Letter: Candidate offers ideas

Dear Editor,

The town of Hudson board election will soon be in the hands of the voters to decide the future of our beautiful town. Here is some food for thought to help in decision making.

Contracts for various appointed officials require either two or three days per week. Now the claim is made that the contracts do not reflect the reality of the job and officials are working 24/7. What a joke! We need accurate contracts and honest answer to hours worked. That is the only way a true assessment of job scope can be made and salaries fairly set.

According to the latest Wisconsin Towns Association salary survey, the average chair’s salary for towns with populations over 5,000 is $9,984 and for appointed clerk’s it is $41,634. With no public works or fire department, it is not acceptable to have our town salaries far above the average. The current board is fond of quoting from this survey, and only noting salaries of the highest paid people, calling them guidelines. In checking with the WTA, the survey is neither guidelines nor recommendations.

Comparing taxes paid to the town vs. WITC is insulting! Doing so demonstrates a lack of understanding of differences between operating a town and the value of providing resources for higher education and retraining of those who have suffered job losses.

It is true that the current board members have experience. I thank them for their effort and dedication. I too have experience at the local government and community level and with corporate leadership of a worldwide organization. Leadership means working together with everyone to develop solutions to problems and making plans for the future while looking outside this town for ideas and best practices.

It means taking on problems that are not currently being addressed and abandoning old ways that no longer work. I will demonstrate leadership by seeking out stakeholders in the community, listening to ideas and together, developing plans with the greatest positive impact.

Affordability and spending control will always be key considerations. Focus areas should include conservation and land use, road safety and future development strategies.

We must not tolerate half truths and fact bending. We need honesty, open discussions, transparency and working together to assure a quality future. Vote for me and together we will accomplish these goals. Visit www.bartizal.net for more information or call me at (715) 381-1568.

David A. Bartizal, Town of Hudson

Candidate for supervisor

Tags: opinion, letter, hudson, town, board, election