the villages, he says, with the county assisting. Brown talks about promoting retirement communities here. We Herschel Brown have all that would go along with that, he says, the draw of the outdoors and of services that people need and enjoy. Brown says that is the way to go, looking at the villages as commercial centers for them. Retirees have money to spend. These people would create jobs beyond belief, Brown says. The county should be more proactive in promoting the area and encouraging the villages to reach out, he says. The villages can’t be satisfied with the status quo. This is the economic development that can help the area. We do not have the infrastructure to support industry, the fourlane roads and railroads they need. Brown is concerned about the ordinance rewrite process. People don’t understand what a big deal the ordinance revision is, he says. The whole process went wrong from the start, Brown says, with the citizen advisory committee making recommendations only to the technical advisory group over the nearly three year period. He feels that the land information committee should have received all the suggestions and been involved in the draft ordinance rewrite earlier. The public has the right to hear all the CAG ideas, Brown says. That is why he introduced a series of amendments that he says include views of some CAG members that were not included in the draft prepared by the TAG. The task now will be for the public and the new board to compare all the existing documents, the draft, the DNR rules and the amendments, and come up with a good document. The public needs to settle down and look at the whole picture, Brown says, they don’t need to take sides. Brown says the county is doing well under Dana Frey. Debt is coming down. The road plan may need more money. Golden Age Manor, the lime quarry and recycling are being operated as businesses and there are no problems there. This may all be different in 10 years, he says. The county board needs to look ahead at everything, to have an expanded vision. “I know Operation Prosperity exists,” Brown says, and appreciates their support. “But they won’t buy my vote.” Brown moved to McKinley eight years ago to be near his wife’s family. He worked for a large company in Colorado while also owning some small business and properties there. He says he knows the business world.
District 2
Doug Route, Patricia Schmidt, in Luck, Bone Lake area
DISTRICT 2 – The district includes all of the Town of Bone Lake, most of the town and all of the village of Luck, and Georgetown west of CTH I. All of the actual Bone Lake and its shoreland homes are in the district. Schmidt is completing her seventh full term on the county
board. Route is running for the first time. Doug Route The ordinance rewrite is my biggest issue for running, Route says. He was an active member of the citizens advisory committee for its entire 2-1/2 years and would like to help finish the process. He says the ordinance rewrite is a complicated issue, and many parts of the draft were never discussed during the CAC period. Route would like to see more of the discussion taken to the southern part of the county and to have Doug Route the issues discussed by the public. Route says he has thought about getting more involved for years and that interest was increased by his time on the CAC. His talk with Dana Frey and visits to the Board of Adjustment led him to decide to run for the board now, after procrastinating for years. Route says this is an exciting time for the county. The highways and the sheriff’s department are very important issues, Route says. The departments are doing good jobs and he supports funding for both. He says everyone uses the highways, and the sheriff’s department has been there when he needed it. Other than that, Route says he has no agenda. He says it will be a learning process and you have to realize that you are one person working with all the others. “I don’t know why the county needs more land,” he says in regard to the county forests. Route says he did not favor the purchase of the Denny Lake property in Lorain. Route says he was never contacted by Operation Prosperity but finds nothing wrong with what they say. He says they are putting up their signs for him. Route graduated from Luck High School and has lived in Bone Lake for 40 years. He was a rural mail carrier and knows a good share of the district and the residents. This will be a chance to get reacquainted with many of them, he says. Route has been involved with the Bone Lake Town Board and the Wood Lake Association. Patricia Schmidt The big issue is the shoreland ordinance and protection of the lake and the environment, Schmidt says. She does not support proposed amendments to the draft ordinance. She says the lakes belong to everyone, and the prosperity of the county depends on the lakes and the revenue they bring to the county. The county must Pat Schmidt provide services within the mandates, Schmidt says, and as economically as possible. She says all the fat is gone from the county budget, all the efficiencies have been done. Schmidt says it is important to treat county employees well. The county must pay competitive wages to keep good people, but the county is a nice place to work, and people will choose to work here because of rural living, good schools and respect on the job. Economic development is important for the county, Schmidt says, and the county can play a role in that to a certain extent by supporting the Economic Development Corporation to help make sure things happen. The county needs to work with the villages to help them develop. One area for growth is accommodations for the baby boomers, Schmidt says. Polk County is a nice place to retire, the retirees now are healthier and have money to spend. The county should support the villages on this, she says. Tourism is another draw for the county, Schmidt says. The county has the oldest and the newest state parks, in additions to over 400 lakes. There is a lot to offer in the county, she says. Schmidt says the role of county government is to protect the lakes, provide good roads and look at options for public transportation. She says the county
should look at the comprehensive plans of each community for guidance and follow those plans. Schmidt feels her experience on the board will be valuable when the smaller county board takes office. She is the longest serving member of the county board and has served on a wide range of county committees. She says she studies and researches the issues before voting and understands the county government. A lifelong Polk County resident, Schmidt has lived in the Luck area since 1970. She went back to college as an adult and got her degree. She says she is concerned about the environment and used good conservation practices during her farming days. Schmidt says economic growth and environmental protection go hand in hand.
District 4
Kathryn Kienholz, Josh Hallberg in district with two villages, lots of lakes DISTRICT 4 – The district contains the villages of Milltown and Balsam Lake and the Town of Milltown. It contains all of Half Moon Lake, most of Balsam Lake, and several smaller lakes ringed with development. Kienholz is completing her third term as supervisor. Hallberg is running for the county board for the first time and serves on the Balsam Lake Village Board. Kathryn Kienholz The first issue in the election is the shoreland zoning ordinance, Kienholz says. It is an issue of clean lakes and their protection. She says that about half of the county’s property tax comes from lakeshore property. Who will want to buy the property if we don’t protect the lakes? There Kathryn Kienholz needs to be reasonable restrictions on setbacks and runoff control. One house is not the issue, Kienholz says, it is the gradual creep. The lakeshore property tax revenue runs everything else, highways, human services, law, it is essential to the county. Economic development is also important and the county must support and bring together the resources that can help Polk grow, Kienholz says. “This is a beautiful place to live, the services businesses want are available, there is an educated and capable workforce, there are good schools and adult learning opportunities. We need to do what is best for our longterm needs,” she says, “and not piddle around with small savings.” “The county has an older population and we need to look at the services they need, encouraging services that assist them such as the public transport system ADRC is setting up. Don’t stand in the way,” Kienholz say. Hiring a county administrator is the best thing the county has done, Kienholz says. She thinks having one is wonderful, especially for the employees. “The one we have is the best,” she says. But she says there are only so many ways to save money. There have been efficiencies in technology, the accounting software is getting better, there is more efficient use of employee time. “In the past the board micromanaged the departments,” Kienholz says. “Now the board relies on Dana to get things done and can use its time for making policy.” Kienholz is a retired CPA. She has lived in the county since 1999 and has been active in local libraries and the associations for Half Moon and Antler lakes. Josh Hallberg It is important to have representatives with a future outlook, to look ahead 10, 20 or 30 years, Hallberg says. The county needs to plan for future generations, for sustainability over many years, he says. He wants to take part in that long-term outlook, to get involved Josh Hallberg in the process. See Polk County Board, page 13
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Polk County Board/from page 12 Hallberg says he thinks it is important for young people to get involved. He joined the Balsam Lake Village Board a few years ago and now decided it is time to run for the county board. Hallberg says he can bring value to the board with his personal experience in the private sector and in village government and is willing to make the hard decisions. Any business that comes to the county benefits all the residents, regardless of where it locates, Hallberg says. He supports the Economic Development Corporation and Steve Healy absolutely, and thinks there needs to be a plan in place for each area and community that the county can assist. He says investing in the future will bring lower taxes. Government should bring value to the taxpayers, Hallberg says, and due diligence is needed to make sure that is being done as the government delivers services and meets needs. He supports strong law enforcement and supports the district attorney’s work. This brings value to the county, he says. He says the three county enterprises need to be self-sustaining and each needs a future plan. A great recycling program is good for the community, he adds. The board can focus setting the right policy, he says, and it is important that the elected officials make that policy. The voters can hold the elected officials accountable. But the officials can’t make decisions on what they think or feel, they must quantify their decisions and know the basis for their decisions, the facts. Hallberg says they should know why a policy or decision needs to set that way. Hallberg says he did not know he was being backed by Operation Prosperity and says it is sickening to be attacked because they support him. He adds that this is a nonpartisan election. Hallberg has born and raised in the area. He has a dual major in business administration and marketing and has worked for several companies, large, midsized and small, and is now doing independent business consulting.
District 5
Joey Monson-Lillie, Craig Moriak in Clayton area seat DISTRICT 5 – The district includes the towns of Clayton, Beaver and Johnstown and the villages of Clayton and the county portion of Turtle Lake. The largest lakes in the district are Pipe, Horseshoe and Magnor. Moriak was appointed to the board and is completing his second full term. Monson-Lillie is making her first run for public office. Joey Monson-Lillie “I’m not the person I was five years ago,” Monson-Lillie says. “I started getting politically involved in grade school, was interested in national politics and party politics. Now I think I have become more independent, more open to ideas,” she says. “I have turned off cable news. I don’t recognize that person I was.” Monson-Lillie said she was asked to run for the county board five years ago and de- Joey Monson-Lillie clined. Now she says she is interested and ready to do her duty. Monson-Lillie says she feels she has a clear and open mind, likes to gather facts, and then make a decision. When she was told she had been endorsed by Operation Prosperity, she looked at their site, and asked: “Why are these people backing me?” Growing Polk County is important, Monson-Lillie says. She thinks the Amery Economic Development group is doing a great job and would like the county to support activities like that. She supports lower taxes and regulations for businesses to get more jobs in the county. Monson-Lillie says the first priority for the county government is police and roads, saying that reflects her libertarian leanings. She says at first blush she questions why the government should not operate a nursing home but will look at Golden Age Manor from all perspectives. She said her answer to that would have been different five years ago.
It is important to get people more involved, Monson-Lillie says. The issues are complex and people must be willing to look at answers. Monson-Lillie has lived in the Clear Lake and Clayton area all her life. She is the human relations manager for a large company in Amery. Craig Moriak The county is in better hands with a county administrator than it was in 2009, Moriak says. It is more stabilized, in a healthier financial position. He feels comfortable with where the county is heading. Moriak would like to continue on the board to help get the zoning ordinance rewrite completed. He is on the land information committee that is overseeing the process and wants to see the issues presented and reviewed. Moriak says some Craig Moriak areas of the draft could be tweaked and some of the Brown amendments need to be brought up. It is not an all-or-nothing question. Moriak is a licensed housing/property inspector and says his job gives him an understanding of the needs for regulations and zoning. He feels he knows what could happen with less regulation. Moriak says the new zoning ordinance should last for 20 years. For the future, Moriak thinks that an integration of the land information and land conservation departments could lead to better, easier access to services for the public. The process of permitting and inspecting could be done more efficiently. Moriak says he has no agenda but wants to make the best decisions with what the county has available. He says the supervisors get a lot more information now that Frey is administrator and is looking ahead. Moriak has some concerns about the 15-member board. He likes being on committees where members can bring and share their expertise. For the future, Moriak says the highway building issue will eventually be resolved but the issues must be researched and presented better than the previous time. Agriculture is important for the county and should not be ignored. There is a need to get more industry and jobs, but he does not see a role for the county in that issue. Tourism is important and he would like to have more of the traffic moving through on Hwy. 63 stop in the county and stay. One issue is how to be prepared to replace Frey when he retires. Moriak says it can take three to five years to find out if a new administrator is the right one. Moriak has lived in the Clayton area all his life. He currently does inspections for many municipalities and has also been a dairy farmer and done construction.
District 6
Ken Sample, Marilynn Nehring in Apple River, Balsam Lake Town
DISTRICT 6 – The district includes the towns of Balsam Lake and Apple River plus Georgetown east of CTH I. The district contains many large lakes. The candidates, Ken Sample and Marilyn Nehring, are the winners of the February primary which saw the defeat of two incumbents, Brian Masters and Rick Scoglio. Sample has served two previous terms on the county board, and Nehring is a member of the Board of Adjustments. Ken Sample “The quality of government relates to how well we interact, listening to and speaking with a diverse group of people, and being able to compromise without abandoning our values,” Sample said at the start of the interview. He says he wants to use his time on the board to raise the bar on government so the residents can get the best value Ken Sample for their money.
Sample says he wants to look at the process of the county government and work on coming changes to meet new needs. He says he was very involved in the county’s change to a county administrator and the positive effects he says that move has made. He wants to keep working on the changes in policy and says his experience in the corporate world gave him skills that can help the county. Examples of some areas Sample says need to be looked at include the highway building, the long-term role of the county nursing home, and the county’s communications with other local bodies such as town governments and lake districts. He says this is the time to look at the future administration of the county, taking advantage of the skills of the present administrator, Frey. Sample says the board can now look at the process and the policies because the county operations are working well. “The taxpayers must be perceived of as customers,” Sample said. “We provide them with an infrastructure. They don’t need the county to impose an ideology. Now the county needs to protect the infrastructure of its lake and water resources, involving the citizens, setting a bar high, and justifying the rules it sets. But the county must quantify the reason when it makes regulations that are more restrictive than those set by the DNR.” Sample sums up his goal as identifying problems that people connect with, finding solutions and options that address the problems, implementing the solutions in a timely way with accountability, and evaluating the results in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Operation Prosperity endorsed Sample after the primary but he says he did not know about the group before that. “No one owns me,” he says, “I do what I think is right.” Sample served two terms on the county board where he sat on the personnel, land information, human services and property committees. He has also been a school board member, a planning commission member and a town clerk. Marilyn Nehring “The county board needs someone with new innovative ideas, someone with the confidence and motivation to make old things work in the new and changing world,” Nehring says. She says she has taken on things all her life, looking at things in a different way if she is turned down on the first attempt. Nehring says she is coming to the election with no preconceived notions but with a willingness to do her homework and study the issues. But she also Marilynn Nehring wants to talk to people, discuss issues with them, find solutions that work. She likes to find practical solutions that people can accept. Lake quality is a current issue in the county, and Nehring has sat on the board of adjustment, which resolves land use issues since 2009. She said the board tells property owners what will work, not exactly what they want, but what is a good option, a practical solution that will work. She says most of the property owners have accepted those decisions. Most residents are concerned about water quality, she says. The homeowner is responsible for their lake’s quality and come to see the value of a corridor between their house and the water. Nehring says that working with people has worked, treating them with respect, and most people have appreciated the board of adjustment. Nehring said she worked her way up into management in her 25 years in the corporate world, working with finance, cost analysis and project engineering. She says those skills give her experience in how to solve problems and get things done, working as a team. She has stayed close to people over the years. As the owner of a business on Hwy. 8 for nine years, she met the summer residents who live by the county’s lakes. She has owned lake homes and been involved in lake associations. Nehring has also been involved in regional tourism development and was co-chair of the two-state
governors cruise on the St. Croix. Nehring grew up in Nye and is a lifelong resident of the county.
District 7
Marvin Caspersen, Tom Engel, in fragmented district
DISTRICT 7 – The district contains parts of three municipalities, the city of St. Croix Falls north of Hwy. 8, the northern third of the Town of St. Croix Falls, and the eastern half of Eureka. The district contains no lakes. Two incumbents are facing each other. Marvin Caspersen is completing his fifth term on the county board. Tom Engel was first elected in 2012. Marvin Caspersen We don’t need to support developers at the expense of the environment, Caspersen says. We said we wanted to preserve the land but now that is going to the wayside. The developers are pushing hard to reduce regulation under the guise of more jobs but that is a one-time thing. There is a misconception about all of our land, he says. The farmland preservation program preserves land without taking the own- Marvin Caspersen ers rights away. We preserve forests for public use of land that was not wanted. Caspersen says he favors long-range policy at the county level to protect the good farmland and forests. Passing up the Denny Lake county forest purchase had long-range implications, Caspersen says. The county needs good draws for tourists who pay for food and lodging and don’t demand services. He says the forestland the county owns has no retail value but provides access to the public for hunting and other uses. Caspersen sits on the human service board and says the department has come a long way. He says an investment in technology has allowed more staff time to serve the clients. The public does not realize the needs of some people out there, he says. The county board must do planning, Caspersen says. The board’s job is to make policy. The state delegates to the county to provide services. The county board decides the policies that guide the county administrator. We need to do that input, he says, or we might lose the right. There are some moves to regionalization and efficiency that are a step away from our right to set policy, a step away from democracy, Caspersen says. Caspersen was raised in Eureka and worked out of state after college before retiring and returning home. Both his father and grandfather served on the county board.
Tom Engel The legitimate form of government is representation, Engel says, and he is happy to be the people’s representative. He is running again because he wants to take part in the continuing transition of the county government to a new form of operation under a county administrator. “I wish we didn’t have the old title of supervisor,” Engel says. “We don’t supervise, we establish direcTom Engel tion and then monitor performance, based on meaningful reports from the staff.” “We face an interesting challenge, how to deliver goods and services, in a new age of instant communications, and to do that without increasing the overall cost to the county,” Engel says. “The county part of the tax levy is a respectable number but the total tax levy is burdensome. Overall, the big challenge is to do things without raising taxes. “Many say we can’t do things, we don’t want to spend taxes,” Engel says. “But I tell them that the people before us made See Polk County Board, page 14
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Polk County Board/from page 13 decisions that benefit us, and we must continue that for the next generation. We can’t stick our heads in the sand and say no.” We need to start now deciding what to do with the highway facility, he says. The present facility is very labor intensive. It would be easier to accomplish work, to get the trucks on the road after a storm, with a new facility. Engel says the board needs to look at all the options now, central or dispersed location, contracting. Costs are going up. It takes courage to make significant decisions. Some people think you only build a new city hall when the old one burns down, he said. Engel says he has no information on Operation Prosperity and has not looked at its website. He does not know who they are or what their positions are. But he says he does not like being labeled. Every candidate has a set of values, Engel says. You do the best job you can. The county board should not be partisan, he says. The county board is interesting and challenging, Engel says, and is important. He says he likes to make a contribution using his knowledge. Engel has a background in manufacturing management and is now involved in international consulting. He has served on the county’s renewable energy committee since it started and has served on the St. Croix Falls City Council.
District 8
Bill Hughes, Jim Edgell in four-part district DISTRICT 8 – The district includes the villages of Centuria in the north and Dresser in the south, the city of St. Croix Falls south of Hwy. 8, and most of the Town of St. Croix Falls. The western end of Deer Lake is in the district. Jim Edgell has served on the county board for three terms. Bill Hughes served on the board for two terms from 2004 to 2008. Bill Hughes “I want to get back into the county government because William Johnson is excellent and Dana Frey is a real upgrade,” Hughes says. He likes the way the county is going now. The county is moving forward in a good way, he says. Once there was nothing good said about Polk County. Now there is very little negative, Bill Hughes Hughes says. This is a huge step forward. Hughes says he is in touch with lots of people at his bakery and other places and has seen the image of the county change. Hughes does not want to have homes any closer to the shoreline on Deer Lake. He says the proposed ordinance is OK as it is. Short setbacks go hand in hand with pollution and he doesn’t want a chance of that happening. Hughes sees no major issues for the county. Having an administrator is a real bonus. The county is at a good point with some real chances for development if people work together, he says. The role of the county board is to hear what the people ask for, need, want and make decisions to answer those requests. “I am independent and not part of a clique,” Hughes says. He was first asked to run for the board in 2004 by someone who had directions for Hughes to follow. He says he didn’t follow those directions and the group stopped talking to him. Hughes says he finds answers to questions and makes his own decisions. Hughes has owned a bakery in Taylors Falls, Minn., for 16 years and was the St. Croix Falls town chair for six years. James Edgell There are two big issues now facing the county, Edgell says, the land use rewrite and the 15-member board. He says that they are related. He has been a member of the land information committee that is overseeing the ordinance rewrite. Edgell says the issues are contentious and complex. He is running James Edgell again so there is some
continuity in the process. The ordinance will come to the new 15-member board and there is no plan yet on how committees will be organized, he says. It will all need to be hassled out and he doesn’t know where it will go. The good thing, Edgell says, is that committee Chair Kim O’Connell will be back and he is good at his job. Edgell likes the way the county is going. He says Frey has made a lot of difference, the debt issue is controlled, the county has a good reserve, things are getting taken care of. That is the positive. There are no immediate issues, Edgell says, unless some people are trying to make issues. Long range, the 1938 highway building is the scariest issue because of possible ground contamination. He doesn’t know what the solution would be, not even the location, but thinks it won’t be resolved in the coming term. Edgell is concerned that not enough information is given out at the county level now. He thinks that committees should meet every month to review actions and work on policy. Edgell says that Frey asks for input from the supervisors on policy and gets no response. “I have no idea what Operation Prosperity is or who is involved,” Edgell says. “I have never been involved in anything like that before and am not sure it is a good idea.” Edgell grew up in the Centuria area, and except for his time in the Navy and a job as a radio announcer in St. Croix County, he has lived there all his life. He was in the trucking business for 35 years, served on the village board off and on for over 20 years and on the Unity School Board for six years.
District 10
Warren Johnson, Larry Jepsen in Town of Osceola district DISTRICT 10 – The Town of Osceola is united in one district for the first time in many years. The district includes four large lakes, Poplar, Sand, Horse and Lotus. Larry Jepsen is completing his fifth term on the board. This is Warren Johnson’s first run for office. Warren Johnson Osceola was once farm country. Now there is one dairy farm left in the town, the Johnson family operation. Johnson says he entered the county board race because he thought there was a need for a younger, different perspective. He says you can’t complain if you’re not willing to do something and give back to the community. Johnson says with the 15-member board coming in, he Warren Johnson thought it might be worth his time. The growing budget and taxes are a concern for Johnson. He says he wants to get jobs into the community and closer to where people live. He listened to the governor talk about promoting the state and wants to promote Polk County. Johnson says he has a probusiness attitude. “As a parent I have a concern about drugs in our community,” Johnson says. “We are called the meth capital. We must do something.” He says the sheriff’s department and the health department must work with the schools to educate the kids. Johnson feels the county needs to address the roads and fund them to be in good condition. He says that is important to get jobs here. He says that Golden Age Manor is also a huge issue. The board must look at the nursing home and consider options including privatization. When the building breaks down, it is too late, he says. He says he can’t understand why so much land in the barrens is owned by the county and thinks it could be put on the tax rolls. Johnson says he wants to look at all issues with a different set of eyes. Agriculture is a business and the ag land in the county can not be hurt, Johnson says. He says the economic value of the county’s farms is not understood. Johnson is backed by Operation Prosperity. He says all of a sudden they were there. He says he likes the idea of their
message. Johnson was born on the family farm, which is now a three-generation operation. Larry Jepsen Promoting and growing Polk County is Jepsen’s main concern. He sees a future for economic development and for an increase in tourism and wants to fund the efforts to promote both. Jepsen says he has been active in the region and the state working to grow the county. Tourism is the lowhanging fruit, Jepsen says. “We have the recreational resources that will draw people, but we need to imLarry Jepsen prove them and make them attractive to today’s travelers.” He would like to build a recreational home park at the Woodley Dam site, which he calls a gem. Jepsen says that the Interstate Park has all the beauty of the Wisconsin Dells and the county has not tapped into its potential. Polk is the gatekeeper to northwestern Wisconsin, Jepsen says, and we should be grabbing every tourist dollar that passes through here. For the new generation, work is less important than life, Jepsen says. People want to live here because of all the county has to offer. We need to develop the services, such as broadband, that people expect in this age. Jepsen says we live in the best place to recharge and we don’t take advantage of that enough. Jepsen sees the area becoming regionalized with Polk in the middle of the region. He says he works hard to keep the county vital and moving forward. He says Polk benefits when the region benefits and he wants to continue his efforts. Jepsen says he works for all the people in a nonpartisan way. Jepsen was raised in the Luck area and has lived in the county all his life. He has owned a number of businesses over the years and has operated his present business in Osceola for 21 years.
District11
Jay Luke, George Stroebel in Lincoln and Garfield district DISTRICT 11 – The district includes all of Lincoln and Garfield east of Hwy. 65. All of Wapogasset Lake and the Apple River flowage are in the district. Two incumbents are running in the district. Jay Luke is serving his fourth term on the board and is the Lincoln town chair. George Stroebel was appointed to the board, is completing his first full term, and is a member of the Garfield Town Board. Jay Luke “We are spending down our debt and the county’s taxes will drop off regardless of what we do,” Luke says. “We have to prepare and make wise decisions on issues like highway when our debt is clear. But we must protect what we have now and preserve our resources. I think the public is smart enough to know what we have and want to keep it.” Dana Frey is doing a great job and is wellrespected, Luke says. We are getting past the levy freeze issues without serious probJay Luke lems, even though there are challenges. It is hard to keep the best highway workers in a competitive wage period, for instance. William Johnson has also done an excellent job as county board chair, Luke says. He has been active for the county, ambitious, knows the area, and has the best interests of the county at heart. Polk never hit a real low like some counties and is now on the upsurge, he says. Luke says there is no need for drastic changes in the county. Folks move here because they like the atmosphere, the people and the resources. Getting rid of the county forests, for example, is one of the stupidest ideas. Some changes are being proposed that could do damage
forever. Luke was born and raised in Amery. He was elected county sheriff and later worked 25 years for a local law firm. Luke has been Lincoln town chair for about 10 years. George Stroebel “From my perspective, local government is the foundation of our democracy,” Stroebel says. “There is no need at this level to be polarized, no need for the controversy. Some people think, I hold the truth and you don’t, leaving no capacity for understanding. There is no need for that.” The county has been well-managed for a couple of years under Frey and the other employees. Processes are well planned. There has been no levy increase for three years. That is very positive, Stroebel says, especially in this economy. Things change and George Stroebel the county will always need to make hard decisions, Stroebel says, but decisions must be made with civility and compassion. The county performs many services including the maintenance of roads, the administration of justice, and delivering human services because there are legitimate human needs. For order in our society there is a need for people to live in a civilized way, he says. There are some necessary government services and Polk County is doing them well. Stroebel says there are no pressing short-term issues facing the county. Long term there is a need for economic development, but the most the county can do there is to create a stable environment that will attract business. The new bridge will usher in more traffic. Polk has an educated workforce and good resources to meet the new demand. There is a perennial problem for government, Stroebel says. We as people have a hard time adjusting to the fact that we want it all and we don’t want to pay for it. We love the good life in Polk County but there is another face, crime, that can’t be ignored. We must have law enforcement and human services, he says. Most people don’t want confrontation, Stroebel says. That is the reason for civility and compassion. Stroebel grew up in the Twin Cities and worked in finance all his life. He built his house in Garfield in 1993 as a recreation place but liked it so well here it soon became his primary residency. He says life is fascinating and he approaches it with a spirit of adventure and humility.
District12
Fran Hawksford, Warren Nelson in the city of Amery DISTRICT 12 – The district is the entire city of Amery. Nelson is completing his second term on the county board. This is Hawksford’s first run for the office. Fran Hawksford “I am concerned about this country,” Hawksford says. “It is moving away from what made the country great, moving away from what I was brought up with. Some think all we need are regulations and laws.” Hawksford uses the setback zones in the zoning rewrite as an example. Why can’t we do that voluntarily, he asks, and prove to others what is right by example. Who is against clean water? He says that is his philosophy. Economic development in the county Fran Hawksford is Hawksford’s main concern. He says the county needs to bring more employment here. The area has all the resources and is a great place to live. He wants to use his position on the board to sit down with businesspeople and talk to them about the county. The county board sets the direction for the county, Hawksford says. We can’t See Polk County Board, page 15
Polk County Board/from page 14 overregulate and overtax. We have to take care of the businesses we have and be supportive of them while we reach out to new business. He says that while he would be elected by Amery, he would focus on being proactive in working for the whole county. Hawksford says the natural resources in the county, the rivers, lakes, woods, are the reason to live here and need to be protected. In addition, agriculture must be supported and protected. He says farming built the area and is still a big part of the economy of the county. Hawksford spent much of his life working for cooperatives, spending 20 years with farm credit. He grew up in the Deer Park area and moved to Amery in 2009. Warren Nelson The biggest issue is the zoning rewrite, Nelson says. “The county relies on tourism and we must maintain our lakes, both for the sales tax revenue from tourists and the property taxes from the lakeshore residents. We can’t let our waters decline. The DNR has a list of threatened waters. We must protect the lakes,” he says. Nelson sits on the committee that is reviewing the ordinance rewrite and says the draft ordinance allows for Warren Nelson maintenance of the lakes. He says he is a fan of science and has seen the information that shows the effect of pollution if there is not the proper setback. A wellwritten ordinance will protect the county’s tax base. “Frey has done a good job controlling costs for the county,” Nelson says. He has adjusted salaries to meet market rates. The low-lying issues have been addressed. Now the county can look at issues in the bigger expense areas, highway, health and public protection. Nelson says the county must fund tourism to promote the area and bring in more sales taxes. Nelson wants to look at issues like pooled resources with other counties and with the local municipalities, finding new ways to use the taxpayers’ money wisely. He says all solutions and options for each issue must be looked at. It is not possible to please everyone, he says.
District14
Tom Magnafici, John Bonneprise in Aldenbased district DISTRICT 14 – The district is mostly the Town of Alden plus Garfield west of Hwy. 65 and Black Brook west of highway 48. The district includes a number of lakes including Big Lake and Pine Lake. Tom Magnafici is completing his first term on the board. John Bonneprise served on the county board from 1996 until 2006. Tom Magnafici The county has a finite amount of money to spend, Magnafici says. It must use that money well to provide what is needed while making the government people friendly and business friendly. He said it has taken him two years to figure out how the county works. You can’t just come in and change the world, he says, you need to get the inside view. Tom Magnafici Zoning is a hot issue now, Magnafici says. The draft ordinance is not completely right or wrong. The county needs to respect individual property rights but those rights mean different things to different people. The county needs a conducive tax base, he says. We don’t want young people to move away, to go to the Cities for work and not come back. Magnafici says the county needs to work on attracting business by working with the villages where the industrial parks are and asking the villages, what help do you need. He says there are ways to make the county more people friendly including better communications and more on-
MARCH 26, 2014 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - PAGE 13
line access to departments. People may be able to do 50 percent of their business with the county online. The county should make life simple for the residents with ideas such as limiting the numbers of fees charged. The county is a business, Magnafici says, you have to help people. The county is a great spot for tourism, Magnafici says, and the county should expand on its tourism promotion by reaching out to business more, using the tourism office as a base for telling business owners coming through the area that Polk County is more than a place to visit. It is also a place to set up a business and to live. Magnafici says he did not know about Operation Prosperity before he was endorsed and is not part of the group.
manage, Bonneprise says. We got in a lot of trouble in the past by telling department heads what to do. We should hire good people to do the jobs and get out of their ways. The supervisors set policy. We lost a lot of good people by interfering with their work. Polk County has it all, Bonneprise says. This is a garden spot. We have hospitals and schools and all of them are new. There is a major airport an hour away, major league sports, the best university. We are blessed. This is the crunch year for the budget. After 2014, we are on the upswing, he says. “I am for a balanced budget and against tax increases but we will soon be able to do a lot of things.”
John Bonneprise “Our greatest asset is the people of Polk County,” Bonneprise says. “They need to be represented, they pay the taxes. It used to be that the county board was grass roots, the supervisors were in touch with the people. Now I see many personal agendas. It has become me, my, I. “I have thought about running again, and this year I decided that I can make a difference,” Bonneprise says. “I think we can get the board back to the residents. I have been close to John Bonneprise the people for many years. I got on the Farmington Town Board when I was 28 and have been involved ever since. My family homesteaded the farm in 1862. “Our biggest challenge is transportation,” Bonneprise says. “When the new bridge is completed in 2016, we will have a humongous increase in traffic. We must be prepared. I have been involved with highway funding for years and know the issues of getting state and federal dollars for our area,” he said. We need good roads first if we are concerned about economic development. So transportation is first, then economic development. We need more planning and vision for that, he said. We need to set up advisory committees with citizen input so we can make plans for the county that are not from the top down. The county board should not micro-
Joe Demulling, John Tourville in Farmington and Alden DISTRICT 15 – The district includes all of Farmington and the western part of Alden. Cedar Lake is the largest lake in the district. Joe Demulling was appointed to the board last fall. This is John Tourville’s first run for the board. Joe Demulling Being on the county board has got him very involved in the Cedar Lake Association representing the county, Demulling says. “The people in there are very involved and I can see what a lake restoration can do. It is fascinating.” He says he has no stand on the ordinance rewrite yet but sees how important the lakes are to the county and its property tax base. His priorities are reducing the budget and getting more for the money. The issue is saving money, he says. The county must have protection Joe Demulling and roads. Demulling says he listens and looks at every issue, trying to take everything in before he votes on an issue. He notes that he voted against raising the per-meeting pay for the supervisors. Agriculture is important to the district and the county, Demulling says. It is a big industry and it is important to keep the farms here, he says. The farms and the lakes can and have worked together
District15
for the benefit of each. He wants to limit development on the best farmland, reserving it for the future. Demulling supports the lime quarry and says why stop it when the farmers need it and it is making money. Coming issues include a highway garage, with some kind of replacement inevitable, Demulling says, adding that he would not vote for a plan he did not fully understand and approve of. He voted against a recent addition to the county forest and wonders how much forestland is needed. Demulling lives on the land where the family farm was. He commuted to a job in the Cities for years and knows how important the roads are for workers. He is now retired and says he enjoys serving on the board. John Tourville A neighbor suggested that Tourville get involved and run for the board. He said he looked at the commitment and decided it was time to get more involved in his community. Tourville said he has concerns about the county budget and some numbers he saw. He says he wants to research all the county issues before he makes any decisions but wants to see the county money spent well. He would like to bring more businesses to the county. He moved to Polk John Tourville County when he got a job in the area. That company failed, but he had become attached to the area and has stayed here, even though that means commuting to the Cities every day. Tourville is trying to get the owner of the millwork company where he is now employed to move that business here. Tourville says it is the job of the county to help bring tourists and businesses here. He says promoting the county seems like a no-brainer. Polk should be a destination, with its outdoor opportunities and its access to the Cities. Tourville designed and built his house. He and his family like to hike, camp, hunt and fish. They can do all those things here, he says. And he is close to the lime quarry and uses it regularly.