Two Rivers council candidates share views on low-income housing, taxes, roads, funding police and more issues ahead of the April 4 election.
TWO RIVERS - Ron Abney, Shannon Derby, Dean LaRose, Darla LeClair, Bonnie Shimulunas and Adam Wachowski are competing for three seats on the Two Rivers City Council in the upcoming spring election.
The seats are at-large, meaning representatives can live anywhere in the city and represent the city as a whole instead of being separated into districts. The terms will last three years.
The Herald Times Reporter asked all candidates to fill out a questionnaire before the election explaining why they are running and their positions on issues. Here are their responses. Some responses are edited for clarity and brevity.
For more about registering to vote and polling locations, visit myvote.wi.gov.
Ron Abney
Abney did not provide a photo or information about his age, occupation, education and relevant experience.
Shannon Derby
Age: 42
Occupation: Employee of The Eggers division of V.T. Industries
Highest education level: Bachelor’s degree in integrated leadership from UW-Green Bay
Relevant experience: My three children and I have lived in this community for more than a decade. I have worked as an ASL interpreter in our local school systems for over 15 years. The organization 9to5 sent me to Washington, D.C., for the White House Summit for Working Families in 2014. The knowledge I have from my degree in integrated leadership will be an asset to Two Rivers. Volunteering for community activities is also something I enjoy being a part of.
Dean LaRose
Age: 65
Occupation: Retired truck driver
Highest education level: High school
Relevant experience: Resident of Two Rivers
Darla LeClair
Age: 60
Occupation: I am retired, but served in the U.S. Army as a HAWK Missile System Radar Repairman. I worked many years in Power Systems product testing and electrical engineering. I am a former surgical assistant. I have worked for City of Two Rivers Police Department as a clerk and I have worked for City of Two Rivers Public Works Engineering Department, so I have extensive first-hand knowledge of how the city (and government in general) functions.
Highest education level: Surgical technology associate's degree
Relevant experience: City council member from 2016 to present with one year off to start a small business; currently chair Public Utilities Committee; currently chair of the Environmental Advisory Board; member of the Main Street Board of Directors; currently chair Main Street Design Committee; I am a Madison lobbyist for the League of Wisconsin Municipalities; I am a Washington, D.C., lobbyist for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition/Veterans for Smart Power C.
Bonnie Shimulunas
Age: Not provided
Occupation: Retired. The only requirement that is needed to run for council in Two Rivers is to be a resident in the city. So, I am qualified to run. I have read somewhere that talent is distributed equally, but opportunity is not. Get to know people who do not have education. They may surprise you by the amount of intelligence and talent that they possess.
Highest education level: Not provided
Relevant experience: I cannot accomplish anything on my own. Any opinion or idea that I have has to be supported by a majority of the council. I have a pet peeve. You will hear about it later. And the council does not support it.
I have served on the council for several terms. I know a lot about how the city works. I have even toured the wastewater treatment plant. I am of the opinion that many residents of Two Rivers are secretly wishing that they could see it.
Adam Wachowski
Age: 38
Occupation: Technician
Highest education level: High school
Relevant experience: I have served as president of the council for just under two years as well as vice president. I have served two years on Personal and Finance Committee as well as the Utilities Committee. We have kept our budget in line while not forging city services as inflation and health insurance increased significantly. I'm also proud of the over $2 million in improvements to our park system. This is something I heard a lot about as I ran three years ago was the quality of life and parks where falling apart. Also found ways to increase businesses in downtown and changed how we funded and invested in those businesses. We went with with a grant program instead of sending that money to organizations. Also this year we were able to amend our borrowing by $650,000 (saving taxes in future with the high borrowing rate) without eliminating any spending as I brought up to use already borrowed money for a project that is off into the future.
Why are you running for office?
Abney: I believe that we need new faces and new ideas on the council, maybe a different perspective.
Derby: I am running for city council of Two Rivers because I am passionate about service and our community.
LaRose: Just to give a different perspective from the homeowners', the taxpayers' point of view. I've owned a home here for 40 years. I would like my opinion thought of once in a while.
LeClair: Life is short and it's important to be involved with the community and do what I can to help with increasing opportunities for our residents and ensure an ever-improving quality of life. Not only do I focus on what I can do locally, but I am also actively involved nationally as a member of the USGLC, and globally as a member of Amnesty International.
Shimulunas: I am not in favor of the amount of low-income housing that is going up in certain areas of Two Rivers. Nor am I in favor of so many rental properties. There are only 11,000 people in this city. How many low-income units (four by the end of this year) or Section 8 housing do you need? I do not believe that this movement does the city any good. It does not increase property value. Also, it is not fair to someone who purchases property in a certain neighborhood, and 10 years later the city puts up a low-income housing unit across the street.
Wachowski: I love this city and believe in it. I know I have made a difference on this council with my many thoughts and can continue to do so. Two Rivers is an outstanding place to live and work. Running for council allows me to help keep that going and improve on it.
What makes you the better candidate in this race?
Abney: I don’t know that I am any better than the other candidates, but I have a project management background and have learned to look at issues from all different sides. I will be a totally independent voice with an open mind to explore ways to improve our beautiful city.
Derby: What sets me apart from the other candidates is that I have worked both blue-collar and white-collar jobs. I have experience in service because of my unique position (ASL interpreter) within our school districts. I also have a degree in integrated leadership, which is focused on being a community leader.
LaRose: I'm new. I mean, if people are happy with the way things are, they should continue to do the same thing, but if you want change, you want the new guy. I'm the new guy.
This is my first go-around; I've never run for office before. I keep seeing my taxes go up and utility bills go up. I want to get a handle on that. We have some very nice projects going on here in town, but they are wants, not needs.
LeClair: Not answered
Shimulunas: I have quite a bit of experience since I have been on the council for a while. I really don’t like the term "better candidate." All council members are doing what they think that they should to serve this city well.
But don’t forget, I have pull and I can get you a tour of the wastewater treatment plant.
Wachowski: I have the experience of being on council, as president, on plan commission, ARB and Personal and Finance. I have been through the process of budgeting, businesses meetings and have brought this council together on many issues. My vision is clear: continue a path to make Two Rivers the best place to live and work.
What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?
Abney: Mostly what I hear is that we are spending too much, before I can really say what I would do, I will take the time for review the budget, then see how we can address the issues.
Derby: I have not heard any specific concerns yet. However, I always consider all sides of anyone’s concerns. I am willing to work together to make our community a better place for all.
LaRose: I would just be available for whatever they want. I have a good ear, and I have the ability to express what they want expressed.
LeClair: Electric costs: That's a big one. Our power is purchased from WPPI, whose rates are based on the consortium purchasing costs of a variety of sources to include nuclear, coal, wind and solar, which is out of the city's hands. To counteract this burden on taxpayers, the city keeps taxes as low as possible, but that, too, is subject to many factors.
Shortage of affordable and market-rate housing: the city is actively engaged with several developers focused on apartments for people of all levels of income. Plus, the building of new one-family homes in Sandy Bay Highlands is extremely healthy.
Shimulunas: I always find this interesting. When I go door-to-door in collecting signatures, the conversation often goes to anything related to snow removal.
The second thing of concern is whatever affects that individual citizen. Maybe it concerns a structure on their property that they did not realize was against ordinance; maybe they feel like they are caught by surprise by their portion that they have to pay for road construction in front of their house; utility bills, etc. We now use our utility bill as a general means of communication especially when something controversial comes up, as many residents do contact us to tell us how they would like the vote to go.
Wachowski: Keep our taxes and utility rates down. We continue to keep our taxes down, but also have to understand we need to invest in our city infrastructure to ensure we don’t totally have to replace these in the future by not maintaining. That would drive taxes through the roof. We continue to cut where we can. Utility rates are high, but we are hopeful in keeping them where they are as surrounding communities are asking for rate hikes within the year. Ensuring our community is safe. We have invested in our police and fire and will continue to do that.
What would be your top two priorities as a council member?
Abney: To represent the citizens of Two Rivers and to do what I can to provide them with the things they think the city needs.
Derby: My first priority is to make Two Rivers a city that is accessible to all. Ensuring that our council meetings are closed captioned to include and involve all of our community members. Secondly, I would like Two Rivers to continue to be a wonderful city.
LaRose: Needs over wants. We need to fund our needs before we fund our wants. To me, that's huge because they're not growing our tax base here. We've had three major employers leave. We're down 2,000 in population. Whenever they want something new, they have to come to the same homeowners to pay for it, because they're not growing our tax base. We need help.
LeClair: During my time on city council, I've seen our community turn the corner and rebound from the devastation caused by the loss of large employers. As a member of council I will continue to help keep the momentum going by focusing on economic revitalization, making improved infrastructure a priority, promoting our community as a wonderful place to live, and being as prudent with taxpayer dollars as possible to reach those goals.
Shimulunas: To keep more low-income housing units out of this city, specifically the south side. I have never gotten a call from someone who wants them in their neighborhood. Second, get the petty drug dealers out of this city. You realize that they rent (I used to live in a high crime area in Minneapolis). They have few valuables in case there is a need to run from the police. They can’t carry that house with them.
Wachowski: Sustainability in both services and taxes. Also housing, creating more market-rate houses and apartments for families to raise their families.
What is your vision for Two Rivers?
Abney: I would like to see Two Rivers continue to grow, bringing in new business and jobs to our area, both in the manufacturing and tourist area. Thus making Two Rivers an ideal place to reside for generations now and to come.
Derby: I would like to see our community continue to grow and prosper.
LaRose: My vision is to be open and inviting to anyone. Anyone and everyone. We have quite a jewel here on the lakeshore, we need to exploit it.
LeClair: To be true to our heritage, play to our strengths and avoid trying to mold our city into something it's not. We have a multitude of unique features not present in other communities — a beautiful shoreline, wonderful parks, natural assets and an authentic charm that is extremely attractive to potential new residents and businesses.
Shimulunas: I guess that I would like to see all areas of this city have a fair chance of improving.
Wachowski: To see our industrial park grow, our downtown fill up again, market-rate family housing, great parks and a safe, drug-free community.
What are your thoughts on the current budget for the city?
Abney: Again, as I stated above I will need to have a detailed look at it before I come to any conclusions.
Derby: I currently do not have an option on our current budget. I look forward to learning more on this topic and others the committee may have.
LaRose: I don't know anything about the budget.
LeClair: The pot is only so big and must be spread out thoughtfully to cover city needs, from protective services, to infrastructure projects, to snow removal, to our parks, economic development and tourism, to the continuation of our outstanding amenities for our older population and much, much more.
Shimulunas: The budget is fine. We did the best that we could do with what we have (meaning moneywise) and considering how prices are going up.
Wachowski: Given inflation, the high cost of insurance and increases in wages I think it was a huge win for the city. We didn’t cut any services or hours of operation, continue to invest in our roads, lead laterals, major park upgrades and continue to provide great customer service through Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Senior Center, Fire/EMS, Police and City Hall. The increase was small, but only an increase of .87% added to this year's budget as the rest is 10-year borrowing from the past 10 years and other councils.
More election coverage:
Council District 1 candidates: Manitowoc city council District 1 candidates share views ahead of April 4 election
Council District 3 candidates: Manitowoc city council District 3 candidates share views ahead of April 4 election
Manitowoc County voters' guide: Here's your Manitowoc-area voters' guide to the Wisconsin spring election
Wisconsin Supreme Court race: Janet Protasiewicz, Daniel Kelly advance in high-stakes, high-spending Supreme Court race
Contact reporter Alisa Schafer at aschafer@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @AlisaMSchafer.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Two Rivers City Council candidate profiles for April 4, 2023, election
