Five Hartford (Wisconsin) mayoral candidates differ on library project

Hartford Public Library

Link to January 25 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel report.

SUPPORTS

Joe Dautermann, a former alderman, served as a volunteer firefighter with the Hartford Fire Department for 10 years. Dautermann, 61, said the next mayor should follow through on plans for a new library and the renovation of City Hall.

Kathleen A. Isleb was appointed to the Common Council in 2004 to fill a vacancy, and she was elected to a District 3 seat in 2005. Isleb, 62, won an October 2006 recall election after a local citizens group attempted to oust her from office for her support of annexing land for a Wal-Mart Supercenter. She was re-elected to the seat in 2008. Isleb said she thinks the city should stick to its commitment to contribute $5 million in tax dollars to the project. Renovation of City Hall with expanded office space for the Police Department also is justified, she said.

DOES NOT SUPPORT

David Disch said city residents already are burdened by high property taxes. If elected, he would ask voters in a referendum whether $5 million in property taxes should be spent on a new library. Disch, 43, is a member of the national tea party movement and has never been elected to public office, he said. The new library is an unpopular project and would lose in a referendum, Disch said.

Randy L. Meyer said he has been complaining privately about high local taxes, so he decided to do something about it by running for mayor. Meyer, 54, has never been elected to public office and does not have a list of specific issues or projects that he would push as mayor, he said. (The library project is not mentioned specifically, but Retiring Guy wouldn't count on Meyer's support.)


QUESTIONABLE

Tim Michalak was elected to a District 1 seat on the Common Council in April. Michalak, 51, contributed $1,000 to the library but said he is opposed to spending property taxes on it. "There should be a referendum on library financing," Michalak said. He questions why the city needs a library as large as the proposed two-story, 35,000-square-foot facility.