Four compete for three trustee seats

The Village of Saukville may see a new trustee following the spring election as four candidates vie for three open seats on the Village Board.

Incumbents Jim Nowlen, Trevor Seitz and Scott Fischer are defending their seats against challenger Keith Dickmann.

Dickmann is a 63-year-old Port Washington High School graduate who is a retired Village of Saukville Public Works employee. He is a lifelong Saukville resident and a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals and Community Development Authority.

He is also a member of the Saukville Moose Lodge and a former member of the Saukville Fire Department.

Having been involved with many community organizations, committees and occupations, Dickmann said he believes his experience would offer a valuable perspective to the Village Board.

Dickmann said over the years, he has seen Saukville grow as a community and wants to help ensure it continues to expand in a positive direction.

“It is important to me that the village continues to be a safe, family centered area and maintain a focus of support of local businesses,” he said.

One challenge Dickmann said the village is facing is a lack of firefighters and ambulance personnel. He said if elected, he would urge the board to further focus on growing and supporting the fire department. He added that he would also like to examine village services to ensure they adequately meet the health and safety needs of the community.

Nowlen is a 73-year-old Saukville resident since 2001 who is a retired information technology capacity planner for Northwestern Mutual. Prior to joining the Village Board, he was a member of the U.S. Air Force from 1968 to 1974.

Nowlen chairs the Architectural Review Board and serves on the finance, utilities and Mid-Moraine legislative committees. He serves as an election poll worker.

The incumbent said he hopes to be reelected so he can continue to assist the board as it works to make improvements to public safety in the village, particularly to the Saukville Fire Department.

“Our community has just added our first two full time paramedic firefighters filling a serious void. But the issue is a countywide problem and we need to participate in the evolution of emergency medical technician and fire services,” he said.

Nowlen said the village is also in the process of making major upgrades to its wastewater treatment facility and that he would like to see the initiative through to completion.

Nodding to the Emerald Ridge residential and industrial development being reviewed by the village, Nowlen said the Village Board is also working toward expanding housing and industrial offerings in the village.

Seitz is a 53-year-old who has lived in the village for 20 years and served on the Village Board since 2018. He was also a member of the U.S. Army for 30 years.

If re-elected, Seitz said he would ensure the village continues to develop in a positive direction while also keeping government intrusion on residents to a minimum. He added that he will continue to ensure information from the village is disseminated equally to all and in a timely manner.

Seitz said a challenge the village is facing is a shortage of development space — an issue that could be improved by completion of the Emerald Ridge development.

“This will bring more residents to the village and increase the tax base, which in turn should allow for the reduction in taxes while maintaining current services,” Seitz said.

Another issue the Village Board has worked on recently is dwindling emergency medical services in the village. Earlier this year the village dedicated funds to staff two full-time paramedic firefighters to address the shortfall.

Fischer is a 54-year-old who has resided in the village for 17 years. He attended University of Wisconsin Platteville and holds an associate degree in criminal justice from Milwaukee Area Technical College. He has been a trustee for eight years.

Fischer said he would like to continue on as a trustee to help the village grow without large tax increases or spending beyond the village’s means. With more than 30 years of historic building maintenance and budgeting under his belt, he said some of his experience may be useful while working on village budgets.

One challenge Fischer said he sees on the horizon is the village developing all of its land, leaving Saukville landlocked. He said when that occurs the village may have to be creative in how it balances spending and tax increases.

Saukville residents may vote on April 5 at American Legion Post 470 or the Feith YMCA.