Candidates for the Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors and Manitowoc City Council made their case last night as to why voters should choose them.
The candidate forum was hosted by the League of Women Voters of Manitowoc County and gave incumbents and challengers for the city council a chance to tell constituents where they stand.
County Board of Supervisor candidates spoke for three minutes but only one question was asked.
Common council candidates answered questions from residents about children attending drag shows to which flags should be flown over government buildings?
One resident asked about why the land for the now former MAVCB building was sold and how room tax plays into it.
9th District Incumbent Steve Czekala said it was for a few reasons, including everyone having a cell phone, the city receiving an unsolicited bid to sell the property, and the city cutting ties with a tourism group.
“Those room tax dollars, roughly $350,000 a year were going to them, and it was unaccounted for,” he explained. “The only thing that we actually saw were handouts. They had a website from 2013, no app, and if you looked at their website, the first thing you saw was Ahnapee Brewery; we should not be paying for Ahnapee Brewery.”
6th District Candidate Collin Braunel disagreed with the sale.
“I think that that was a very great building and a very great location for the major entry point to our city,” he stated.
Common Council candidates were also asked about what’s the most important infrastructure improvement needed and the answer for most candidates was the streets, but Incumbent Jim Brey says it’s more than just streets.
“We need to look at our firetrucks, our equipment down at The Department of Public Works, and our police cars,” he described. You would think a police car wouldn’t have a lot on it, but they do a lot of mileage just driving around Manitowoc. Everyone’s doing a great job with that, and we’re going to keep working on that.”
6th District Incumbent Eric Sitkiewitz says for him, keeping up with Manitowoc Public Utilities is important.
“That’s infrastructure to me,” he said. “And when we take a look at electric, being able to produce electric locally, being able to produce water locally, and sewer, taking care of sewer locally. If you think our phones ring because streets are bad, can you imagine if we flipped a switch and the lights don’t go on?”
4th District Candidate Dan Heilman had two specific places he would want to focus on and that’s making Schuette Park the pride of the city.
“Schuette Park should be the gem,” he stated. “But you can’t bring a stroller into that park. Those trails are just horrid. I use that park daily. Early in the morning, I walk my dogs in the afternoon and sometimes I go meditate because your mental health can really improve by that kind of landscape.”
Candidate Brett Norell spoke on what he wants to see as taxes go up.
“The city can impact on the infrastructure, safety, and the fair taxes that go along to make Manitowoc continually attractive to business and families and anybody who can move here and fill those jobs in our community,” he explained.
Candidate Bradley Barnes says connections with constituents need to be addressed.
“I was one of those individuals that did not know who my alderperson was before I was asked to run and take a look at the situation and start learning some things,” he exclaimed. “I too have heard door knocking to where (I heart), alderman what’s that?”
Candidates were also asked about the most pressing issue facing the city and talked about the importance of listening to constituents better, which some candidates claimed wasn’t happening as well with some of the current aldermen.
Five seats are up for election on April 2nd, with one already being filled due to Alderwoman Darian Kaderabek deciding not to run again.
