Chatting with Our
City Council Hopefuls

Candidate Conversations: a Eau Claire city council election guide

V1 Staff, photos by Andrea Paulseth |

A few weeks ago, some of us civic-minded folks at Volume One suddenly realized the date and exclaimed, “By the power of greyskull, is it almost April 7, already? Yikes.” To be fully prepared for the election, we decided to ask the candidates* the questions that matter to us. Like how they plan to deal with the economy, redevelopment, and kissing babies. You know, the important stuff.

INTERVIEWS:

  • Kerry Kincaid (President)*
  • Dave Duax (District 1)
  • David Klinkhammer (District 2)
  • Eric Rosenquist (District 2)
  • Thomas Kemp (District 3)
  • Bob Von Haden (District 4)
  • Andrew Werthmann (District 5)

  • * Despite our best efforts, David Lamb (District 1) would not return Volume One’s question and answer form by the deadline. Bummer.
  • ** Ms. Kincaid will be leaving her at-large seat to become president, and the city council will determine how to appoint that position after April 7.

 


KERRY KINCAID (PRESIDENT)*

Occupation: Chief Domestic Officer for a small Household Management Limited Partnership.

What’s your guilty pleasure? A cookie a day. I have a cookie every morning with my first cup of coffee.

If you could choose a theme song for Eau Claire, what would it be? Yellow Submarine by The Beatles. Especially the second stanza: “And our friends are all aboard/ Many more of them live next door/ And the band begins to play …”

It’s Saturday afternoon, what are you doing? Let’s see … I am most likely browsing through cookbooks, perhaps to find a delightful recipe for dinner.

What’s the most adventurous thing you did in your youth? Of the most adventurous things in my youth that I can tell about, a canoe trip to the boundary waters between Minnesota and Canada would be the best. The summer after graduation I set sail with a small group of kids and two guides, whom I had never met. We left on a sunny morning in June and returned three weeks later, dirtier, slimmer, hardier, and much wiser.

Who is your role model? My role model is the spider, Charlotte, in E.B. White’s novel Charlotte’s Web. It takes brains and braun to face your own death shortly after bearing 514 offspring, while saving a pig’s life by tricking the world to think he can spell. What a gal!

What three things can’t you live without? Our children, books, and chocolate.

What place in the valley considers you a regular? Fairfax Park. We are big on big dogs, so we walk a lot.

What’s your favorite Chippewa Valley building? The Carnegie Library building on Farwell connected to City Hall.

Do you think Eau Claire should have a mayor? Nope.

What frustrates you about the city? I kinda wish we had a roller derby.

What is one idea you have to make this a better place? Put in that roller derby track.

What do you want to tell locals when they complain about the conditions of roads? It’s winter.

What specific ideas do you have about the continued revitalization of downtown? Build a performing arts center with a permanent art gallery. Share the facility with the university. Bring a big grocery store downtown.

What solutions do you have for the continued budget issues? How will you help solve it during your term? On the revenue side: build a Public Spirit Fund through the Eau Claire Community Foundation; recapture exempt property tax revenue; and draw tourist dollars. On the cost side: negotiate wise health care coverage for city employees; and continue to share space with the county in the Law Enforcement Center and Public Health services.  

Lots of people are losing jobs. What promises can you make to locals to ensure the area job opportunities will grow? Use existing economic development dollars to attract high wage jobs to Eau Claire. Emphasize the city’s health care job sector. Build the city’s information technology sector. I could promise to bring Google, or a Boeing plant, or a movie production company, or a professional sports team, but that would put me in a really difficult position.

What do you hope to do to retain the thousands of educated people that leave the area every year? Make sure there are jobs for them and their significant others. Keep Eau Claire on track towards upping its “cool” factor – you know - the great music, art, trails, sports, food, library, housing, downtown, etc. that keeps getting better every year.

Kiss a baby or cut a ribbon? Cut a ribbon. One snip and you’re done, those babies are such a commitment!

* Ms. Kincaid will be leaving her at-large seat to become president, and the City Council will determine how to appoint that empty seat after the April 7 election.


DAVE DUAX (DISTRICT 1)

Occupation: Retired. Formerly served as director of development and, later, communications for Sacred Heart Hospital, in administrative positions in Wisconsin State Government in Madison, and in the private sector before that.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Probably fine dining experiences in Eau Claire – lots of new restaurants!

If you could choose a theme song for Eau Claire, what would it be? I wrote the words to Proudly as the Eagle (sung to the tune of Songs to Thee Wisconsin) about our city. Got a singer and a band?

It’s Saturday afternoon, what are you doing? Whatever my wife asks (well, almost).

What’s the most adventurous thing you did in your youth? Driving on a dangerous, narrow, washed out rocky road in the mountains of Kosovo. Scared to death. Never thought I would make it.

Who is your role model? Robert M. (Fighting Bob) LaFollette, Wisconsin governor, U.S. senator and one time candidate for president.

What three things can’t you live without? My faith, my wife, and my friends sustain me.

What place in the valley considers you a regular? Probably City Hall and the County Courthouse!

What’s your favorite Chippewa Valley building? The RCU Headquarters best reflects the great past and future of Eau Claire.

Do you think Eau Claire should have a mayor? There is no magic in having a mayor. We need political leadership on the City Council and good civic engagement. If the people want a mayor, it, too, would work. However the voters in three referendums have rejected it, most recently in 1991, I believe. 

What frustrates you about the city? We need to think boldly, and out of the box. We should not just talk about ideas, but realize the “urgency of the present.” For example, start moving on the idea for a combined intergovernmental center to co-locate city, county, and school district functions to create efficiencies, save money, and collaborate.

What is one idea you have to make this a better place? We need to invite the most creative minds in our city to serve on boards, committees, commissions, and task forces, and to give them challenges to help solve problems. That includes our city employees, too. They are in city service and have many great ideas.

What do you want to tell locals when they complain about the conditions of roads? The city is working very hard to repair, replace, and reconstruct lots of them. First, we live in Wisconsin, where winter is from three to nine months long, so roads freeze and thaw over and over. Very hard on concrete and asphalt. We are near finishing a multi-year backload of road and street replacements. Big projects this year and next include two of the worst: North and South Hastings Way and Birch Street. By 2012, we should be in much better shape.

What specific ideas do you have about the continued revitalization of downtown? I think the approach we have followed has had some positive results, but again we need to be more visionary. North Barstow is only partly done, and South Barstow needs help. The greatest potential lies on Graham Avenue along the river, south of the Farmer Store Building. A major development possibly including the “intergovernmental center,” retail stores, and public amenities such as a river trail and access for canoes and small boats would make downtown a destination. It needs a whole new “feel.”

What solutions do you have for the continued budget issues? How will you help solve it during your term? First, continued efforts to cut and curtail expenses requires the establishment of a city council committee on finance and budget. We need to carefully screen budgets, spending, and revenues like we never have before. We need to evaluate city programs and services so that when spending requests are considered, we have some idea of our program priorities. Secondly, we need to look for new sources of revenue, such as the Regional Transportation Authority or “wheel tax” ideas, if necessary.

Lots of people are losing jobs. What promises can you make to locals to ensure the area job opportunities will grow? No promises except that the city can do the best it can with business recruitment, expansion, tax incentives, loans, and job credits. It is very competitive out there. Other cities are recruiting, too.

What do you hope to do to retain the thousands of educated people that leave the area every year? Job creation (see above), controlling tax rate growth, controlling crime, and keeping services at a high level (a tough act) does a lot to attract businesses to Eau Claire.

Kiss a baby or cut a ribbon? Do I have a choice?


DAVID KLINKHAMMER (DISTRICT 2)

Occupation: I retired from Ken Vance Motors in December of 2006 after 32 years in the car business.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Other than a significant addiction to chocolate and golf, I can think of no other “guilty” pleasures.

If you could choose a theme song for Eau Claire, what would it be? My choice for a theme song for Eau Claire would be Faith of the Heart sung by Russell Watson.

It’s Saturday afternoon, what are you doing? On Saturday afternoon if Marianne and I are not golfing, you will likely find me working in my shop on some wood working project.

What’s the most adventurous thing you did in your youth? The most adventurous thing that I can think of that I did in my youth was growing up in a household from the time I was 5 years old with 9, yes count them, 9 sisters and step-sisters, all but 1 of whom are older than I. And yes, it was an adventure, positive in most ways, but an adventure none the less.

Who is your role model? I admire many people for many reasons but if I were to name a role model, it would be Mr. Ken Vance. I worked with Ken for over 32 years, observing him in many different situations and circumstances. If I were able to emulate Ken, I feel I would do very well for myself.

What three things can’t you live without? We would all be able to live without a great many things we view as necessary for life. However, three things which I feel give my life depth and meaning, are my wife Marianne, my three children and their spouses, and my four grandchildren.

What place in the valley considers you a regular? Of all the places I patronize, the only one which could call me a regular would be the pro-shop at Hillcrest Golf Course.

What’s your favorite Chippewa Valley building? My favorite building is the Steven House on 2nd Avenue.

Do you think Eau Claire should have a mayor? I feel the city manager form of government is a more efficient form of government. Even thought the role of a mayor can be organized several different ways, it would still be necessary to have an administrator. Why increase the cost of running the city effectively?

What frustrates you about the city? I feel a city of our size and economic importance should have a civic facility which would afford us the opportunity to attract and facilitate a great many activities which we cannot do now.

What is one idea you have to make this a better place? The one idea to make Eau Claire a better place would be to have the kind of facility I just described in the previous question.

What do you want to tell locals when they complain about the conditions of roads? Given the priorities and resources available, I think we do an acceptable job. Can we do better, without question, the answer is yes.

What specific ideas do you have about the continued revitalization of downtown? The revitalization of downtown will require continued funding of economic development, a stronger economy, creative ideas, consistent planning, and effective support of city government.

What solutions do you have for the continued budget issues? How will you help solve it during your term? With the commitment of our city employees, we have made significant inroads in reducing health care costs for the city. With their continued support, I believe we can reduce existing inefficiencies in our labor agreements. We also must increase our tax base through solid, well thought out development.

Lots of people are losing jobs. What promises can you make to locals to ensure the area job opportunities will grow? Other than working hard to make Eau Claire an attractive place to work and live, working to enhance economic development with proper funding, and trying to eliminate impediments to that development, I cannot promise anything.

What do you hope to do to retain the thousands of educated people that leave the area every year? Keeping well educated people in Eau Claire will happen if there are employment opportunities for them. Sound economic development within the city and the area is the only way those opportunities will occur.

Kiss a baby or cut a ribbon? I would much rather cut a ribbon.


ERIC ROSENQUIST (DISTRICT 2)

Occupation: Community organizer for a non-profit, non-partisan organization called the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

What’s your guilty pleasure? I love chocolate. I make a conscious decision to avoid the candy section in the grocery store. 

If you could choose a theme song for Eau Claire, what would it be? A great theme song for Eau Claire would be If I Had a Hammer by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It's a song about the labor movement in the 1950s and the call for wage equality for workers. We're facing similar challenges in today's economy as the gap between rich and poor widens. If I Had a Hammer applies to the current climate of wage inequality as it did in the 1950s when workers were fighting to overcome the same injustices.

It’s Saturday afternoon, what are you doing? I'm participating in any local events that may be occurring in the Chippewa Valley. It's very important to me to connect with people in my own community in order to build a strong relationship with those who also have a vested interest in the well-being of its people and environment. Getting to know others and their circumstances, I find, is needed to understand the issues that face our citizenry.

What’s the most adventurous thing you did in your youth? Well, I grew up in a rural area, which gave myself and my two siblings an ample opportunity to delve into many adventures. The most adventurous thing I did was construct amazing sledding hills. My brother, sister, and I would bring buckets of water out to a nearby hill and let it freeze. When the hill was iced up enough, we would ride our sleds down at 100 mph ... and usually end up hurt.

Who is your role model? To be fair, I would have to choose two role models: my mother and father. They instilled in me a sense of respect for every individual – no exceptions. We didn't have much money growing up so material possessions were limited, but this didn't matter because they always gave me the most important thing in the world: love. As a result, my goal is to apply the values of respect, compassion, and fairness through public policy.

What three things can’t you live without? I cannot live without my family, friends, and books. To be frank, I would be content with just these things and they are all I need to survive (other than water, food, air, and shelter, of course).

What place in the valley considers you a regular? There are no regular hangouts for me in the Valley, but if I had to choose one it would be the Grand Avenue Cafe. I usually make it in to have a sandwich and/or coffee about once a week. I highly recommend it; it's a great way to support the local economy.

What’s your favorite Chippewa Valley building? My favorite Chippewa Valley building is the Haas Fine Arts Center. It may be the most unique building in Eau Claire and I had the privilege of walking past it every day while I attended UWEC. I'm not sure if it is feasible, but I have always thought that putting solar panels on its sloped roof would be a great idea. It's a beautiful building, with or without solar panels.

Do you think Eau Claire should have a mayor? Since I am running for public office, I am not in the position to say what form of government the City of Eau Claire should have. It is up to the citizens to decide that. I would support a public vote on the matter in the form of a referendum question if enough signatures were collected to get it placed on the ballot.

What frustrates you about the city? Like most places in our country, there is a considerable lack of political involvement in our city. This is evidenced by the low number of attendees at our city council and county board meetings. I strongly believe that we should take the notion of "democracy" very seriously. A democracy is a government operated by the people. So, each person should feel that it is his/her duty to add input to allow our City to thrive. A commonplace belief is that elections alone create a democracy. I disagree with that belief. Rather, direct action by citizens is required for a democracy to function properly.

What is one idea you have to make this a better place? I have talked a lot about sustainability lately and realize that our city is not doing enough to promote economic and environmental sustainability. Cities across the country are taking new, innovative steps to decrease energy costs. From Salt Lake City's system of heating homes through waste, to Chicago's new fuel-burning power plant that's three times as efficient as the old one, to San Francisco's (Fog City) installment of solar panels on government and privately-owned buildings, cities are spending much less on energy costs and simultaneously decreasing harm done to the environment. Eau Claire is expected to receive over $600,000 in federal stimulus dollars to be allocated for energy projects. This may represent the first step our city takes towards energy independence so we must use the money wisely.

What do you want to tell locals when they complain about the conditions of roads? The conditions of the roads are dependent on the amount citizens pay in taxes. For instance, many people were against the "wheel tax," the revenue of which would have gone to repairing our roads. Of course there is a give-and-take with government spending in that some people see funding for capital projects or our police force as more important than funding for other things. 

What specific ideas do you have about the continued revitalization of downtown? We need to continue with our revitalization efforts because downtowns will be experiencing an increased flow of business and residents in the future. This is also an issue of sustainability. The efficient model of having all of one's needs close to his/her residence is important to reduce energy costs and harm done to the environment. That efficient model is achieved through a vibrant downtown area.

What solutions do you have for the continued budget issues? How will you help solve it during your term? I advocate for more creative ways to solve our budget problems from promoting sustainable practices to eliminating government waste. For example, I think that we need to sit down with the people on the ground – the people doing the actual work – and incorporate them into the decision-making process. For example, in Chippewa County they have a special committee comprised of labor leaders and county staff who make the decisions on health insurance together. This is not something that they simply decide in a county manager’s office or at the bargaining table. Rather, the committee works out their differences as a team. And since this is done with all sides working towards the same goal, members of this committee are able to put innovative, new ideas forward that usually would not be brought up during the bargaining process. As a result, instead of seeing increases of 50 percent in health insurance costs, like Eau Claire almost saw, Chippewa has actually seen decreases in their health care costs. And while the cost of health care is just one of the major drivers of our city's budget, this is just one instance of many, where if we sit down and work with the folks on the ground doing the job, we can see some real cost savings. 

Lots of people are losing jobs. What promises can you make to locals to ensure the area job opportunities will grow? Our old, tired economic model does not work. By this, I mean that we cannot continue to give huge tax incentives to businesses such as property tax relief for years, hundreds of thousands of dollars for infrastructure costs, and massive forgivable loans. Rather, we need to focus on giving incentives to the right people: recent graduates, creative entrepreneurs, the working middle-class. We have to focus on job retention as much as we concentrate on job attraction. To retain our local jobs, training workshops should be readily available to produce a skilled workforce that employers cannot afford to lose. It is often said that "we have a choice between high skills or low wages" to demonstrate the fact that skilled workers are both paid well and indispensable. We can take the high road by supporting sustainable economic development or we can continue with the same policies that have been repeatedly shown not to work. 

What do you hope to do to retain the thousands of educated people that leave the area every year? As I mentioned in the last question, we have to offer strong incentives to keep our recent college grads in the area. Incentives such as forgivable loans when they start up a business, or tuition reimbursement if they stay in the area are just a couple of good ideas. Keeping these people in our area is crucially important for our city to flourish – an educated workforce is the most productive workforce. Healthy local economies do not include a huge service industry and yet that is what we have here in Eau Claire. City officials need to realize that employers are looking for an educated citizenry, a great school system, and a good infrastructure when choosing to establish new operations in a community. We have to do our part to attract those good employers by assuming these traits.

Kiss a baby or cut a ribbon? That's easy ... kiss a baby.


THOMAS KEMP (DISTRICT 3)

Occupation: Associate Professor of Economics, UWEC

What’s your guilty pleasure? Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi

If you could choose a theme song for Eau Claire, what would it be? Jimmy Cliff’s You Can Get It If You Really Want. That said I’d really like somebody to write something classic like The Kinks Waterloo Sunset about Eau Claire.

It’s Saturday afternoon, what are you doing? Winter: working or spending time with my wife. Summer: either spending time with my wife outside or working on or riding scooters.

What’s the most adventurous thing you did in your youth? Ha! I plead the fifth.

Who is your role model? I’ve always been pragmatic about this – always looking for people who were able to make things better in whatever environment they were working in. Since this is primarily a literary and arts magazine, some of the fiction authors that have most influenced me are Robert Pirseg, Kurt Vonnegut, Arthur Conan Doyle, Bertolt Brecht, and Edward Abbey.

What three things can’t you live without? My wife Rula, the outdoors, and travel.

What place in the valley considers you a regular? Pad Thai: great food, great people. Marie’s Bakery” two whole blocks of South Barstow smell great because of them. A treasure. Underloud Sports: Tony, the owner, is an underappreciated community asset.

What’s your favorite Chippewa Valley building? Schofield Hall at UWEC.

Do you think Eau Claire should have a mayor? No. I think we seem to be doing OK with the current system.

What frustrates you about the city? The fact that people say, “We can’t do that in Eau Claire,” too often.

What is one idea you have to make this a better place? I would like to see increased outdoor and indoor public space. We need a place where people can get together in the wintertime without having to spend money. I’d like to see more streets that are designed for people and not just for cars. I’d like to see a City Plaza downtown. Additionally I would encourage more people to travel abroad, pay attention to what they like, and then advocate for it here in Eau Claire.

What do you want to tell locals when they complain about the conditions of roads? You get what you pay for.

What specific ideas do you have about the continued revitalization of downtown? Well I have a few. First off we need to make it easier for businesses to develop downtown properties. Right now it’s easier to develop at the fringe; we need to change that. Second, we need to get the streets fixed downtown while keeping it pedestrian friendly. Third, we need to get the word out that EVERYBODY CAN PARK IN THE PARKING STRUCTURE DOWNTOWN, as such there is always plenty of parking downtown. Fourth, we need more events to bring folks downtown. For example, I would like to see either a bicycle or light motorcycle race run on the streets downtown like they do in many small cities in Europe. 

What solutions do you have for the continued budget issues? How will you help solve it during your term? Honestly, much of the problem is beyond our ability to solve. I know people don’t want to hear that, but it’s the truth. We’ve been cutting for many years due to decisions made in Madison. I will continue to work with Madison in the hope that they come to realize that people actually live to the west and north of them. In the meantime we will continue to operate as efficiently as we can while never compromising public safety. 

Lots of people are losing jobs. What promises can you make to locals to ensure the area job opportunities will grow? I won’t make promises I have no way of keeping. I can say that in my first term I worked to realign the city’s incentive programs to target high-impact firms and make it easier for them to locate in Eau Claire. I have also been active in the city’s revolving loan fund program that provides low-interest capital to new and expanding firms in the area. In addition I will also work to maintain an open dialogue with our local business leaders to make sure that we’re doing all we can to make sure they stay in Eau Claire.

What do you hope to do to retain the thousands of educated people that leave the area every year? Well, there’s no way we’re going to retain them all. What we’ve got to do is to make sure that everybody that wants to stay has a place. This is done through communication. First we need to build on our relationships with the university to educate students about local opportunities. (Right now we’ve a number of programs that could help with this and are underutilized.) Second, we need to grow the linkages between local businesses, the city, and the university. When people know and talk to each other opportunities open up connections are made and careers happen. Give me a call. Also in the few years we’ve seen significant gains in the number of young people starting their own businesses. This is very encouraging because these folks are betting on Eau Claire and that means they’re betting on us. I’d encourage everyone reading this to put down the paper right now and seek out some of these young entrepreneur’s businesses. You will be glad you did.

Kiss a baby or cut a ribbon? Baby totally. The world needs more kissing and less cutting.


BOB VON HADEN (DISTRICT 4)

Occupation: Retired CPA from Wipfli

What’s your guilty pleasure? Golfing and babysitting my grandchildren

If you could choose a theme song for Eau Claire, what would it be? It’s a Wonderful World

It’s Saturday afternoon, what are you doing? Golfing or gardening

What’s the most adventurous thing you did in your youth? Rock climbing

Who is your role model? My dad

What three things can’t you live without? Grandkids, children, and family

What place in the valley considers you a regular? Dairy Queen

What’s your favorite Chippewa Valley building? The old federal courthouse

Do you think Eau Claire should have a mayor? No

What frustrates you about the city? Sometimes takes a long time to get something accomplished and there are limited funds.

What is one idea you have to make this a better place? Maintain a strong economy to hold down taxes.

What do you want to tell locals when they complain about the conditions of roads? We’re making progress.

What specific ideas do you have about the continued revitalization of downtown? Not just downtown, but the whole city.

What solutions do you have for the continued budget issues? How will you help solve it during your term? Hold the line on expenses and look to consolidate services.

Lots of people are losing jobs. What promises can you make to locals to ensure the area job opportunities will grow? We will continue a strong economic development program.

What do you hope to do to retain the thousands of educated people that leave the area every year? Try to bring new businesses to Eau Claire that need our talented graduates.

Kiss a baby or cut a ribbon? Both
 


ANDREW WERTHMANN
(DISTRICT 5)

Occupation: Community Organizer

What's your guilty pleasure?
 Snowmobiling. It burns tons of gas unnecessarily and scares wildlife – but it’s lots of fun.



If you could choose a theme song for Eau Claire, what would it be?
 Imagine by John Lennon



It's Saturday afternoon, what are you doing?
 Adventuring. I love to explore Eau Claire and neighboring towns. 


What's the most adventurous thing you did in your youth?
 Bike around Scotland carrying everything with me. 



Who are your role models?
 Paul Wellstone, Dennis Eikenberry, and Jeremy Gragert

What three things can't you live without? 
Gardening
, cookies, love


What place in the valley considers you a regular?
 Grand Ave Café



What's your favorite Chippewa Valley building?
 Banbury Place



Do you think Eau Claire should have a mayor? 
If the City Council can offer a strong vision, then I don’t believe it is necessary.



What frustrates you about the city?
 That we don’t have more questionnaires like this one.



What is one idea you have to make this a better place? 
I believe we need to promote local food consumption and production. Having community gardens and more local food sources makes sense in terms of saving us money, creating community, providing us better health, giving us independence, and teaching us how to respect our land and natural resources. 



What do you want to tell locals when they complain about the 
conditions of roads? 
If we want better roads, then we need to be OK with paying a few dollars to maintain them. 

What specific ideas do you have about the continued revitalization of 
downtown?
 We must make it more pedestrian friendly so it’s more accessible, help with the advertisement and promotion of local business, and promote health care solutions so small businesses can thrive. 



What solutions do you have for the continued budget issues? How will 
you help solve it during your term? 
If we want to spend money responsibly, then we need more citizen input in the budget process. I believe this could be done through creating a City Finance Committee, so that folks in the community actually have a say in how the budget is created. It will help in terms of sorting out what our priorities are, help in terms of getting people on the ground involved with making city services more efficient, and allow for the process of democracy to be present in our budget decisions. 


Lots of people are losing jobs. What promises can you make to locals 
to ensure the area job opportunities will grow? 
If we are serious about creating a new green economy, then we will have job opportunities available. When it comes to building, to energy, to health care, and manufacturing, green economy jobs are not only a smart investment because they stay in the area, but we need them because our earth needs them. The City Council has a role in making sure we do what is necessary to attract such jobs – and also focus on how we can encourage our graduating university students to stick around and become the strength behind this new economy. 



What do you hope to do to retain the thousands of educated people 
that leave the area every year?
 We have to make Eau Claire the place where the best is possible. I mean, why can’t we lead the way in terms of sustainability, local food, green energy, and goods? Why can’t our city be a leader in our nation – in terms of the new directions we have to pursue. We need to communicate with students that Eau Claire is a place where the best is possible and make sure we provide incentives so that those who decide to settle here after graduating are rewarded for that decision. Cutting city services and minimizing the quality of life in EC is something that has been done for years – and if elected to council I will make sure that it stops. People stay here, like I did, because Eau Claire has a great art scene, great restaurants, quality schools, beautiful parks, and a wonderful sense of community. The council has to stick by these things – otherwise we will not make it out of these hard times. 

Kiss a baby or cut a ribbon? 
Pet a puppy dog.