Candidates for Manitowoc’s mayor believe in the city but have different ideas for its future.
During yesterday’s Seehafernews.com Mayor Debate, Incumbent Justin Nickels and Challenger Jason Prigge spoke about numerous topics but one that was discussed a lot was housing.
Nickels discussed a study the city did that showed the need for affordable housing.
“Especially if we want our businesses to grow and be prosperous, they need places for their employees to find a place to call home,” he stated. “We’ve really done a great job on the quality of life in making an atmosphere where people want to move to. But housing is a major issue for our community.”
Prigge agreed, saying that having smaller more available homes would benefit the city.
But he also wants to work with the city’s landlords.
“In Madison for instance, what they’re doing is offering tax credits to landlords for improvements to lower the housing costs for the general public,” he described. “We have seniors that are being priced out of their family homes right now here in Manitowoc, and we need to do something about it.”
While both candidates agreed on issues, there was a difference of opinion on the issue of the Manitowoc Area Visitor and Conventions Bureau (MAVCB).
The MAVCB sued the city after both Manitowoc and Two Rivers decided to end their agreement and start their own in-house tourism departments.
Prigge said that there is $1.4 million designated for tourism sitting in an account and that Manitowoc won’t benefit from things like the NFL Draft because the city doesn’t have collected cooperative marketing.
“The room tax is down 20% over year over year, so what’s happening is not working,” he exclaimed. “We’re just wasting money here and we’re wasting time. Tourism marketing happens outside of the city, so if you see tourism marketing as a resident, it’s being done wrong. It needs to start 50 to 100 miles out.”
Previously, members of the MAVCB expressed that Judge Mark Roher ruled in favor of them and that the city wasn’t following the law.
Nickels says that’s not true because then the city would be working them already. He also reiterated:
Nickels stated, “If we are to contract with a tourism entity, it has to be only the MAVCB. He (Judge Roher) said there was absolutely nothing that he could require in a contract, and he didn’t. And that’s evidence by the fact that we didn’t have to pay anything back, we didn’t have to pay any legal fees, and we’re not required to pay anything to the MAVCB today.”
The debate ended with some tough questions about what the city can do involving the illegal drug problem and is the Clipper City a good and safe place to live?
Prigge explained while it takes kind policing and treatment for substance use disorder, there needs to be community pride.
Prigge shared, “And that’s what I’ve done with the Coolest Coast initiative is try and give people a reason to speak well about our community.”
Nickels agreed but also explained that he ran for mayor his first time because his generation wasn’t staying in Manitowoc.
“We’re seeing that change because of the quality of life because of the things that families and people can do in Manitowoc versus other places in the world.”
You can hear the full debate online at seehaferpodcasts.com. Both candidates will be on the ballot in the April General Election which takes place on April 1st.
