JANESVILLE 鈥 How to best budget and spend Rock County taxpayer dollars, and next steps for the county-owned Rock Haven nursing home, are some of the issues facing Rock County board candidates in the coming term.
All 29 Rock County Board seats are up for re-election on April 7. Not all of them are contested.
In this spring鈥檚 election, 糖心Vlog传媒 Editorial Board set out to endorse candidates in contested races in the 糖心Vlog传媒 and northern Rock County area.
We invited 22 candidates across 11 contested races 鈥 in Districts 3, 4, 5, 8, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28 and 29 in the city of 糖心Vlog传媒 and surrounding rural 糖心Vlog传媒, Milton and Edgerton areas 鈥 to participate in endorsement interviews held in-person at 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 downtown 糖心Vlog传媒 office.
Fourteen candidates participated, representing 9 of those 11 races.
Today, we are announcing our endorsements for Districts 3, 5, 8, 20 and 28, in which both candidates participated in our interview process.
In Districts 19, 21, 24 and 25, only one of the two candidates participated. While we can鈥檛 offer an official endorsement without both candidates taking part, we thank those who met with us and share a bit about them below.
Neither candidate participated from District 25, in a race between Rich Bostwick and Sheila Nitz, nor from District 29, in a race between Zach Pfaffenbach and Kathy Schulz. And so, we鈥檙e not offering an endorsement in either of those races.
District 3: Debi Towns
In District 3, which includes part of the city of Edgerton, we endorse incumbent Debi Towns over challenger Leanne Cantwell.
Towns, a former state legislator with a background in government finance, has taught government accounting at UW-Whitewater, and is our choice based on her longtime state and local government experience and her analytical approach to governing.
In her endorsement interview, Towns advocated for a comprehensive cost review of Rock Haven鈥檚 operations to ensure its finances are well-managed, and a comprehensive review of county staffing levels as the basis for whether to maintain or reduce those.
She also called for a review of the overall county budget to ensure a fund balance is maintained. Towns also has a key connection to area farmers, in the large dairy farm her family has long operated in Rock County.
We appreciate Cantwell鈥檚 deep ties to the Edgerton community and her commitment to community service. We wish her well in the election.
District 5: Ken Smith
In District 5, in the Milton area, we endorse Ken Smith over Bart Droessler. The two are seeking to fill a seat being vacated by incumbent Bill Wilson.
Smith, a current member of the Milton Common Council who has a military and law enforcement background and owns a home inspection business, is running again for council while at the same time seeking a seat on the county board.
He says holding both offices would lend a unified voice to the two layers of local government, ensuring that county policies that affect Milton are communicated clearly to the city. Before joining the council, he followed a path that included serving on the police commission and planning commission.
We appreciate Smith鈥檚 stance that Milton needs a variety of housing at different price points and for different demographics, and that housing development in the district should fit with Milton鈥檚 small-town feel. And we appreciate that one area he would focus on is staff retention, which he says would save recruiting and training costs associated with bstaff turnover.
We also appreciate his stance that the key to effectively managing Rock Haven is long-term financial and operational planning, and his stance that long-term planning is also key for the Rock County Fairgrounds and veterans鈥 services office.
We appreciate Droessler鈥檚 stance that process improvements are key to finding operational and budget inefficiencies and his stance on the need for a twin focus on ensuring both fiscal responsibility and quality patient care at Rock Haven. We wish him well in the election.
District 8: Bryce O鈥橪eary
In District 8, a mostly rural area that includes a sliver of the west side of 糖心Vlog传媒 and portions of the towns of Rock, 糖心Vlog传媒 and Beloit, we endorse Bryce O鈥橪eary over Daniel Burke. They are seeking to fill a seat being vacated by incumbent Dave Homan.
O鈥橪eary belongs to a longtime Rock County farm family and would, we believe, effectively communicate with farmers and rural residents of his district. He鈥檚 a former longtime town board member and has chaired the county鈥檚 FSA (Farm Service Agency) Committee, furthering his understanding of local and rural government.
We appreciate his view that a big part of representing a mostly rural town on the county board is ensuring that comprehensive planning is approached in a coordinated way, thinking about it across municipal lines.
We appreciate his view that good planning for development brings in jobs and builds the tax base, and we appreciate his concerns about solar farms being proposed on productive farmland, and his concerns about the environmental impact of data centers. We also appreciate his stance that Rock Haven should continue to be county-owned, and the importance of providing quality care to its residents.
We appreciate Burke鈥檚 longtime ties to and understanding of the local construction industry; his advocacy for youth apprenticeships and other avenues for young people to learn about the skilled trades; his longtime labor union ties; and his view on the importance of responding to the concerns of individual District 8 residents, on everyday matters like snow removal. We wish him well in the election.
District 20: Garrik Harwick
Making an endorsement in District 20, that covers the northwest side of the city of 糖心Vlog传媒 and part of the town of 糖心Vlog传媒, posed a difficult choice. Both Garrik Harwick and John Emmart, running to fill a seat being vacated by incumbent Chris Cullen, are excellent candidates. Either would do well in the role.
Having to pick one, we endorse Harwick for his clearly articulated, thoughtful and layered views on the next steps for Rock County.
A master electrician and assistant business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 890 in 糖心Vlog传媒, he is also president of the Southern Wisconsin Building Trades Council.
We appreciate his stance that union jobs offer good pay, benefits and advancement; the need to ensure that young people, especially women and people of color, are aware of and have access to skilled trade career paths; the need to build partnerships with technical colleges to train people for skilled trades careers; and the need for responsible bidder ordinances that ensure local contractors aren鈥檛 shut out of local jobs by out of state competitors.
Finally, we appreciate his advocacy on mental health issues, which he notes are a county issue via the programs and services offered by the Rock County Human Services Department. He shared a firm belief that Rock Haven should remain county-owned and said the county鈥檚 current spending level should be maintained, with no significant budget cuts and a focus on best allocating existing county dollars.
Harwick and his wife also founded and continue to run Jack Pack, a nonprofit that raises money to provide hospitals with a medical device that gives grieving families more time with their stillborn babies.
We appreciate Emmart鈥檚 long ties to Mercyhealth in 糖心Vlog传媒 as a human resources professional and his longtime community involvement, including serving on the boards of both the 糖心Vlog传媒 Morning Rotary and United Way Blackhawk Region. He has additionally been a Forward 糖心Vlog传媒 Ambassador and a Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce Ambassador.
We appreciate his focus on the importance of long-range planning and on the need for local municipalities to collaborate and to share resources; his idea that public health liaisons should be placed in public schools, similar to existing police liaison programs; his advocacy for affordable housing through public-private partnerships with groups like Habitat for Humanity; and his view that a comprehensive study is needed of Rock Haven鈥檚 operations, marketing, and capacity, providing a baseline understanding for discussion of its next steps.
We also appreciate that Emmart is a skilled communicator and collaborator, who would be a strong voice and advocate for Rock County. We wish him well in the election.
District 28: Sue Ryan
In District 28, we endorse incumbent Sue Ryan over challenger Sandra Welch. District 28 includes a portion of 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 southside and part of the town of Rock.
Ryan, in having worked at both Rock Haven and Cedar Crest nursing homes in 糖心Vlog传媒, has a unique window into the conversation about the future of county-owned Rock Haven. She鈥檚 an advocate for keeping it open while at the same time ensuring it鈥檚 well-managed, both operationally and fiscally.
Ryan is an advocate for tighter fiscal responsibility, saying the county budget should be examined for potential staffing reductions, and sharing her view that more scrutiny is needed for expensive projects. She says public-private partnerships are, in part, the key to funding initiatives that don鈥檛 otherwise fit in the county budget.
She鈥檚 also an advocate for supporting victims of human trafficking and says public safety and supporting law enforcement are priorities of hers.
We appreciate Welch鈥檚 focus on mental health issues and on keeping Rock Haven county-owned. She鈥檚 an advocate for ways to improve the health and well-being of county residents in areas such as aging, substance abuse, and affordable housing. We wish her well in the election.
Other interview participants
We thank the following candidates for participating in our endorsement interviews, though we won鈥檛 be offering an endorsement as their opponent didn鈥檛 participate in our process.
District 4: Christine Fugelseth
In District 4, in the Edgerton area, incumbent Christine Fugelseth is facing a challenge from Chad Hill. A longtime nurse who currently works as a legislative aide at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Fugelseth says the key to adopting a county budget that maintains services and programs and doesn鈥檛 overtax county residents is identifying inefficiencies and waste in county spending. She said an audit could shed light on staff trainings and on contracts that might be options for budget reduction. She says the county should keep Rock Haven open, and find efficiencies to help bolster its budget. She says the county could aid builders interested in pursuing affordable housing projects by reducing the amount of red tape needed to get those done. And she said the county veterans鈥 services office is a critical department that would be worth considering for additional budget allocation.
District 19: Brent Waters
In District 19, on 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 westside, Brent Waters is challenging incumbent Lori Pennycook. Waters is a welder for United Alloy in 糖心Vlog传媒 who shared that he鈥檇 do a line-by-line assessment of the county budget to find fiscal inefficiencies, with resulting funds then available for other purposes. In the county budget, he says he鈥檇 prioritize maintenance of county roads over park improvements and said the county board was correct, in 2023, to deny a request to give $2 million toward the construction of the Woodman鈥檚 Sports and Convention Center in 糖心Vlog传媒. He also said he鈥檇 support opening a county-run homeless shelter.
District 21: Mark Bobzien
In District 21, which includes part of the city of 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 northwest side and extends into the town of 糖心Vlog传媒, incumbent Mark Bobzien is seeking another term, with a challenge from Dennis Hilgendorf.
Bobzien is a former 糖心Vlog传媒 City Council member who has worked for nearly 30 years as a 糖心Vlog传媒 firefighter and paramedic and currently serves on the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport board of directors. He says he favors keeping Rock Haven open, calls maintaining county roads a top budget priority and says he supported the construction of the new Rock County Jail, calling it a necessary replacement for an aging facility.
District 24: Madeline Heise
In District 24, on 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 eastside, Madeline Heise is challenging incumbent Kevin Stone. Heise, the mother of three School District of 糖心Vlog传媒 students, has served as district-wide PTA president, and is a life-long Rock County resident. On the county budget, Heise says she鈥檇 like to see the county explore grants and other funding sources beyond the local tax levy, and wants budgeting done in a transparent way. She says Rock Haven should stay open but admits she鈥檚 not sure what the best approach to its financial sustainability might be. And she says she supports new options for mixed-use development across the county.