BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
In advance of next week’s Spring Primary Election on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, as a public service, we offered each of the candidates who will be on that ballot the opportunity to share a little information about themselves and their reasons for running for office. Not all candidates responded. Those candidates that did respond have their responses to the questionnaire printed here. We hope this will help voters make informed decisions prior to voting.
A Spring Primary Election is being held in our area in only four Wards in the City of Merrill:
- City of Merrill in District 2 (Ward 4) – The only race on the ballot is for District 2 Lincoln County Supervisor. The purpose of this primary is to narrow the choice of candidates from three to two in the race for County Supervisor for District 2. Scott Doerr, Lori Anderson-Malm (incumbent), and Keras Nimz are all running for the office, and the primary will narrow the race to the two candidates with the most votes who will then run against each other for the position in the April 2 Spring Election.
- City of Merrill in District 8 (Wards 2 and 15) – The only race on the ballot is for City of Merrill District 8 Alderperson. The purpose of this primary is to narrow the choice of candidates from three to two in the race for City of Merrill District 8 Alderperson. Allen Wix, Rebecca Rutkowski, and Renea Frederick are all running for the office, and the primary will narrow the race to the two candidates with the most votes who will then run against each other for the position in the April 2 Spring Election.
- City of Merrill in District 8 (Ward 3) – The voters in this District will have both of the above-mentioned races on their ballots: District 2 Lincoln County Supervisor and City of Merrill District 8 Alderperson. See the above two bullet points for the candidates and explanation of this primary vote.
Candidates on the primary ballot for Lincoln County District 2 – County Supervisor are: Scott Doerr, Lori Anderson-Malm (incumbent), and Keras Nimz.
Name: Scott Doerr
Age: 66
Family: I was born and raised in Merrill. I have been married to Linda for over 42 years. We have two sons that have their own businesses.
Employment/position: I was a 29-year employee at Semco, and in 2007 became Manager of the Merrill Eagles Club where I am still employed.
Past or present elected offices held, dates served:
Membership in religious, service, fraternal, etc., clubs or organizations, and offices held, dates served: Fraternal Order of Eagles Past Regional President, Past State President, Current State Treasurer, and current Aerie Secretary. Past President, Treasurer and Negotiator for Former Local Union 2344. I was Co-Chair with my wife Linda for Relay for Life, raising over $200,000 locally for Cancer research and programs. I was also a political Liaison for The American Cancer Society, meeting with legislators in Madison and Washington D.C. I am League Secretary for the Wednesday Night Bowling League. I am a member of The Eagles and Noon Optimist Club.
Why have you chosen to run for the office you seek: I am in support of keeping Pine Crest County owned. I feel the decision to sell Pine Crest should be up to the taxpayers. The current County Board saw fit to vote down a referendum, rather than let us have a voice. I am also concerned that a sale to a private entity could cost some, if not all, jobs held by Lincoln County employees. Other programs such as Lincoln Industries and the UW Extension were also cut or eliminated. These were important programs for disabled adults, youth, and even businesses in Lincoln County. Bringing back the peoples voice! I want to be your voice on County issues, and I will invite your views as well as your thoughts on issues regarding County government. Thank you for taking some time to learn and make an informed vote.
Name: Lori Anderson-Malm (incumbent)
Age: 60
Family: Married – Eric, two step-children – Austin & Brittany, two step-grandchildren – Forest & Gianna, one lovable mini-dachshund – Abby
Employment/position: Merrill City Clerk
Past or present elected offices held, dates served: County Board Supervisor District 2 – April 2022-present; Merrill City Clerk – April 2022-present
Membership in religious, service, fraternal, etc., clubs or organizations, and offices held, dates served: Member of St. Stephens UCC; Committee member of the O’Tannenbaum Tour since 2018; Board member and Treasurer for the Friends of the TB Scott Library since 2010; Volunteer at St. Francis fish fries for 16 years.
Why have you chosen to run for the office you seek: A few of the reasons I chose to run for office were to increase transparency in government and to continue to ensure election integrity. In the two years I’ve served as your District 2 Supervisor, those goals were established.
The first was a resolution to record and make available to the public, County Board and Committee meetings. As a taxpayer, it’s imperative to have transparency in government and the ability for anyone to view prior recorded meetings. This was not done prior to 2022. This was followed by a policy change requiring all ordinances and resolutions be sponsored by a County Board Supervisor (by name) in order to appear on the agenda. This change took away the anonymous authors of policy changes that occurred prior to 2022. An ordinance regarding donations, grants, and integrity for elections was passed in July 2022, as well as a resolution for an advisory referendum question regarding the prohibition of election officials from soliciting or using private funds, technology, or services from special interest groups, people, or other private entities for the purpose and administering of elections. Going forward, I will continue to keep transparency in government and election integrity at the forefront.
Another reason I chose to run for office was to ensure fiscal responsibility. Lincoln County does not have an endless supply of money nor can we continually ask taxpayers to pay more to cover previous Boards’ poor financial decisions. We need to ensure the money we receive is spent wisely. Making fiscally responsible choices is not easy and is not popular; no one wants to hear the word “no.” Decisions need to be made for the long-term financial future of Lincoln County and its taxpayers instead of the short-term fixes that were done in the past. There is more to accomplish and the majority of those tasks will not be easy.
For the past two years, I have listened to my constituents and have voted accordingly. It has been an honor to serve as your District 2 Supervisor. I am asking for your support and vote on Feb. 20. Thank you.
Candidates on the primary ballot for City of Merrill District 8 Alderperson are: Allen Wix, Rebecca Rutkowski, and Renea Frederick.
Name: Allen Wix
Age:
Family:
Employment/position: Currently, I am retired, although I work full time in the spring and fall.
Past or present elected offices held, dates served:
Membership in religious, service, fraternal, etc., clubs or organizations, and offices held, dates served:
Why have you chosen to run for the office you seek: Most of my life has been spent in Lincoln county, with the last four years as a resident of the city of Merrill. Graduating from the Merrill school system, I then stayed employed in the area while raising a family. The last several years I have attended some of the City Council meetings with the intent of familiarizing myself with the City situation, as well as how the government works. My biggest concern is to stay open minded while helping to keep the City progressing in an affordable fashion. We already carry too much debt in my opinion and the last tax hike was hard for everyone considering the cost of everything else due to inflation. We need to spend less than what we currently take in. It would also be wise to retire some of the current debt before we incur more. Inflation affects everyone, let’s keep the City’s burden to a minimum.
Name: Rebecca Rutkowski
Age: 38
Family: Married. My husband and I live on Lake Steet, a couple blocks from where I grew up.
Employment/position: I work at United Healthcare as an account manager.
Past or present elected offices held, dates served: I have served on the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Ad Hoc Committee for the City Administrator position. I am currently serving on the Redevelopment Authority and Park and Recreation Board. The Redevelopment Authority makes crucial decisions about the future and growth of the City. I feel I make informed decisions, while being budget conscious and supporting local business.
Membership in religious, service, fraternal, etc., clubs or organizations, and offices held, dates served:
Why have you chosen to run for the office you seek: I feel I would be an asset to our City Council as I am an regular taxpayer. I am not a politician and I feel the questions I ask or concerns that I have would mirror a lot of yours. If elected and you have a concern, let me know and I will help address it or get an answer to you on your question. I feel I am able to listen to all of the information presented and perspectives before making a decision. I think that everyone should have a voice in how their Councilperson votes, as they are voting on issues that affect all of us. District 8 is in desperate need of some street repaving and water and sewer upgrades. I also feel we should learn from what has not worked in the past to improve the future and be open to change. I support transparency in our City government. I really care about this community and want to keep making it a better place to live and raise families in.
As indicated above, I serve on the Park and Recreation Board. The Park and Recreation Board is also important as our parks and recreational activities are a huge part of Merrill’s history and hopefully our future. We are very blessed to have all of our great recreation. From the Riverbend Trail to the MARC, the Underdown, Ice age Trail, the City Forest, our lakes and rivers, to all the sporting activities. I would love to see the Riverbend Trail connect to Marathon County one day. I love to fish and also to ride my bike or walk through our parks. I support public safety, as we all deserve to live in a safe community. Childcare options are also very important. While I will fight to improve these areas of our community, I will also keep the tax dollar in mind.
Thank you for your time and please vote Feb. 20 at the Lincoln County Service Center.
Name: Renea Frederick
Age: Old enough
Family: Married to Todd Frederick, son: Tyler Frederick, daughter-in-law: Annette Frederick, granddaughter: Lily Frederick
Employment/position: Co-owner of FreMarq Innovations Inc. and Prairie River Properties, LLC.
Past or present elected offices held, dates served: Merrill School Board 2006-2009
Membership in religious, service, fraternal, etc., clubs or organizations, and offices held, dates served: People for Pine Crest, March 2023 to present, Aware & Active Citizens – Treasurer, 2020 to present; Merrill Foundation and Merrill Community Foundation – Treasurer and President, 2016-2023; UW Marathon Foundation, President 2006-2012; Merrill Chamber; Maple Grove PTO.
Why have you chosen to run for the office you seek: I chose to run for office because Merrill should be thriving not just surviving. The City of Merrill has great assets, such as the location to the freeway, the rivers, school system, and its people. I would like to use my experience in building businesses from scratch, repurposing abandoned buildings, and working with folks such as the SBA, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and banks to develop programs to grow Merrill’s entrepreneurs and small businesses. This will bring people to Merrill for these opportunities. These small businesses, owners, and entrepreneurs will fill our downtowns. They will fill our business park. They will grow Merrill’s tax base. It will bring other businesses here to support them. Merrill will be thriving not just surviving. Merrill was built by entrepreneurs; I would like to see history repeated.