Eight applicants to vie for open council seat

By Kim McDarison 

Eight applicants are anticipated to appear before four sitting members of the Fort Atkinson City Council Tuesday all of whom are hoping for placement by appointment to fill an open council seat. The full body is a five-member board. 

A vacancy on the city council was created in April after then-newly elected city councilwoman Megan Hartwick resigned. Hartwick had announced her intention to withdraw from the race in February, but her name continued to appear on the April ballot. In February, she asked voters to refrain from voting for her and announced her plans to resign would she receive enough votes to retain the seat. 

A story about her resignation is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/becker-jaeckel-hartwick-win-city-council-seats-hartwick-stated-in-february-plans-to-resign/. 

Earlier this month, the city manager’s office reported nine applicants who had submitted appropriate documents for consideration for appointment by the deadline of May 5. 

On Tuesday, City Clerk Michelle Ebbert noted by phone that one applicant, Nathan Friedl, had removed his name from consideration for the open seat. According to information within the city’s meeting packet, the applicant withdrew his name from consideration by email on Thursday, May 11. 

The remaining applicants, listed in alphabetical order, include: Paul Brady, John Donohue, James Garthwait, Gary Held, Jordan Lamb, Davin Lescohier, Diana Shull, and Mary Kay Paulson Weston. 

According to information included in Tuesday’s council meeting packet, the successful applicant will be appointed to serve a term beginning Wednesday, May 17, until April 16, 2024. 

A full city council term is two years. 

Information shared in April by Fort Atkinson City Manager Rebecca Houseman noted that the council person receiving appointment Tuesday will serve for one of the term’s two years, with the seat appearing on the April 2024 ballot as part of a special election to fill the remaining one year of the term. 

An earlier story, including the council’s decision to fill the seat by appointment and special election, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/hartwick-resigns-council-approves-appointment-process-to-fill-first-year-of-two-year-term/. 

A process through which the seat will be decided Tuesday is outlined in an earlier story found here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/nine-residents-apply-to-fill-vacated-city-council-seat/. 

According to information provided within Tuesday’s meeting packet, the successful applicant will be required to take the oath of office within 10 days of an appointment. 

Within the application form, each applicant was asked to respond to three questions. 

Responses from the eight applicants to the three questions follow. Applicants are listed, as stated within the meeting packet, in the order in which their applications were received at city hall. 

Jordan Lamb

Q: Why are you interested in being appointed to a one-year term on the city council? 

A: I believe we need to stimulate growth in the city in terms of population and businesses.

Q: Please list any relevant experience and education that qualified you to serve on the city council. 

A: I starting my business from nothing and have doubled in revenue year after year the past 4 years. I understand budgeting and planning.

Q: If appointee to the city council, please list any goals you would seek to accomplish. 

A: Lower or regulate the tax burden on our citizens. Find ways to promote growth of population and business. 

 

James Garthwait 

Q: Why are you interested in being appointed to a one-year term on the city council? 

A: I want to be part of a team to help grow Fort Atkinson and continue to make it a great place to live.

Q: Please list any relevant experience and education that qualified you to serve on the city council. 

A: I worked at the United States Post Office fro 6 years and understand Government agencies. I have a Bachelor’s in Business Admin.

Q: If appointee to the city council, please list any goals you would seek to accomplish. 

A: To help build a plan to draw more sustainable housing for new familys to help grow Fort Atkinson.

 

Gary Held 

Q: Why are you interested in being appointed to a one-year term on the city council? 

A: I would like to be more involved in what is happening in the city.  I will be retiring after next year and feel it is time to give back.

Q: Please list any relevant experience and education that qualified you to serve on the city council. 

A: I have served as chair of the Relay for Life for 4 years, and also founded Junior Blackhawk Travel baseball.  I do things to help make the city a better place to live.

Q: If appointee to the city council, please list any goals you would seek to accomplish. 

A: I would like to see the city expand in business, including downtown and in the business park.

 

John Donohue 

Q: Why are you interested in being appointed to a one-year term on the city council? 

A: In defining my rationale for and interest in being appointed to the council and describing my qualifications to serve on the council, it is useful to first review council’s role and statutory powers (emphasis added):

ROLE OF COUNCIL. “The city council is the community’s legislative and policymaking body. Power is centralized in the elected council, which, for example, approves the budget and determines the tax rate. The council also focuses on the community’s goals, major projects and such long-term considerations as community growth, land use development and capital improvement and financing. The council hires the city manager to implement the administrative responsibilities related to these goals” (retrieved from https://www.fortatkinsonwi.gov/govemment/city_council.php).

STATUTORY POWERS OF COUNCIL. “[T]he council shall have the management and control of the city property, finances, highways, navigable waters, and the public service, and shall have power to act for the government and good order of the city, for its commercial benefit, and for the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and may carry out its powers by license, regulation, suppression, borrowing of money, tax levy, appropriation, fine, imprisonment, confiscation, and other necessary or convenient means. The powers hereby conferred shall be in addition to all other grants, and shall be limited only by express language [(Wis. Stats. §§ 62.11(5) and 64.04 et seq. Retrieved from https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/62.11(5); 64.04].

MOTIVATED. Understanding the above role and statutory powers (scope of duty) for the office to which I am applying, I seek appointment to the Fort Atkinson City Council so as to dedicate my time, knowledge, skill, and experience to the continuous improvement of our quality of life for all citizens. I am fully motivated to give all.

QUALIFIED. I am highly confident in my skillset. I seek appointment because I am qualified and prepared to commit my full attention to performing the duties incumbent upon me as councilperson, thus serving the community which has been home to our family since 1963.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE. I seek appointment because I love my community, and I profoundly believe that I can make a positive difference in our progress.

RAPPORT. I seek appointment because I easily work with all community leaders, residents, taxpayers, and organizations. Consensus, collaboration, and nonpartisanship enrich my desire to serve on the city council.

LIFETIME EXPERIENCE. I seek appointment because public service is the natural consequence of the full arc of my professional life.

Q: Please list any relevant experience and education that qualified you to serve on the city council. 

A: My personal and professional experiences, which eminently qualify me to serve on the Fort Atkinson City Council, are distinctly broad in scope. being both preparatory as w II as cumulative. My experience is preparatory in as much as I have substantially enlarged my direct involvement and knowledge base in the current affairs of local government. It is cumulative to the extent that I bring to the office of city councilperson a lifetime of professional career and leadership experience as will be described herein.

Having previously qualified as a candidate on the April 4, 2023 ballot for the office of city councilperson, Fo1i Atkinson, I have done my due diligence, taking preparatory steps by attending numerous meetings of city boards, commissions, committees, and community organizations. Specifically, Historic Preservation Commission, Historical Society Board, Library Board, Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, Plan Commission, and the School District of Fort Atkinson.

• In addition to regularly attending city council meetings, I have attended meetings of the Historic Preservation Commission, Historical Society Board, Library Board, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Plan Commission and the School District of Fort Atkinson.

Having a passion for preparedness, I have read and studied the Fort Atkinson Budget Comprehensive Plan, the Revised Code of Ordinances, and other relevant documents pertaining to city government.

• We are mutual stakeholders with Jefferson County. Accordingly, at the level of county government, I have attended meetings of the Aging and Disability Resource Center, Jefferson County Economic Development Commission and ThriveED, Law Enforcement and Emergency Management Committee, and the Traffic Safety Commission. Additionally, I completed an internship with the Jefferson County Drug Free Coalition in 2020 as part of my Master of Social Work degree, completed in 2022.

• I further preparing for public office, I have initiated my own personal informational meetings with the leadership of local nongovernmental groups to include the Chamber of Commerce, the Housing Coalition of Fort Atkinson, and the Heart of the City.

• In community involvement, I am currently the coordinator for Citizens for a Better Fort Atkinson (CBFA). CBFA is a non-partisan, nongovernmental group, operated as an open forum “town hall,” where participants come together informally to discuss community opportunities and problems, and to express concerns, ideas, opinions, or requests, regarding the community’s present issues and future direction.

• I have also met individually with other civic leaders to include Jason Demerath, Director of Business Services, School District of Fort Atkinson; Wisconsin State Representative Scott Johnson; Anne Grover, Heart of the City; and other incumbent members of Fort Atkinson city government.

It is thus evident that the City of Fort Atkinson is my full-time study and occupation. My aim is to be fully prepared to assume office – to begin my public responsibilities with as much knowledge of city government, civic organization functions, and key personnel as possible.

Additionally, the City of Fort Atkinson will benefit from my foundation of knowledge, skill, and experience in administration and leadership attained through a highly successful 27 year military career in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corp(1986-2013). I retired as a commissioned officer, Legal Administrator, and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for service to our country.

Furthermore, the City of Fort Atkinson will benefit from my twelve years of professional experience in the Washington D.C. legal profession. I worked in a paralegal supervisory capacity with the United States Department of Justice (Civil Division, A-12 litigation, 1994- 2000) and as a Litigation analyst for the international law firm of White & Case LLP (Corporate Defense Practice Group, 2000-2005). The City of Fort Atkinson will further benefit from my experience with the World Bank, Washington, D.C., where as a consultant in 1994, my focus was on working with international nongovernmental organizations with respect to participatory economic development and the measurement of development project outcomes.

Additionally, I currently volunteer at the Hoard Historical Museum and the Homeless Coalition ofFortAtkinson. I am also a member of the Legislative and Social Policy Committee, National Association of Social Workers, Wisconsin Chapter.

Further underscoring my experience in public life, during my prior residency in Virginia, in the realm of county government, I was Chair for the Albemarle County Disability Services Board, and a member of the county’s Fiscal Impact Advisory Committee. In academia, I was an instructor at the American National University (ANU) for seven years, teaching all business, economics, and accounting-related subjects, and was ultimately named campus director. In private business, I owned and operated a small business accounting firm, and published a textbook entitled, Small Business Creation and Development, which I used in teaching my classes at ANU.

Q: If appointee to the city council, please list any goals you would seek to accomplish. 

A: If appointed to the City Council, please list any goals you would seek to accomplish.

Whether by direct appointment by council or election by ballot, my goal-setting baseline as councilperson is unchanged – to make Fort Atkinson my full-time professional effort, and to be a value-added resource to our key stakeholders – our citizen constituencies, municipal government leadership, department heads, city boards, committees, and commissions.

With particular emphasis on our city ordinances and relevant state statutes, our budget and comprehensive plans, I will seek continuous improvements in our stewardship over revenues, expenditures, and resources. Such stewardship is to represent value-added to our citizens and taxpayers, representing continuously improving quality of life. With this in mind, my primary specific goals include, but are not limited to:

I. CITIZENS ALWAYS FIRST. I will determine and translate citizen goals and civic aspirations into city priorities and plans, identifying and addressing the issues that matter the most to our citizens and taxpayers. This may be accomplished in part through continual outreach to community stakeholder constituencies, and through continued town meetings and listening sessions (For example, Citizens for a Better Fort Atkinson, and others, already in place).

2. COMPREHENSIVE VIEWPOINT. I will ensure that my views on all aspects of city government are comprehensive, all-stakeholder encompassing. My public service philosophy extends far beyond a “one-issue” viewpoint.

3. TAX BASE EXPANSION. I will collaborate with stakeholders to find efficient approaches to expand the city’s tax base through carefully planned housing expansion and business development, mindful that in the absence of value-added and sound stewardship, growth alone will not equate to reduced taxes.

4. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. With respect to our city finances, I will fully understand every line item of revenue and expense. I will be questioning cost-benefit and value­ added on every expenditure and to what extent, every expenditure improves or supports revenues.

5. CONTRIBUTE TO THE REFORM OF THE STATE SHARED REVENUE PROGRAM. I will advocate for, and become a subject matter expert in reforming the state Shared Revenue Program so as to achieve the best terms for partial funding of essential services for the City of Fort Atkinson as governed by Wis. Stat. § 79 (2022) and other relevant law and policy.

o Note that as of Thursday, April 27, 2023, Wisconsin state officials announced “a historic investment into shared revenue for Wisconsin’s townships, villages, cities, and counties.” The legislation will be designed to provide unrestricted aid through various programs. It is proposed that $1.5 billion in state sales tax revenue will be directed to local government and a minimum of a ten percent increase in shared revenue for every municipality across Wisconsin, among other “investments”(news release from State Representative Alex A. Dallman, 41st Assembly District, April 27, 2023).

6. EXPLORE PARALLEL METHODS OF GOVERNMENT FUNDING. I would like to perform an analysis of how Fort Atkinson can maximize and further develop our use of tax incremental financing (TIF), grants, shared revenue, and other methods of funding, with a view toward tax relief for our citizens.

7. TAKE INITIATIVE IN INDUSTRIAL & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. I will evaluate constraints on sustainable industrial and business development with attention to the practical effects of planning, zoning, and land use, and will be a strong advocate for improved efficiencies and value-added where identified.

8. MAXIMIZE CITY-LEVEL ADMINISTRATIVE COLLABORATIONS. I will attend all meetings of City Council, as well as city boards, commissions, and committees. Collaborate with these stakeholder groups to achieve effective public policy, economic efficiencies, and shared community visions. My emphasis will extent to infrastructure issues, economic development, and public safety. I will assist city departments in identifying and implementing department-level goals as guided by citizen expectations.

9. MAXIMIZE COMMUNITY-LEVEL COLLABORATIONS. I will maximize alliances with our school district, technical/vocational college system, community health care, other community nongovernmental groups, and adjacent municipalities to identify and achieve our best shared public service visions. This goal incorporates county and state­ level government collaborations

10. CONTINUOUS PREPARATION FOR CITY OF FORT ATKINSON COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS. My aim will be to remain continuously knowledgeable of the work before all city boards, committees, and commissions. I will be prepared for any assignments thereto and ready to contribute to the superior work of these groups.

11. WISCONSIN CENTER FOR PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE. I would like to investigate our possible use of the Wisconsin Center for Performance Excellence, which is Wisconsin’s partner to the national Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. (Wisconsin Forward POC: Elizabeth Clark Menzer, 608-663-5300; menzer@wisquality.org).

o The Center helps municipalities conduct their own in-depth, low-cost self­ assessments – the Baldrige Assessment – resulting in feedback on defining stakeholder expectations, aligning organizational priorities, identifying and leveraging core competencies, improving the engagement of government workforce, establishing specific metrics related to our comprehensive plan, and improving organizational results overall. We conduct the Baldrige assessment on our own, but we may submit its results to the Wisconsin Center for Performance Excellence for comment.

12. REMEDY CITY GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS GAPS. Our city and its departments have a problem communicating with the community. I would like to take full charge of evaluating our communications difficulties, and recommending specific solutions.

13.PROMOTE OUR CITY. Collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce and government principals in developing city promotion. Our city does not have a promotional “road show,” which I believe is essential for attracting business and industry.

14.PRESERVE AND SHOW OUR BEST. Preserve hometown culture in areas of public safety, city beautification, recreation and sports, entertainment, and overall quality of life.

 

Mary Kay Paulson Weston 

Q: Why are you interested in being appointed to a one-year term on the city council? 

A: I am a strong supporter of Fort Atkinson Community and would like to see the community grow and thrive. I have a broad range of experience that I believe would be helpful in steering our community to be successful.

Q: Please list any relevant experience and education that qualified you to serve on the city council. 

A: Graduate of UW-Whitewater – BA in Communications and Marketing. Over 30 years experience in the banking industry. 

working with government & business leaders and clients. Past 5 years working in the insurance industry with understanding of risk and providing solutions to clients. Strong knowledge in financial statements and budgets.

Q: If appointee to the city council, please list any goals you would seek to accomplish. 

A: Promote and support business growth. Look to increase housing availability. Learn more about City Government. Look for ways to stimulate/advocate assets within Fort Atkinson such as park system/trails, swimming pool.

 

Paul Brady

Q: Why are you interested in being appointed to a one-year term on the city council? 

A: I am excited about the potential of stepping in for a short term position, as this is a unique opportunity to take a leadership role in my community.

Q: Please list any relevant experience and education that qualified you to serve on the city council. 

A: As a government purchasing agent, I am very familiar with the annual budgeting cycle and cost control procedures to be fiscally responsible with tax payers’ money. I was the assistant manager for Walgreens when it opened in Fort Atkinson and was an active member on the Chamber of Commerce. I hold a bachelor’s degree in music education with a K-12 certification.

Q: If appointee to the city council, please list any goals you would seek to accomplish. 

A: I would like to focus on bringing affordable housing in to the city and to help a wide variety of businesses thrive. I would like continue to see development of the River Walk and a focus on the arts.

 

Davin Lescohier 

Q: Why are you interested in being appointed to a one-year term on the city council? 

A: I’d like to use my municipal government experience to help bridge the gap until the next election cycle. 

Q: Please list any relevant experience and education that qualified you to serve on the city council. 

A: Elected to five terms on the Fort Atkinson City Council, beginning in 2009. Served two years as president. Past volunteer at the Dwight Foster Public Library help desk and piloted a ride-along initiative with the Fort Atkinson Fire Department and Rescue Squad. 

Q: If appointee to the city council, please list any goals you would seek to accomplish. 

A: Help facilitate development of the Banker Road Neighborhood Plan, work with the council and city manager to accomplish identified goals. 

 

Diana Shull 

Q: Why are you interested in being appointed to a one-year term on the city council? 

A: Having lived in Fort Atkinson for 10 years and started a family here, I am excited at the opportunity to give something back to my adopted home and to learn more about how our city works. I have always been interested in public service and public governance, and have the utmost respect for those who choose to contribute their time and talents to the greater good. If chosen to serve on the Council, I will fight to keep Fort Atkinson as welcoming and vibrant a community as I have found it be during the time I have called it home.

Q: Please list any relevant experience and education that qualified you to serve on the city council. 

A: As a university reference librarian {BA & MA in History and MS of Library Science), I am trained to search for and share information and resources that help people solve problems, gain knowledge, and accomplish their goals-just as Councilmembers seek to connect residents with city resources. And as an employee of a Wisconsin state institution working at a public service desk, I have first-hand experience with the kinds of challenges faced by public-facing employees on a day-to-day basis.

I am an expert in the organization and discoverability of information and have revised, maintained, and created content for the websites of the University Libraries and the Testing Center at UW-Whitewater. I have served on the Dwight Foster Library Board as well as the Jefferson County Library Board, where I have helped revise Library policies for clarity and consistency, organized successful community outreach events, advocated for greater accessibility of library resources, and strived to build bridges with a wide range of community stakeholders.

Q: If appointee to the city council, please list any goals you would seek to accomplish. 

A: My goals, if appointed to this position, would be to support the current direction of the City government and advocate for both the current and future needs of Fort Atkinson’s residents and the City’s departments. Overall I believe our current City Council has governed well within the constraints of the budget and the City’s current resources, at a time when Wisconsin municipalities in general find themselves struggling to maintain services. I will work to ensure that the needs of our city departments and employees are well-communicated to the public, and will support policy that will ensure the City’s continued financial health into the next decade. I believe that through careful governance and attention to the needs of our citizens, and to those of the city departments that work towards meeting them, we can make Fort Atkinson the envy of its neighbors and an example for surrounding communities to emulate.