Muskego candidates set themselves up for aldermanic primary

Muskego - As the candidate filing deadline closed Jan. 3, three had filed to run in aldermanic District 1, which means a primary election will be held Feb. 21.

Incumbent Tracy Snead will seek her fourth two-year term against Robert Wolfe and Randall Hojnacki, who also is running for Wakesha County supervisor in the 23rd district. The two winners of the three-way primary race will meet at the April 3 general election.

Snead's motivations

Looking ahead to the next two years, Snead said she is hopeful - in part due to a change in supervisors in the county's 22nd District tied to redistricting - that progress can be made on flooding problems that have plagued her aldermanic district, and indeed many parts of the city, in the past 10 years. At least, she is hoping for more cooperation from the county on flooding, which she believes may be tied into how Janesville Road was constructed many years ago.

Another reason she wants to stay on the Common Council is to make sure the Janesville Road widening project that starts this year is done properly.

Wolfe's motivations

Wolfe said he is running because city government is spending too much. The Common Council should not be satisfied with holding the line on taxes - they should be going down, he said.

In his opinion, one example of easy spending was the recent split vote to spend more than $2 million to reconstruct a short stretch of Pioneer Drive and add some aesthetic improvements. The problem is that no data indicates that the extra expense will trigger business development, Wolfe said, an argument raised by some aldermen.

Wolfe also said the city needs to encourage small businesses that will bring back the vision of what Muskego has historically been - a quiet small community with all the basic things that people need.

Hojnacki's motivations

Hojnacki was not available for an interview but provided a statement instead.

His major focuses will be on making sure that homeowners will be able to maintain their homes as the city develops and on open government that solicits input from constituents, listens and follows the will of the majority.

Upcoming hot topics

The winner of the April election will have to help decide whether to establish a park at the foot of Little Muskego Lake off of Janesville Road at about Pioneer Drive.

A park would be acceptable, Snead said, as long as the tax base that would be lost from razing two mansions at the proposed park site could be made up with new construction nearby. The park also should be reasonably self-sustaining - just how self-sustaining depends on the park amenities, Snead said.

Wolfe's main concern with the proposed park would be how a park would affect home values and taxpayers.

Development also is a hot topic in Muskego.

Snead said the city has hired a consultant to do a market analysis to help with business development. While acknowledging that some people don't want change, others are asking for a nice restaurant as the city grows. And the city needs more business to take some of the property tax burden off homeowners, she said.

Big-box stores are acceptable in the Moorland Road corridor, but Snead said she would like Muskego to develop a downtown along the lines of Oconomowoc and Delafield, offering unique places to shop. She envisions downtown as developing on Janesville Road between Bay Lane Drive and Racine Avenue. The widening of Janesville Road will be an opportunity to attract businesses, she said.

Wolfe agreed, but added the city also needs to be more business-friendly and help new businesses get started. It should make more use of special taxing districts to encourage businesses and see if there are grants to help businesses get established, he said.