Issues & Priorities

Transparency in decisionmaking

Our local government is formed by the citizens of the township. It is imperative that the elected supervisors respect the position they hold and remain accountable. This accountability is best maintained by conducting meetings in full public view, including making meeting observance digitally accessible.

Two improvements over the past year have been made to help with this effort: 1. Regular unscheduled public comments at meetings, and 2. Posting meeting packets alongside meeting agendas. The clear next steps in this endeavor is to make meetings viewable via Zoom or some related platform, and then archiving these recordings in a publicly-available video format like Vimeo or YouTube.

Modernizing town board operations is not difficult, but it does require knowledgeable direction to keep everything secure and organized. I would be happy to spearhead this effort.

Balanced budget

My commitment is to avoid taking on additional debt, and to reduce existing debt as much as possible. Stewarding town finances is a key role of the Supervisor, and I intend to work faithfully in this responsibility.

Take a look at my comments around Fire Fees to see how I approach this with dilligence and transparency.

Commitment to local businesses

Genesee has many small business owners and retail outlets, which speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit that is present in our town. Using local businesses for town needs is a built-in way of both supporting our community’s tireless efforts, and allowing more people to use their hard-earned skills to take pride in their town. If a service is offered in the town, that is where we should start.

Enhanced relationship with Local Schools

When I started attending both Town Board and Kettle Moraine School Board meetings, I was surprised to learn that there is virtually no cooperation or meaningful communication between these entities. I would like to facilitate a better relationship between the town and the surrounding school districts.

For example: KM voted to close Magee Elementary School after the 2025-2026 school year, and Magee has been a central asset in Genesee Depot for 100 years. There is a lot of uncertainty around what will become of this building and property. I intend to ensure the discussion around the future of Magee be open and with thorough community input.

Three school districts cover the educational needs of Town of Genesee residents. Let’s do a better job coordinating and mutually supporting the families in our area.

A note about housing and maintaining our rustic charm

Housing affordability has gotten national attention, with fewer young people able to afford a home. At the same time, homeowners like those in the Town of Genesee greatly benefit from preserving the equity investment they’ve spent a lifetime building (myself included). There are two methods to address this need that come to mind - 1. Opening land for residential development, and 2. Building additional structures on existing properties, namely Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

For the first, I believe our shared land is a resource not to be developed lightly, but there are likely areas where we could target; I would like to be involved in this process. And regarding ADUs, I think this is an excellent way of increasing housing density without changing the nature of our town, though I also agree that not every property is suitable and additional structures need to be tastefully integrated.

Moreover: I am generally in favor of residents using their property in whatever way they wish, with the local government not being intrusive or an overbearing roadblock. That said, there are ordinances for a reason. My stance starts from the concept of Chesterton’s Fence - figure out the reason something was there to begin with before tearing it down, but if it is no longer serving its purpose then don’t hesitate.