March 28, 2021 – West Bend, WI – I think most public officials will agree that running for and holding local office is not that hard. Virtually anyone can do it, however very few people do and even fewer do it well. As citizens it is our responsibility to recognize that our vote matters and to commit the time and energy into researching candidates that have the best short- and long-term visions on how to make West Bend better.
My time in office as West Bend’s Mayor taught me the three priorities for the Common Council are public safety, infrastructure and quality of life; in that order. Support of these centers around money, the best and most efficient way to use as little as possible.
This does not simply mean throwing more money at them nor does it mean making personnel or facility decisions without all the relevant facts. It does not mean raising taxes without true justification and it does not mean being everything to everyone. What it does mean is researching best practices within the public sector while also exploring options from private industry. It means sacrificing a lower priority item for a higher one and it means setting personal agendas aside and being a leader not a needler.
Above all else, I believe a great elected official must be willing to ask tough questions that have never been asked before with the sole purposes of learning, teaching, and making the most informed decisions possible. The dollars are too few and the ramifications too great to do it well any other way.
The upcoming West Bend Common Council race is an important one. Positive progress and innovative methods of the recent past are being challenged from the left by incumbents and newcomers alike. I have had four candidates reach out to me to meet, talk and state their cases. I support these four candidates in the April 6th election and I ask you to research each of them yourselves and make your own decisions:
Chris Thompson – District 2
Randy Koehler – District 4
Tracy Ahrens – District 6
Meghan Kennedy – District 8
Please consider getting educated and getting involved. It is the West Bend way.
Kraig K. Sadownikow
City of West Bend
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