Candidates for Ephraim Village Board of Trustees

Jane E. Olson (Incumbent)

Age:  68

Education:  B.S. in K-8 Education, Science; M.S. in Utilization of Computers in Education

Occupation:  Retired Elementary Teacher and private tutor

Relevant Experience or Civic Involvement:  Supervisor, village board of trustees, 2007-2013; Chair, community protection committee; Chair, Village of Ephraim library fund; Member, village personnel committee; Representative, joint fire district exploratory committee; Former member of Ephraim’s physical  facility committee.

What is the biggest challenge facing the municipality and how would you address?  The village is currently participating in the exploratory committee formed to investigate the possibility of forming a Joint Fire District for Northern Door. Each participating town, township, or village will need to debate whether it wants to join the fire district. The current budget cost per municipality versus the budget cost for the fire district will be a major factor determining which participants will vote in favor of the fire district. It is my hope that each governmental body will also look at how the fire district might improve our current fire and rescue services. I will request that our board set up a several joint fire district informational and discussion sessions for the community once the committee finishes its study. It is my hope that you as a taxpayer will want to attend these sessions to form your own opinion on this very important venture into intergovernmental cooperation. In my opinion, this is not a decision that should solely be made by Ephraim’s Board of Trustees. Since we are your representatives, we desire and need your feed back on this very important decision.

If the board were forced to make budget cuts, what would be the first thing to go?

First let me assure you that the current board is very concerned about keeping our budget lean. However, there are always items that could be cut.

I’d start with trimming each department’s budget by asking each department to cut budgets by a predetermined percentage. The staff knows best what categories could be decreased. Also, we need to rebid current contacts, to make sure we get the best service for our dollars, making certain that we are comparing “apples with apples” and accepting the best bid for the village, which is not necessarily the lowest bid.

Next, I’d suggest that we cut board members salaries and annual board and committee members’ Christmas gathering.

What do you see as the board’s duty to the residents and businesses in the municipality?

We need to be mindful that we’re elected to represent all the taxpayers and not just advocates for the most vocal. Therefore we must make sure that we do not pass language that pits one group of taxpayers against another. We must be open minded and carefully listen to all sides of the issues before we formulate our opinions. We must be proactive instead of reactive. We need to be facilitators, respect all opinions, and be open-minded as we  formulate our decisions. The decisions we make must be based on facts and not personal points-of-view or personal agendas.

Michael J. Smith

Age:  51

Education:  B.S. Business Administration/Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota

Occupation:  President of a Logistics Company operating from Door County

Relevant Experience or Civic Involvement:  Member, community protection committee; volunteer firefighter, Village of Ephraim.

What is the biggest challenge facing the municipality and how would you address it?  I really cannot answer that because I have not sat on the Village Board before. I have sat on the community protection committee for a few years so have been aware of a few of the challenges under review; specifically the new fire district, water levels, and the future highway project. My approach would be to use all possible tools and best processes to determine what is best for the Village of Ephraim and the taxpayers and develop the proper course of action and implementation plan to meet that goal. 

If the board were forced to make budget cuts, what would be the first thing to go? 

If the board is functioning as it should and being fiscally responsible this situation should be avoided. If this situation were to arise, all nonessential programs and unnecessary expenses being incurred by the village would be cut first.

What do you see as the board’s duty to the residents and businesses in the municipality?

The duty of the board is to responsibly guide the fiscal and operational management of the Village of Ephraim for today’s needs while preparing and planning for the future requirements and needs of the village and the people that live here, i.e. supporting the tax payers.

Jim Stollenwerk

Age: 82

Education: Marquette University; Northwestern University for graduate work; University of Maryland for graduate work

Occupation: Retired

Relevant Experience or Civic Involvement:

Held various Village of Ephraim committee positions (see resident letter for detail}.

What is the biggest challenge facing the municipality and how would you address it?

A need to improve relations with other Door County villages, help develop small businesses in Ephraim.

If the board were forced to make budget cuts, what would be the first thing to go?

I would cut items that are truly unnecessary to the Village’s safe operation. However, with proper fiscal management this should not be necessary.

What do you see as the board’s duty to the residents and businesses in the municipality?

Operate in a positive atmosphere of total transparency and honesty while maintaining a responsible, practical fiscal policy.