Steffen, Decker win school seats as write-ins

Following a final canvassing and review of the April 6 spring general election ballots on Tuesday, the once-uncertain make-up of the Northern Ozaukee School Board seats has come into clear focus — Hal Steffen and Jeff Decker are now board members.

Heading into election day, there were no declared candidates or registered write-in candidates for two seats.

The top two write-ins for the seats were Steffen for the district’s at-large seat, and Decker for the Town of Belgium seat vacated by incumbent Tim Burmesch, who opted to not seek re-election after having served since 2009.

Both Steffen and Decker indicated they will serve on the board. Northern Ozaukee School District Supt. Dave Karrels said they will be sworn into office at the April 19 School Board meeting.

Both candidates will serve three-year terms.

Decker, part-owner of Oldenburg Metal Tech, Inc. in Saukville and owner of Decker’s Farm in Belgium, said the tool-and-die side of Oldenburg Metal Tech has been heavily involved in youth apprentice programs through Ozaukee County and the State of Wisconsin.

“That’s how I got my interest in the School Board,” Decker said. “I was helping Northern Ozaukee School District on their referendum a few years ago for some improvements they were making to their shop classes. I think I have some value to add with my experiences with the youth apprenticeship program. I’m very interested in the School Board.”

As a businessman with “a pretty young workforce” at Oldenburg Metal Tech, Decker said he hopes to bring “a different set of eyes” to the board.

“I hear the kids talk — what they like, what they don’t like — and I think we have a pretty good youth apprenticeship program here in my company,” Decker said. “I’d like to bring those experiences to the School Board and work on more school involvement with the community because I think there’s a lot of businesses that could team up with the school and give the high school students more real life exposure.”

Married to his wife Jennifer for the past 20 years, Decker is the father of two children. Daughter Isadora “Izzy” Decker is a freshman at Ozaukee High School while daughter Cecilia Decker, an Ozaukee High alumnus, works as a pharmacy technician.

“Locally born and raised,” Steffen is a longtime Village of Fredonia resident.

Steffen and his wife Michele have two children attending Divine Savior Catholic School in Fredonia. Upon graduation from Divine Savior, his children will transition to Ozaukee High School, Steffen said.

The owner of Fredonia-based freight shipping and trucking company H. Steffen Enterprises, Steffen praised the district and School Board for how they handled operations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I was extremely impressed and proud of the way that they handled everything through this last year of mayhem compared to the other districts in the state left in a tailspin,” he said.

“Northern Ozaukee is moving forward. They made all the right decisions regarding everything that’s been going on and I just wanted to be a part of that and keep that energy going and be able to add any additional ideas and thoughts regarding the direction of the way that we operate. I’m not joining the board to make changes as much as to continue the growth and direction of the board.”

In addition to Decker and Steffen, other members of the School Board are president Brent Neis, Town of Saukville; vice president Dan Large, Town of Belgium; treasurer Jennifer Clark, Village of Fredonia; Rick Hamm, Town of Saukville; Stephen Burmesch, Village of Fredonia; Kevin Klas, Town of Fredonia; and Suzanne Miller, Town of Fredonia.