This is the second of a four-part series highlighting the view of the two candidates for Mayor of Boscobel who will appear on the ballot of the April 5 Spring Nonpartisan election.
ROBIN BAUMEISTER
6. Do you think our main street/downtown is healthy and successful? If not, what would you do to change that?
I think our downtown business district is healthy and successful, and while it may appear that there are empty storefronts, there is really only one empty building. In my current position as Chamber Program Coordinator, I know that there has been a lot of movement on this building; however, there are many roadblocks that can arise when working with older buildings. Some of these roadblocks are state laws under the WI Building & Zoning Code, which arose out of accidents, or other unsafe situations. While I believe that the Wisconsin Avenue business district is successful, I feel that our predecessors did a great job in keeping historical downtown Boscobel historic. So, as a community, we have to decide what we want for our downtown. What would I do? I would continue to talk to residents and encourage them to be a part of the Planning Process, so that we can make the downtown what our current and future residents want taking into consideration the current trends. During my time with the Chamber, I realize that some of the organizations we belong to can assist with downtown revitalization and minimal to no cost. It just takes the Community to provide input and suggestions, and all of us working together to get it done. Please comment on my Robin Baumeister for Mayor Facebook Page or email me at baumeister4mayor@gmail.com and let me know what your vision is.
7. You notice there are too many non-productive internal meetings being held, what do you do?
While it may seem that we have many board, committee, and commission meetings during the month, we do need to have these meetings to keep up with tasks at hand and be able to complete deadlines. During these meetings, I would do my best to move the meeting forward by ensuring members stay on task. An example was last week when I was at the Airport Commission meeting, there was a member of the committee who asked a question, Another member answered the question, and then went on about something on another topic that was not on the agenda. The Chair of that meeting stated, we have to stay on task, and only cover Agenda items. I was impressed with how quickly the meeting got back on task and was thankful that I was there to learn how to keep meetings on task. If elected your Mayor, I would work with Administration to ensure our meetings are what they are supposed to be statutorily, and make sure that the group stays on task pursuant to what is posted on the agenda.
8. Tell me about an experience in which you analyzed information and evaluated results to choose the best solution to a problem.
I began my employment with the Chamber of Commerce when the office was still in the Depot. The chamber was offered the old police department for new office space in City Hall, and as we began discussion about the option to move the office, I was tasked with collecting the information so that the chamber board had all information before deciding if the move was best for the chamber. I collected the information from the bills that we currently had at the Depot and what our bills would be at city hall. With the information we were able to see that moving to city hall would not only save the chamber money for operating cost it also strengthened the relationship between the city and the chamber to be able to work together.
9. Would you consider analyzing data or information a strength? How so?
Yes, I believe it is one of my strengths, I have found that collecting and analyzing the data or information has helped me to learn more about the subject I was working on and I felt that I came up with the best possible solution. It is a great tool to use for helping move forward with any size project we are working on and helps our committee/group be the best it can be.
10. Your job will come with lots of criticism. How will you handle that?
Constructive criticism is good for any job. I believe that it helps me look at various situations from a different view point and helps me to be able to make positive changes. My goal is to make changes and grow, and growth comes from criticism. If elected your mayor, I look forward to using that criticism towards myself and others as a way to implement necessary changes. Part of that change is for all of us to come together to make this City better every day, and the criticism will slowly turn into compliments. I look forward to working with you as your next Mayor, and will welcome any comments or suggestions you see fit.
BRENDA KALISH
6. Do you think our main street/downtown is healthy and successful? If not, what would you do to change that?
Some of our downtown/main street area is healthy and successful. But, there are many open storefronts that need to be updated and businesses going into these open buildings. What I would do to change that would be to let the citizens know if they are interested in opening some sort of business, there are UDAG loans available through the city to help them start a business. Also, I would strive to try to get volunteers or developers to help improve the overall appearance of some of our crumbling, empty buildings. We are in need of businesses for the downtown to be successful again as it was many years ago when the downtown was busy, thriving, and prosperous.
7. You notice there are too many non-productive internal meetings being held, what do you do?
That would actually depend on what a person would consider non-productive. We have had meetings in the past that we had to table a decision pending more information. What one person may consider a non-productive meeting not knowing all the facts of what was discussed in the meeting, it may actually have been productive with getting more information that we need before making any major decisions. I know some people think that every morning at City Hall is the so-called “coffee club.” But, in fact, it is an internal meeting for the department heads to update us on what has been going on within our city. If I saw too many meetings going on that were considered “non-productive,” I would find out what the meetings were about and decide from there ifit was necessary or not.
8. Tell me about an experience in which you analyzed information and evaluated the results to choose the best solution to a problem.
When I was an office manager at a business, there were several patients that needed major dental work done, but their insurance would only cover a certain amount each year. I analyzed the work that needed to be done, evaluated the results and came up with a solution for the patient that would save them the most money so their insurance would cover the better part of the cost. It made the patient very happy because they still got the dental work done that they needed and still in a timely manner. I have volunteered to do a lot of advocating for people who need assistance with various things such as first time home buyers paperwork, insurance issues, healthcare needs that they are not aware even exist. I know who to contact, what information they need, and come up with a solution to help the individual out, answering questions as to how to fill out the necessary paperwork.
9. Would you consider analyzing data or information a strength? How so?
I consider analyzing data and information a very strong strength of mine. I have a habit of wanting to get answers for people by knowing every outlet there is available for them. I know of all kinds of resources that others may not know about from my past experiences of helping people and from my job as office manager, and I always welcome a challenge. The more challenging it is, the more I strive to involve myself to dig deeper into the situation to come up with an acceptable yet positive solution to problems.
10. Your job will come with lots of criticism. How will you handle that?
I always look at any criticism as constructive criticism…I try to better myself by that. No matter what job you work at, there is always criticism in one form or another. It is the perfect opportunity to consider the criticism, what it is about, and see how I can improve from it. I have dealt with criticism even with being an alderman over the past 13 years. You can never make everyone happy all the time, so the best way to deal with it is to listen and improve myself as best I can from it.
