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Don”t just read all the emails, actually hear from the candidates themselves. You can see the forum by clicking on this link:

Forum Video

Today is primary election day. Our system works best when people vote.

If you want a mayor who is experienced, who understands how Mequon government works, who has operated business organizations, who tells the truth, who builds consensus, who is positive and not angry, and who listens and cares about your opinions and priorities, I humbly ask for your vote.

Turnout is expected to be low, making your vote for the future of Mequon that much more important.

There is a lot of talk about the Town Center Tax Incremental Financing. Perhaps we should add some facts to the conversation.

Most Comparable Communities Use TIF Much More Extensively

The following list shows each community’s new development value in its Tax Incremental Districts (increment) as a percentage of its overall equalized values:

Brookfield                       19.70%
Glendale                           19.65%
Grafton                             10.73%
Shorewood                        8.94%
Menomonee Falls           7.45%
Greendale                           7.34%
Oak Creek                           5.97%
Wauwatosa                         5.27%
Waukesha                           4.44%
Germantown                      4.15%
Elm Grove                           2.89%
Franklin                               2.46%
Whitefish Bay                     1.78%
Mequon                                   1.69%

Source: Wisconsin Department of Revenue

Mequon has been exceedingly careful. That is the way we do things.

Mequon Does Not Give Money Up Front or Make Loans to Developers

Unlike many communities, under current policy, Mequon does not give money to developers before the developer performs. It has in the past made some small (in relationship to the value of the development) up front TIF payments, but no more. Giving money up front involves more risk on the part of the community, and requires much more stringent penalties for nonperformance.

Instead, Mequon has recently incentivized development in its TIDs on a pay-as-you-go basis. The developer only receives an incentive if it actually builds the project, meets its agreed upon value, and pays taxes on that value. No development, no value or no tax payment – no incentive. Plus, there are significant penalties if the developer does not do as promised.

Also, these incentives last for a limited time.

Mequon Only Gives Incentives to Redevelop Tired, Blighted or Contaminated Properties

Most of the property that has received incentives has been environmentally contaminated. All of it has had old, unproductive improvements that are expensive to remove. The contamination and old improvements kept the properties from being redeveloped. These properties did not redevelop before the incentives were offered. However, with the incentives, contaminated and blighted properties are being redeveloped with valuable, tax paying projects.

Mequon Does Not Pick and Choose Winners

With the exception of redevelopment of city-owned property, in which case the city by definition has to choose the developer, any applicant who meets the district’s redevelopment criteria has been eligible for incentives. This takes the ugly cronyism out of the process.

Mequon Has Always Been One of the Most Fiscally Conservative Communities

Mequon has been well-managed, ensuring that its tax rate stays low while still providing excellent safety services, well maintained roads, good facilities, parks and open spaces, a fine library and other services. And it has maintained one of the best, or the best, school systems in the area.

Mequon has maintained one of the lowest tax rates in the state by being careful in the way it spends money and by ensuring that it has diverse, high value properties that pay taxes.

The same people who have held the line on taxes are the people who have carefully approved these TIDs. If the city has done such a  good job for the past 20 years, why would anyone assume that these decisions are not made with the same attention to detail and restraint?

I am proud to say that I have been on the front lines fighting to keep taxes low. Others who are running have just been critics.

As mayor, I will carry on this tradition of good, fiscally conservative government. After all, I have been part of it for most of the past 20 years. I will ensure that the existing TIDs provide tax relief for generations to come, keeping our tax rate low.

A number of residents have contacted me about the effect of the Town Center on our schools. They were concerned about some information that has been circulated. It is almost entirely inaccurate but, by trying to scare school families, it does a particularly great disservice.

The fact is that the Town Center helps the finances of our excellent public schools.　

• The Town Center apartments add very few kids to the school district. For example, the 81-unit apartment project known as The Reserve has 9 kids in the school system, and at least four of them lived in Mequon before their parent(s) moved to The Reserve.
• Currently and for the next several years, Town Center property owners will pay about $328,000 each year directly to the school district. Those are taxes on about $41 million of value that was there before the TIF district was created. That more than covers the marginal cost of the few new Town Center kids who attend the public schools.
• When the TIF district ends in about eight years, properties in the Town Center will contribute over $1.5 million every year to the school district. That is because, if nothing more happens in the district except the projects that are already underway, there will be a guaranteed $154 million of new development. That will result in over $2.275 million in new taxes paid every year. The school’s share (over $1.2 million) plus the $328,00 already being paid exceeds $1.5 million. The number will certainly be higher than that because of other development and the appreciation of properties.
• An argument has been made that each additional school child costs MTSD about $11,000 per year. That is untrue. The actual additional cost per child is quite small. Most school costs do not change because of a small number of additional children. Costs for administrators, maintenance, janitorial, heat and other utilities and other building costs do not go up or down based on small changes in the number of kids. The kids in the Town Center are spread throughout grades; therefore, it is highly unlikely that they will have any impact on the number of teachers or other staff.
• The school district voted to support the Town Center redevelopment, because it saw how our kids would benefit. Each year, representatives affirm that support.
  

The school district and the city will financially benefit from the Town Center for many decades. Plus, environmentally contaminated land has been cleaned up, empty and dilapidated buildings have been removed, and we have new restaurants and shops.

I would never vote for anything that would harm our excellent schools. Our schools are one of the primary reasons people move to Mequon. I have voted against proposed Mequon TIFs and against proposed developments in TIFs. They should be used sparingly and smartly but in the right circumstances, when they are objective and have a modest incentive, they can provide tremendous returns.

There is no more important public service provider in Mequon than the school district. Therefore, I have had a few people question why the top priorities in my literature do not include the schools.

As I explained in my initial mailing:

Most people move here because of great schools, low taxes, low crime rates and a beautiful community with a great quality of life. The Mayor cannot govern or fund schools, but the Mayor can make a big difference when it comes to the rest.

In the very limited way the City can, I have been an advocate for the schools. At one point, I proposed an “intergovernmental cooperation committee” so that representatives of the school district, Mequon and Thiensville would meet to find ways to work together and perhaps share services. I would like to revive that effort. When the school district was considering selling its excess land, I met with it either two or three times to provide options under the zoning code. And, this year, I will ensure the city works with Thiensville to find more proactive ways to provide security and officers for the schools.

I have a great number of school-related supporters, including some current and former board members.

But, won’t my “low taxes” priority harm the schools? Again, the city does not provide school funding. The school district is its own taxing authority. The district is not bound by decisions of the Common Council or the mayor.

My efforts will be to keep the city portion of your tax bill low. The school board will make its own decisions regarding school funding.

When you pay your real estate tax bill, only about 17.1% of your money goes to the city (19.7% if you live outside of the sewer service area). About 44% goes to the school district (50.8% if outside of the sewer service area). The rest is paid to the state, the county, MATC and the sewer utility.

Decisions regarding taxes by the city do not increase or decrease the money available for the school district.

I am compelled to take a break from campaigning to pay tribute to my former colleague, John Hawkins, who passed away this morning. John was only 68. 

 John spent a dozen years as an alderman, and recently agreed to take on the thankless task of helping to mop-up the political mess at the Mequon Police and Fire Commission.

Too often, the term “gentleman” is thrown around without much meaning. It has become a replacement for the word “man.” However, in its truest sense, a gentleman is a chivalrous, courteous, honorable man.

 John Hawkins was a true gentleman. John always treated others with respect. As an alderman, he was the first person to thank city staff when they did a good job. He gave credit to others, even when he deserved a piece of the credit. He believed in decorum and courtesy. He stood when a woman entered the room. He helped others. He rarely raised his voice. In fact, he was generally a man of few words so, when he decided to speak or felt passionately about an issue, people were first surprised, and then they listened.

John was reserved in a way that made some people underestimate him until they got to know him. That was their mistake. John was a bright, educated man. A graduate of Princeton, he had a lengthy career in manufacturing, culminating in almost 20 years as the president of a manufacturing company. He then spent several years teaching.

John did not just talk about family and God and country. He was passionate about and believed in the importance of those things to the depth of his being. He adored his wife Val and the rest of his family. He was devout. And he believed in patriotism. His was not some watered-down or political version of patriotism. He wore a flag lapel pin, not to impress others, but because he knew that he was blessed to live in the greatest country in the world.

John made a significant contribution to our community. He did so out of a belief in service. He never sought attention or accolades. When he “retired” from the Council, he did so with a few words, a tear in his eye and an understandable (but never spoken) pride in the contribution he made. And, when the City needed him again to add some stability to the Police and Fire Commission, he gladly stepped forward.

I am proud to have called John a friend. I wish I had gotten to know him better. I was honored that he was one of the first people to have encouraged me to run for several offices, including mayor. But, even if he had not, he was the kind of person whose passing I would mourn because he was a truly good and decent man.

John, you will be missed. Thank you for your service. Rest in peace and enjoy your reward for a life well-lived.

Since the official start of the campaign season four days ago, dozens of people have asked how they can help, and John has received about 20 new endorsements. That brings his total endorsements to over 250! Unprecedented.

These Mequon residents (see a list by clicking here) support John because they want to ensure that Mequon remains the best community in which to live and work. They know that, to the extent things need improvement (and there are some things that need to be done better), it will take someone with John’s experience and professional skills. It will take a consensus-builder like John who can influence the rest of the Common Council. As importantly, they know that John is honest and will approach the job positively. They realize that political games and negativism divide people and create stalemates.

Please consider endorsing John. It takes less than a minute. Just click here.

Hopefully, you received this in your mailbox. If not, please take a look.

Today was the deadline for submitting paperwork to be placed on the ballot. Here in Mequon, the only contested municipal race will be for Mayor.

Ald. Rob Strzelczyk will be running unopposed for reelection in the First District. He was first elected in 2013 and was reelected in 2016.

Jeffrey Hansher will be running unopposed in the Fourth District. I currently hold that seat.

Congratulations to both Ald, Strzelczyk and Mr. Hansher. I look forward to working with both of you.

There will be a total of four candidates (including me) running for Mayor. Therefore, there will be a primary election on February 19 to narrow the field to two candidates. The general election will be held on April 2.

I welcome the other candidates to the race. Our system of government works best when voters are given a choice.

I intend to run on my record, the facts and what I intend to accomplish. I hope all of the candidates have the same plan. Too many recent elections have devolved into personal attacks. Too many candidates talk about their opponents instead of discussing what they plan to do for the City. In all of my elections, I have avoided that kind of campaigning.

I seek your support. Together, we will ensure Mequon continues to be the great place we love. We can keep taxes low and have great police, fire and ambulance departments, maintain roads, improve city services and plan for Mequon’s future.

If you are willing to do endorse my candidacy, please click here, and thank you. To see a list of the names of those people who have endorsed my candidacy, please click here.

If you want more information about my candidacty, please review this website, email me at John@Wirth4Mequon.com, or call me at 262-242-7462.

Neighbors in the Fourth District:

Mequon’s Aldermanic Fourth District needs one or more good aldermanic candidates. Maybe you could be that person. Or maybe you have a family member or friend who should run.

I will not be running for reelection. As you might know, I am running for Mayor. The election is in April. You can learn more at my campaign website (click here) or by emailing me at John@Wirth4Mequon.com.

An alderman must be 18 or over and live in the Fourth District. You can see a map of the Fourth District by clicking here.

There are no other mandatory requirements. However, I am passionate about this community. I hope our next alderman will share that passion. Mequon is a great place! An alderman should want to serve the community and know something about it. The last time I decided not to run, I put together a list of thoughts and suggestions about being a public official. You can read that list by clicking here.

Aldermen are members of the Common Council. The Common Council meets in the evening on the second Tuesday of every month. Additionally, aldermen serve on one or two committees and are part of the appropriations committee and sewer and water boards. Generally, those meetings are also on Tuesday evenings. On average, an alderman has meetings on two Tuesdays per month. Each meeting requires some reading beforehand of a substantial package of materials put together by city staff.

Beyond that, an alderman can be as active as she or he wants. For example, I do my email Updates, respond to many emails and phone calls, initiate new ordinances and resolutions, and attend a variety of other community meetings. Some aldermen limit their activities beyond the required Common Council meetings. You can make what you want out of the position.

The term of office is three years.

Getting on the ballot is easy. There are two simple forms you need to fill out. Those forms can be acquired from the City Clerk. After submitting those papers, you then must obtain nomination signatures from at least 20 of your neighbors in the Fourth District. Nomination papers cannot be circulated until December 1. They must be submitted by January 2.

If there are more than two candidates, a primary will be held on February 19. The general election will be held on April 2. The term of office begins on April 16.

If you have questions about serving, or about how to run for election, please email or call me.

Being an alderman is a commitment, but serving the community has been (and hopefully will continue to be) rewarding for me. Maybe it will be for you also.

Please, give it some thought. Or pass this on to someone who might be interested.

John

PS If you like the job I have done as your alderman, and are willing to allow me to use your name in my list of people who have publicly endorsed me as Mequon’s next Mayor, please click here.

Tonight I attended the Mequon-Thiensville Chamber of Commerce “Celebrate Your Community” annual awards dinner. Congratulations to the winners – Business of the Year: the cheel (a great restaurant); Citizen of the Year: Tim Vertz (marketing professional extraordinaire and a guy who does a lot for our community); Distringuished Service: Connie Pukaite (former common council member, former mayor and a contributor to so much of our community for 51 years); and Next Generation Leadership: Tony Navarre (special education teacher, Homestead hockey coach, assistant soccer coach and cancer survivor – quite a role model). Our community is fortunate to have such great leaders and contributors!

The Mequon Common Council strives very hard to budget efficiently. Some expenditures save money in the long run and create efficiencies. At tonight’s Appropriations Committee meeting, I am going to ask that we include money in the budget for information technology assistance for the Mequon Police Department.  Most of that work is being done by Captains and a Sergeant.

All of us, in our jobs, are heavily dependent on computers and computer-related equipment. However, most of us, if our computer goes down, can work around it, using someone else’s desktop or a smart phone, or we can allow some projects to wait.

Law enforcement cannot wait. Computerized fingerprinting, electronic citation reporting and so forth must be done on time. We do not want our patrol officers to go without body cameras. We cannot allow them to be unconnected on patrol.

In its 2017 study, a staffing consultant engaged by the City said:

One key issue, however, that somewhat extends beyond the scope of this public safety study, is the impact of part-time City assistance in Information Technology support. This part-time service has created a need for sworn staff to become adept at IT-related operational support, and while this has sufficed with existing staff, such expectation that future staff will have these skill sets is not reasonable. As such, the City should explore how the provision of overall IT services can be better facilitated.

The current method of handling Police Department Information Technology is costly and takes sworn officers away from law enforcement and management. It hinders public safety.

Currently, two Captains and a Sergeant are handling the IT needs of the department. A Captain costs the City approximately $137,000 per year, plus holiday pay, comp, workers comp, uniforms and training. A Sergeant costs only about $10,000 less. These high-priced personnel should not be repairing equipment, and these IT responsibilities take them away from their law enforcement and administrative responsibilities.

To just keep the systems running, it requires, on average, a few hours of sworn officers’ time each day. Additionally, the systems and the servers must be updated, backed-up and serviced.

Technology is now a large part of law enforcement. The implementation of in-car squad cameras, officer worn body cameras, computer records management systems, in-car laptops and printers, computerized fingerprinting, electronic citation and accident reporting, in-house surveillance camera systems and all the equipment necessary to keep and maintain these systems. Programs include Digital Ally Video System, Emergency Medical Dispatch System, Pro Phoenix Records Management System, Badger TraCS Citation System, LiveScan Fingerprint Identification System, Cellebrite Phone Forensics System and HIKVISION and numerous other programs and systems.

All this technology takes specialized training. Very little is similar to the technology being used by other departments.

Captain Patrick Pryor, when he was a sergeant, was the department IT person for over 10 years. He was assisted by Len McCaw (IT Advocate) and Jim Green (SPSI/ProShip). Pryor grew into the position as the array of computer equipment and programs grew. The department’s technology needs have increased significantly.

When Pryor was promoted to Captain in 2017, he tried to turn the tasks over to Sergeant Mark Riley. Riley lacked Pryor’s knowledge and skills, so Pryor and Riley shared the responsibilities. Subsequently, with Chief Graff’s retirement, Riley was also promoted to Captain. Sergeant Mark Kastens assumed some of the responsibilities, but he has even fewer computer skills. Therefore, Captains Pryor and Riley have been assisting Sergeant Kastens with day-to-day computer issues, taking time away from their job responsibilities.

The department currently uses Len McCaw (IT Advocate) as much as it can, but he has significant City Hall responsibilities and more projects than he can handle. He is unable to address the department’s day-to-day needs on a consistent, as-need basis. Moreover, Len must be brought up to speed on many systems.

When I was asking about this funding need, Captain Pryor was fixing a printer in a squad car. Is that appropriate for a command officer who costs the City over $65 per hour?

The department needs a full or part time person, or a contracted person, who can provide consistent assistance on a near day-to-day basis. The person would need to learn the various police-specific equipment.

Adding such a person would enhance police services. It would have the side benefit of freeing up some of Len McCaw’s time to address other city technology needs.

If safety services truly are our highest priority, we should enable our sworn officers to spend their time handling their law enforcement and administrative responsibilities. We do not ask them to repair their squad cars. Why do we ask them to handle these responsibilities?

Mequon has a variety of manufacturers (examples include Rockwell, Gateway Plastics and Charter) who pay hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxes and use almost no city services. They also cost the school district nothing. What is our one challenge in keeping them here?

Good workers.

These businesses pay well and provide good, clean jobs, many of which have upward mobility opportunities. They contribute to our community. If we lose them, we would need to replace their taxes with either higher taxes. And Mequon does not have a ready labor pool.

The State of Wisconsin has introduced a program to recruit veterans leaving the military. These are hard-working people who show up for work. Many have trades skills. They are trained to be leaders.

Read more here:

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2018/08/24/wisconsin-looking-few-actually-many-good-men-and-women/1068658002/

As this article notes:

The pool of potential candidates is large — 200,000 to 250,000 people move from active duty to civilian life each year, according to the Department of Defense. Many employers covet veterans because of their work ethic and leadership qualities.

Wisconsin has perhaps the best veterans benefits in the country. Plus, we have an unparalleled way of life.

The state is touting generous GI Bill educational benefits and good schools for their children; jobs that align with military training; employers who give incentives to veterans; low housing costs; and refundable property tax credits for eligible veterans.

Plus, the state has six VA Medical Centers and 18 VA community-based outreach clinics, veterans service officers in every county to help with claims and benefits.

Wisconsin also boasts plenty of hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities, modest average commutes and, of course, lots of state-brewed beer

Wisconsin is the first state to go after this market. It could pose great dividends.

And, if Wisconsin can do it, why can’t we piggyback on these efforts? Available Mequon jobs are family supporting.

I have reached out to the administration to see if we can benefit.

This is win-win. We can help our businesses, help our veterans, and help our tax base without putting a strain on our services.

Congratulations to Homestead High School for being ranked the BEST college prep public high school in Wisconsin. One of the top reasons (among so many) why Mequon is a great community. Read more by clicking here.

I was knocking on doors on the north side of Mequon today. It is a great way to hear what people think, and I met a lot of nice people.

This ran in today’s News Graphic. (By the way, four of the last five, not three of the last four, mayors have encouraged me to run, but who’s counting?)

I was privileged to stand-in for the Mayor this morning and deliver remarks on behalf of the City at the annual Memorial Day ceremony. If you have never attended, please consider it next year.  The parade is short and sweet, and the ceremony is meaningful. It adds some context to this holiday.

I am always moved by the veterans I meet at this event. Today, there was at least one WWII veteran and veterans from every conflict and time since then. My 87-year-old father-in-law, Dave Albert, who survived the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War, and who has severe mobility issues, attended.

On behalf of the City, I thanked the public, the Village of Thiensville, the Howard J. Schroeder American Legion Post 457, its Ladies Auxiliary and the veterans in attendance. Then I delivered the following remarks. It is a humbling experience trying to adequately put into words the collective gratitude of a community.

In 1969, when I was six years old, my mother, at age 41, flew on an airplane for the first time. She got on that plane to fly to California to attend the funeral of her youngest brother, Major Richard Beattie of the United States Air Force. Dick Beattie was a pilot and died flying his B-52. He was 33.

Dick left a wife and two sons, Kevin (7) and Brock (6).

Dick never saw Kevin and Brock grow up, never had a chance to grow old with his wife Ann, and never had a chance to spoil his grandchildren.

Close to 50 million Americans have served the cause of freedom and more than 1.2 million have died to preserve our liberty.

It is staggering to think of 1.2 million lives cut tragically short. It is staggering to think of the tragedy suffered by 1.2 million families, the children never born, the weddings missed, the friends lost. It is staggering to think of the contributions those 1.2 million people could have made to science, business, the arts and our communities.

1.2 million is such a large number that it becomes just a statistic. So I like to personalize it, thinking about the price paid by Dick, his wife Ann and sons Brock and Kevin. I remember my mother’s tears. I expect that many of us have friends or relatives that make this more personal.

These 1.2 million people gave their lives for something.

From Bunker Hill to Gettysburg and beyond, our first century was devoted to securing our country to making it free. For the past century, starting with the Battle of Hammel in the First World War, continuing with World War II, and including the countless actions and battles since, through the most recent military death in March in Syria, our brave men and women have toiled and died not just for our country and our freedoms but to make the whole world free. We live in a country that uses force reluctantly, but is prepared to use it for freedom and liberation.

While Memorial Day is an opportunity to remember and say thank you, it should serve a greater purpose. As Lincoln said at Gettysburg, “that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.” We must “resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”

Ronald Reagan put it in more modern terms on one Memorial Day when he said:

Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough: The United States and the freedom for which it stands, the freedom for which they died, must endure and prosper. Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate were willing to sacrifice, so too must we—in a less final, less heroic way—be willing to give of ourselves.

The men and women we honor today recognized that it is worth fighting for freedom and that, if we fail to oppose tyrants – those who would take away freedom – tyranny will prevail, freedom will be lost and the American Experiment will have failed.

Let us remember them. They have, with their blood, paid a tremendous price for our freedoms. But to make their deaths meaningful, we must carry on their work. We must be prepared to oppose those outside and inside our country who are willing to empower government at the price of our individual freedoms. We must oppose tyranny wherever it exists. We must recognize that our freedoms are never safe from those who desire to impose their will on us.

In that way, we honor those who, with their deaths, made the down payment for our freedoms.

Thank you to our veterans, living and dead, and God Bless America.