Baileys Harbor Town Supervisor

Barbara L. Anschutz (Incumbent)

7756 Arthur’s Court, Baileys Harbor

Age: 56

Occupation: Office Manager for Anschutz Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Education: Senn High School, Chicago

Family: Husband Jim; two children; three grandchildren

Previous Elected Office: Baileys Harbor Supervisor (eight years)

Relevant Experience/Civic Involvement: Cub Scout leader for three years; volunteered with the Baileys Harbor Lions Club (two years); volunteer with the Baileys Harbor Community Association (14 years); Town Board liaison to the Parks Committee, Baileys Harbor Historical Society and the Baileys Harbor Community Association; sexton for the Town Cemetery (eight years)

What perspective and skills do you bring to the board?

My qualifications would be years of business experience; I have been the Office Manager for Anschutz Plumbing & Heating for 28 years. Some of my duties, that would be pertinent for a supervisor, would be preparing and managing a budget, customer service and human resource. I have alvso been a volunteer for the Baileys Harbor Community Assoc. for the past 14 years which I believe shows my commitment to the town.

What inspired you to seek public office?

Thirty-five years ago I chose Baileys Harbor to be my home and where I wanted to raise my family, and I felt it was my duty to give back to the community.

What is the top priority for town government in the next term?

I feel the biggest challenge will be keeping businesses in town and encourage others to come to Baileys Harbor. We have lost a grocery store and a bank which has had an impact on this community. We need businesses in town to employ our residents and help sustain the town’s future.

What issue does not get enough attention from local government that you believe deserves more focus?

There are so many things the Town Board needs to be aware of; therefore some things may not get all of the attention they deserve. However I feel the current board is very proactive in addressing all issues brought before them. The Town Board is also committed to maintaining the authenticity, value and character of Baileys Harbor that we all have come to enjoy and adore.

Robert Schultz (Incumbent)

Age: 53

Family: Wife Sherrie; three boys

Education: Gibraltar High School (1975)

Occupation: Door County Highway Department, 20 years

Previous Elected Office: Baileys Harbor Town Supervisor (1992 – present)

Relevant Experience/ Civic Involvement: 16 years with Baileys Harbor Lions Club (two-term president); 15 years Baileys Harbor Fire Department; Four years Baileys Harbor First Responder; One term on Immanuel Lutheran Church Council; Baileys Harbor Baseball (Door County League), eight years as player, 27 as assistant in concessions and operations

1. What perspective and skills do you bring to the board?

I am a life-long resident of Baileys Harbor and am committed to the well being of the town and its residents. I would like to continue this commitment that I made 18 years ago when I was first elected to the town board. I have dedicated most of my adult life to making sure that Baileys Harbor remains a town that its residents can be proud of. I have a great deal of experience, both through my work and board experience, in planning and implementing the maintenance of our town roads. Road maintenance is the single largest item in our annual budget, and as chairman of the roads for the past 17 years, I have been able to continue to improve and repair our roads in a timely manner, while staying within budget.

2. What inspired you to seek public office?

I care for this town and have always been involved in our community. Being a current board member I can say that I’m very proud of our board’s ability to keep up with the increasingly costly upgrades to infrastructure, including our roads and our wastewater treatment plant, as well as equipment and training for our fire department and first responders. Mandates by the federal, state and county government, as well as insurance carriers have added a great deal of cost to running the town, and we’ve been able to meet those requirements with few, if any increases in our tax levy. It’s important to keep taxes low due to the increasingly difficult time for people to make ends meet.

3. What is the top priority for town government in the next term?

The biggest issue facing the board in the near future will be how to encourage and effectively manage growth within the town. We recently hired land use specialist Jeff Sanders, of Community Planning & Consulting, to help us in reviewing and updating the town’s 2005 Comprehensive “Smart Growth” Plan. Soon Baileys Harbor property owners will be receiving a Community Survey, which will help us understand the priorities and concerns of our residents in managing our future growth. We will also be holding additional planning meetings over the next few months. It will be the responsibility of the board to balance the differing opinions within the community to develop a plan that will allow and encourage growth, while still trying to keep our small town atmosphere. Our town is changing, and not for the better. We’ve recently lost a grocery store and our bank. Current County zoning rules governing parking, green space, storm water runoff, as well as the existing layout of the town will make it difficult to encourage the return of these types of businesses in our town core area without tearing down many existing buildings. We need to be prepared to offer suitable locations for future business owners. Our land use decisions will be extremely important for the economic future of the town.

4. What issue does not get enough attention from local government that you believe deserves more focus?

I think one of the most important issues that has not been discussed enough is affordable housing. With property values constantly going up, it’s more and more difficult for people to be able to afford suitable housing. The problem affects almost everyone, from young couples just starting out to elderly people who may be on fixed incomes. It seems that everyone from the county level down to the towns always make this a topic for discussion, but no one has been able to come up with a solution that works. We need to figure out what incentives will make this attractive, whether it’s tax breaks for builders, favorable zoning districts, or programs aimed at the buyers. I think that there is definitely a need to explore this issue in greater detail or we won’t be able to keep our young people in Door County.

Roberta Thelen

7817 Red Cherry Road, Baileys Harbor

Age: 56

Family: Husband Peter; four children; four grandchildren

Education: BS Agricultural Science, Associate Degree in Nursing

Occupation: Registered Nurse/ Care Coordinator

Previous Elected Office: none

Relevant Experience/ Civic Involvement: I have volunteered for various community activities in support of the Baileys Harbor Community Association, served on the Smart Growth Planning Committee in 2005, continue serving as a team captain for the Relay For Life for the American Cancer Society and help with fund raising events for Feed My People and the Alzheimer’s Association.

What perspective and skills do you bring to the board?

I really enjoy working with people and continue to learn from others. My work as Care Coordinator at Scandia Village gives me many opportunities to be involved in problem solving and addressing people’s concerns. I am a good listener and strive to be open-minded and focus on solutions.

What inspired you to seek public office?

I am very interested in the political process and my family and friends have been very encouraging regarding my interest in seeking public office.

What is the top priority for town government in the next term?

Since Baileys Harbor is presently involved in reviewing and revising our Smart Growth Plan, I feel that completing that process will be in the forefront of citizen concerns. I believe that the impact and implementation of future land use plans will remain an important concern for our community.

What issue does not get enough attention from local government that you believe deserves more focus?

The focus of our local government needs to continue to encourage input and participation from our community. Our public officials need to value the role of stewardship to our town and to the quality of our environment on all levels. We need to nurture an attitude of respect for our local businesses while participating in a continuous effort to preserve the natural beauty and well being of Baileys Harbor.

Ellen Witteborg

3536 County Road E, P.O. Box 112, Baileys Harbor

Education: University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, Environmental Design and Visual Art (1976)

Occupation: Graphic designer, waitress, grant writer, volunteer

Previous Elected Office: none

Relevant Experience/ Civic Involvement: Involved in political issues in Sturgeon Bay and Baileys Harbor including big box, Steel Bridge, the Hopft Property annexation, and most recently the attempt to amend the Baileys Harbor core business district map. These taught me a lot about ethics and the political process. That should be enough to convince me not to run for office.

What perspective and skills do you bring to the board?

I believe in Smart Growth, and am very concerned about water quality and wildlife habitat. Smart Growth, by design, is a guide that will take us into the future. With periodic updates, it will always be current, and it reflects the community’s vision of what Baileys Harbor will become. If the board embraces the Smart Growth plan, and if they are participants in the process, they will have a sense of ownership, and hopefully will use the plan to guide them, as it was intended.

What inspired you to seek public office?

After the board’s attempt to amend the core business district map last fall, a group of residents felt that it was time for some new blood on our town board. I mulled it over for quite a while, and finally decided to run.

What is the top priority for town government in the next term?

A) Update the Comprehensive plan. The plan has been ordinance since 2005, and it is time to revisit the plan and make any necessary changes. That process has begun, and is expected to be completed sometime late this summer. If we get that right, and if we all embrace it, the biggest issue will be to tailor projects to comply with Smart Growth standards, and not an individual’s desires. B) Anclam Beach is also right up there. As a volunteer, I have picked up trash and killed phragmites at Anclam Beach for the past five years. A redesign of the beach is in the planning stage, and I want to be sure that the beach continues to be a vital recreational area in our town.

I also want to know that the new design does not create new problems such as unnecessary runoff from newly paved parking areas, concrete walkways, etc.

What issue does not get enough attention from local government that you believe deserves more focus?

Sustainability deserves greater focus. By sustainability, I am referring to a state in which the man made world and the natural world are not in conflict with each other. There seems to be little or no mention or discussion of issues with regard to sustainability on the part of our town government. I feel very strongly that it should be a key factor in the decision making process.

Since Baileys Harbor zoning is administered by the County Planning Department, there may be conflicts between our Smart Growth plan and county zoning maps. I want to be sure that the county zoning map is updated to comply with our land use map.