Three vie for spot in Algoma District 3

By Kris Leonhardt

Editor-in-chief

GREEN BAY – Three candidates will vie for a seat on the Algoma City Council in District 3.

That field will be narrowed down to two during the Feb. 20 primary, before heading to the April 2 spring election.

Candidates for District 3 include:

Casey Buhr (Incumbent)

See mayor’s race for information on Buhr.

Bill Bush

Please provide your background, education and experiences that qualify you for the position:

I have a masters plus degree in educational administration. I worked in public education for 36 years, with 25 of those years in administration. The last seven years of my career, I spent in Algoma as the pre-K-12 principal.

What developments would you like to see the city make over the upcoming term?

I would like to see a lot more transparency from the city government to the public. I would like to see an official publication of record, with notices of meetings, agendas and minutes put in this publication. Also, other pertinent documents like the budget. I think the biggest thing is transparency. There are a lot of rumors and innuendos about what is happening, what should be happening and what is not happening.

What means would you use to further involve your constituents in the decision-making process?

I think my constituents have to be as concerned as I am with what is going on in the community. Now how to accomplish that; I think the publication of record would be a good start. Making myself available to my constituents; listening to my constituents.

Pastor Kenneth Taylor

Please provide your background, education and experiences that qualify you for the position:

I am 69 years old and have lived in Algoma for 25 years. Married to Naomi Taylor for 45 years. I have three children: Jeremy, Matthew and Misty, who we lost November 2021 to COVID-19, and seven grandchildren.

I attended Trinity Bible College and have pastored for 50 years this coming April.

I owned and operated Wings of Eagles Childcare for 11 years and have worked with many boards and committees during this time

I served on the Algoma City Council 10 years, until a health issue caused me to step down. My health is back, and I desire to return to the council and serve the citizens of the third ward.

What developments would you like to see the city make over the upcoming term?

As an alderman of the third ward, I would move to see our city government become more transparent in the decision-making process and allow more input into the hands of citizen committees. We need to find ways to communicate to the general public the topics we deliberate and the actions we then consider taking.

As I collected signatures to run for council, the input from seniors was concern regarding the raising of taxes, and the repeated statement: “lf they keep going up, I cannot stay in my home.” As a senior myself, I want to be the voice for the senior citizens in our community.

We need to bring back the marina committee and a supervisor as a separate entity to oversee the marina area and operation, along with hiring a park and recreation director to oversee the parks and activities for the children of Algoma. With downsizing our committees, we are taking citizens out of the decision-making process and losing valuable input for our government leadership. Our community cannot be led by local government alone, but instead by the citizens’ input to our elected leaders.

We are thankful to our tourism business in the summer months, but let’s not forget the local people who live here year-round. Our roads and sidewalks need to be addressed. Let’s look at more flowers and keep our town looking great for visitors and local families.

The time has come for the city to consider bringing back the wastewater treatment plant under the leadership of the city. Sewer bills are getting out of hand. I have heard talk that the present company would like to take over the water department also. Taking that power out of local control would not be a smart move by our city fathers. There has also been talk of selling the Algoma Utilities. Our utility company is a well-managed business that does a great job taking care of our citizens. An outside company would not take the time or provide the great service that our current staff does for the city.

What means would you use to further involve your constituents in the decision-making process?

My constituents would be welcome to call me; I would welcome the opportunity to sit and have coffee and discuss matters. I would seek out their opinions on the issues we as a city face. Our government has to be of the people, for the people, by the people.