Steady, Proven Leadership

Government with Integrity

“It has been a distinct honor to serve my community these past five years. I look forward to continuing the work we've started in ensuring Sheboygan is a great place to live, work, and play.”

Experience

Representing District 9 since 2018. Finance & Personnel Chairman for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 sessions.

Sheboygan Values

As a born and raised Sheboyganite, this is my home. I am invested in maintaining the community and culture that make Sheboygan exceptional.

Common Sense

No personal agendas or petty politics. I am focused on what is best for and important to our community.

Vision for Sheboygan

Focus on Fundamentals

Local government is crucial for ensuring the well-being and prosperity of its residents. In this pursuit, it must prioritize four key areas: public safety, infrastructure, city services, and economic development to create a safe, thriving, and prosperous community for all residents.

Operational Excellence

Sheboygan must have efficient internal operations to provide effective services and meet the needs of residents. This includes streamlining processes, improving communication, utilizing technology and empowering employees through resources, support, and training.

Principled Governance

City leaders should make decisions guided by consistent principles and a long-term vision to ensure the best interest of the community as a whole. Such principles must align with residents' needs and beliefs to create a stable framework for decision-making and building trust.

Election Day Countdown

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Polls are open on Tuesday April 4th - 7AM-8PM

Highlights

Many have said that the best form of government is that which stays out of the way. I am often inclined to agree, but there are a handful of areas that do fall under the necessary and proper purview of government entities. Especially local government since it is the closest to the people it represents. These areas should be the main focus of these bodies:

  • Public Safety – Ensuring police and fire departments have the resources they need to maintain the high standards citizens require of them. Establishing and enforcing a reasonable book of codes and regulations.
  • Infrastructure – Maintaining public buildings, roads and bridges, sidewalks, parks, utility structures, and more.
  • Public Services – Services that government can provide at scale for a more reasonable cost compared to private alternatives; items such as waste disposal and recycling, snow removal, and fall leaf collection.
  • Stewardship of Public Resources – Proper maintenance and prudent utilization of resources, including public monies and capital assets.
  • Economic Development – Creating an environment that is friendly to businesses and the workforce in the pursuit of well-paying jobs and healthy businesses. A robust local business environment also offsets the proportion of the tax levy that falls to individual residents.

It is imperative for the city to focus on strong financial management. With shrewd utilization, we can ensure that every dollar collected goes as far as possible toward the city’s responsibilities to the public. Efficient spending allows tax dollars collected to remain as low as possible. More money stays in your pocket without a decrease in the quality of services provided.

  • Maintaining Sheboygan’s AA2 Credit Rating – Essentially the city’s credit score, the AA2 rating is the highest score possible for a community of our size and economic demographics. The high score keeps interest rates on borrowing low which also provides the opportunity to refinance existing debt at more favorable rates.
  • Effective Utilization of Existing Fund Balances – By supplementing appropriated dollars with monies from fund balances, we have been able to accomplish more with less tax levy and borrowing.
  • Unique Utilization of TIF Funds to Address Housing – One-year extensions to multiple, closing TIF districts were approved in 2022 in order to build balances that could be transferred to the Affordable Housing Fund. This allows the Council to take action supporting expanded affordable housing in the city without passing the costs on to taxpayers.
  • New Efficiencies – Much credit has to go to the Finance department and City Administrator’s office for the quantity of cost-saving opportunities identified and taken advantage of over the last few years. These include items such as the fleet management program the city entered into for vehicle acquisitions and lifecycles.

All modern organizations must take cybersecurity seriously. New technologies stand to improve convenience and efficiency for processes across the entire organization by providing modern tools designed for the jobs at hand. Though the upfront cost is usually notable, the returns still greatly outweigh them when technology is implemented judiciously. I have been happy to see the city’s commitment to embracing technology over the past five years.

  • Neighborly Software – Implementing Neighborly greatly improves the city's loan programs by providing a single interface for citizens and city staff for each step of the process. This gives residents the ability to view real-time information about their applications and loans for the first time and empowers staff to service the loans and respond to applications quicker.
  • Modern Cybersecurity with Darktrace – Per IBM, the average cost of a data breach in the US is $9.44M. Proactive protection keeps public funds secure and prevents the other, unquantifiable impacts from breaches of sensitive information. In 2021, the city purchased a product from Darktrace Holdings Limited to integrate into its cybersecurity system. Darktrace is known for its industry-leading use of AI in the systems it builds to secure networks and data.
  • Rolling Out Online Payments – The option to make various payments online provides residents with a more convenient way to interact with the city. Significant progress has been made in implementing digital payment solutions through different departments and processes over the last few years.
  • Tyler Munis Module Rollouts and Upgrades – The IT department has been working tirelessly, with the full support of city leadership, to transition users to Munis modules that replace functionality on the far less efficient AS400 legacy system programs that have been in place for decades.

The City of Sheboygan, as an entity, is an organization similar to a midsize business. As such, it too has to make considerations regarding internal operations. Efficacious internal operations allow the city to provide high-quality services and ensure public dollars are spent efficiently. The following considerations have been my top priorities:

  • Employer of Choice – The strength of any organization is the people that comprise it. The City has countless committed civil servants that care about our community. By attracting strong candidates and creating a high-retention environment, the city can be sure that resident services will remain as customer-focused and effective as citizens rightfully deserve.
  • Processes and Controls – Anybody who has been assigned a project with vague, open-ended requirements knows the importance of clearly-defined processes. Equally important are the internal controls that ensure accurate and reliable information is generated in a timely manner. These prevent incidental non-compliance and provide the information that decision-makers rely on when guiding the organization.
  • Succession Planning – Creating and implementing proper succession plans is an in-progress effort within the city. Planning helps avoid issues created when a long-time civil servant moves on from his or her role.

Support the Campaign

Approx. Constituents Served

4993

Approx. Annual Budget (Million)

125

Years of Experience

5

District Nine Active Voters

2641

My Personal Values

Honesty

The truth matters. I always strive to be conscientious and completely forthright.

Transparency

People deserve to know what their government is doing. Not just the 'what', but the 'why' behind actions.

Servant Leadership

Servant leaders focus their energy on the growth and well-being of those around them. No self-adulation or prestige chasing.

Respect

Best summarized as treating people with basic common decency applied consistently regardless of perceived station.

Fairness

Equal treatment for every individual. Including consistent applications of all rules without favoritism or arbitrary exceptions.

Integrity

I have and will continue to only work toward what I believe is best for our community and morally right. Personal gain will never be a motivating factor.

My Personal Values

 
 

Honesty

The truth matters. I always strive to be conscientious and completely forthright.

Honesty

The truth matters. I always strive to be conscientious and completely forthright.

Servant Leadership

Servant leaders focus their energy on the growth and well-being of those around them.

Servant Leadership

No self-adulation or prestige chasing.

Transparency

People deserve to know what their government is doing. Not just the 'what', but the 'why' behind actions.

Transparency

People deserve to know what their government is doing. Not just the 'what', but the 'why' behind actions.

Respect

Consistently treating people with basic common decency regardless of perceived station.

Respect

The golden rule.

Integrity

I have and will continue to only work toward what I believe is best for our community and morally right.

Integrity

Personal gain will never be a motivating factor.

Fairness

Consistent applications of all rules and procedures without favoritism or arbitrary exceptions.

Fairness

Equal treatment for every individual.