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PdC City Council District 1 candidates

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Ron Leys and Nathan Bremmer

A retired three-term incumbent is being challenged by a full-time law enforcement officer who’s new to politics in the city of Prairie du Chien’s first district common council election, Tuesday, April 3. Ron Leys is opposed by challenger Nathan Bremmer in the race. The two will appear in a candidate debate Tuesday, March 27, at 6 p.m., at city hall. Both took some time last week to answer a series of questions regarding city issues. Their responses follow. 

 

RON LEYS

¬What is your educational, political and community background that you feel qualifies you to serve? 

UW-Madison, military veteran, former town chairman, former county board member and chairman, many civic activities, 30 years as newspaper reporter and editor.

¬What do you feel are the top 2 issues facing the city in the coming years and what do you feel you can do to address them? 

A lack of good paying jobs to hold our young people. Low tax base, causing city to keep tax rates at upper limits.

 

¬How do you feel you can better assist Prairie du Chien’s small, family-owned businesses so they can compete in today’s market?

By putting more cash into their customers’ pockets.

 

¬What is your take on the elevated incidence of job vacancies across the community and the shortage of qualified individuals to fill those positions? How might the city be able to facilitate connections in these areas? 

Raise wages to keep our young people from fleeing. Attract high-paying businesses and manufacturing firms.

 

¬What do you think about the 5-year-old municipal subdivision (Woodridge Acres)? What can be done to increase public interest in building there? 

It’s starting to take off. As people feel more secure financially, they’re more likely to think of building new homes. We recently sold three lots, and almost sold a fourth.

 

¬Are there any opportunities you’d like to see brought into Prairie du Chien? 

More manufacturing jobs.

 

¬How could the city more efficiently spend its money? 

We do pretty well. But we should be careful about matching city tax money in order to obtain federal tax money for low-priority projects, like the $1 million airport terminal that pilots said they didn’t need.

 

¬What are your thoughts about city infrastructure? What blighted streets and structures are in need of attention and what solutions do you pose? 

I have notified city hall of blighted structures, and they have responded. I hope the Satter Building and Blackhawk Junction will come down soon. As for the streets, we do the best we can with our limited resources.

 

¬What do you feel is the city’s role within Crawford County as a whole and why is that important? 

I’ve been involved in both county and city government. There was a time when both governments communicated and cooperated. That has not been the case in recent years, although the recent consolidation of city and county economic development efforts gives me hope.

 

 

NATHAN BREMMER

¬What is your educational, political and community background that you feel qualifies you to serve? 

I am a 2005 graduate of Prairie du Chien High School, then attended Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore and graduated with an associate degree in criminal justice.

I have very little political experience, however, it has always been of great interest to me since I was younger and how all the different aspects of government work from local, state and federal levels.

I am currently the director for Region 2 of the Wisconsin Field Training Officers Association, serving 18 counties and municipalities within southwest and western Wisconsin.

Also, I have helped with many benefits and fundraisers within the last several years in the Prairie du Chien area.

 

¬What do you feel are the top 2 issues facing the city in the coming years and what do you feel you can do to address them? 

Maintaining an even budget for the city, without raising property taxes while providing the same services, if not better, and more services in the future. 

The city’s infrastructure, from the streets to the water and wastewater. Looking at how we can improve these areas and make necessary updates to these infrastructures without raising taxes. 

Also take a look at and revamp the city’s policy on snow removal from the public streets and to see if we can somehow come up with a better way to plow or streamline the snow removal process.

 

¬How do you feel you can better assist Prairie du Chien’s small, family-owned businesses so they can compete in today’s
market?

I would like to see some sort of funding for the downtown businesses or the small business owners through the downtown revitalization committee, maybe some sort of advertising as well.  Hopefully the city and the small businesses can work together to come up with ideas to help better serve both.

 

¬What is your take on the elevated incidence of job vacancies across the community and the shortage of qualified individuals to fill those positions? How might the city be able to facilitate connections in these areas?

I think there are plenty of job vacancies, but just not enough people willing or wanting to work these days. Some of the vacancies are skilled labor jobs and there isn’t the workforce or the people qualified to work these job sets. I think the city could work with the employers that have vacancies, and work together with staffing agencies to possibly bring in qualified people from other areas to work here. However I would rather see the local people apply for these positions and fill them that way.

 

¬What do you think about the 5-year-old municipal subdivision (Woodridge Acres)? What can be done to increase public interest in building there?

I think it was a great addition to the community for new housing options. However, I think there are too many covenants in the ordinance. I think if we lift some of those, we may see some more piqued interest in the development of new housing there. I also think, with the new house being built out there, people will see how nice it is, and hopefully that will spark some new interest as well for potential new homeowner/builders.

 

¬Are there any opportunities you’d like to see brought into Prairie du Chien?

I think there would be great opportunities for Prairie du Chien to bring in some other businesses or manufacturers to the North Gateway Business Park. But, as of right now, I don’t know of any businesses looking to locate or re-locate to the area.

 

¬How could the city more efficiently spend its money? 

I think the city has done a great job over the past several years in maintaining a balanced budget, refinancing its bonds and total debt ceiling. I think we have seen over the past few years a surplus in the budgets, which has allowed updates to some infrastructure, some projects that weren’t initially planned and some new equipment for the public works departments. I would like to see this continue in the future and make slow but steady improvements where needed.

 

¬What are your thoughts about city infrastructure? What blighted streets and structures are in need of attention and what solutions do you pose? 

I think the city has been proactive the last few years in doing what it can with what it has for resources and budgets to improve the infrastructure. I know the Marquette Road project is starting soon, and the one that was completed a few years back will together be a great improvement to Marquette Road. Also the start of the North Michigan Street project is anticipated as well. There are several city streets in need of some sort of attention or repair, but I feel you can only budget for so much at one time and slowly work at it to address the problems. 

I think maybe if we worked with the county highway department and maybe share some of their resources and manpower, we could address some of the issues with city streets and such, an example being asphalt overlay on city streets.

 

¬What do you feel is the city’s role within Crawford County as a whole and why is that important? 

I feel the city of Prairie du Chien plays a vital role in Crawford County, being its county seat, as many of the county offices are located in Prairie du Chien. There are a lot of businesses in the city that benefit the county in many ways. The tourism the Prairie du Chien area generates throughout the year, as well as other areas of the county and the river, both recreationally and commercially, benefits both the city and county. Without these, the city would not be as vibrant and beautiful as it is. 

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