TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
On Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, residents in Lincoln County District 12 will vote to decide which two of the three candidates who filed papers to run for County Supervisor will move on to the Spring General Election and be included on the Tuesday, April 5, 2022, ballot for District 12.
Incumbent Paul Gilk will face challengers Julie DePasse and Jon Weiler.
The two candidates with the highest number of votes will go on to compete in the Spring General Election.
Name: Paul Gilk (Incumbent)
Age: 75
Family: Wife Susanna, children Tobias, Hannah, and Woody
Employer/position: Author, musician
Past or present elected offices held, dates served: Town of Harding Supervisor, Lincoln County Supervisor
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: Some of what I’ll say was spelled out in greater detail in my Foto News letter of Jan. 27, specifically my involvement as a Supervisor with Pine Crest, North Central Health Care, HAVEN and Social Services, T. B. Scott Library, and various countywide referenda. There were accomplishments in all those areas.
But there were (and are) hard fiscal limitations. The tax levy limit is the big one. Right after that is the refusal of the state legislature to index the gas tax. The results of levy limit and frozen gas tax butt up against County employee wage increases (including health insurance costs), the general rise in expenses across the board, and a Highway Department that’s pleaded for what’s called the wheel tax as a way to plug part of its budgetary hole–and fill potholes, grade gravel, and plow snow.
I doubt if we’ve done more with less, but we’ve tried (and so far succeeded) to keep the wheels from falling off.
Two projects I’m working on (and there are others, like carbon credits related to the County forest) are historical murals on interior Service Center walls and a housing “summit” exploring low-income housing needs in the county. (The “summit” is scheduled for March 16, 9-3, in the Service Center.)
It frankly takes a lot of patience and persistence to be a County Supervisor. Hotheads get nothing useful done and tend to slow everything to a crawl. At 75, I believe I’ve outgrown my hothead phase and am more into attentiveness and patience and persistence. I don’t think I’ll want to be on the County Board all that much longer, but another term or two seems right.
Name: Julie DePasse
Age: 57
Family: Husband – Tom DePasse, daughter and son-in-law – Thea and Keith Osborne and grandson Duane Osborne (he is gorgeous), son and daughter-in-law – Dex and Megan DePasse who are foster parents, but I don’t get to share the names of these grandkids (they are beautiful too).
Employment/position: CEO of a small, not-for-profit, government insurance pool that covers (insures) public housing authorities.
Past or present elected offices held, dates served: I have never held public office.
Membership in religious, service, fraternal, etc., clubs or organizations, and offices held, dates served: My husband and I are long-time members of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Corning and I have served in many capacities throughout the years. Right now I am the Financial Secretary for the church.
Why have you chosen to run for the office you seek: Lincoln County debt had increased $7.5 M in five years; as of the end of 2020, our liabilities totaled almost $33 M. The debt burden for Lincoln County tax payers is increasing at an average rate of $1.5 M per year despite property tax rates that are among the highest in the nation and a newly-extended wheel tax. This is unsustainable and I think we can do better.
I graduated from Merrill in 1982, and met my husband a few years later while stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. We returned to the Merrill area in 1998 and have been here ever since. We live in the southern part of the district, in the town of Corning, and have two wonderful kids, both married, and a beautiful grandson.
I have worked in accounting and finance for over 30 years and manage a small insurance company that was nearly insolvent when I took over, 15 years ago, and is now financially stable and flourishing. We can do the same for Lincoln County.
Governments, at every level, have increased debt dramatically. It is time they learned to live within their means, like the families and businesses in Lincoln County. When our taxes increase, families decide what they can do without. Not so with government, they decide how much debt and taxes will increase to finance their spending goals.
We need to decide what services we can and cannot provide without raising taxes or borrowing more money. We need to look for ways to increase efficiency in the services we cannot do without, like law enforcement and highway maintenance, and we need to establish policies that encourage private investment, development and growth in our County. This will increase revenue without increasing taxes.
Our County government should be informative and transparent. Understandable, timely information should be available to citizens and County Supervisors alike. Discussion and debate should be encouraged at County meetings so the Board and tax payers can make informed decisions. In my opinion, we could improve the way material is distributed and make more education and data available to the public.
If elected, I will vote for reductions in spending, so we can balance our budget. I will not vote to increase property taxes or extend the wheel tax. I will seek information, ask questions, and encourage debate. Finally, I will work with other Supervisors to adopt policies that will increase opportunity for the hard-working people in Lincoln County.
If you love Lincoln County as much as I do and think we can do better, I need your vote. The District 12 Primary is Feb. 15 and the Spring Election is April 5. Let’s take back Lincoln County!
Name: Jon Weiler
Age: 54
Family: Spouse Sabrina, three adult children, and one granddaughter
Employment/position: Substitute teacher, government contractor US Army Reserve, former Executive Director of a Veterans non-profit, US Army Retired 2017.
Past or present elected offices held, dates served: No prior experience as an elected official.
Membership in religious, service, fraternal, etc., clubs or organizations, and offices held, dates served: Life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, member of National Rifle Association (NRA). served as the President of Peyton Panthers Booster Club from 2010 -2015 in Peyton, Col.
Why have you chosen to run for the office you seek: My family and I relocated to Lincoln County in 2016 just prior to retiring from the US Army. During nearly 28 years of service as an Army officer, I served in a variety of roles, including several tours in the Middle East. Since retiring, I have served as the Executive Director of a Veterans non-profit, a substitute teacher, and a government contractor.
My beautiful wife, Sabrina, and I have been married for nearly 32 years. We believe in strong Christian and family values, which we have passed on to our three adult children and one granddaughter, all of whom reside in Lincoln County.
I am running for District 12 County Board Supervisor because I believe that our elected officials MUST be held accountable, be accessible, and do what is best for the citizens of Lincoln County. This is not happening in District 12 nor Lincoln County as a whole, and change is needed. Our goal must be to positively effect and impact Lincoln County and Central Wisconsin, so our families will be proud to call our County “home” well into the future.
Not being accessible, accountable, nor transparent with the taxpayers of Lincoln County are some of the key complaints I hear from many individuals within District 12 about the current Lincoln County Board Supervisors. The residents of Lincoln County and District 12 deserve better. When elected, I will utilize my extensive experience as a proven and trusted leader to encourage transparency and communication with taxpayers, the business community, and all levels of local services to achieve a collaborated vision.
As District 12 County Board Supervisor, I will help to ensure that Lincoln County will be the best place to live, work, and raise a family by honoring its past, while fostering and enhancing the quality of life for current and future residents.
We all have an opportunity to change the direction Lincoln County is going in 2022. We can and will create a better future for our children and grandchildren. That opportunity comes in the form of voting at every level. The next opportunity to vote will be Tuesday, Feb. 15. I am asking for your vote.
If would like to contact me, please email me at [email protected] or check out my website at https://sites.google.com/view/weilerforcountyboard/home