Compiled by Kim McDarison
A spring general election will be held April 5. City of Whitewater residents will find four Whitewater Common Council candidates on the election ballot, two of which are running unopposed and two of which are vying for an open at-large seat.
Running unopposed in Aldermanic District 2, which includes Whitewater’s Wards 9 and 10, is incumbent Lukas Schreiber.
Schreiber was appointed in the summer of 2021 by council members to complete a term left vacant by Matthew Schulgit, who, in turn, was appointed in the summer of 2019 after his brother, Jimmy Schulgit, resigned. Both brothers resigned after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Although unopposed, Schreiber will be running for the seat for the first time.
Also running unopposed is newcomer Jill Gerber, who will be filling a seat in Aldermanic District 4, which includes Whitewater’s Wards 6, 7 and 8. The seat is currently held by Lynn Binnie, who filed papers of non-candidacy with the city. A deadline for such filings was last December.
The city will see its only council race for one of its two at-large seats. One is held by Councilwoman Lisa Dawsey-Smith and will come due for reelection in 2023.
The other is held by incumbent Jim Allen who will face at the polls challenger Chuck Mills.
Common council candidates are elected to two-year terms.
The electorate also will have an opportunity to see these candidates respond to questions during a candidates forum which will be held Saturday, March 12, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., in the council chambers of the Whitewater Municipal Building, 312 W. Whitewater St., Whitewater. The forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters-Whitewater Area.
The forum also will be live-streamed and recorded by Whitewater Community TV and uploaded to its Vimeo website, as well as rebroadcast on channel 990.
Additionally, the forum will be available on the league’s website: https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area.
Fort Atkinson Online recently asked each of the candidates to provide some biographical information and fill out a short questionnaire. Candidates were asked to respond to four questions using a combined total of between 700 and 1,000 words.
Candidates were asked to submit a photo for publication.
Candidates’ responses to questionnaires, presented in alphabetical order, follow.
Jim Allen
Age: no answer given
Address: 215 Clay Street
Occupation: Retired
Number of years resided in city: 50+
Education: Whitewater HS, UW-Whitewater
Civic and other organizational memberships:
Boy Scout Troop 173, Whitewater
Pres. Whitewater’s 4th of July, 10yrs
United Way, past fundraiser
Founding member, UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship)
Founding member, Birge Fountain Restoration Committee
Founding member, Whitewater Tourism Committee
Member, Whitewater CDA (Community Development Authority) (20+ yrs. work in Whitewater economic development)
Member, Whitewater Public Works Committee
Pres. Whitewater Alcohol Review Committee
Past member, Whitewater Police and Fire Commission
Past member, Whitewater Finance Committee
Past member, Whitewater City Council
Nat’l Restaurant Assoc. FMP certification
Political experience: I was appointed to the common council previously and served a few terms following that appointment. That time gave me an understanding of just how local government works and how to be effective in making change. I have also served on many of the city’s boards and commissions.
What are your reasons for seeking this position?
My background is in business so I bring that experience and also a common-sense way of getting things done. I keep an eye on the budget so that we don’t have to cut services that we all enjoy and expect.
What are the most pressing issues facing the position you seek?
This next year we are incorporating Whitewater’s EMT’s and Fire services into the city. Members will become city employees with employee pay and benefits. This is going to come with some costs. Whitewater will go to referendum to exceed the levy limit in the fall.
Recent housing studies have confirmed that we need new housing starts. I will work to involve developers and to incentivize housing starts for all income levels, but what we don’t need in Whitewater right now are more student housing developments.
If elected, what unique perspective and experience do you bring to the council?
I think I bring the common sense perspective to city government. I also use my background in business. The job of running the city is a business with a $10M budget.
Any additional comments?
I wish the citizens of Ukraine good wishes for their bravery and hope for a quick resolution for peace. Please consider voting for me on April 5th.
Jill Gerber
Age: no anser given
Address: 234 S. Pleasant St.
Occupation: Data and Special Programs Assistant within the College of Education and Professional Services (UW-Whitewater)
Number of years resided in city: no answer given
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Law from UW-Whitewater
Civic and other organizational memberships: no answer given
Political experience: no answer given
What are your reasons for seeking this position?
My interest in the Common Council developed from working within municipal agencies for over 17 years. I was the executive assistant to the City Manager for the City of Whitewater from 2015-2019 where I was able to see first-hand the ins and outs of each department within the City and how important it is for employees to work together to achieve goals.
I feel the local government needs to be more efficient in researching projects and more transparent with the citizens so we can be a service to the community and not make our citizens feel like they are getting less for their tax dollars.
As mentioned earlier, I have worked in the public sector for years, not for the money, but because I enjoy feeling like I am making a difference and helping citizens. I enjoy volunteering and being a part of a team that works on a project from the start to the finish. Key word being “finish.”
What are the most pressing issues facing the position you seek?
One of the most pressing issues facing the City is getting emergency medical treatment in a timely manner. Whitewater Fire, Inc., for years has been facing difficulties in staffing, recruiting and responding to calls for service. In 2021, EMS had 1,620 calls for service with 272 being a 2nd call. Usually at 1,000 calls for service full-time paramedics are added to the staffing. Not only does Whitewater have a high call volume, but the priority of the calls is also much higher. Currently, we are waiting for a paramedic to respond from other jurisdictions which is causing excess delay time for critical service. Paramedics provide more advanced medical treatment such as advanced airway and electrical intervention for cardiac arrhythmias and can administer additional medications.
By adding a full-time EMS department under the City of Whitewater, citizens would have a paramedic available to respond on each call for service and receive more advanced medical treatment.
The City of Whitewater has a high population of citizens over the age of 55. Given the higher level of service from a paramedic, comes a reduction in mortality rates compared to receiving an AEMT level of service. I believe we need to provide better emergency medical care and service to the citizens of Whitewater.
Another pending issue is the City’s housing stock. The City has very few homes that are within the $200,000-$400,000 range that are in Type A condition. With a large city population under age 25 and over age 55, we are not attracting or retaining homeowners after age 25. The City is expecting just over $2,000,000 at the end of 2022 to spend from TIF 4. This money should be spent on promoting and improving single-family housing within the City. I would like to see developers and builders offered incentives to build within our City.
Other issues include: the need for more new businesses, improvements to the Whitewater Aquatic Center and Cravath Lakefront building, more collaboration with the public schools and the university, improved transparency with citizens, and updated City marketing to make Whitewater a destination.
If elected, what unique perspective and experience do you bring to the council?
I previously worked for the City of Whitewater, for the City Manager, where I was tasked with working with each department within the City on various projects such as reviewing and updating policies, developing ways of streamlining existing departmental procedures, initiating and tracking city-wide training, developing emergency procedures, responding to citizen questions and complaints, and filling in within departments where needed.
Prior to working for the City, I worked primarily within county and municipal government in various positions that included: 911 operator, police dispatcher, and corrections officer. I have been in plenty of situations that require a person to ask the right questions and make decisions. I am not afraid to ask the tough questions and think outside the box to find answers. Many questions pertaining to City projects should be prepared before coming to the Common Council to save time and money.
I currently work at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater as a Data and Special Programs Assistant. I believe in using and reviewing data to make decisions. Data should not be overlooked and should play a role in many of the City’s decisions on how and where to spend money. The City is looking at several million-dollar projects in the future: library remodel/addition, new Public Works garage, new police evidence garage, and the possible merger with Whitewater Fire, Inc. I believe my experience and abilities will play an important role in making the best possible decisions for the citizens.
Any additional comments?
If elected to Common Council as your Aldermanic District 4 representative, I look forward to working hard for the citizens, and listening to your questions and thoughts about city government.
I am very interested in working towards a more transparent government and getting accurate information to the citizens. I want to see more developers and business owners being marketed to build and expand in Whitewater. I would love to see our Downtown district flourish with more marketing to the students, citizens and surrounding communities, which will help grow our housing stock.
The Cravath Lakefront building needs a facelift, and I would like to see paddle boards, paddle boats, canoes and/or kayaks rented from the building with the library offering yard games and books for checkout.
I believe we will need to spend money on adding full-time paramedics to our EMS staff to improve service and response time. I am a strong supporter of our first responders, including police, fire and EMS. We need our first responders to ensure Whitewater remains a safe place to live, work and play.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me through my Facebook site, the Nextdoor app, or by email, jgerber1026@gmail.com.
Chuck Mills
Age: 61
Address: 336 S. Whiton St., Whitewater
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Number of years resided in city: 30
Education: High School
Civic and other organizational memberships: Whitewater 4th of July Committee
Political experience: None
What are your reasons for seeking this position?
My goal is to represent all Whitewater residents.
What are the most pressing issues facing the position you seek?
I would like to bring Main Street back to economic success. I have a goal to bring jobs to our commercial park. I also feel Whitewater’s infrastructure is in need of attention.
If elected, what unique perspective and experience do you bring to the council?
I have been in business for 25 years and living in the community for 30 years. I work closely with our police and fire departments.
Any additional comments?
No response given.
Lukas S. Schreiber
Age: 21
Address: 375 N. Harmony Ln., Apt.125A, Whitewater
Occupation: Student at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Number of years resided in city: 3
Education: In the process of obtaining a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance Major) and a Bachelor of Science (Political Science Major) at UW-W
Civic and other organizational memberships: Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity, Whitewater Student Government
Political experience: I have served as a Whitewater Common Council Member since July of 2021.
What are your reasons for seeking this position?
I have lived in the Whitewater area since 2013 and have come to love this city. I want to continue serving on the Common Council as I have for the past seven months to be a greater force for good in my community. As a college student at UW-W, I want to ensure Whitewater is developing in a way that not only is attractive to future students coming to study at the college, but also encourages families to settle here to grow our community.
What are the most pressing issues facing the position you seek?
Probably one of the largest issues facing Whitewater currently is further development. We are already on the right track in fixing our roads and building new infrastructure, like the new water tower. Also, I would like to keep working on ensuring our emergency services provided by the city are top-notch and the transition of making emergency services into a municipal department runs as smoothly as possible. This requires the best leaders and managers from the city staff to ensure the proper time is allotted to these issues and transitions.
If elected, what unique perspective and experience do you bring to the council?
I am currently the youngest member on the Common Council at 21 years old, and I am the only college student on the council as well. Having grown up in the area and now living as a student on campus, my main perspective is of a student at the college. I have the perspectives of fellow peers and how they perceive the city that they are living in for the next four years, but also having been a local for the past eight years I know what makes the city special and I’m looking long-term as well as short-term. My experience being a leader in multiple different student organizations on campus has also taught me how to delegate and work with those who are all working towards the same goal. Being young, I have the passion and energy to bring to the council ensuring we continue moving forwards towards a better Whitewater.
Any additional comments?
I am grateful for the opportunity to have originally been appointed to the council back in July of 2021. I have learned much from the past seven months being a council member and I am prepared to continue serving for this next term.
This post has already been read 2766 times!
