An issue of leadership: Mayor, former mayor to square off in April 5 election

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Editor

At the heart of the City of Burlington mayoral race in the April 5 election is a simple question.

Has the city been properly managed under the guidance of Mayor Bob Miller over the last eight years, or is it a time for change?

Not surprisingly, the answer depends on which candidate you ask.

Incumbent Miller said various issues over the past year have been blown out of proportion, while successes that the city has had are being ignored.

“I’m not running – and I’m not going to run – an attacking campaign,” Miller said. “On the surface, it may look like controversy. When you have the whole picture, it is not.”

Challenger Jeannie Hefty, who served as mayor from 1992 to 2000, said those issues – which include contract renegotiations with the former police chief and city administrator – have eroded trust in city officials, and she believes she could solve that.

“I think more trust in the community, for starters,” Hefty said when asked what she offered over her opponent. “I do have the experience. I’ve gone through building the downtown into the historic district, and it was charming when I left.”

Lingering issues

At the heart of the race between incumbent and challenger are three emotional issues – the rift that developed between the city rescue squad and fire department during the tenure of former Fire Chief Perry Howard, financial issues with contract changes for city staff, and the viability of the city’s downtown.

Hefty, now a full member of the rescue squad, went back to school last summer to regain her emergency medical technician status, and in her words, do more than just support emergency services.

The situation between Howard and the rescue squad – a protracted battle of wills and personalities that ended in December with Howard’s resignation, due to take full effect in June – resulted in the departure of several members of the fire department with more than 100 years of firefighting experience among them.

Hefty entered the race as the situation was working its way through City Hall, and has said publicly that city staff mishandled the situation.

“We have a full-time fire chief that came in and literally put an ax between the firemen and the rescue squad,” Hefty said. When firemen began quitting, she added, “It should have been a red flag to the administration.”

Miller, meanwhile, said there are details that are not available to the public due to it being a personnel issue.

Few options, mayor says

As for the contract changes – one that resulted in a payout to former City Administrator Kevin Lahner, and one that removed a residency requirement for then-Police Chief Peter Nimmer – Miller said neither were his changes to make, though he could suggest.

“I don’t have the authority to change those contracts,” said Miller, adding that the council was “divided” on the change that allowed Lahner to leave before his contract was up.

As for Nimmer, “what people are forgetting in his contract is that the state has abolished residency requirements. The city no longer can require or force residency of any employee.”

Hefty, meanwhile, said that the controversy is “out there.”

“People read in the paper, from an alderman, that there was unethical and unprofessional behavior concerning that contract, a contract we shouldn’t have had to pay out in the end,” she said. “I feel there are other issues also going on.”

Hefty said taxpayer money was used both for Lahner’s payout – and for the cooperative study done for efforts to coordinate among the city and Town of Burlington fire departments and the rescue squad.

One issue that hasn’t been fixed, she said, is the type of vehicle the fire department sends to rescue calls.

“The study showed that we do not need an engine running down the street,” she said. “We should be getting an SUV for first responders.”

The McGrath study that Hefty is referencing was completed in September 2013 – about three months after the hiring of Howard. She said Howard told her that he had input on the study – which showed the need for full-time staff, among other findings – and that the damage done by him is just starting to be corrected.

“The respect needs to come from city leaders as well,” said Hefty, alluding to the length of time Howard was working here (two-plus years), the rift that developed with the rescue squad and the loss of firefighters.

Miller countered with the fact that staff has weighed in on a full-time chief, and that everyone agrees one is needed. He added that the problems created with Howard in the chief position are being worked on, and that the relationship between the rescue squad and the city and town fire departments is “well on (its) way” to being repaired.

Other issues

Beyond those controversies, other issues loom in the city. With new mandates coming down from the Department of Natural Resources, the city will be forced into radium remediation on well No. 11 as well as strontium removal on all of its wells.

Both candidates agree that finding the funding will be difficult, but Hefty said the city didn’t immediately address the water and sewer service incomes that created the lack of funds in the infrastructure improvement budget.

Miller and the City Council have addressed the drop in tax revenue numerous times, blaming the fire at Echo Lake Foods and water conservation efforts for the drop in utility revenues. The city has also pursued rate changes as allowed by Wisconsin law, and has begun to build the fund back up.

During the time that Miller has been in office, Echo Lake Foods also committed to staying in Burlington – rebuilding and repurposing its plant.

Both Miller and Hefty are looking forward to the closing of tax incremental financing district No. 3, which will create more tax revenue. The question remains, though, who should manage where that money goes?

Capital projects loom

Several different city projects are in progress, including three potential major capital projects with City Hall/senior center, the public library and the community pool.

Both Miller and Hefty said the community should – and will – get to weigh in on how money is spent and on which projects. But what happens if the leadership at the top of the city structure changes?

“I think it’s interesting the fact that I see some of my foes say that we’re going to go backwards,” Hefty said. “We’re not going to go backwards. I had a vision back then and I still have a vision.

“We still have the council,” she added. “We still have RCEDC involved. There are so many important people that are involved.”

Miller, meanwhile, touted his various successes in attracting new businesses to town – Kohl’s, Dunham’s and Applied Materials Solutions just to name a few – as the reason why he should stay at the helm.

“Is there need for experience at the position right now, with what the city is experiencing? Obviously, yes, there is,” Miller said. “Someone who’s been here for a while, walked through these things, started these things down the road.

“That same guiding hand, if you will, needs to be there to make sure the projects are followed through to completion and done correctly,” he added.