Home » News » Four seeking two seats in Bellevue

Four seeking two seats in Bellevue

By Press Times Staff


BELLEVUE – Two incumbents face two challengers April 7 for two seats on the Bellevue village board.

Incumbents Tom Katers and John Sinkler are running for new three-year terms against challengers Larry Hamsing and Karen Hauser.

The Press Times emailed each candidate three questions and gave them 100 words to respond to each.

Tom Katers

Tom Katers

Why should people vote for you?

I am Bellevue homegrown.

I love the core values, history and character of this village.

My wife and I have greatly enjoyed and appreciated raising our three sons here.

I am a civil designer at ISG and that background has allowed me to understand many of the goals and objectives of working through commercial and residential development, understanding village ordinance and code creation and enforcement and work with our village staff.

I was elected to the Board in April of 2012 and have learned so much.

I appreciate every minute of being able to represent the residents of Bellevue.

What’s the biggest issue in Bellevue?

The village is growing and we anticipate seeing many positive projects coming in the near future, whether it be road expansion and reconstruction, or new residential and/or commercial development.

We have to be diligent and purposeful in our efforts to create and make these projects meaningful, necessary and profitable for the village.

Village Fire Station No. 2 on Allouez Avenue needs to be replaced or relocated, along with the aging salt shed.

The village needs a shared or dedicated recreation space for residents of every age to enjoy the programs and classes we do and can offer.

What’s the key to controlled growth in Bellevue?

I care about how village taxpayer money is spent, how department budgets come together, and working on where we can be more efficient in our process, in our spending, to ultimately save.

We have to stress smart growth, maintaining our integrity, our infrastructure and following the standards we have worked so hard to achieve and put in place.

I have worked very hard to cap homeowners road assessment bills.

We have added the Wheel Tax that supports this cause and I will continue to explore funding and program design to further reduce or eliminate these bills to residents.

John Sinkler

John Sinkler

Why should people vote for you?

I have been privileged to serve on the board for the past two years.

My understanding of the needs of the community have deepened, because of what I have heard from our residents and the work the board has done.

My solid work ethic ensures that I will do everything that I can to bring about positive resolutions to issues.

It is clear to me the direct impact our board decisions have on our residents and that is why I strive to always keep the best interests of our residents in mind.

What’s the biggest issue in Bellevue?

As with all communities, the roads are an issue and a constant work in progress.

It’s important to focus on keeping the cost of roads manageable for homeowners.

Another area of focus is aging sewer laterals.

Homeowners are paying for their streets and maintaining the sewer laterals.

This must be carefully managed to ensure work gets completed at a reasonable cost.

We’re fortunate to have more subdivisions being built and businesses relocating to Bellevue.

As we see progress, we still have to ensure we’re incrementally increasing our protection.

With that growth in mind. We’re working to keep our neighborhoods safe.

What’s the key to controlled growth in Bellevue?

The key to control growth is to have infrastructure and a good blend of business, single-family and multi-family housing.

We have to find businesses that want to become a part of Bellevue and have good-paying jobs.

We have a lot to offer in Bellevue.

Larry Hamsing

Larry Hamsing

Why should people vote for you?

I feel I have something to offer based on my life’s experience as a business owner of a medium-sized printing company and the fact I love living in Bellevue.

I work as a desktop publisher and also at the YMCA.

I studied political science in college and have always had a desire to run for office.

I believe my background as a business owner and my experiences living in various villages in Wisconsin provide a new perspective to the issues in Bellevue.

What is the biggest issue in Bellevue?

I believe the biggest issue is improved infrastructure funding and how to pay for it.

The vehicle tax needs to be changed in a way that addresses the issue of heavy trucks.

The funding ideas put forth by the village board are underwhelming in their scope.

New ideas are called for and some of the suggestions residents spoke to me about deserve consideration.

What is the key to controlled growth in Bellevue?

Bellevue is going to grow, and growth means more homes, more apartments, more businesses and more traffic.

Managing where new homes and businesses should be built is complicated.

The best way to control growth is to have in place a detailed zoning plan.

For instance, what is the ideal number of homes vs. apartments?

What is the ideal minimum sized lot for a new home?

How much parking should be allocated for new businesses?

Anyone wanting to know my views on any issue may contact me via email at [email protected] or my website: larryhamsing0.wixsite.com/bellevue.

Karen Hauser

Karen Hauser

Why should people vote for you?

I believe that people should vote for me because I want our community to thrive, and I want their input into how to achieve that.

I have some ideas; however, I think the entire village population should be involved.

I truly want to be a trustee that listens to his/her constituents and makes decisions based on what they want, not what I think is best for them.

What is the biggest issue in Bellevue?

Growth.

More people are finding the area that we live in is a good place to build a home, go shopping, recreate, etc.

We need to find solutions on how to grow smart.

Uncontrolled growth without the proper infrastructure will ultimately fail.

To do this we would need to work together – the trustees, village president and residents.

We need to set clear goals regarding the budget, how we spend funds, and how we enforce those rules and regulations.

We need to address issues that have been overlooked in the past, and essentially envision what will happen in the future.

What is the key to controlled growth in Bellevue?

We have to have the proper infrastructure to grow at an even pace.

Too much residential building and there will be a tax increase.

Too much commercial growth and people won’t want to build.

We have to look at land use regulations – what does the community need versus what we want.

We need to ask the residents for their ideas.

Place initiatives and/or referenda on the ballot for a vote.

Put something on the web to inform citizens and ask for their opinion.

Let democracy have a voice, not just a small board of trustees for the village.

Facebook Comments
Scroll to Top