Shawano County District 20 Supervisor Rick Giese is one of four incumbents facing a challenge in the April 7 election.
Giese will face off against Roy Martin for a two-year term on the board.
What made you decide to run for this position?
Giese: I first entered the running for public office as a desire to give back to my community. Being one of 27 people tasked to make decisions for the betterment of Shawano County is not just a privilege but an honor.
Martin: I want to help make my community a better place, and it seems like we are in a time when new ideas are needed.
What experience do you have to serve in this position?
Giese: My years of being a village board trustee, while serving the last five years as village board president, not to mention the 24 years I have served as Shawano County supervisors with two of those years as board vice chairman, along with all the committees serving on, along with 38 years on Gresham Fire Department and 27 years of Gresham Lions.
Martin: I have made several trips to Madison meeting with legislators and testifying on many topics. I have held elected positions of leadership in different organizations. While serving in the Army and deployed to Bosnia as a movement control specialist, I was able to find ways to combine operations and consolidate transports changing the standard operating procedure to save considerable resources.
What is one of the biggest challenges facing the county, and how do you plan to address it?
Giese: One of the biggest challenges facing the county at this time is the upgrade of the public facilities. Upgrading the facilities to make these projects affordable and also efficient so that in the future the facilities can be managed the most efficient way possible to be budget friendly.
Martin: Governmental overreach has chased commerce from our county.
Revenues and expenses continue to be an ongoing debate to balance any budget. Do you favor searching for new revenue streams or reducing programs, staff or other expenses?
Giese: One of the biggest challenges of the county board every year is to balance the budget. Combining programs and departments is something we are always looking at to streamline certain aspects of the budget, along with using state and federal funding through grants and other funding sources. Some revenue streams we have to watch so that we are not just forming another tax on the taxpayers.
Martin: I tend to be fiscally conservative and prefer to cut expenses and eliminate redundancies before raising new taxes.
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
