Pleitner, Brooks square off in bid for council seat

Voters on Port Washington’s west side will choose between an experienced alderman and a political newcomer to represent them when they head to the polls on Tuesday, April 4.

Incumbent Jonathan Pleitner, who has represented the city’s 5th District since 2017, is being challenged by Robert Brooks, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Port-Saukville School Board last year.

Brooks, 33, who grew up in Saukville but moved to his 332 Indigo Dr. home in Port four years ago after graduating from West Point and serving in the Army for eight years, said he has been looking for ways to get involved in the community.

He’s been on the city’s Board of Review for two years, and after the School Board election people asked him if he had considered running for city office, he said.

“I decided to jump in and try to make the city better,” Brooks said.

Pleitner, 38, of 1890 Aster St., said he has learned a lot in his six years on the Common Council and wants to continue the work the council has done.

“I think we’re in a better, more mature place than when I joined in 2017,” he said.  “There have been a lot of hard decisions over the last six years, a lot of concerns about what’s happening downtown, a lot of challenges. But I think the council is up for the challenge.”

Development has been at the forefront of many of the council’s decisions, including some controversial ones, and will continue to be in the public eye.

    ”We’re in a position to grow,” Pleitner said.  “I think right now we are in the driver’s seat when it comes to development. We can say what we don’t want and what we do want in the city. We’re a desirable place to be, and we don’t have to cave to developers just because they want something.”

He said that means limiting the amount of multifamily and high-density growth “people generally don’t want.”

The areas of main concern right now are downtown and of particular concern in his district is the former Schanen Farm south of Highway 33 and east of Jackson Road, he said.

The Schanen farm may be a place to consider smaller lot sizes and homes, he said, with perhaps two-story, eight to 10-unit apartment buildings fronting Highway 33.

There is little left to develop downtown, he said. The city is in the process of finalizing its downtown plan and the Plan Commission is working to determine building height limits — something he said he’s anxious to see.

  The proposed Ozaukee Square development in downtown “was a shock to the system,”  Pleitner added. “It was too big, too dense and too audacious.”

Pleitner said the city should pause any developments in downtown until the new Inventors Brewpub on the north marina slip is built

“I want to see what traffic and parking looks like with Inventors,” he said. “I’m ready to stop development downtown for the time being.”

There are plenty of other areas for development around the outskirts of the city for now, he added.

Brooks, an assistant project manager with Catalyst Construction, said development is “obviously a hot-button issue” but it’s necessary for the community.

Growth, he said, is needed for the city to increase its tax base and revenue and lower the tax rate.

“I understand development. I want to develop the right way,” he said, adding his work experience will help in that. “Growth isn’t evil. I just want to do it responsibly.”

Brooks said he wants to ensure the city’s zoning code is strict enough to shape development around the city, particularly along the lakefront.

He said he would like to see taller buildings kept off the lakefront and out of the gateways.

“I don’t want a six-story building going up in our marina,” he said, although taller structures may make sense farther west in the city.

Single-family homes should be the focus of developments, he said, adding that “I think there’s a lot of untapped potential (for development) to the north and south.

One issue that’s occupied officials recently is the future of the Port Fire Department.

Brooks said he is pleased the city is continuing to look at consolidation while also considering enhancing its own service.

“I think there are a lot more questions that need to be answered,” he said. “I would like to do a lot more research on consolidation to see if it works for Port Washington.”

As the city ponders that decision, Brooks said, it also needs to consider the future of the police and fire stations, which he said are too small. The downtown location also contributes to slower response times, he said, and is something that needs to be studied. 

Pleitner said that he is leaning toward an enhanced Port fire department right now and hopes the city has firm numbers to look at for both a consolidated and enhanced department in July so a decision can be made.

Hand in hand with that, he said, will be a referendum to exceed the levy limits to pay for additional Fire Department staff members.

A decision on a fire station, Pleitner added, is something that will come after a decision on the department structure.

“I’m ready to have this discussion. I don’t want to wait for any more studies,” he said.

Both Brooks and Pleitner said that managing the city budget is an important aspect of the job.

“That’s going to be my guiding principle,” Brooks said. “I want to make all decisions based on keeping taxes low and maintain city services.”

The city needs to have along-term budget plan and capital project plan “so we don’t kick the can down the road” on things like improvements to the water treatment plant, he added.

Pleitner, chairman of the Finance and License Committee, said the city has compiled those plans and has been working on innovative ways to reduce expenses. Recent changes to the city’s health insurance plan will save more than $300,000, he said, and the city has worked diligently to keep the budget lean.

“I don’t know what else to cut and keep taxpayers happy,” he said.

Development, both men said, is key to helping cover increasing costs into the future.