Rintelman says village voters should have choice when going to the polls

Barb Dickmann has been Saukville’s village president since 2003, and she has never faced a challenge on the ballot until now.

Michael Rintelman is running against Dickmann in April for the village’s top spot. The office has a two-year term.

Both candidates live on Friendship Lane on the village’s north side, but said they do not know each other.

Rintelman said he has lived in Saukville for 10 years, and was energized by working on Scott Walker’s campaign for governor.

“I started hearing from people about taxes going up and water rates rising and I thought of the saying, ‘If not you, who? If not now, when?’” he said.

“People are hurting. I’m shocked no one else is running for the other positions in the village.”

Rintelman has a background with non-profit agencies and said he would advocate bringing that type of transparency in record keeping to the village.

“I am definitely not running against Barb Dickmann. I probably couldn’t even pick her out of a crowd. I just think fresh eyes may be better at finding efficiencies and pushing frugality,” he said.

Dickmann said she welcomes the challenge, but doesn’t know of any divisive issues in the community.

“It is always a good thing when the electorate has a choice,” she said.

Her support of the electoral process falls short of letting her challenger have the office.

“I am not going down easy, I’ll say that much,” Dickmann said. “I love this job with a passion, especially watching the budget closely to make sure the village always gets the most bang for its buck.”

She said she has never talked to Rintelman about any issues in the village, but points proudly to the strides the community has taken despite a challenging economy of late.

Dickmann said the village has shown foresight in building the new police station and has guided development in the Foster Commons corridor and its business park.

“We’ve also done a lot to improve the cultural opportunities in the village, including sponsoring the Live at the Triangle series and the farmers market,” she said.

“My goal has always been to promote balanced growth and safety in the community. We want to create a well-rounded atmosphere.”

Prior to being elected village president, Dickmann served two terms as a village trustee.

The president’s post will be the only contested race on the village ballot

There are no challengers for the seats held by the three incumbent village trustees with expiring terms, Mike Krocka, Joe Caban and Dave Maglio.

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