Green Bay City Council District 11 election: Melinda Eck, Michael Poradek focus on roads

GREEN BAY - Voters on Green Bay's west side will on April 2 see a rematch of the 2022 Green Bay City Council election on their ballot when incumbent Melinda Eck faces challenger Michael Poradek.

Eck, an early childhood education activities director, defeated Poradek in 2022, one of five new City Council members to join the board two years ago. Poradek, who works in nonprofit administration and serves on the city's Planning Commission, emerged from a three-way primary in February to challenge Eck again.

District 11 is wedged between Green Bay Southwest High School and Colburn Park on the city's west side. The district is bounded by Shawano Avenue and Century Road to the north, Packerland Drive to the west, Parkwood Drive and Lombardi Avenue to the south, and Fisk and Locust streets to the east. It includes at least parts of the Murphy Park, John Muir Park, Colburn, Fireman's Park and MacArthur Heights neighborhoods.

Ahead of the April 2 nonpartisan election, the Press-Gazette requested each City Council candidate provide some background about themselves and answer several questions issues like funding road construction, spending and housing. Responses were limited to about 200 words. Candidates are listed alphabetically.

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

Melinda Eck (i)

• Age: 56

• Occupation: Activities director, assisted living center

• Highest level of education: Early Childhood Education Accounting degree from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

• Campaign website: Melinda Eck for Green Bay City Council District 11

• Why are you running? I am running for reelection so that I can continue to work hard to represent my constituents at city hall and fight for their needs. I worked with Alder Grant to create 2 ordinances to address sex trafficking in our city. We also were able to secure $1 million in ARPA funds toward the building of Fire Stations 1 and 3. We also helped create the Green Bay Metro Fire Foundation by securing the $10,000 that was needed to start it. I have been able to accomplish many things but there’s a lot more work to do. I am honored to work for my constituents and always try to be available to listen to their concerns and address their needs. I would love the opportunity to continue to represent my district.

• What two issues most need to be addressed in Green Bay: Road conditions are a big issue throughout our city. Being on the Improvement and Services Committee, I’ve had the opportunity to work with the Department of Public Works to re-prioritize our city streets to address the need for repairs and reconstruction. With a newer technology that would allow for more roads to be re-surfaced instead of full re-construction it will allow for many more roads to be re-done because of the lower costs involved. This way we can catch up with the aging roads in a much more expedient manner while doing full re-constructs on the roads that need other infrastructure improvements. Homelessness has been a growing problem within our city and it has been detrimental to our downtown businesses. It has been spreading to all areas of our city including Colburn Park and in the woods behind MacArthur School. During my tenure on City Council, I have voted to add positions that will be dedicated to helping to address homelessness in our community. As we see these positions being established and working with all of the various agencies and resources I believe we will see an improvement in addressing homelessness.

Michael Poradek

• Age: 33

• Occupation: Nonprofit administration

• Highest level of education: Ph.D. in leadership from Cardinal Stritch University

• Campaign website: Michael Poradek for Green Bay Alderperson District 11

• Why are you running? I am proud to call Green Bay home and want to serve this community I know and love. I have been a homeowner here in District 11 for over 10 years and, having served in neighborhood leadership, I am humbled to have the support of neighbors across our district who have encouraged me to run for alder. I am committed to serving as a nonpartisan official in this nonpartisan office, focused on the local issues that impact us every day: fixing roads, supporting public safety, and economic development.

• What two issues most need to be addressed in Green Bay: Roads/infrastructure and public safety

Green Bay is currently studying the feasibility of a transportation utility to fund road construction costs like water or sewer service. Why do you support or oppose this idea to replace the wheel tax?

Eck: Recently, we, as a City Council, were shown a brief presentation of how this might look but not given enough information to make an informed decision. As a result, we approved the use of a consultant to do a study, specific to Green Bay, as to who and how it would impact them. This process will take about 6 months, until given all of the details on how residents, businesses, schools, etc. … will be effected I feel it would be premature to make a statement on it.

Poradek: Every election cycle, we discuss the need to repair our city's over 400 miles of local roads. Yet the most recently available 5-year average for road resurfacing and reconstruction is only 1.33%, meaning each mile of road would need to have a lifespan of at least 75 years. The wheel tax is clearly not providing for efficient repairs to our roads, as it was sold to residents when it was passed four years ago.

We need more designated resources to repair roads in a realistic cycle. However, until the feasibility study is complete, outlining the costs to residents and how it would result in faster repair, there’s no way to determine if a Transportation Utility Fund is best for Green Bay. I look forward to reviewing the study first and especially getting input from constituents in my district.

How can Green Bay better address residents' need for affordable housing and the general shortage of housing units?

Eck: Since being on council there have been many developments that we have approved to address housing needs. In my district alone, I have worked with a developer to help start a new subdivision that will bring 30, much-needed new homes. In addition, 8 new homes are being built in my district. As these developments, many of which have started construction, come to completion we will see a lot of the housing needs being addressed. So there is a lot of forward progress already and I know it will continue in the right direction.

Poradek: Serving on the city’s Planning Commission, I have supported several new housing initiatives in our community. We need to continue diversifying and increasing the city’s housing stock to offer more options for individuals and families. This includes quality affordable housing that provides residents with safety, access to resources, and a sense of community that we are known for in Green Bay.

Almost any significant budget cut will involve personnel cuts, which impacts city services. If you want to cut property taxes, what services should be cut to do so?

Eck: Services that are provided to the residents of Green Bay are vitally important. I believe that the city should be managed like any other business where each department head is mindful of the budget and watches its spending in order to be fiscally responsible with its resources. As we all work together we can continue to provide all of the great services to our community and not tax our residents out of their homes.

Poradek: I will remain committed to fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars while always advocating that quality essential services are provided to our city, ensuring adequate resource allocation to public safety. If essential services and safety were put at risk, I could not vote to cut property taxes. Any change to taxes must show strong, clear rationale for residents and careful scrutiny of the budget.

I will seek to work collaboratively to move the city into a stronger financial position that balances the budget and cuts back on city borrowing. That requires using multiple strategies, not quick fixes, such as city-wide economic development efforts to expand the tax base; carefully considering the feasibility of positions and new proposals; and better partnering at the county level.

Green Bay's recent population growth has been driven by our Hispanic, Black, Native American, biracial and Asian communities. Yet recent Wello surveys show nearly one-third of residents feel like Green Bay does not accept people with different ideas. How can the Green Bay City Council help increase acceptance and well-being as we grow?

Eck: Our city consists of many different nationalities and cultures and that’s what makes it great. I have heard over and over again about how nice people in our community are to everyone. Some people call it Midwest nice. I would say that we just need to continue to be who are because it is what makes our city special. After all, we were voted the number one city to live in for a reason.

Poradek: Green Bay should be a community where every neighbor feels safe and has a true sense of belonging, regardless of race and beliefs. Working for years with our neighborhood associations, I have witnessed numerous efforts to build a better community at the grassroots level, one neighbor at a time. Change comes from neighbors having opportunities to communicate and find common ground to build trust, gathering at places like neighborhood picnics and movie nights, and celebrating our diverse cultural heritage together. As Alder, my role will be to openly communicate with all neighbors (including those who may not always agree with me), to advocate for the work of our neighborhoods and nonprofit partners, and to positively represent our city that we together call home.

Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay City Council District 11 election: Eck faces Poradek