District 10 Challenger Seeks to Defeat 3-Term Incumbent

The April 5 election includes the District 10 aldermanic race between incumbent Steve Johnson and political newcomer Annette Kuglitsch.

Johnson

Johnson, 55, is a field service engineer with SnapOn Equipment. He first ran for alderman in 2001 because “I saw an opportunity to do some good for the neighborhood – for the district – at the local level,” he said.

Johnson said he has learned over the years about the importance of having a good financial rating and how the budget is evaluated through those terms.

“I would like to be able to continue to keep the city on the right track with budget concerns we are going to have this year,” Johnson said. “I know what we have been doing the last nine years. We have been pretty proactive with consolidating jobs, eliminating positions, job sharing. … I think I can add some insight into future budget concerns.”

Johnson, who voted to submit the city’s Great Lakes water application, said he wants to continue reaching a solution as the city needs to reach a June 2018 deadline to become radium compliant.

“I want to make sure that the water issue is completed,” Johnson said. “It has been something we have been dealing with since I have been an alderman.”

While Johnson has been out talking with the neighbors in District 10, he said he hasn’t heard any major concerns or issues with his work that surprised him. He continues to try to get the Wisconsin Department of Justice take the credit for where sex offenders are placed in Waukesha, he said, and hopes to continue making progress.

One ongoing issue that continues to be brought up, Johnson said, is the condition of the streets. The streets do need to be repaired, the alderman said.

“I will obviously listen and take care of their concerns as best as possible,” Johnson said about interacting with his constituents. “As slow as government works, I think I have handled some things very efficiently.”

Kuglitsch

Kuglitsch, 54, is in her first bid for public office. The Waukesha woman is a process improvement leader at GE Healthcare. Kuglitsch is running because “I want to be part of the solution to provide tax relief and a more competitive value for the taxes we pay,” she said in an e-mail to Waukesha Patch.

Kuglitsch said she wants to use her work skills at GE Healthcare as alderwoman by finding “lean” approaches.

“This approach is not a tool for headcount reduction or mindless cost cutting but rather  to create value through elimination of waste,” Kuglitsch said. “… I can bring my skills to City Hall by applying lean principles resulting in the retention of as many city employees and services as possible.”

Besides taxes and finding ways to plug the $1.5 million budget shortfall that is being projected through the loss of state aid, the city’s water supply is an issue and the road conditions in the District 10 area.

“District 10 does not face some of the more controversial issues as other districts in the city, nevertheless, one has to wonder why we don’t seem to have enough money to adequately fund one of the core services that city government must provide,” she said.

Kuglitsch said she would like to explore ways to meet the budget gap by looking at potential consolidations of the city’s and county’s IT, parks and recreation, public works and public safety departments.

“We must be willing to try new approaches to work within our fiscal constraints,” she said. “… We need to explore the ways for these government agencies to work together and provide the same or better level of service for less tax dollars.”