Three vie for Kronenwetter President
Voters will choose between Chris Voll, David Baker and Aaron Myszka
Voters in the village of Kronenwetter have three choices on Feb. 18 for village president. Those include incumbent president Chris Voll, current board member Aaron Myszka and former county board member David Baker.
The race comes as Kronenwetter continues to face challenges. The employee turnover at the village has been rapid and the village offices have frequently been closed on Fridays due to a lack of employees. The village went through two administrators last year alone. And Kronenwetter has faced lawsuits, including from its own board members.
All three promise to start turning the ship around. The Wausonian sent out a set of questions to all three candidates: Here are their responses, in order of incumbent first, followed by challengers alphabetically.
Chris Voll
Age: 61
Occupation: Product Manager / Technical Advisor
Political experience: County Board Supervisor (4 terms), Village Trustee (3.5 terms) and current Village
President (5 terms) for a total of 17 years.
Why did you decide to run for village president?
Community service is my passion, something I believe in and have done from an early age, starting with Boy Scouts, and then membership in local organizations like Jaycees and Lions clubs. My goal has remained the same: advance positive change. We will capitalize on our previous accomplishments and continue that momentum into the future. I thought long and hard about running. I saw the people who were going to run and I felt like I needed to run again, to finish what has been started.
What’s the biggest challenge facing the village right now and how would you address it?
Our biggest challenge, since 2020 has been staff retention and vendors. People leave for all sorts of reasons, better opportunities, etc. To get an idea of the real issues with staff, I will direct people to the Von Briesen report. This expensive report outlines in detail the reasons behind staff departures. The vendor issue is also related to the activities outlined in the report. We cannot get a variety of vendors to work with us, as well as any real development in the village. My solution is to continue with the code of conduct, work with the vendors and developers, to show we are moving in the right direction. I want to continue working with staff to help them be as effective as possible. The biggest thing that can help make change occur is for voters to attend meetings, interface with board members, review past board meeting recordings and learn for themselves what has happened and how they can make positive changes so the people who cause issues are decidedly shown their actions are hurting everyone within the village.
What would your top three priorities for the village be if you were elected?
The first priority is filling staff vacancies. We continue to have interviews with qualified candidates. We just hired a planning technician, also new is an interim finance director, and we have ongoing interviews for the clerk position. We need to continue to provide training and guidance to new staff members and help them be able to become the stellar employees that I know they will be, and that the village needs.
I firmly believe in hiring good people, helping them acclimate to their roles, and then working with them in a collaborative way. The second priority is the continuation of the water quality plan that I created.
The second step was to build a water treatment facility. The filtration plant went online last month. The filtration plant will remove the Manganese and Iron from our water. The facility is large enough to accommodate another well, if needed. The final piece is looking for a third well site. These items will set up the village’s clean water program for years to come. The third priority is development, with the floodplain remapping completed, this will open up new areas for additional commercial and residential development. These areas around Kowalski Rd will be prime locations now. Additional residential developments off to the East as well. There are development projects that are underway for TID 2.
These development projects will assist in getting the remaining properties developable.
What is your pitch to voters? Why should voters choose you over your opponents later this month?
I have willingly served 17 years on the village board, as such I have the experience and the past knowledge to continue moving the village forward. No other candidate has the depth and breadth of my experience nor do they have the objectivity when participating in meetings. I have proven to be someone who works for the good of all, not someone who has pet projects or advances the wishes of some people versus others. I respect the people who made this village what it is today, I respect and honor those who work hard every day to continue that work, and I keep my eye on the big picture – what Kronenwetter can be in the future for our kids and grandkids. We don’t need one group who will defund our protective services or another group who wants to borrow funds for everything, including a splash pad. I’m the guy in the middle who wants us to capitalize on the progress we have made and continue that momentum. If you are still wondering what my political party affiliation is, then I have done the right thing in being non-partisan which is what this job calls for. I’m just a decent reasonable person who is willing to do the right thing.
David Baker
Age: 65
Occupation: Business Owner, Consultant/Engineering – Industrial Automation
Political experience: Marathon County Supervisor, District 23 from April 2022 to April 2024; Political Blogger at www.marathoncountyspotlight.com
Why did you decide to run for village president?
I am running for village president because our village government is broken, which has contributed to tarnishing our village’s reputation. We have had 6 village administrators (including interim and acting) in the last 3 years and a revolving door of village employees. Our village leadership has made irresponsible budget decisions and depleted our reserves.
What’s the biggest challenge facing the village right now and how would you address it?
The biggest challenge facing the village is the same as the reason I am running – Kronenwetter’s village government is not functioning at optimal levels. I plan to bring order back to village government by focusing on three top priorities: functional and effective village board meetings; bring transparency, accountability and accuracy to the village’s finances and financial statements; and rebuild the village’s reputation and develop a plan for the village’s future.
What would your top three priorities for the village be if you were elected?
1) Functional and effective village board meetings
Running effective board meetings is a key responsibility of the village president. Our village board meetings often are not limited to discussions of the agenda items and turn into forums to attack fellow trustees and village suppliers.
If elected, I will make it a priority to run the village board meetings in a professional and effective manner that begins to help us restore the reputation of the village.
2) Bring transparency, accountability and accuracy to the village’s finances and financial statements board leadership has demonstrated a lack of understanding regarding municipal budgets and levy limits.
The board cut taxes in 2023, budgeted for deficit spending and depleted the village’s unassigned reserves to $182,212. In addition, there was an unexplained $3,000,000 discrepancy between the village’s books and the 2023 audited financial statements.
If elected, I will make it a priority to provide accurate, timely financial statements and to develop and follow a clear and understandable budget process.
3) Rebuild the reputation of the village and develop a plan for the village’s future.
I am committed to addressing challenges promptly to prevent them from escalating. I will make the necessary, and sometimes difficult, decisions while maintaining transparency with both village residents and employees.
What is your pitch to voters? Why should voters choose you over your opponents later this month?
The current leadership is no longer seeing the issues of the village clearly and with a vision for the future. This is likely why we are seeing the revolving door of staff and the known issues not being resolved. Key issues are not being dealt with and the result is a village in decline.
I have the experience, education, skill set, and demonstrated ability to build consensus among board members, engage the public, and begin to rebuild our village government and village’s reputation.
I look forward to working with the VOK staff, the trustees and the citizens, to make Kronenwetter a village we can be proud to live in.
Aaron Myszka
Age: 39 Years old
Occupation: Warehouse Supervisor
Political experience: 1 year on Village Board
Why did you decide to run for village president?
I am a proud Kronenwetter resident who is running for my family and all of the constituents of our village. The village has been unable to generate positive forward momentum. Constructive dialogue has been totally nonexistent at the village board level. I want to bring back collaboration and remove the toxic division Kronenwetter has seen in recent years. The village desperately needs a breath of fresh air to move forward in a positive direction. There is a need for a strong leadership presence at the head of the board that has been lacking. I will be that strong leader for our community.
What's the biggest challenge facing the village right now and how would you address it?
The biggest issue facing our village has been a lack of leadership, a lack of accountability, and a lack of stability. Many of the serious issues facing our village are merely a consequence of years of a lack of consistent direction from leadership. My only agenda is that I love this community and I want to remove the division in the village so that Kronenwetter can finally reach its full potential.
What are your top 3 priorities for the village if you were elected?
The village hall is currently closed on Fridays due to lack of staffing. Attracting and retaining qualified staff has been an ongoing issue for our village. My top focus will be recruiting qualified candidates to fill the numerous vacancies, while facilitating a constructive working relationship between village staff and the board. My next focus will be on keeping property taxes low while updating infrastructure in Kronenwetter to improve the quality of life for our residents. Two areas that need to be addressed are our roads and parks. Finally, we live in a very safe community and it is imperative we keep it this way. A positive working relationship between the board and the police/fire departments is essential. With my leadership, I am committed to improving and maintaining a collaborative working relationship with our amazing police and fire departments.
What is your pitch to voters? Why should voters choose you over your opponents late this month?
It is my priority to change our reputation and provide quality leadership. I will bring unity to the board by improving communication and direction. Maintaining decorum at board meetings is essential for constituents to be involved while also being respected. Decorum in board meetings has been absent under current leadership. Our current President has been in office for 10 years and we have serious fundamental problems to address that consistently have not been addressed. Kronenwetter needs new leadership, I am confident I am the right person to be our next village president.