Longtime town residents face off in supervisor contest

Two Town of Saukville fixtures are vying for a seat on the Ozaukee County Board in the April 2 election.

Art Laubenstein, owner of the apple orchard Rotten to the Core, is challenging incumbent Supr. Barbara Jobs for her 3rd District seat.

Laubenstein served on the County Board from 1978 to 1983. Jobs has been a county supervisor since 2012 and is a former chairman of the Town of Saukville.

Laubenstein said he’s running again for the County Board “to bring autonomy, transparency, new opportunities and security to the community.

“I would like constituents, employees and myself to have the ability to interact with the community and each other within different branches of the county, not just with department hierarchies,” he said.

Besides serving on the County Board for six years, Laubenstein was a deputy sheriff for nine years, two years as a sheriff investigator and has worked part-time for the county Planning and Parks Department the past nine years.

“I’m known as the orange tractor guy,” he said.

He has operated the orchard and a dairy farm in the Town of Saukville since the 1970s, buying the farm from his parents.

He said as supervisor he would support:

• Safety improvements at county parks and roads.

• Requiring that non-county residents pay to visit county parks to help pay for improvements.

• Improving responsiveness of county administration.

• Limiting supervisors to three two-year terms.

“I want transparency between the community and the (county) departments,” he said. “I will always engage with my constituents, not only through email, but in person. I want to hear what the community members want and need, I want the community to succeed.”

Jobs said her experience in town government and 12 years on the County Board qualifies her to continue serving there, noting that she also has experience as a certified municipal clerk.

“Along with being accessible to my constituents, I have a near perfect meeting attendance record only being excused for illness, injury or family death,” she said.

Jobs has served on the Natural Resources Committee, including as chairman and vice chairman, which oversees the county parks and planning, land and water and conservation departments.

  During her tenure, the committee has pushed through several projects, including:

• The building of restrooms and a shelter at Covered Bridge Park.

• Access to Lake Michigan via a staircase at Virmond Park.

• Development of future campsites at Hawthorne Hills Park.

• Improving police radio infrastructure in the county.

“It is a blessing to see something you’ve done being valued and appreciated by constituents,” she said.

She said she is looking forward to working on several future county priorities.

“I anticipate working on the future needs of fire and emergency medical services throughout the county,” she said.

The need for a community-based residential facility at the Lasata campus will also need to addressed,” she added. “Currently, 30 residents per year need to seek other facilities that offer a CBRF level of care.

Continuing the level of service and citizen-usable amenities while sustaining the lowest county tax levy in the state will require all supervisors’ input,” she said.

District 3 encompasses the Town of Saukville and part of the Town of Fredonia south of Highway H west of the Village of Fredonia and south of Highway A east of Highway KK.

Voting is held at the Saukville Town Hall, 3762 Lakeland Rd.