Write-in candidate tries to make it a race for village president

Peter Lenz will be the only name on the April 1 ballot for Fredonia village president, but this week a challenger registered to run against him as a write-in candidate.

Eric Stowe registered with the village on Tuesday, which means although his name won’t be on the ballot any write-in votes he receives will be counted, Clerk Michelle Johnson said.

Stowe said in an interview Tuesday that he has already voted for Lenz, but shortly after doing so he discovered a Facebook post from Lenz’s wife expressing frustration with the direction of the country in the wake of President Donal Trump’s election.

Stowe called the post “concerning” and described it as “lining up with Democratic ideas.”

Lenz said in an interview Tuesday his wife’s post, which she made the day after Trump was elected, has nothing to do with Village of Fredonia government.

“This is a nonpartisan race,” he said. “I’m not running as a Democrat or a Republican.

“I’ve lived in this community for 20 years. I’m trying to make it a better place. My goal isn’t to do anything radical, it’s to grow the village.”

Lenz and Stowe are vying to replace Dan Gehrke, who is not running for re-election.

Lenz, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has said his vision is to make Fredonia “a place where people can spend an evening.”

He said the village has come a long way since he moved to Fredonia, but he would like more dining and shopping options.

“When I moved, the downtown area was a little store, lumberyard and gas station,” he said. “The Dollar General is nice but it would be good to have something bigger.”

At the same time, Lenz said, he wants measured growth.

“Slow but steady. I don’t want Fredonia to become the next Milwaukee obviously,” he said.

Stowe, who works in supply chain leadership, said he would take a DOGE-like approach to village government, referring to the federal Department of Government Efficiency led by billionaire Elon Musk.

By that, he said, he doesn’t mean eliminating the handful of government jobs in Fredonia but reviewing the villages budget to prioritize those expenditures which add value for residents.

“I’m not talking about reducing the workforce,” he said. “By DOGE-like approach, I mean a critical review of the village budget.”

Lenz is also one of three candidates running for three trustee positions, which means if he is elected president and assumes that position, the third trustee seat would be filled by a write-in candidate if there is one or by appointment.

The other trustee candidates are DJ Syring and incumbent Don Dohrwardt.

Syring, a technical writer for a construction equipment company, said in January that he is running for the board because he has a young family and recently moved to the village.

Dohrwardt has served on the Village Board for most of the last three decades, at times as president. He also served as an Ozaukee County Board supervisor from 2000 to 2020.