Here are the Suring Village trustee candidates and what they see as top issues

SURING - Three incumbents will face two challengers competing for three seats on the Suring Village Board in the April 4 spring election.

Terry Bengtson, James Kohlwey and Amber Wozniak seek to earn another two-year term while Mark Dudenhoeffer and Tina Nieling aim to be new members.

Kohlwey joined the board in September 2013, while Wozniak is completing her second term and Bengtson his first term.

The Oconto County Reporter asked all candidates to fill out a questionnaire before the election explaining why they are running and what issues they want to address if elected. Candidates' responses are listed in alphabetical order by last name. Some responses are lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

For information about registering to vote and polling locations, visit the MyVote Wisconsin website at myvote.wi.gov.

Terry Bengtson

Age: 79

Occupation: Retired from the Wisconsin State Patrol and S & L Ford, formerly Peterson Ford.

Highest education: Wisconsin State College at River Falls, Wisconsin State Patrol Academy and a graduate of the Command and Management Program at the Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute of The Southwestern Legal Foundation, Richardson, Texas.

Relevant experience: While assigned to the Wisconsin State Patrol Academy as a program director, I developed many new training programs including: hiring and background programs, firearms, emergency vehicle operations and motor carrier regulation programs. As district commander at our Wausau Office, I managed and directed 100 personnel in an 18-county area. Worked with all the sheriffs, local police and federal agencies. Owned and operated a power equipment business in Eau Claire with my wife and employed a staff of 11.

Website/Facebook page: No Facebook account.

Mark Dudenhoeffer

Age: 69

Occupation: I am retired, however I am a volunteer groundskeeper for the Suring Sportsman's Club.

Highest education: I have an associate degree in transportation logistics from Oklahoma State University Tech.

Relevant experience: My life experiences allow me to see things from many different perspectives. I know how to ask questions. I know how to find answers. I know that Suring residents need someone who's willing to listen, understand, research and act when issues arise that need to be resolved.

James Kohlwey

Age: 75

Highest education: Bachelor of Science in engineering with some additional courses and seminars

Relevant experience: I have served on the Village of Suring Board since 2013. I also served on the Community Development Authority since 2010. I also serve on the Mt. Olive Lutheran Church board.

Website/Facebook: For this answer, I would refer you to reference the Village Board website.

Tina Nieling

Age: 66

Occupation: Retired educator of 35 years (all in the Suring School District). Currently working part-time as a library assistant at the Suring Area Public Library.

Highest education: Master's degree plus additional classes

Relevant experience: Having been a teacher and community member, I have had to work closely with residents as parents of students, as well as other entities within the community itself, along with several organizations when my family was younger.

Website/Facebook page: None

Amber Wozniak

Age: 39

Occupation: Suring Public School After-School Program Coordinator, College of Menominee Nation Junior Accountant

Highest education: Associate degree in human services; technical diploma in AODA (Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse) counseling

Relevant experience: I have served on the village board as a trustee for four years.

Website/Facebook page: None

Why are you running for office?

Bengtson: I have been on the Village Board for one term of office, which is two years and have spent considerable time fulfilling my duties as a trustee and on various committees which includes; personnel, property & equipment, streets, zoning and ordinance. This experience will benefit the village board and residents for the next two years by being able to continue with our ongoing projects and issues.

Kohlwey: I feel like there are many challenges facing the village in the near future. I feel I have experience the village needs get past these challenges. Some of the challenges are maintaining the village services, keeping costs under control, and promoting a welcoming atmosphere in the village.

Nieling: I have been a resident of the Village of Suring for over 40 years. When my husband and I retired, we thought of moving, as we have no family in the area. After many discussions we decided to continue living in Suring. It's home! Since that decision was made, I felt like I should get more involved in the "inner workings" of the community. Hopefully it would allow me to better understand how our local government is run, and also the struggles Suring (like every small town everywhere) is dealing with. Right now we have a board that has "seasoned" leaders, what better way to learn? I would like to try and make a difference. Suring was a thriving community when I first moved to town. We have lost many of our past businesses over the years. Retaining current businesses and developing potential for more growth is possible by working together as a community. We need people to move into the community and stay, not just "pass through."

Wozniak: A positive change in the village is what is needed, this can only be accomplished by having different perspectives on the board of trustees.

What makes you the better candidate?

Bengtson: I have a wide background of training and experience in public service throughout my career that serves me and the village residents well. I have been an owner of a private business that gives the experience of understanding some of the issues related to budgeting and meeting payrolls.

I have worked with budgeting for government and private business for most of my professional life and have been working with the village budget and planning for the past two years. I understand the state shared revenue funds haven’t increased since 2011 and inflation continues to rise, as each of you know. As a trustee we have been attempting to meet the needs of the village with reduced funds each year. I know and understand that you can’t just tax the residents to keep up with these increased cost of operations.

Dudenhoeffer: I believe the village needs someone who will listen to issues and problems, consider and think about how best to solve the issues or problems, and then get the job done. Thinking with an open mind in order to help solve community and citizen issues is what I bring to the voters.

Kohlwey: I am retired and can devote a flexible schedule to solve problems as they arise. Me experience in engineering gives me the ability to see multiple solutions and work to find the best solutions at the lowest costs. This will keep taxes from increasing above the inflation rates.

Nieling: I am not sure that better is the best word to use. I think that everyone has different strengths that they bring to the table. I am able to work collaboratively with others and am able to be open minded about others' opinions. Collaboration between board members and the residents is why communities can survive, and is essential to community success and growth. Having been a teacher and now working at the library, I know it is important to be able to communicate with others effectively whether you agree or disagree with them. People need to try and attend meetings and voice their concerns with respect. I have no agenda to bring to the board. I just have an interest in seeing the Suring community try to become a more thriving community. We have people struggling just to meet basic needs. This isn't just a Village Board issue, it is a community issue. We need to look at what we can do to help this problem. I cannot promise you things will change, I can only promise that I will try to do what is right and best for Suring, working within the constraints of the local government.

Wozniak: I believe that owning a home in the Village of Suring for the past five years has given me a knowledge of what the people are concerned about. Four of those five years, I have served as a trustee on the board and have worked to resolve any issues that residents may bring to us.

What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?

Bengtson: I would like to see more of our residents attending our village board meetings and committee meetings; they are always open to everyone. I don’t get a lot of issues raised by our residents on a regular basis. People talk about open and transparent operations of the village. Everything we do as a board is open and we welcome all input from our residents. All meeting notices are posted on the village website and at several locations in the village. We have been working to update zoning and ordinances over the past two years to meet the needs of the residents as a whole; we have continued to reach out for input on any changes that we make. We worked closely with our residents last summer to meet their needs during all of our street construction. I think we made it work with limited restrictions on travel within the village.

Dudenhoeffer: The main thing the residents I've spoken with tell me they want more commonsense policies and solutions to any problem or issue. Commonsense policies should be the core of any solution to any problem or issue.

Kohlwey: I hear concerns about not having enough activities for the youth. I want the village to provide better recreational opportunities, such as better playground equipment in the parks and adding a nature trail along the river. Another issue is job opportunities and housing. It would be nice to work with a developer to bring a grocery store to the village and modernize some of the older homes (most of the village was built in the 1920s and '30s).

Nieling: Suring is facing many of the same issues small communities all over are facing. Funding is a big issue. We need to continue to access what grant monies are available but then we need to effectively use the monies by prioritizing our spending. Taxpayers want to see their money being spent on their community. I feel most of the Suring residents want to see their community thrive. Residents are wanting the community to continue working closely with the local police, Chief Kevin Schneider, as well as the sheriff's department to keep our community healthy and safe, by dealing with drug issues, housing issues, school issues and safety.

Wozniak: Residents are continuously concerned about the logic of the ordinances that are currently in place. Many of these ordinances are out of date and are in the process of being updated by the ordinance committee a section at a time.

Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-431-8416 or kdittman@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Details about Suring Village trustee candidates in the spring election