For the City Times

STEVENS POINT — Mayor Mike Wiza turned in the maximum number of nomination signatures on Dec. 19. Once certified, this will ensure his name is on the ballot for the Spring 2019 election.

“I was overwhelmed with the amount of support we received. I’ve continued to attend meetings of various groups, and am often asked to speak on some of the great things going on in the community. Every person I’ve talked to was excited about what we’ve accomplished and the opportunities we still have. We’re keeping that momentum going into the next four years.” said Wiza.

Wiza was elected Mayor in April of 2015. Prior to that he had been a City Alderman for over 10 years and a Portage County Supervisor for over 8 years. Since taking office, the city has seen consistent improvements in sustainability, economic development and tourism.

“We’ve seen near record growth, built out the largest solar array in the area, expanded public transportation and have set new records for tourism” Wiza continued. “We have all worked together to make Stevens Point an even better place with groups like CREATE who helped bring the Levitt music series here, Farmshed who has brought new local food opportunities, we have a community composting program, winter farmer’s market and the IDEA center. We’ve seen great local companies expand like Sentry Insurance, KI Mobility and Lineage and also attracted new businesses with Assembly, Agora and a host of others. People see what’s going on here and want to be part of it.”

Mayor Wiza has focused on economic growth with an emphasis on our creative economy and workforce attraction and development. Recent honors have included Stevens Point being ranked the 6^th best college community to live in.

“I was very proud and humbled to turn in the maximum number of signatures allowed. This speaks volumes to the number of people who believe in me and know what we can do together. What a wonderful Christmas gift. I really want to thank all of those people, my friends, and my neighbors.” Wiza said. “I’m going into the new year with a strong ambitious team. We’ve got hundreds of people following us on Facebook, our website will be up soon, and people have been contacting us asking how they can help with contributions and support. I’m very excited for 2019.”

The City Clerk’s Office records show one challenger has taken out papers for the Mayor’s position.