Town hopefuls say annexation defense is critical

Town of Grafton voters will go to the polls Tuesday in a new location — Town Hall has moved since the last election to 1220 Falls Rd. — and make a choice that will shape the community for the years to come.

Three candidates are seeking two spots on the board. Dan Vogel, a longtime Plan Commission member and Ozaukee County supervisor, is challenging incumbent supervisors Tom Sykora and Tom Grabow.

Vogel, 61, of 1446 Hwy. C, said he is running for the board because it’s time for change, saying the current Town Board is “the definition of an old-boys network.

“The town has to change,” he said.

Vogel, a salesman, said the major concern among town residents is development and preventing the Village of Grafton from annexing any more of the township.

One way to prevent losing town land to the village and other neighboring communities is to develop along the edges, Vogel said, noting the town recently approved a 127-home development near its southern border that will protect that area from annexation to the City of Mequon.

The town has also changed the zoning around some of its edges to allow smaller lots and houses.

“There’s been a small amount of development because of that,” Vogel said, calling it a “poor man’s attempt at a moat.”

“You’re not going to stop development,” he said. “That’s the reality. What we’ve done is try to put a few boulders in the road that make it more onerous for the village to take a leap.”

Vogel said the town needs to be welcoming and open to new ideas, especially when it comes to housing.

He said the town’s 2019 decision to prohibit housing created in shipping containers after a couple built one such house was shortsighted.

“It was a pretty funky house,” he said. “They didn’t build a prison, they built a house and some people think it’s kind of cool.

“We need to be less fearful of new things. Grafton is changing, but it’s represented by five fearful people.”

Vogel added that he, like many residents, doesn’t want the town to change too much.

“I don’t see us doing anything too radical,” he said. “People want it to stay sedate. We’re about getting the right development, keeping it rural — we’re actively trying to save red cow barns — and saving what we can.”

Grabow, 80, of 2142 Chapel Ct., agreed development is the most important issue facing the town.

One way to protect the town is by working with developers to bring growth to the edges of the community, Grabow, who retired in 2006 after 36 years with AO Smith, said.

“We’re trying to protect ourselves,” he said.

The threat to the town is real, he said, citing the Village of Grafton’s recent plan to create a commercial development near one of the nicest residential areas of the town.

While people want the rural atmosphere of a town, Grabow said, “There is no agriculture anymore (in the town).”

He said the best development would be residential, perhaps on smaller lots where young people could settle, along with some light industrial development.

The town and village have had a strained relationship recently, evidenced in part by the town’s decision to end the joint library agreement — a decision Grabow said he disagreed with.

“None of us wanted to do that,” he said. But, he noted, town residents now are part of the county library system, which allows them access to any facility in the area.

“I think history will tell (how it goes),” he said.

In terms of the Ozaukee Central Fire Department, he said he disagrees with the current operating and funding agreement because it doesn’t have a sunset clause. He also questioned the number of paramedics hired by the department, saying there isn’t enough work to justify the hirings.

Vogel said he didn’t have a good answer to rectify the issues between the town and village, adding he had heard there were a lot of personality clashes that had lead to the clash.

Grabow, a former Ozaukee County supervisor who has been a town supervisor for 21 years, said this is the best Town Board he has served on. He cited the board’s fiscal decisions and its work to update town roads.

“Currently no other town or village in Ozaukee County has better roads than us,” he said.

He also cited the town’s decision to buy a new town hall building, saying it was fiscally responsible to purchase a building with a loan for repairs that costs $1,200 a month vs. paying $3,000 a month to a rent a facility.

Sykora, 64, of 2321 Ridgewood Rd., vice president of brokerage services for Coldwell Banker Realty in Wisconsin, declined to be interviewed but submitted a statement to Ozaukee Press.

“I love Grafton and have been involved in this community my entire life,” he wrote, noting he was president of the Grafton Jaycees, president of EDGE (an economic development organization) and a town supervisor for 20 years. 

“Any decisions I have ever made over the past 20 years have always been with the best interest of all the town residents (in mind).”