Growth and safety, not recent debates, focus of election forum

Two veteran Town of Fredonia officials facing off for town chairman in the April election made their cases to voters at a candidate forum Saturday in a discussion focused primarily on growth and safety.

At the end of the forum, incumbent Chairman Lance Leider brought up the conspicuous lack of questions on hot-button issues like the closure of Little Kohler Haus tavern and the dilapidated Waubeka Mill.

Leider said those issues have been recurring topics of discussion at Town Board meetings.

“We are working on all of them because they all are a problem,” he said.

The restoration of a liquor license to Little Kohler Haus owner David Cook has divided Leider and challenger Supr. Chris Janik.

Last month, Janik voted for restoring the license in a motion that was defeated in part to a no vote from Leider.

Cook lost his license last year after missing a renewal deadline and has since pleaded guilty in Ozaukee County Circuit Court to a charge of continuing to serve liquor without a license.

Leider has joined other supervisors in arguing that Little Kohler Haus “looks like a mess” and has generated ire from neighbors who complain about raucous crowds and other safety issues.

Janik, however, has said he has not received complaints about the bar and that Cook has responded to concerns.

“I am not a regular there so I don’t know how his business is,” he said last month. “But I know when there have been issues (from the town’s perspective), Cook has tried to fix them.

“(The other board members) must know of things I don’t.”

Leider and Janik have generally been in lockstep on the issue of demolishing the crumbling Waubeka Mill. Both view it and the neighboring Button Factory owned by Charles Sheridan and his son as unrepairable.

  At the forum, Janik said he hopes to foster a more upfront environment at Town Board meetings. 

Sometimes, board members don’t explain their position or make only a few comments before voting on issues.

    “If you’re against something or for something, there has to be a reason you’re against it or for it. You have to throw everything on the table,” he said. “I think there could be work in that direction.”

  Leider said that during the six years he has been Chairman, board members have reached a consensus on about 80% of the issues yet have been open to disagreements.

Development in the town was a point of discussion.

Janik pushed for increased growth to counteract growing expenses.

“Fredonia, like any town, has a certain number of services we must provide. The challenge is providing those services without breaking the bank,” he said. “Costs will keep going up.”

Janik said the town’s land use map only has one property delineated for residential development and the property owner isn’t planning on selling.

The town’s history of growth primarily through five acre lot divisions has “gobbled up” land for larger development.

Leider agreed about the necessity of growth and advocated for “slow, steady” development.

The consolidation and professionalization of fire services in northern Ozaukee County was also brought up.

Leider and Janik both expressed hesitancy to alter the town’s relationship with the volunteer-based Waubeka Fire Department, although they commended the joint ambulance agreement signed last year between the towns and village of Fredonia and Belgium.

A merger of fire departments is currently a non-starter, but the situation could change, Leider said.

“Changing is mighty expensive,” he said. “Trucks are expensive, but full-time employees are even more expensive. There’s no big rush to jump on the bandwagon and get rid of volunteers, but there is a concern about keeping them in the future.”

Janik agreed.

“As long as they are there and have the members, I don’t see anything changing in our relationship,” he said. “The general feeling is that long-term volunteerism is going to suffer.

“Waubeka is our guys, our team, but we need to look at ways to cooperate with other departments to get costs under control.”

Leider and Janik each have more than 20 years of experience on the Town Board.

The forum was hosted by the Waubeka Historic District Association.