On the April 3 general election ballot, Lincoln County voters will have a number of choices to make for city and county offices.
Candidates in contested races for local offices were asked to introduce themselves by filling out a questionnaire and making some comments about themselves and their views. This week we heard from the candidates for Merrill City Clerk, Merrill Alderman for Districts 3 and 4, and Lincoln County Board Supervisors for Districts 10 and 20. Following are responses from the Merrill City Clerk candidates:
Bill Heideman – Incumbent
Age: 63.
Family: Single.
Education: Graduate of Merrill High School, Data Processing degree from Northcentral Technical College, continuing education through online courses at Northcentral Technical College.
Employment: City Clerk-City of Merrill (1998-Present).
Involvement: Current member and past president of Merrill Lions Club; Life Member and Past President of the Merrill Historical Society; Past President of Merrill Toastmasters Club; Past Member of Merrill Optimist Club; served as Treasurer of Merrill Silver ‘M’ Club; Past Member of Good Samaritan Health Foundation Board of Directors; served on Board of Directors of Merrill Little League; Active member of St. John Lutheran Church and served on the Executive Board of Elders, Executive Board, Board of Evangelism, Fair Stand Treasurer and Men’s Club Treasurer.
Comments: “It has been an honor to serve as City Clerk for the last 20 years, and the reason I am seeking a sixth term is my desire to continue that service to the City of Merrill. On the night in 1998 when I was first elected City Clerk, my sister Barb took me aside and told me that there were two things she wanted me to remember after I took office. The first was to always remember how much I love Merrill, and the second was to always remember the people that put me in office. To me, those words have withstood the test of time. I can’t and won’t honestly say that I recall them daily, but they certainly help me keep focused on what an elected official can and should do for the voters. Much has changed since I first assumed office in 1998, but my commitment to Merrill has not wavered. During my tenure, I have, through education and experience, earned the designations of Certified Municipal Clerk and Wisconsin Certified Municipal Clerk. Also, I continue to further my education by taking accounting and computer related online courses through North Central Technical College. Making promises that are not practical or are impossible to keep is not wise, especially in local politics. One promise I can and will make is the same one I made when I assumed office two decades ago. That promise is that I will always strive to do my best as City Clerk. I can promise no more than my best, and the voters of the place I am proud to call home deserve nothing less than the best. Please vote in the upcoming election. By doing so, you will help shape the future of the City of Merrill. Thank you.”
Patricia Lindquist – Challenger
Age: 55.
Family: Born and raised in Merrill and have two sets of parents living here, Tom & Kathy Lindquist and Allaire & William Kidder; brother, John, and sister, Lisa, both currently living in Atlanta, GA. As a dog lover, I have two four legged dependents, Ezri and Gabby.
Education: BS in Education with a Minor in Business from Valparaiso University; additional professional courses include – GAP Partnerships ‘The Complete Negotiator,’ American Management Association Courses in Finance, Leadership, and Management, Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Employment: I started my professional life teaching at Zion Lutheran School, in Deerfield Beach, FL. I went on to build a career in retail merchandising, starting as a merchant assistant, I was promoted to become a merchant, and went on to hold positions as a merchandising manager. My retail career spans across several companies including Office Depot, Petstuff, Home Depot, Purchasing Power, and lastly Petco/Drs Foster & Smith.
Comments: “I am extremely qualified to work in the position of City Clerk for Merrill. Most of my career involved work with greater complexities and many of the professional skills I developed while managing product categories across multiple functional areas translate very well. As a retail merchant I was not only responsible for reaching financial goals and vendor negotiations and contracts, I was also responsible to provide direction to multiple internal functional areas including data collection, inventory management, logistics, marketing, planning, and financial forecasting and analytics. This prepares me well for working with multiple city departments & personnel and having the responsibility of coordinating documenting & communication follow up for meetings, as well as organizing election staff. I am very confident of my ability to handle all duties of the office as well as provide any additional assistance where needed. I will have a fresh and fair perspective, an open-door policy, the utmost integrity, enthusiasm, and a cooperative mind set.”