April election to shake up village government

With three incumbents not running, change is guaranteed; slate is one candidate short of filling seats on Fredonia board

There are four open seats on the Fredonia Village Board but only three candidates in the April election.

Peter Lenz is running unopposed to replace outgoing President Dan Gehrke, while D.J. Syring and incumbent Don Dohrwardt are running for three Village Board seats, including those left by trustees Tiffany Bartz and Kurt Meyle.

Lenz is also running for a Village Board seat, which means if a write-in candidate doesn’t win that election then it will be up to the board to decide how it is filled.

The deadline to register to run was on Tuesday.

Lenz, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said his vision is to make Fredonia “a place where people can spend an evening.”

He said the village has come a long way since he moved to Fredonia about 20 years ago, but he would like more dining and shopping options.

“When I moved, the downtown area was a little store, lumberyard and gas station,” he said. “The Dollar General is nice but it would be good to have something bigger.”

Development adds to the tax base and reduces the burden on taxpayers, Lenz said.

“More houses and homeowners help defray costs,” he said.

At the same time, Lenz said, he wants measured expansion.

“Slow but steady. I don’t want Fredonia to become the next Milwaukee obviously,” he said.

Lenz’s first challenge as president could be dealing with the ramifications of losing one of the village’s largest employers if Guy and O’Neill closes. The company announced last week it could close at the end of the month if it cannot find a new owner.

Lenz thinks finding a buyer for the property, even if Guy and O’Neill closes, shouldn’t be too difficult.

“The buildings are there. They are ready to go. Someone could come in easy,” he said.

The village is also seeking a large company to purchase the last remaining lot at its Southern Industrial Park. It needs to find a buyer by 2028 to offset a predicted negative cash flow for the park.

Having industry in the village keeps jobs within the village, Lenz said.

“It’s nice to have a five-minute commute rather than a fifty-minute commute,” he said.

Lenz wants to build off planned work at Marie Kraus Park to expand recreational opportunities there and turn it into a “community center.”

The village plans to build a splash pad there next year and pave the road to the park and its parking lot. It applied for a state grant to build a pavilion there last month.

“It needs some work,” he said. “We need to see what we can acquire and build down there.”

Syring, a technical writer for a construction equipment company, said he is running for the board because he has a young family and recently moved to the village.

“I like to be involved in my community,” he said. “I can’t complain about my taxes and not be involved.

“When somebody drives by (the village,) I want them to think, ‘I’d like to have a family here.’”

Gehrke to step down as president Gehrke said last week that he is stepping away from the board to focus on his family and home building and real estate businesses.

He has served on the Village Board since 2019 and as president since 2022. During his tenure, the village hired its first administrator, started the Southern Industrial Park project and brokered a multi-community paramedic program.

“We have some momentum as a community,” he said.

Gehrke said he achieved most of what he set out to do as president, although he would like to see more residential development.

He considered running again to see that through, he said.

“But, at the same time, I build houses for a living,” he said. “So I thought maybe to accomplish that I should just do it through my businesses and avoid any conflicts of interest.”

Bartz said she is stepping down from the board to focus on her family, but she will continue serving as chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee, where she said she’s made her most impactful contributions to the village.

She spearheaded the creation of the Friends of Fredonia organization, a group that works with the village to host community events, and led organization of the village’s 150th anniversary celebration.

“It was my pride and joy. We put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into that event,” she said.

Bartz said the village has a “community feel” again.

Recently, she said, a child came up to her at a Tuesday Tunes event.

“He told me, ‘We finally made Fredonia fun again.’ I can’t think of anything that makes me as proud as that,” she said.

Her crowning achievement as a board member was leading the approval of an ordinance to allow ATVs on village roads last year, she said. Her uncle, who was a long-time Fredonia resident, had been a part of efforts to allow ATVs when he passed away two years ago.

The ordinance will take effect once road signage is put up in spring.

Bartz said the board’s debate over the ordinance showed how exceptional the community is. Even though some board members had disagreements, they were respectful.

“We had seven people with different opinions but we all said our opinion and walked away with a solution and liking each other,” she said.

Meyle said health issues in his family forced him to not run again.

“I enjoyed it and learned a lot,” he said.

Meyle was a leader in negotiating the new paramedic program with the villages and towns of Fredonia and Belgium.

But, he said, it was a group effort. He specifically thanked Fredonia Fire Chief Brian Weyker for his contributions.

“It’s unfortunate that it had to be a property tax referendum but I think the residents recognized its importance and the other three jurisdictions did too,” he said. “I think if there’s anything that government should do, it is to provide police, fire and medical protection.”

Meyle said he understands many residents are facing financial difficulties and strain from other tax increases, such as from the Northern Ozaukee School District referendum that was also approved last year.

He hopes to use his last months in office to keep future expenses as low as possible.

He said he is opposed to a proposed 20% hike in sewer rates that will be discussed at the Village Board meeting on Thursday, along with future increases to total a more than 70% increase.

Category:

Feedback:

Click Here to Send a Letter to the Editor

Ozaukee Press

Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

125 E. Main St.
Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-3494
 

CONNECT


User login