ELECTION 2021: Gardner Town Board

Chair

Carl Waterstreet, an incumbent Gardner Town Board supervisor, is running against incumbent Town Board Chair Mark Stevenson. 

Robert “Mark” Stevenson, 73, has lived with his wife in Gardner for the past 30 years. He served as town chair for the past four years. Prior to that, he was a town supervisor for 15 years.

Peninsula Pulse (PP): What is your primary motivation for running for office and/or for the chair’s seat? No answer contributed.

PP: What pressing issues exist within the town, and what are your ideas for addressing those?

Mark Stevenson (MS): There are several big issues going on right now in the Town of Gardner, and one is a question about zoning – whether to have zoning or not have zoning. I guess I’m not in favor of zoning because the majority of the people out here don’t want it, so why force it on them? We do have it on the referendum, so people can vote on whether to have or not have zoning. I’ll work with whatever way they go, but I prefer no zoning.

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the town?

MS: My experience comes from the fact that I am an Air Force veteran from the Vietnam War era, and I worked for the government for 30 years supervising state commercial building inspectors. I dealt with multiple people on a full-time basis.

Carl R. Waterstreet, 65, is a retired Door County Sheriff’s Office deputy sheriff, patrol division. He spent 27 years in law enforcement. He’s also a Wisconsin licensed plumber, a member of the Brussels-Union-Gardner (BUG) Fire Department board of directors and a Gardner Town Board liaison to the Gardner first responders. He and wife, Gail, have two sons, two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren. He currently serves on the Gardner Town Board as a supervisor.

Peninsula Pulse (PP): What is your primary motivation for running for office and/or for the chair’s seat?

Carl Waterstreet (CW): I decided to run for the chairman position because of the lack of communications within the town board. I believe that the people need to be aware of the actions that take place within the town. The board needs to work together as a team to serve the residents of the Town of Gardner.

PP: What pressing issues exist within the town, and what are your ideas for addressing those?

CW: There are several issues that have come up recently and again, one of the issues is transparency within the board. We are not making decisions on important issues together. Another issue is town zoning. I believe that the Town of Gardner needs to have town zoning, whether it is county zoning or zoning drafted by the town. We need to protect the town environment, its people and the beauty of the Town of Gardner.

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the town?

CW: I believe my strengths are communication, the ability to listen to other opinions, experience in working together and leadership. I believe that with all my strengths listed, I can serve as a catalyst to bring the board and the town residents together. 

Supervisor 1

Michelle Ploor is running against incumbent supervisor Glen Merkle. Ploor did not respond to our invitation to answer questions.

Glen Merkle, 66, is retired. He currently serves as a Gardner Town Supervisor and is on the BUG Fire Department board. He lives with wife, Tracy, in Gardner.

Peninsula Pulse (PP): What is your primary motivation for running for office and/or for the chair’s seat?

Glen Merkle (GM): To serve the Town of Gardner the best way I can.

PP: What pressing issues exist within the town, and what are your ideas for addressing those?

GM: At the moment, zoning is a topic of interest. As a current member of the town board, I would like to hear from the residents as to their opinions and come up with an amicable solution that best suits the residents and town.

PP: What are your strengths, and how will those benefit the town?

GM: I was a Highway Department employee for over 27 years and have the knowledge about our town roads. I am currently on the BUG Fire Department board and was a past fire member for 30 years. I have also had a successful business in the town for 20 years. I want to work for the people of our town and continue with the growth for current and future residents and businesses.