Seven vie to advance in Silver Lake

By Gail Peckler-Dziki
Correspondent

Seven Silver Lake residents have tossed their hats into the ring to duke it out in the in Tuesday primary election for a chance to compete for a Village Board seat in the April 5 vote.

The list of seven candidates will be reduced to six based on the results of Tuesday’s vote. Those six will then compete for three available seats in the April election.

The field of seven includes two incumbents – Roger Johnson and Daniel Withers. A third incumbent, Carolyn Dodge, decided not to seek re-election.

Village polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wisconsin’s voter ID law will be in effect for this election, meaning voters must have a state-issued photo ID card in order to vote.

For specific questions regarding election procedures, call the village clerk’s office at (262) 889-4308.

Here are profiles of the seven candidates listed in alphabetical order:

Laura Francart

Francart, 410 E Elm St., is 34 years old and graduated from Wilmot High School in 2000. She has a BS in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2005) and a MA in Education from Alverno College (2012).

She currently teaches in the Racine Unified School District, starting in 2015, teaching third grade. Francart taught in Milwaukee Public Schools from 2007-2012, teaching K4, K5 and second grade. Her family purchased the Colony House restaurant in 1995 and she has worked there off and on since that time.

Although this is her first time run for local office, she is no stranger to community service. Francart volunteers for Lakeland Little League as a coach and manager and also volunteers for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She is also a member of the Silver Lake Parks Committee and the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.

Francart said, “There is a great need to draw in small businesses and to help improve our downtown area. I also see a continuing need for shared services with surrounding communities to help improve the quality of services we receive and reduce the cost to all.”

Kimberly Gerber

Gerber, 30, of 203 E. Spruce St., graduated from Wilmot High School in 2003.

She graduated from UW-Milwaukee in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree, and from the university’s Post Baccalaureate Teaching Certificate Program in 2009.

Gerber currently teaches at Bradford High School in Kenosha since 2014. Prior to that she taught at Clinton Middle School, Clinton Community School District from 2011 to 2014 and was a bilingual elementary teacher at Dualingo Elementary School in Jena, Germany, from 2009 to 2011.

This is her first run for political office.

Gerber spends time outside the school day to mentor students. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Association for Bilingual Education, the Wisconsin Association for Foreign Language Teachers and is a member of American Association for Teachers of German.

She said, “I believe that recently, politics here have become too polarizing. I would like to offer a different perspective to the citizens of Silver Lake and bring a balance back to our community. I would like to see Silver Lake retain its autonomy within the surrounding community.

“I have the best of intentions for our community at heart. I would like to continue to see Silver Lake grow as an independent village and I will make decisions with that at hand. My education and commitment to being involved in community prosperity would make me a good candidate.”

Roger Johnson
Incumbent Johnson, 62, of 201 W. Depot St., has held his current position as trustee since 2014. He previously served as village president from 2007 to 2011 and on the County Board from 2006 to 2010, losing to current board member Erin Decker that year. Johnson is a Tremper High School (Kenosha) graduate and works currently in sales as Palmen Buick, GMC Cadillac in Kenosha.

Johnson has volunteered for Crimestoppers and is on the Highway Safety Committee.

“I have always had the best interest of the village at heart,” Johnson said. “Not only have I served on the Village Board in the past when the village flourished, but also have experience in county and state government. I have the knowledge and experience of applying for grants and programs to help maintain our village infrastructure. If elected, I will continue to work tirelessly to move Silver Lake forward by strengthening and rebuilding our dismantled services.”

Eldon “E.J.” Johnston
Johnston, 68, of 899 N Glenwood Dr., served as a Silver Lake Village Trustee from 1986-1990. He ran again 2015 but was not elected.

He graduated from high school in from Martinsville, Mo., and took several special training classes with the Naval Weather Service as well as safety classes for work while serving as union steward and second shift safety leader. Johnston earned a diploma from Gateway Technical College in Fluid Power Maintenance.

He retired from AMC/Chrysler and served in both UAW 72 and UAW 75, currently serving as recording secretary on the executive board of UAW 75 retiree’s chapter. Johnston also worked four years for Norstan Inc. in electrical and machine maintenance.

Johnston is concerned about the current trajectory of the village: “I believe the current board is moving the village in the wrong direction by outsourcing services. I believe that in the future it will be difficult to maintain services while holding down the village portion of property tax. I believe we need to grow the village through annexation and working to bring in more businesses and or light industrial to increase the assessed valuation of the village.

“I believe we need to move toward having a village administrator that can write for grants to help defray cost. I am retired and have time to serve the village and I have the experience. I proudly served our country in Vietnam, I proudly served my union, I proudly served the village before and I will proudly serve the village again if elected.”

Kevin A. Kusters, Sr.
Kusters, 310 W. Depot St., is 37 years old and graduated from Horlick High School (Racine) in 1997. He is a Certified Heavy Equipment Operator and CDL licensed truck driver since 2005

Kusters works as truck driver with local routes and an occasional over the road routes.

This is his first run for political office but not the first time he has been involved in public service.

Kusters was involved in Silver Lake Clean Up, and sits on the Planning and Zoning Committee.

Kusters teamed up with Alan Dunski to build a self-titled Zam-bone-ski to groom the new Silver Lake ice rink.

He said the village faces several challenges: “I would like to be involved in keeping the mill rate as low as possible while maintaining great services and safety. There is a lack of business in the downtown area, and would like to see that area become a more popular spot.

“The community is still divided, and I would like to see the ability for the community to come together by having more events that better the village and improve relationships between all village residents despite political beliefs.”

Bob Raymond
Raymond, 56, of 655 Fifth Ct., has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and psychology.

He worked for more than 32 years in various positions for the City of Lake Forest Streets and Sanitation Department, including snow removal with the last four years as snow command.

He served as Cub Scout leader for Pack 328, Den 11 for two years.

Raymond said, “There has been significant change in the past year. How we as a village move forward with it, and ultimately more change will be a challenge, a rewarding one, yet a challenge.

“Positive things are happening in Silver Lake. With my experience and skills in public works and municipal government, I believe I can help usher in and facilitate change that is needed. We need to leave the ills of the past behind us and move forward with optimism to foster in a new chapter for Silver Lake.”

Daniel A. Withers
Incumbent Withers, 36, 930 E. Oak St., was appointed by the board in 2015 to fill a vacancy. He said, “Over the past six months, I have sought out opportunities to reduce the operating cost of the village.”

He holds a degree in aviation and business administration. He is also in the process of completing an MBA in organizational leadership.

Since the beginning of 2010 he has been a technical product support specialist for an industrial supply company. Prior to that, he held a job in technical sales and applications for pumping related products and also served as an air traffic controller for the USAF.

Withers explained, “I would like to continue the progress the board has made over the past year and to concentrate my energy on the effective and efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

“My reason for such a focus is to reduce further the operating cost of the village and the tax burden on residents. Being elected as trustee would allow me to continue using my organizational skills to make government more efficient and responsive to our citizens.”


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One response to “Seven vie to advance in Silver Lake”

  1. Doug Randolph Avatar
    Doug Randolph

    Very well written and informative. Thank you