Incumbents face challenges for Village Board seats

Four candidates are competing for three seats on the Saukville Village Board in the April 2 election.

Wendy Preston Smith and Brandon Ashley are challenging incumbent trustees Jim Nowlen and Trevor Seitz.

Smith, 54, a medical staff coordinator who has lived in the village for nearly 20 years, said she’s running for office to help guide the village’s future development.

“I want to promote Saukville’s growth and development to offer residents and neighboring communities employment, housing and entertainment opportunities,” Smith said.

Smith also said she supports strengthening the village’s police and fire departments.

“Being a community that is divided by the highway brings safety issues that other communities don’t have,” she said. “I will support the effort to strengthen training and provide necessary resources to our police and fire departments so they can improve their high level of service and reduce their response times.”

Ashley, 27, said he is running for Village Board in order to “bridge a generational gap.”

Ashley is a sales and development manager who grew up in the Saukville and Grafton areas. He is focused on championing issues facing young people who are starting a family or buying their first home.

“I believe that every generation brings unique perspectives and needs, and my goal is to ensure that these are voiced and addressed within our community government,” he said.

Incumbent Jim Nowlen, 74, has been on the board since 2018 and is chairman of the Public Safety Committee and Architectural Review Board.

A retired information technology engineer, Nowlen said his priority is ensuring high-quality fire and emergency medical services coverage as the Saukville and Grafton fire departments are considering consolidating.

“(The Public Safety Committee) is in the midst of addressing our needs for EMT and fire services, which has improved but more is needed,” Nowlen wrote in an email. “We’re in the midst of creating a new sustainable Fire Service for the Villages of Saukville and Grafton, and the towns of Grafton and Saukville. As this work will continue into 2025, I hope to remain in this position and continue to work with our talented village staff and fellow communities to see this through to a successful end.”

Seitz has been a village trustee since 2018 and has twice run for village president, losing to incumbent Barb Dickmann in 2021 and Andy Hebein last year.

Seitz is also running in April for a seat on the Ozaukee County Board, challenging incumbent Supr. Donald Clark of Saukville for the District 5 seat.

Seitz did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Trustee Scott Fischer is not running for re-election.