Q&A: Oshkosh council candidates say housing, talent retention among city's most pressing issues ahead of April election
OSHKOSH – Six candidates are vying for three seats on the Oshkosh Common Council in the April 2023 election.
Incumbents Courtney Hansen and Bill Miller will face challengers Karl Buelow, Paul Esslinger, Joe Stephenson and Devon Hudak in the race to win a two-year term. Council member Aaron Wojciechowski decided to run for mayor and not re-run for his seat on the council.
The Oshkosh Northwestern reached out to all six candidates to ask about what sets them apart in the race and what they see as the most pressing issues the city faces.
The Northwestern sent questionnaires to all candidates. Miller did not respond to repeated requests for comments. Here are the responses from the rest of the candidates, listed in alphabetical order. Some responses have been lightly edited for clarity in the Q&A format
Karl Buelow
Age: 39
City of residence: Oshkosh
Occupation: Director of operations at Day by Day Warming Shelter
Highest education level: Bachelor's degree
Relevant experience: Nonprofit management; member of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and Transit Advisory Board
Campaign website: karlforoshkosh.wixsite.com/2023
Paul Esslinger
Age: 58
City of residence: Oshkosh
Occupation: Real estate agent
Highest education level: Bachelor’s degree in marketing
Relevant experience: Council member, 2000-2009; Mayor, 2009-2011
Courtney Hansen
Age: 27
City of residence: Oshkosh
Occupation: Maintenance woman
Highest education level: Bachelor's degree in business management from UW-Oshkosh
Relevant experience: Born, raised and staying in Oshkosh. Part of a family business that started in Oshkosh more than 50 years ago.
Facebook page: Courtney Hansen for Oshkosh City Council
Devon Hudak
Age: 31
City of residence: Oshkosh
Occupation: Executive assistant at ARC Contracting, and community advocate associate at Discover Oshkosh
Highest education level: Degree in human services and business from UW-Oshkosh, graduated in 2014.
Relevant experience: I currently sit on the Advisory Parks Board for the city of Oshkosh, the Oshkosh Kids Foundation Board and Propel Young Professionals.
Campaign website: voteoshkosh.com
Joe Stephenson
Age: 30
City of residence: Oshkosh
Occupation: Urban planner
Highest education level: Master of Public Administration (UW-Oshkosh)
Relevant experience: Nearly a decade of municipal experience in planning and budgeting. Chairperson of Midtown Neighborhood, Oshkosh Long-Range Finance Committee member, UWO Business Model judge, former Oshkosh Advisory Parks Board member, former Oshkosh Museum Board member, former Oshkosh Food Co-op Board member, among other volunteering within the city of Oshkosh.
Facebook page: facebook.com/VoteStephenson
Why are you running for this office?
Buelow: I am running to ensure that all citizens in Oshkosh have not only the opportunity to have their voices heard, but feel welcomed and invited to do so.
Esslinger: I love being involved with the community and helping out the citizens of Oshkosh. In the 11 years I served on the council, I found the responsibility of helping Oshkosh residents both enjoyable and rewarding. I also want to make sure that taxpayer money is spent wisely.
Hansen: I love Oshkosh and want our city to be the best it can. I see many different sides of Oshkosh, and believe my insights are helpful when making decisions.
Hudak: I am running for office because I view Oshkosh as home and I want to live and work in the best city possible. If we can keep the momentum going in Oshkosh, I truly believe this will be the place for people to want to live, work and visit.
Stephenson: I am running for office because I believe in this city and its people. I have a passion for community involvement, experience in city government and a record of getting the job done. I want to put my skills to work for the people of Oshkosh and solve tough issues.
Why are you the best candidate in this race?
Buelow: I am not the best candidate, because Joe Stephenson is! I look forward to serving alongside him. My education and career have given me a high level of expertise in collaborative decision-making, and I will use that to ensure the council promotes the wisest policies possible for the city and all of our residents.
Esslinger: I’ve served on the council for 11 years and have experience as a council member and mayor. I’ve also served on several boards and commissions and have experience in the process of hiring a city manager, something that the council may need to revisit in the near future.
Hansen: Because I’m from Oshkosh and am staying in Oshkosh. Every decision I make on council will affect citizens including myself in the future. I’m coming into this race with without an agenda, I just want to make sure we do things right!
Hudak: I am the best candidate in this race because I bring a fresh energy to the council. I am a true advocate for Oshkosh and have a genuine interest in making this the best possible place to be!
Stephenson: I am the best candidate for this race because I have the knowledge, the experience and most importantly the heart for building a better Oshkosh. I have deep roots in Oshkosh and through all my endeavors I’ve tried to leave the city of Oshkosh a better place than I found it.
What do you believe is the biggest issue facing Oshkosh, and how would you address it?
Buelow: The biggest issue facing Oshkosh, and most of Wisconsin, is the shortage of apartment and housing stock in the low- and middle-income ranges. We do need to remove hurdles to producing more entry-level, single-family homes, and I would challenge our city officials to present creative solutions. I would push to improve accessibility of revitalizing underutilized spaces into multi-family, multi-generational and mixed-use housing solutions.
Esslinger: I believe the council and city staff is not sufficiently communicating with the residents of Oshkosh. I’ve seen many times on social media where people inquire about city projects that are happening and ask what is going on. People will try to answer the questions but their response is sometimes incorrect, or the whole issue degrades into chaos. I would like to see the city staff be more involved with social media and be available to answer these questions so our residents proactively know what is happening with their tax money.
Hansen: Currently Oshkosh’s biggest issue is talent retention. We have many jobs available but no one to fill them. I believe our city needs to put a higher focus on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and creating partnerships between businesses and UW-O. By acknowledging talent retention, we will create a better community for businesses to thrive.
Hudak: Our biggest issue in Oshkosh is keeping the momentum going and not being stagnant in progressing Oshkosh. A lot of the time we are chasing what the next city is doing and we are constantly following. I would love to see Oshkosh on the forefront of change and fun additions that will keep making Oshkosh the place to live, work and visit!
Stephenson: There are many issues and opportunities facing Oshkosh today, but I would identify housing as an issue near the top. We have an affordability and lack of housing problem. I seek to rectify this using numerous programs and zoning changes to help fix our existing housing stock, build more units and breathe new life into many of our tired neighborhoods. Whether you are a young person looking for your first home or a senior citizen looking to downsize, we need to have options that are both quality and affordable for everyone.
Contact Bremen Keasey at 920-570-5614 or bkeasey@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Keasinho.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh city council candidates talk issues ahead of April election
