糖心Vlog传媒

JANESVILLE 鈥� Seven candidates are vying for three seats on 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 city council on April 7, each coming from different backgrounds and sharing a range of concerns about a proposed data center, transparency and communication from City Hall and housing.

Candidates include incumbents Larry Squire and Paul Williams and challengers Ben Dobson, Robert Hanson, Cassandra Pope, Shane Seeman and Reese Wood.

Six of the candidates responded to 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 request for an interview. 糖心Vlog传媒 reached out to Robert Hanson several times with no immediate response.

Ben Dobson

Dobson said his long career in human services and previous experience in city government shaped his decision to run. He is a lifelong 糖心Vlog传媒 resident and has worked for Rock County Human Services for more than 20 years.

鈥淚 have served on the Community Development Authority and Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee through the City of 糖心Vlog传媒,鈥� he also noted, and previously served the 糖心Vlog传媒 School Board.

Dobson said his family and community involvement keep him connected to the city. He has two kids and his family are avid users of the local trail system, he said.

He said it鈥檚 time for new city leadership and for local leaders to be held accountable.

鈥淭he city of 糖心Vlog传媒 is ready for a change. 糖心Vlog传媒 deserves better than the tired old excuses,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am running to disrupt the status quo and make sure decisions being made actually benefit the people living here.鈥�

Some of the issues Dobson said he wants to focus on if elected include development, affordable housing and equitable growth.

鈥淟arge development projects: lack of oversight, open communication, and community voice seems to be lacking,鈥� he said. 鈥淓quitable growth: engaging residents on the southside and westside of 糖心Vlog传媒 to ensure their voices are being heard. I am a strong supporter of growth throughout the city, making sure all areas are equally represented.鈥�

Dobson said he plans to remain accessible to residents with monthly listening sessions and staying available to the community through email and phone.

鈥淚 am an independent thinker who believes no one group should take priority in the city,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have made it clear from the beginning; this election isn鈥檛 about me. This election is about the residents who will be voting and how the City Council can best represent them.鈥�

Cassandra Pope

Pope said her diverse work history and service-oriented background motivated her to seek office. Her educational background is in accounting and early childhood education. She was a preschool teacher for over six years, she has worked as a teller and a commercial loan operations specialist at a local bank and she previously was a local small business owner.

鈥淩ight now, I am a stay-at-home mom and an advocate and activist for our community and the environment,鈥� she said.

She said service has been central throughout her life. She has had roles as a janitor to a business owner and said she鈥檚 found the jobs in service to be the most rewarding.

鈥淐urrently, I am vice chair of the city鈥檚 Sustainable 糖心Vlog传媒 Committee,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a board member and officer for Green-Rock Audubon Society. I volunteer with SNOW 糖心Vlog传媒, Paw Print Park Pack doing prairie restoration work at Paw Print Park, and No 糖心Vlog传媒 Data Center.鈥�

She said there are three things at the center of her campaign: accountability, trust and unity

鈥淢y campaign is built on 鈥榬estoration through communication and balance,鈥� and my goal is to restore accountability in our city government, trust from our community, and unity across our city,鈥� she said.

She said housing, economic development, public safety and environmental sustainability are all very important issues to her, but the city can鈥檛 effectively work on those issues without good internal processes.

鈥淕ood processes include prioritizing and valuing both input and collaboration from citizens, focusing on public transparency, and planning and decision-making processes that are implementable and deliberate,鈥� she said.

She said city government and the 糖心Vlog传媒 council are lacking some things, from what she has seen over the past few years

鈥淚 have learned that most problematic issues can be fixed with communication, balance, patience, and/or empathy,鈥� she said, adding that 鈥淚 have integrity, I am honest, and I am trustworthy.鈥�

Shane Seeman

Seeman is a lifelong resident of 糖心Vlog传媒. He said his experience as a community organizer led him to run. He described growing up in a working-class household and his 14-year career in the restaurant industry.

He has worked a few election cycles as a community organizer and has been involved with the Democratic Party of Rock County on and off for over 7 years.

Seeman said his interest in local government developed early. He said he wants to serve his community to help bring good policy to the city.

鈥淚 know I can be an effective advocate, and the best way to do that is to have a seat at the table to help guide policy,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he three biggest issues I see facing the people of 糖心Vlog传媒 are: housing, connectivity, and transparency,鈥� he continued.

Seeman detailed concerns with the housing market and zoning. He also emphasized transit and neighborhood connectivity and the attitude of southside versus northside. He further said the city is dependent on 鈥渉ighly developed corridors鈥� and those who live outside of them struggle to meet their daily needs.

鈥淚 feel these attitudes arise because the different parts of our city feel too isolated from one another,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we reinvest in our public transit, safe streets, and bicycle lanes, we can get people feeling closer together.鈥�

He said engagement with the community needs to be more active. He said he鈥檚 plan to host town halls and to post on social media to help keep residents informed.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 see yourself represented on the current council, or if you think we can be more pro-active problem solvers, or if you just want to see someone take on our problems from a new perspective, you should vote for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 will take feedback seriously, work hard and always remember who I鈥檓 working for. I would be honored to have the voters鈥� support.鈥�

Larry Squire

Squire has lived in 糖心Vlog传媒 with his family for over 35 years. He recently retired from a 40-year career in banking.

One of two incumbents on the April 7 ballot for City Council, he said he chose to re-run because he feels he still has more to give to the community.

鈥淚 wanted to help keep that momentum going and help discover what is next for 糖心Vlog传媒,鈥� he said.

Some issues he cited for the city are housing affordability, quality of life and fiscal responsibility.

He said he would work to help diversify and raise wages for 糖心Vlog传媒 workers and said offering a diverse mix of housing with the help of an updated zoning code are key goals.

Making sure the city is spending money wisely without impacting services to community members is also important, he said.

鈥淚 will continue to listen to our citizens and learn what is important to them,鈥� he added.

Squire said his professional background in banking lends a broad perspective on how to balance the needs of the community.

鈥淚 have a unique, diverse and well-rounded set of positive problem-solving skills and experiences that help me find the best solutions. I am excited to keep the momentum rolling for 糖心Vlog传媒,鈥� he said.

Paul Williams

Williams says unfinished work, and his desire to help see that through, is motivating him to seek another term.

He said there are 鈥渁 lot of things that you kind of want to be part of, because they haven鈥檛 really seen the finish line yet,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel that I still have a lot to give to the city council and to the citizens of 糖心Vlog传媒.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e been working a lot on updating the zoning code. It鈥檚 probably not going to come up for a vote until after April,鈥� Williams continued, as one example. 鈥淚 wanted to be part of that decision making.鈥�

Williams emphasized that while some topics draw more public attention than others, his role on the council requires balancing many responsibilities at once.

鈥淚鈥檓 certainly not a one issue candidate,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 more things being decided on by the city council than just one item.鈥�

Still, he acknowledged the significance of the proposed data center, particularly in relation to environmental remediation and the city鈥檚 long-term tax base.

鈥淲e鈥檙e sitting right now on a couple hundred acres that are polluted and need to be cleaned up,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淲e have a company that鈥檚 willing to do that鈥� and to bring a project to 糖心Vlog传媒 that would really help with our budget.鈥�

Williams, a lifelong 糖心Vlog传媒 resident, said he believes his experience and continued commitment position him to keep contributing.

鈥淚鈥檝e served on the council now for quite some time, but I still believe that I have a lot to give and can bring my expertise.鈥�

Reese Wood

Wood noted his long-standing ties to 糖心Vlog传媒 and experience in public service and community organizing as reasons for running. He鈥檚 a parent and said he鈥檚 someone who has worked jobs across Rock County, including in his current role with the state of Wisconsin.

鈥淚鈥檝e also served as a board member with 糖心Vlog传媒 Community Radio and have spent years involved in local and independent political organizing, which has given me a strong appreciation for community-level problem-solving and public accountability,鈥� he said.

Wood said he wants to improve access to local government and to make representation more consistent, proactive and accessible.

鈥淚 see this role as something that requires consistent presence, communication, and follow-through; not just votes at meetings,鈥� he said. I鈥檓 running to help close that gap and make local government easier to engage with and understand.鈥�

He identified transparency, financial sustainability and trust as the city鈥檚 most pressing challenges.

鈥淔irst is communication and transparency; people should know what decisions are being considered and why, before they鈥檙e finalized,鈥� he said. 鈥淪econd is long-term financial sustainability, including how we manage growth, infrastructure and development without placing unnecessary burdens on residents.鈥�

鈥淭hird is community trust and engagement; ensuring residents feel heard and have real opportunities to participate, not just attend meetings after decisions are made,鈥� he said.

Wood said his approach if elected would be people-first with an emphasis on listening and making sure residents feel heard.

鈥淚 intend to treat this role as a full-time responsibility alongside my regular work, because that鈥檚 what the moment calls for,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 committed to listening, explaining my decisions clearly and keeping communication open year-round, not just during campaign season.鈥�