By Brandi Makuski

Some eight months after the community’s last election, candidates for city council have begun to surface for the spring election.

The Stevens Point Common Council is comprised of 11 members, one from each of the city’s aldermanic districts. The nonpartisan seats represent taxpayers in matters of city business, to include ordinances, construction and spending decisions. Council members serve two-year terms, with even and odd-numbered districts staggered.

Along with school board and county board elections, even-numbered council seats will be decided in an April, 2016 election.

The following candidates have filed the required paperwork to run for city council:

District 2

Denise Mrozek (incumbent): Applied to fill a one-year appointment for the seat in 2014 following the death of former Ald. Joanne Suomi, but that appointment was given to former Ald. Hans Walthers through the 2015 election. Mrozek went on to run against Walthers in April, 2015 and won by a margin of less than 20 votes. She regularly presents information supporting her votes during council meetings, which have consistently leaned towards fiscal conservancy. Recently, she voted against additional protections for union employees, and also voted against a measure to increase aldermanic salaries.

David Shorr: Moved to the area from Iowa on a part-time basis in 2003 and later moved to the area on a full-time basis. He previously worked

David Shorr. (Contributed photo)

on Minnesota Senator Al Franken’s 2008 campaign, and foreign policy groups including Human Rights First and Refugees International. According to his statement announcing his candidacy, Shorr has a degree in public administration and has worked as the vice chair of the Human Rights Commission in Iowa City, as well as chairman of the Board of Offender Aid and Restoration- a counterpart of JusticeWorks in Stevens Point, his statement said- in Arlington Co., Va. In his campaign announcement, Shorr refers to himself as a “policy expert”.

District 4

Heidi Oberstadt (incumbent): Oberstadt was appointed to represent the district after Mike Wiza, who had been a longtime representative of the district, was elected mayor. She has lived in Stevens Point since 2003 and is a UWSP graduate. Oberstadt has said she is a proponent of conservation and previously served as a women’s membership coordinator for Trout Unlimited. She currently owns Photographic Memories by The Oberstadts. She has been a regular proponent for bicycle enthusiasts, supporting bicycle and pedestrian friendly routes throughout the city, and has previously voted to lower the standard for approving the city budget.

District 6

Jeremy Slowinski (incumbent): A longtime alderman and former council president. Slowinski has regularly voted based on feedback from his constituents, and has at times changed his vote based on new information. He has supported local fiscal responsibility and has a history of turning down construction projects that favor the developer over the city. He also did not support the final design of the now-defunct Bus. 51 project, which would have reduced the city’s main thoroughfare to two lanes. He also once referred the the aldermanic position as one that acts as “the checks and balances of the administration“.

District 8

Tony Patton. (Contributed photo)

Tony Patton (incumbent): Patton holds seats on both the city council and Portage Co. Board of Supervisors, and previously ran an unsuccessful campaign for mayor. He also has a history of making controversial statements in open session about others on the council. Recently, he voted in favor of adding “just cause” language back into city policy, after saying several city employees asked him to support the move.

Mike Phillips (incumbent): Phillips is one of the longest-standing members of the council and the current council president. Phillips is known for his fiscal conservancy and frequently voices concerns over lack of transparency. He recently voted in favor of keeping a high standard for passing the annual city budget, and has been a liaison for the Lake District, which surrounds McDill Pond.

Bob Larson at the Portage Co. Business Council mayoral candidate forum in 2015. (City Times photo)

Robert Larson: Bob Larsen previously served on the school board, where he fought to protect some of the superintendent’s spending authority. He lost his seat in the 2014 election. He went on to run an unsuccessful campaign for mayor, when he listed concerns over the city’s debt and the unpopular Bus. 51 project.