Incumbent Richard Heidel, challenger Jody Hakes match up April 4 for Hobart village president

Doug Schneider, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·4 min read

HOBART - Richard Heidel, 70, the village president who has led Hobart for 19 years, will face a challenge on April 4 from veteran firefighter and entrepreneur Jody Hakes, 53.

The winner will lead a village that has expanded significantly in the 10 years leading up to the 2020 census. The population grew 65.2% in that period, U.S. Census Bureau figures show, from 6,182 to 10,211.

Here are biographical sketches of the men seeking to be the Village Board president, and their answers to questions on key topics.

Jody Hakes

Jody Hakes
Jody Hakes

  • Age: 53

  • Occupation: Self-employed in a real estate and rental properties business. Serves the community as an emergency responder as a firefighter, engineer, hazardous-materials technician and a member of the Incident-Management Team serving east-central Wisconsin.

  • Education: Ashwaubenon High School graduate. Has received some technical higher education and specialized education.

  • Relevant experience: Thirty-plus years as a local business owner; 25 years of emergency response experience in multiple specialties and management.

Richard Heidel (i)

Rich Heidel
Rich Heidel

  • Age: 70

  • Occupation: Retired project engineer. Village president, volunteer for several non-profits

  • Education: Bachelor's degree, Marquette University, political science. Bachelor's degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, mechanical engineering

Relevant experience: U.S. Army officer with 21 years of active and reserve duty; six months as village trustee followed by 19 years as village president; 31 years’ experience as a mechanical engineer for two utilities, a capital-development organization, and a Fortune 500 paper manufacturer; leadership style undergirded by communication skills, integrity, and leading by example

What makes you the best candidate for this office?

Hakes: My wife and I have been residents of Hobart for 30 years, building our first home and raising our children here.  We are invested in Hobart and want our village to continue to keep its wonderful characteristics as it grows.  My desire would be to provide recreational opportunities within our village and bolster other services for our existing and new residents.

I have been an entrepreneur starting in my early 20’s owning a vending business.  I then began purchasing real-estate for residential and commercial rental, which I continue to do today.  In 1997, I responded to the Hobart Fire Department’s request for volunteer firefighters, which is where I began my training.  I continued through the ranks on the department and expanded to joining the Green Bay Hazmat and Critical-Incident Management teams; I continue as a paid-on-call responder.  My experience as a businessperson and my extensive public service career have offered challenges and opportunities that require a high level of critical thinking, the ability to find solutions, being forward-looking and being fiscally responsible.  My background provides me a perspective that would be favorable in the role of village president.

Heidel: While I admit to mistakes and recognize that improvement is always possible, I have a record of success, which includes the village's financial position as the healthiest it’s ever been with a Standard & Poor's credit rating of “Aa” and the third-lowest tax rate of all Brown County villages. I’ve protected our tax base from the federal government acting on behalf of the Oneida Indian Tribe. We’ve approximately quadrupled the equalized assessed value of the village, rendering it almost impossible to be dissolved by federal trust acquisition. We’ve spent approximately $1 million in legal fees over the last 10 years defending the village but have realized approximately $2.7M in preserved property tax revenue doing so. The village has never filed suit against the Tribe; it’s always been the defendant. The village has been ranked in the top 20 safest communities in Wisconsin for several years; because of my leadership, we preserved our Hobart-Lawrence Police Department 1½ years ago from dissolution by a board vote. The HLPD costs are essentially the same as what the county sheriff’s office's would be, but the intangibles of operating our police department far outweigh any that might be realized from the county.

What do you believe to be the biggest issue(s) the village of Hobart will face in the next four years?

Hakes: There are several issues our Village Board need to address in the next few years.

  • We need to do a better job of collaborating and cooperating with our neighboring local governments for mutual benefit.

  • As we continue to add population, we need to address the need for an increase in green space such as parks and trails to provide social and environmental benefits to communities.

  • Our village must prioritize its infrastructure while considering best use of finances.

  • We need to have emergency preparedness plans in place for the village in case of natural disasters or infrastructure failures

Heidel: Our primary efforts will be directed at the 2023 construction of our new fire station with a first-ever ambulance service based in Hobart; introduction of high-speed internet throughout the village; responsible planning and decision-making regarding continued growth with an eye toward maintaining our neighborhoods, subdivisions, infrastructure, and quality of life; relentlessly pursuing a recreational trail along the abandoned railroad bed that parallels County J; continued vigilance in protecting our jurisdiction and tax base; and monitoring the metrics that result in our favorable financial health.

My signature block is “leading by serving/serving by leading.” That’s always my biggest goal.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Heidel, Hakes match up April 4 for Hobart village president