Compiled by the League of Women Voters 

The League of Women Voters of the Stevens Point Area is committed to providing voters with education about issues and candidates for local elections. On April 6, voters in Stevens Point District 5 will see a contested aldermanic race.

The league solicited responses to a list of questions from all candidates. If a candidate is not represented here, they did not submit any responses to our invitation. All candidates were invited to participate.

Responses were not limited in length, nor were they edited by the league or Portage County Gazette staff.

For responses from other city or school board races, see the March 5, 12, & 19 editions of the Portage County Gazette or visit https://stevenspoint.news.

Meleesa Johnson

What made you decide to run for City Council?  What past experiences have you had that would contribute to you being an effective city alder?  

For most of my life I have been involved, in one way or another, in community activism and capacity building.  From organizing a peace march, at the age of 13, to protest the Vietnam War, to later, when my children were young, leading the Plover-Whiting PTO to being a CCD teacher at St. Bronaslava Church, I have served my community.  However, it was not until 1996, the year I turned 40 that I was given a great gift and I have since worked to repay that gift.

While many may not think a debilitating disease is a gift, I have come to think of it that way.  You see, that disease nearly crippled me and in 1996 I could no longer work.  Devastated does not even capture how I felt then.  I had no income.  No way to feed my kids.  No hope for the future.  But in stepped the remarkable public employees who specialize in helping people like me build a plan for the future.  Within a few months I had disability payments, heating assistance and food stamps.  And most importantly, I had enough grants and federal loans to start my college career.  The people—the taxpayers—of this country, state and community invested in me.  They believed in me and gave me the gift of a future.  Four years later I was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental policy and planning.  

Ever since that time I have been absolutely and completely zeroed in on making a positive difference in this world.  In college I established the first Earth Day Event at my two-year campus and later, at UW Green Bay, I led the effort to evaluate how best to restore on-campus childcare while serving as the student government’s Diversity Affairs Coordinator. With the start of my post-college career, here in Portage County, I established the County’s permanent hazardous waste and electronics collection programs. As director of the Marathon County Solid Waste Department I work tirelessly to aid my customers in every way possible to reduce their waste, recycle more and better manage costs.  And as president of Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin I have worked with legislators, on both sides of the aisle, to create a more robust and sustainable recycling program, delivering back millions of dollars in grants to local governments.

Finally, for the past five years I have served as both a member of city council and county board.  I chair the city’s Finance Committee, spearheaded the work to develop the city’s first strategic plan and have repeatedly gained the respect of my council colleagues to be repeatedly elected president.  I chair the county’s Health Care Center Committee and am responsible for securing, by a hugely successful referendum, $1.4 million a year to help off-set costs at the facility so we can continue to care for our elderly and disabled. And most recently I successfully shepherded through the legislative process the establishment of the Diversity Affairs and Inclusion Committee, which I now chair.  

What do you think are the three most important issues facing Stevens Point and what are your ideas for addressing them? Please be specific.

During the public input and steering committee work of the strategic plan development, we heard from over 2000 people.  Their collective voices, from citizens to business leaders, said housing is our top issue.  Housing affordability, housing availability, housing quality, access to diverse housing options, housing insecurity and homelessness are topics of concerns for most communities.  These issues were brought to the forefront given the issue of Edgewater and the need to find affordable, quality housing for our older citizens.

The 2017 City of Stevens Point Housing Study explored many facets of housing in the city, but respondents to a survey said the number one reason they chose not to live in the city was because they could not find the housing they wanted.  And most recently, residents responding to survey questions for the strategic plan work identified housing as the most critical strategic goal to address. 

And sadly, the city has a growing issue with homelessness and housing insecurity.  This is driven, in part, by the challenges of stagnant or declining wages, against a backdrop of a tight housing market that forces home prices and rents upward. 

There are many organizations and agencies working on this topic, from CAP Services to Rent Ready to informal gathering of landlords/interested parties to an ecumenical group called One Big Tent to Evergreen Community Initiatives.  Given the scope of these problems and the critical role that housing plays in a Stevens Point that is a preferred place to live, work, visit and succeed, we believe the city council should convene a housing taskforce.  The city has an opportunity to take the lead on bringing all parties together…to take the various threads of activity and weave them into a fabric of actionable solutions, from the immediate to the long-term.

Diversity, inclusion and belonging ranked as second of all the possible topics in the strategic planning process.  Stevens Point cannot be the best place in Wisconsin to live, work, do business, play and thrive if we have a segment of our community who do not feel included…who do not feel as though they belong.  

Our community is home to not only UWSP, an institution that welcomes students and faculty from around the world, but also international corporations.  When these groups look to bring people to Stevens Point they need to know that this community will welcome them, both in explicit and implicit ways.  If we do not, we risk the economic bulwark of this institutions and cause damage to all who live in this community.

The creation of a formal committee to address issues of diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity is essential to tackling deeply embedded and institutionalized bias and oppression.  Currently an informal group meets, but I firmly believe that a formal approach to dismantling the structures of marginalization is essential to making Stevens Point the most welcoming community in the state and one which will thrive socially and economically. 

The Business 51 reconstruction project is going to be a significant priority for not only the city, but especially for District 5. This has been a controversial topic and one that has seen various concepts of what this corridor might look like.  Previous plans were focused on a wide, fast-paced transit corridor that would have destroyed Southside business and demolished family homes along Division Street.  From my perspective, this is a plan that does nothing more than leave the city with a costly long-term liability of concrete and street maintenance, while removing valuable tax base that is essential for future budgets. 

I have spent time talking with traffic engineers and attending USDOT webinars on modern designs for urban transportation corridors.  I have spoken with planners from cities around the Midwest.  And I have learned that the corridor is wide enough for the safe and efficient (not fast) movement of traffic without taking, by eminent domain, critical business property and places people call home.  This is why I decided to make a proposal to amend the city budget to remove the $2.6 million, from the Business 51 reconstruction project, for the condemnation and demolition of property.  This transportation corridor needs to efficiently move traffic and ensure greater pedestrian safety, all while protecting small businesses and neighborhoods.       

Do you feel there is sufficient availability of affordable housing in Stevens Point? If not, what ideas do you have for addressing this issue, especially as it relates to seniors who desire to live in their own community as they age? 

I do not feel there is sufficient availability of “affordable” housing, but we first need to define affordable housing.  We need to address housing equity.  We need to explore housing quality.  We need to look at using our TIF districts in unique ways that incentivize local builders to create entry-level homes so working and middle class families can begin to build wealth.  We need to address the “missing middle”, a transformative concept that highlights the need for diverse, affordable housing choices in sustainable, walkable neighborhoods.

This all starts with the housing taskforce, which I proposed at the February Public Policy and General Government Committee. I am grateful for the support of the committee and council and am moving forward with the housing taskforce with the assistance of city staff and community stakeholders.  

Given the city’s strict property tax levy limits and uncertain levels of state aid, what is your position on the many infrastructure issues the City Council is facing (i.e. Business 51 reconstruction, the Plover River crossing, bicycle and pedestrian safety)? Please be specific in addressing what you see as the priorities for the city.  

While capital costs, including roads, overpasses, trails, vehicles, equipment and buildings are outside of levy limits (only operational costs are captured within levy limits), we need to carefully determine our priorities for those types of capital projects.  We currently have a sustainable capital projects program that is allowing us to borrow for infrastructure and still continue to pay down debt, but we need to acknowledge that infrastructure development is really nothing more than long-term liabilities for the city.  Once a road is extended or widened, it is a debt burden forever.  

The strategic plan, once finished by stakeholders and approved by council, will provide a road map (pardon the pun) for our infrastructure priorities.  Creating walkable neighborhoods and connecting those neighborhoods is a foundational principle.  Supporting vibrant and diverse economic development opportunities is essential. The development of multimodal transportation options are critical in this work. Preserving tax base and minimizing costs is part of the metric.  

These are the reasons why I worked to reduce the cost of the Business 51 reconstruction project.  It is why I support the Plover River crossing project and bicycle facilities.  It is why I am focused on redeveloping our urban core, where we can realize the best bang for our infrastructure dollars.  Without question, we need investment in infrastructure, but we need to prioritize the investment like a stock portfolio for the outcomes we wish.  And I wish for a Stevens Point that is not only fiscally responsible, but also progressive in its approach to development.  

Do you believe city government has a role in developing public health policy if the state and county fail to do so?  What leads you to that position?

Yes. In fact, I currently have a draft of an ordinance that would require the use of masks within the city.  While this is at the ready to launch, should it be needed, my preference is that the state or county use their authorities to implement such protective measures.  

What leads me to this position?  The law. Pursuant to Wis. Stat. §§ 323.11 and 323.14(4)(a), municipalities may impose a local mask order under an emergency declaration. Despite the fact thatWis. Stat. §§ 252 may set up some constraints to this, attorneys for the League of Wisconsin Municipalities indicate that “Chapter 323, on its face, provides municipalities with authority to establish local mask requirements if deemed necessary during a declared emergency.”

Marla Schultz

What made you decide to run for City Council?  What past experiences have you had that would contribute to you being an effective city alder?  

I felt called to give people a choice on the ballot and it’s time for a change. I haven’t held public office in the past but am a fast learner and have a council member that will help me in my learning process. I also have a love for this city, and I love the neighborhood that I live in. 

What do you think are the three most important issues facing Stevens Point and what are your ideas for addressing them? Please be specific.

The three most important issues are road repair, frivolous spending, and park improvements. I know that the city went grossly over budget on the last bike lane project. That money could have been used to fix roads, for instance. I plan on looking for ways to get the money needed to have better roads. The frivolous spending falls in with roads, but I also will look for other areas that the city could save money on so that all departments have what they need to do their jobs. I believe we need a good park system in the city, but we just can’t build new parks. We need to make sure that the parks we already have are taking care of well. Otherwise, people won’t use them.

Do you feel there is sufficient availability of affordable housing in Stevens Point? If not, what ideas do you have for addressing this issue, especially as it relates to seniors who desire to live in their own community as they age? 

No, I do not. That is another area that I am concerned with. I would work with the existing groups that are working on this and try to get existing facilities to accept vouchers.

Given the city’s strict property tax levy limits and uncertain levels of state aid, what is your position on the many infrastructure issues the City Council is facing (i.e. Business 51 reconstruction, the Plover River crossing, bicycle and pedestrian safety)?  Please be specific in addressing what you see as the priorities for the city.  

I believe that the Business 51 reconstruction is unnecessary. That money would better be used to repair the roads. If there are areas where pedestrian safety is a concern, I would address those…especially as it relates to putting in sidewalks. However, I believe road repairs are essential. People have been riding bicycles in this city for over 100 years. Road repairs would benefit bicyclists as well. I have also found out that the Public Works department needs a new garage to maintain all of their vehicles. The current building is from the 1960’s and only has one mechanic’s bay for the 100 vehicles that they have. 

Do you believe city government has a role in developing public health policy if the state and county fail to do so?  What leads you to that position?

To a certain extent. The constitution is set up so that smaller government (the city) has more power than bigger government (county, state, national). In terms of public health policy, government should not infringe on the rights of the people to do what they think is best for their health. Every person is different, therefore there can’t be a cut & dried policy that says everyone should do the same thing for their health.