A Look Ahead

It’s always rewarding and informative to look back at the year that was in this issue, but it’s also time to get a jump on the issues and debates that will enliven, and frustrate, in the year ahead.

Last year was difficult for non-profits, which got creative in soliciting funding, using the Internet and social networking as never before. But 2010 may be the true survival test, as the results of crucial end-of-year fundraising drives come in, and the trickle-down effect of tight federal and state budgets tighten the purse strings on grant and program funding.

The folks making that call will change as well. It seems we just marked our ballots, but another election season is nearly upon us. In April all 21 Door County Board of Supervisor seats are up for a vote, as are several local board positions. State races promise to be in the news as well, as Dick Skare and Garey Bies will battle again for the 1st District State Assembly seat, and Monk Elmer will take a stab at Alan Lasee’s State Senate position.

We’ll have a new governor by the end of the year, as Jim Doyle won’t run for re-election, and there will be a staunch fight for the Republican nomination to take on two-term incumbent Steve Kagen for the 8th Congressional District seat. That fight includes Marc Savard, who has served as a Door County Supervisor for most of the last 10 years.

Meanwhile, Sen. Russ Feingold will fight for a fourth term in Washington as two Republican challengers fight an uphill battle to unseat him.

At year’s end, the Town of Liberty Grove was opening a new hall, where debate about the possible purchase of 11 shorefront properties is sure to see the floor in 2010. If that moves ahead, the town will go back to the separate debate about whether to build a marina there.

Egg Harbor, barring further delays (which isn’t unthinkable) will open a new marina in May or June, and welcome visitors to an improved, larger beach.

Sister Bay may see the old Walkway Shops building get torn down after a couple years of stops and starts on redevelopment. But down the road there will be a new beginning, as the Sister Bay Bays baseball team will move into its sparkling new digs at the Sports Complex in May, ending a long (and once-dominant) run at the old ballpark behind Johnson’s Park.

In Sturgeon Bay, business owners hope 2010 is finally the year when they won’t look out their storefront windows to see main streets torn up. The City Council will get a new mayor as Tom Voegele has announced he won’t run again, and the old Michigan Street Bridge should re-open in the fall, possibly escorting cars to a permanent two-way traffic flow on the east side.

Wal-Mart seems poised to build a Supercenter in the city as 2010 dawns, ending years of speculation and efforts to keep the mega-retailer from dominating the city.

Yes, there will be much more on our plates, some good, some bad, and plenty that none of us can foresee (anyone predict last year that the bridge would raise with a car perched on the lift?). But the topic that dominated 2009 seems likely to hold sway in 2010 conversations as well – the economy.

Wherever the year takes us, the Pulse will be here to tell the story. Thanks for that.