Brown County Board District 24 election: Ross Toellner and Vanya Koepke face off

HOBART - Residents in District 24 will see a new face on Brown County Board. Voters will choose who will become the new board member during the nonpartisan April 2 election.

Incumbent Richard Schadewald is not seeking reelection. Vanya Koepke and Ross Toellner are running for the seat.

Areas north and west of County J in Hobart and western Howard make up District 24.

The Press-Gazette asked both candidates to answer five questions with word counts up to 100 or 150 words and to provide their background information. Here is what the candidates had to say. Their responses were edited lightly for clarity. (i) denotes incumbent. The candidates are listed in the order they will appear on the ballot.

Information about your polling place and registering to vote can be found on the MyVote Wisconsin website at myvote.wi.gov/en-us.

Ross Toellner

• Age: 35

• Occupation: Business educator at Bay Port High School

• Highest education level attained: Master's in school counseling from Lakeland University

• Relevant experience: High school business teacher for 12 years, treasurer for a $500,000 nonprofit organization for 8 years, former president of Wisconsin Marketing Education Association, and shift lead at St John's homeless shelter.

• Campaign website: www.rosstoellner.com

Vanya Koepke

• Age: 31

• Occupation: Operations manager at Schneider National

• Highest education level attained: Bachelor's in political science and public administration from UW-Green Bay

• Relevant experience: Hobart Village Board trustee, innovative leader at Schneider National, Green Bay Police and Fire Commissioner, UW-Green Bay student government president

• Campaign website: www.voteforvanya.com

Why are you running for County Board?

Toellner: As a lifelong native of Brown County, I have found the area to be an amazing place to grow up and to start my family. My three main goals to improve Brown County are to make taxpayers' money work for them, increase awareness on mental health, and continue to keep our county clean and sustainable.

Koepke: Ever since being adopted from a Russian orphanage at the age of 10, I have had a mentality of giving back and serving people in my community. In turn, as I build on my volunteer, private-sector, appointed and elected office experience, I am ready to take my experiences to help make Brown County the best it can be.

What makes you the better candidate?

Toellner: I am a great candidate, because I want to listen to my constituents. I believe in the power of listening over giving an opinion. As I am not an expert in any of the fields that are a part of Brown County, I believe in trying to retain and recruit the best employees we can. I want the expert knowledge from our employees so that we as a team can better the lives of the people of Brown County.

Koepke: My experience as a Green Bay Police and Fire Commissioner, my experience as a Hobart Village Board Trustee and my record of listening and delivering for those who elected me is something I look forward to bringing to the Brown County Board.

What two issues do you feel most need to be addressed in Brown County, and how would you address them?

Toellner: Mental health is an overarching theme of my campaign. I believe if we, as a community, can continue to work on the mental health crisis, it could save us money in so many different ways. To start, if we are able to work with people on their mental health situations, often times they would not be put in situations where they would be put in the Brown County Jail. The Brown County Jail is becoming overpopulated and we will need to create an addition to the building to have enough space in the facility. Supporting mental health will keep people out of jail, from doing drugs and opioids, and all kinds of abuse.

I also believe in getting the most for our dollar and finding the best solutions for big problems in small incremental changes. The county budget is tight and we need to find solutions to increasing wages and services.

Koepke: The opioid crisis and roads and infrastructure. Both of these areas have to be addressed through fiscal responsibility, collaboration, and public and private partnerships. I will continue to listen to constituents, meet with experts and find creative solutions.

What are the areas for growth you see in your specific district?

Toellner: We in District 24 have a lot to look forward to in the coming years. We are lucky enough to have a new overpass over Highway 29 that is allowing more growth both residentially and commercially. I want to keep the suburban feel with amenities around us that are needed. I believe in green space and parks and will work to retain and create those areas with our local municipalities.

I also want to work on the Duck Creek Trail that will connect Pamperin Park to New London. This trail has been on the agenda for a few years and disputes between Hobart and the Oneida Nation have slowed progress. I look forward to working with both groups to move this forward.

Koepke: We have the opportunity to finish the Duck Creek Trail that will connect Howard's Pamperin Park, Hobart and Oneida. This project is way behind schedule and I have been an advocate, collaborator and planner of this initiative for two years. Trails should be open for all, as they help with help, recreation and community connection.

We must also grow District 24 in how the county supervisor interacts with constituents online and in person. I have done both well and will grow this area of representation through continued listening sessions, community events and online interaction.

How do you plan to build involvement and communication with residents?

Toellner: I want to hear from all of my constituents. My cell phone number is 920-655-8287. I will give it to anyone and everyone. Listening is 80% of a conversation and I genuinely want to hear from the people what they would like to see happen.

I know that I will never have all of the answers. We hire people for Brown County to be experts in their field, I am not hired for that. I am hired by my constituents to listen to them and work for them. I can’t always promise that I can give the results people want, but I will always try to do what is best for the community.

I want everyone to know that if you have issues, questions, or concerns with Brown County, to call, email or text me. I am open to hear your thoughts.

Koepke: I have hosted over 20 monthly listening sessions as a Hobart Village Board trustee. I will continue to host listening sessions, attend community events and look for creative ideas from the people I represent. My online presence allows for additional ways for constituents to work with me in building a community of belonging for all.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Brown County Board District 24 Toellner, Koepke Q&A