New Glarus Village Board Candidate Greg Thoemke

Greg Thoemke 
Age: 51 
Occupation: Financial Advisor 
Years lived in village: 13  
Incumbent? Yes 
Have you been on the village board or held any other public office before? If so please describe: 4th term Village Trustee, 4th term member of Personnel & Finance committee, Chairman of Parks & Recreation Committee, Chairman of Community Development Authority, Chairman of Tree Board.
Why are you running for village board? Almost 14 years ago my daughter and I found our way to New Glarus. It wasn’t an intentional choice, but it’s one we’ve never regretted. We’ve enjoyed a vibrant community with great people and a top-notch school district. I cannot think of a place where I’d rather raise her, and so I’ve sought out opportunities to give back to New Glarus from the first year we moved here.
In spite of all New Glarus has going for it, there’s still work to be done. In an era where many small communities are struggling to remain viable, ours continues to move ahead, and I take great pleasure and satisfaction in being part of that process.
What issues do you find most important to the village board? List your top three priorities: Annual Budget Process: The Village of New Glarus is in better financial health than many communities, but there aren’t enough resources to satisfy every budget request. My experience on the Village Board equips me to stretch village resources, to meet as many of the community’s needs and wants as is reasonably possible.
Economic Development and Redevelopment: Growth is critical to maintaining and even reducing the property tax expense of Village residents/businesses, but facilitating smart growth is difficult in a landlocked municipality such as New Glarus. Though we shouldn’t rule out expanding Village boundaries, we need to do all we can to leverage in-fill and redevelopment opportunities. My experience on the Community Development Authority has been extremely valuable to me in pursuing this objective.
Attracting and Retaining Quality Village Staff and Personnel: Experienced and competent employees improve the quality of life of Village residents. New Glarus must compete with larger and wealthier nearby communities for Village staff, police department and utility employees. Though we may not always win these competitions, lean and efficient budgetary practices give us the resources to compete on a reasonably level playing field with other municipalities. My experience on the Personnel & Finance Committee has been critical to me in helping New Glarus to compete in a challenging labor market.
If you could reverse one village action, what would that be? I’m not particularly comfortable with this question because I believe the Village Board has undertaken all previous actions/decisions with the best of intentions, using the best information available to us at the time. I’d also point out that all decisions of the Village Board have been made in a collaborative fashion, on a majority (often unanimous) basis, and often with considerable community input. This question, on the other hand, suggests an autonomous mindset, which is a bad fit for local government.
Nevertheless, I will share my thoughts on the question at hand: the decision made during my eight years on the Village Board that comes to mind is the 2014 advisory referendum on the library construction issue. While I was and am in favor of asking for the community’s input on this important topic, the execution of this referendum was (in my opinion) badly botched, largely based on what I consider errant guidance from Village Counsel.
As many may recall, the referendum was written in two parts; the first part dealt with Village borrowing of $1 million for construction costs and the second part dealt with choice of a location for a new library. Unfortunately, the referendum was written in such a way that only those who voted “yes” to the first part were allowed input on the second part. This poor design resulted in the disenfranchisement of nearly half of those who cast votes on the matter.
Now, four years later, some still point to this referendum as a critical factor to consider on the library topic. I believe the referendum input was flawed from the beginning and, with the passage of time, becomes ever less relevant to any future decisions.
Any additional comments? It has been my pleasure to serve the Village of New Glarus for nearly eight years, and I look forward to utilizing my experience and passion for this role to benefit the community, for years to come!