Bulletin: Beller Announces Write-in Candidacy

WHAT HAPPENED

• Martha Beller recently announced she will run as a write-in candidate for Sturgeon Bay City Council race for District 3 on April 7. Her opponent is Ed Ireland, who ran unopposed in the last election. Martha Beller has lived in District 3 for more than a decade, moving to Sturgeon Bay from Baileys Harbor after her marriage to Bill Beller of Cove Road, Sturgeon Bay. Before her marriage, Martha worked for 20-plus years as a Realtor in northern Door County, becoming familiar with real estate contract law and negotiation, and raising her two daughters, Brittany and Samantha.  Following her move to Sturgeon Bay, she worked for the Door County Visitor Bureau as member liaison, a job in which she met and provided membership and customer service to Door County business owners. She now owns and operates Tweak Social Media & Marketing, a firm she founded in 2013 to assist small businesses with their digital and social media marketing needs. Beller is a member of Door County League of Women Voters and has served on several committees, been on their board of directors and held office. Beller is also acting secretary for the board of directors for Third Avenue Playhouse and plays an active role in their marketing efforts. “I think transparency is so important.  I have a Facebook page created for my candidacy (facebook.com/MarthaBellerDistrict3) and if I am elected, I plan to maintain a page as an open forum for my District 3 neighbors to access information about city and district topics of interest, from agendas, to minutes, to discussions about how each important decision is made. We are lucky to live in such a great city; I want to get us back on track.”

• With unanimous support in the state Senate, Wisconsin’s waters, especially our Great Lakes, are one step closer to being protected against the growing problem of microplastic pollution after legislation was passed that would phase out the manufacture of personal care products containing microbeads. “We’re happy that our state legislature is tackling this emerging environmental issue and moving it forward,” said Tyson Cook, director of science and research at Clean Wisconsin. “Legislation like this is critical to protecting our water, our wildlife and our health, here and around the nation.” Microbeads are small pieces of plastic added to products such as body scrubs and toothpastes. Due to their small size, they can work through water treatment systems and into our waterways, aquatic life and our own bodies. Once there, the microbeads keep adding up, since they don’t easily break down in the environment. The bill, introduced by Sen. Rob Cowles and Rep. Mary Czaja, would stop the manufacture and stocking for sale of personal care products that contain microbeads. The bill is based on Illinois’s 2014 law to ban microbeads and is supported by the personal care products industry. It now heads to the state Assembly for a vote. The Pulse wrote about microbead research aboard a tall ship in 2013:  ppulse.com/Articles-Headlines-c-2013-08-08-109993.114136-Researchers-Trawl-Lake-Michigan-for-Microplastics.html.

COMING UP

• Heroin and prescription opiate abuse has become a massive problem in recent years. The public is invited to a Heroin Summit to be held at the Crossroads at Big Creek, 2041 Michigan St., Sturgeon Bay, on Tuesday, March 24, from 6:30 to 8 pm. This is an adult education forum designed to inform you about the problem and how it affects Door County.

• The Jacksonport Women’s Club Tree Beautification Program is in full swing. The three trees offered are Prairifire (rosy pink blooms), Sugartyme (white flowers) and Purple Prince (purplish foliage and rosy blooms). The trees bloom late May each year and retain their fruit well into the fall and winter providing food for the birds. The trees are bare root, five to six feet tall, and will be arriving in late April or early May. Trees are $60 each. Orders are due by April 15. You may also like to donate a tree to the town of Jacksonport or to one of its nonprofit organizations. Please make checks payable to the Jacksonport Women’s Club and mail to Jo Wahlen, 6482 Hwy. 57, Sturgeon Bay, Wis., 54235. For more information call Wahlen at 920.823.2032. The pick-up dates will be announced at a later time. If needed, trees could be held for a short period of time.