Thursday, January 23, 2025
Serving Algoma, Casco, Kewaunee, Luxemburg and all of Kewaunee County
LUXEMBURG - Luxemburg will have a contested race for president and five candidates vying for three seats on the Village Board, and all incumbents in those seats are running to retain them in the April 6 general election.
Current Village President Jack Seidl faces off against challenger Larry Hurley, and trustees Germaine Burkart, Brian Barbiaux and Lori Hurley are running to keep their seats against challenges from Ronald Tlachac and Daniel Rueckl.
The Star-News asked the candidates to take part in a short survey to let voters know who they are and why residents should vote for them. For more information on voting in the April 6 election, please visit https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us.
Larry Hurley and Lori Hurley did not respond to requests to complete the survey and Burkhart declined to take part. Here are the answers from the candidates who responded.
Age: 75
Current occupation/education: Retired; formerly owned and operated general contracting company
Family members: Married, one son, two grandchildren
How long have you lived in your community? All my life except for three years in Green Bay
Public service experience: Village president since last June; previous seven years as village trustee. Served on Plan Commission for about 35 years. Former secretary, Luxemburg Chamber of Commerce. Served with numerous groups and committees at St. Mary's School including on its school board.
Contact information: 920-845-2126 or clerktreasurer@luxemburgusa.com
Why are you running for office?
Seidl: I originally ran for office to be of service to the community; that's been my goal all along. We have a good board and it's been a pleasure to work with them. We've got a lot of projects going (Frontier Street project, new high-speed internet, updated comprehensive plan), and I'd like to see some of them fulfilled. I've got a lot of experience, and people are asking me to run.
What makes you the better candidate for this office?
Seidl: Experience, and working well with the board we have. I've worked with a number of boards, so I bring that experience. And I have knowledge of what's going on in the village.
Is there a specific issue on which you plan to focus when in office?
Seidl: Just keeping Luxemburg growing. We got a good start on projects, and we want to continue to grow.
Is there anything on which you would work with the council to better address the COVID-19 pandemic locally?
Seidl: We tried to do everything we could. I know there was some issue where we could have met with the Fire & Rescue Department earlier (about personal protective equipment). Other than that, I think we used our resources as well as we could. We would have liked to open parks earlier but we took the advice of the county health director.
Age: 34
Current occupation/education: Air traffic controller; associate's degree
Family members: Wife, Nicole; son, Paxton; daughter, Brie
How long have you lived in your community? Over 25 years
Public service experience: Current village trustee
Contact information: 920-309-0677 or brianbarbiaux@yahoo.com
Age: 57
Current occupation/education: Electrical supervisor/safety manager; Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, five-year apprentice program and continuous education for Master Electrician license
Family members: Travis and his wife, Janelle, and their 1-year-old son Jace; Lucas and his wife, Liz; our youngest son, Austin.
How long have you lived in your community? 57 years
Public service experience: Previously served on the Village Board for 4 years; I left the board during a time when my three boys were very active in sports. Member of Luxemburg Fire Department for 30 years. Previous Luxemburg Lions Club member.
Contact information: 920-536-0485 or rktlachac@gmail.com
Age: 63
Current occupation/education: Director at Conger Toyota Lift, Green Bay; employed at Conger for 45 years
Family members: Wife of 42 years, Maria; two children, Valerie and Brian; six grandchildren
How long have you lived in your community? 63 years
Public service experience: No past political experience. Former charter member and secretary of the Luxemburg Lions Club. I look forward to being more involved in community interest.
Contact information: 920-845-5347 or drueckl@centurytel.net
RELATED: Kewaunee County cities to receive more than $582,000 in COVID-19 relief package
RELATED: Luxemburg enters agreement for high-speed internet with Cellcom
FOR MORE KEWAUNEE COUNTY NEWS: Check out our homepage
Why are you running for office?
Barbiaux: I am running to continue to help Luxemburg grow and better our community.
Tlachac: As a previous board member, I feel I can contribute knowledge and past experiences to help move our board forward as we grow as a village into the future. I have over 30 years experience in construction management, bidding and safety standards.
Rueckl: I am running for trustee to help our community grow in a smart way while still keeping our village a great place to live and raise a family, as well as run successful businesses. Our village needs responsible growth that is good for everyone. My father, John Rueckl, served on the village board for many years and I saw how he made a difference. I look forward to doing the same.
What makes you the better candidate for this office?
Barbiaux: I bring in new fresh ideas to help grow Luxemburg and communicate with residents to address their concerns.
Tlachac: You have to listen to the taxpayers that voted you in. I would invite them to call me to discuss issues. There is never a 100% correct answer, but when you are a board member you have to look at pros and cons of the parties involved and do what is best for our taxpayers, while keeping the financial needs and safety of our village intact.
Rueckl: I feel I have a vested interest in the community and the residents that live here. My many years of business management and my strong ability to collaborate with people helps in making common sense decisions.
Is there a specific issue on which you plan to focus when in office?
Barbiaux: When I joined the Village Board, I wanted to work on bringing high-speed internet to the village. Now that high-speed internet is on its way, I want to shift my focus to economic development and try to bring new businesses to the village.
Tlachac: I want to look at our village growth and review all ordinances and bylaws that the village board is held accountable to.
Rueckl: Bring awareness of topics going on in the community. Keep people aware of things that may impact them and their families.
Is there anything on which you would work with the Village Board to better address the COVID-19 pandemic locally?
Barbiaux: Help the village and area businesses recover and get us back to normal.
Tlachac: We need to keep reviewing all COVID guidelines when it comes to the safety of our village residents. We also need a plan on how we will be transitioning back to normal life as a village. There should also be a plan in place for federal funding in relation to COVID and how to allocate it properly and fairly.
Rueckl: Stay up to date with state and local recommendations so we can get local businesses and community functions up.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.
More: Kewaunee Common Council: Meet the candidates in the April 6 election
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Luxemburg village president, trustees: Meet the candidates in the April 6 elections
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