Who's On April's Ballot: William 'Butch' Ledoux, District 2 Aldermanic Candidate

If the name is familiar, it could be that LeDoux has been a part of Muskego's business community for decades, with a leather shop that once resided near the corner of Tess Corners Drive and Janesville Road. William LeDoux, who is better known to most simply as Butch, still crafts leather in his Muskego home, a skill handed down over the generations.

LeDoux will once again vie for the District 2 aldermanic seat in April, a position he held for one term in 2001, losing to Chris Buckmaster in 2003, and again in 2009 by about 60 votes to Kert Harenda. He will face off against newcomer Robert Hammel after Harenda could no longer serve in the district because of the new lines that were drawn during redistricting in 2011.

However, LeDoux has not strayed far from public service in the interim, serving on the Board of Appeals, and most recently on the Muskego Parks and Recreation board. He told Muskego Patch it's a job he enjoys because "it allows me to work with the city to solve problems, which is something I feel I am good at. In my business, you have to be creative, resourceful, and I feel that translates well to this type of service."

He explained he was ready to throw his hat back in the ring as the "timing was right" and saw the opportunity to help his district as it undergoes the second phase of the Janesville Road reconstruction project.

As a business owner, LeDoux said he wanted to create more of a pro-business atmosphere in the city as alderman, saying that "we need to see opportunities to maintain the businesses we have, while also exploring new areas for growth."

He agreed with his opponent Robert Hammel that often residents are resistant to change, but that the city has done its homework when proceeding forward, especially of late.

"I know the city explores projects carefully, and overall the city is pretty frugal when it comes to where it spends its money," he said. "However, I know people are often slow to accept change, but once a project's done, they are generally pretty happy with the outcome."

LeDoux said the progress of the recreation trails is a case in point, where at times it's been a contentious issue for homeowners who will be directly impacted, but the result is given high marks by those same people. The plan he said is to continue installing the trails, as they are overall extremely popular.

"I don't think you'll always have 100 percent agreement with the people you represent, but as long as you're straight with people, and give them the answers you can based on the information you have, they respect that," he said.

The Muskego spring general election is Tuesday, April 2. As LeDoux and Hammel face off in the second district, other seats will be uncontested, including Rob Glazier (D4), Kevin Kubacki (D6) and Eileen Madden (D7).