A Closer Look at the District 13 Candidates

With the primary election scheduled for Tuesday, Waukesha Patch wanted to get a little more information on three candidates that are running for the District 13 aldermanic seat.

The seat is being vacated by who chose to not run because of work time commitments.

Three candidates – – are on the primary election ballot. The two that emerge on top in Tuesday's election will advance to the April general election.

The District 13 polling location is at

Here are the questions with the candidate's responses. Biographical information is listed under each candidate's photo. Minimal editing was done to their answers.

Waukesha Patch: With the projected state deficit, it is likely that this year’s budget will be tighter than even the past few years.  If cuts are necessary in the city’s budget, are there programs or services that you would cut?

Badke: Even with a very tight budget I think very few, if any, programs or services need to be cut.  Because I have had first-hand experience of how City Hall works, I know where to plug the money leaks that cost taxpayers thousands of dollars each year.  Unpaid citations are one source of quite a lot of money. I brought this to the attention of City Hall more than a year ago. This example is just one of many inefficiencies I have seen at City Hall.  City Hall reminds me of the story where a man goes out in search of gold only to return home and find it in his backyard.   

Esche: This is like putting the cart before the horse. Gov. Scott Walker hasn’t released the new state budget yet, so we don’t know what may be affected. If there are savings we need to find in the city’s budget, those would have to be examined when the various departments submit their individual budgets. Efficiencies will have to be looked at closely at that time.

Reiland: I have worked for Wisconsin businesses for over 30 years.  No matter what the business is, there are times when balancing income to expenses becomes difficult and tough adjustments have to be made.  I don’t want to skirt the question with my answer, but in part I believe that we should just spread any cuts required equally across the board.  I truly believe that there is waste in every fraction of our city/state/federal government. With this approach, you push it down to the department heads to make it work. 

Specifically we could look at privatizing some services, like garbage collection.  We are one of the few communities that actually set up the garbage collection rather than letting those that require the service to set it up directly with the sanitization companies.  Another area that I suspect has opportunities for savings is our city public transportation. 

Waukesha Patch: How will you keep the residents in your district informed about what is going on around them?

Badke: Years ago I tried to find ways to inform the people of Waukesha that permits were needed for projects they were considering.  I considered including that information in the tax bills sent out each year but that was only available once a year. Information that the people of Waukesha need to know could be sent out with water bills. I will also explore the idea of each alderperson having access to a blog.  The mayor has a blog, and I think it would bring the alderman and alderwomen up to speed with their constituents.

The city’s website is also a possibility if it is kept current. I recently wanted to know if garbage pickup was delayed a day because of a snowstorm.  There was absolutely no information on the city’s website.  I waited until City Hall opened and got my answer an hour later via telephone.

Esche: One thought I have would be to develop an e-mailed monthly newsletter and Twitter account that touches on the Common Council’s areas of discussion and concern. Updates on current projects of course would be a part of this as well as a question and answer that would address the concerns of my constituents. 

My wife and I do a lot of walking throughout our neighborhood (we are the ones with the basset hounds) and, as many neighbors know, we speak to lots of people.  I will be carrying my card with my cell number on it for their future use.

Reiland: This is a great question and one of my non-issue priorities, and with the many options to communicate in today’s world, there is no excuse for me not to inform the residence to what is going on in the city.  My daughter, Melissa, has started a website for me geared specifically to being the alderman.  We will have this running in about a week and will be listed on my flier after Tuesday’s primary.

I will continue to add to an e-mail distribution list that I have begun for campaigning. I would like to use this for informing the residence on upcoming city business and ask for their feedback.

I want the residence to have easy access to me, which is why I have my phone number listed on my flier, and if elected will continue to make sure that I can be reached. Another thought is a quarterly mailer.

Waukesha Patch: Do you support the city’s   Why or Why not?  How much have you researched the issue to form that opinion?

Editor's note: The Common Council votes to select the future water source. The Common Council was the governing body that approved submitting the application for Great Lakes water.

Badke: I kept up with Waukesha’s application for purchasing Lake Michigan water.  I have also done research regarding the water utility. There are very important decisions to make before committing to buy Lake Michigan water.  Milwaukee just raised water rates 21 percent. We treat and discharge huge amounts of water into the Fox River daily. If we buy water it has to be returned to that watershed. What happens to  ecosystems that have developed along the Fox River and depends on that water?  In 1995, a consultant was hired to look into water issues.  A key recommendation was to bring the water utility under the control of the Common Council.  That wasn’t done.  That is the first thing that should be implemented.  The water issue is far too important to have one person decide.  The Common Council should exercise control over the water supply to protect the interests of their constituents. 

Esche: It is imperative that we – the Common Council and the mayor – go in with a united front, whatever our future water source ends up being. We need to continue to ask the hard questions and know all the long-term costs since in the long run "we the citizens" will be paying the bill. If Milwaukee is indeed what is decided, I do not want our city to become a pipeline to help solve Milwaukee’s tax woes.

Reiland: This could be one of the biggest challenges facing this community and should not be taken lightly.  Our decision today will affect generations of Waukesha residents.

I met with Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak, after I decided to run for alderman. We met for over two hours discussing the water issue and what options face the city. This is not a simple yes or no issue; it involves a resource that we take for granted and is very complex.

I support the research into Great Lakes water. I believe we should look at proposals from Oak Creek or Racine to see if those communities can offer a more viable proposal than Milwaukee. We may conclude that purchasing water is not the best option. This is a complex issue, and in my meeting, we only touched on the costs associated with the various options, which have to be considered.

Waukesha Patch: What are your biggest concerns on the proposed bypass?  What will you do to advance the project and keep residents informed?

Badke: The westside bypass will be controversial.  That being said, you just cannot use streets designed for horse and buggy to move the volume of cars today on a daily basis.  The economy is coming alive again and we will have the biggest building boom since World War II.  This means increased traffic.  The westside bypass would relieve a lot of the pressure on Grandview Boulevard and provide a smooth flow to Waukesha’s south and west areas.

The controversy arises over land acquisition, possible infringement into wetlands and traffic noise pollution. Residents can be kept informed through the aldermanic blog, mayor’s blog or information posted at Bethesda School and/or park.  That information can also be posted to the city’s website.

Esche: After attending a recent West Waukesha Bypass study meeting, my biggest concerns have been answered on the proposed bypass.  The Pebble Creek far west solution is by and large the best of the five afforded proposals.  The Merrill Hills East and 59 to X to Sunset Dr. to Merrill Hills Rd. (or “Z” effect) make no sense at all. Of the three Pebble Creek solutions offered, the far west is the least intrusive to the homes, wetlands and acres needed. 

The four-lane proposal that includes the bike paths stands above the two-lane suggestion. We need to look ahead to 2035 as the four lanes will adapt to the future development and safe travel with our west bypass.  The two-lane option is not much more than a patch job that will have to be redone again for even more money in the future.  Let’s do the job correctly the first time.

Reiland: The proposed bypass is very close to District 13, so this is a topic that is important to the voters.  I have heard from some who oppose the bypass and many that are in favor of improving the flow of traffic. With the continued growth of Waukesha, we need to consider the expansion of the road system in this section of Waukesha.  I think it will improve the community and make it more viable for local residence and businesses.

 I know in part many of us want things in the community to stay the same.  However growth keeps us moving forward, and without growth we would still be farmland and many of us would not live in this great city.

 My major concern is the tax burden.  We need to be able to fund this project with current revenue dollars and with limited disturbance of those along the route.

Waukesha Patch: What is the biggest issue your district faces besides water and the proposed bypass?

Badke: To me, the biggest issues facing District 13 are the location of community-based residential facilities and the return into the community of paroled felons, which includes sex offenders.  It is legal for someone to buy a house in District 13 and rent that house to three unrelated adults regardless of their background.  Also, the State mandates that any community allow CBRFs to locate within that community but gives the community the right to limit the number of CBRFs and proximity to another CBRF according to set restrictions.  Perhaps the idea of locating paroled felons into a community should also be limited according to density.  That is an issue best handled by the City Attorney.

Esche: The biggest issue would have to be the city tax rate and levy.  Other communities such as Brookfield, Wauwatosa, Appleton and Madison have tax rates that are lower than Waukesha’s, yet the quality of services and amenities is very similar. People I have spoken with who are close to retiring in my district are saying to me, “we won’t be able to afford the city of Waukesha when one or both retire.  We will have to move.”  Is this really necessary?  The city of Waukesha needs to be competitive in the services provided for our tax rate if we want people and businesses to remain and come here.

Reiland: Communication with the voters is one of my top priorities, and when I reference voters I am referring to all the residence not just those that vote.  I would like to be an extension of their ideas, get them excited about our community and in turn I will work for them. 

Waukesha is a terrific area to live and raise a family, but let’s face it, our lives can be very complicated and who has time to research what is going on in our city.  I feel that I can be that extension of communication to the voters so that they have a say in how we move forward.

In addition to communication, holding the line on taxes seems to always be a challenge for government, I am committed to making sure our tax dollars are spent wisely.

Waukesha Patch: What new ideas would you bring to the city as an alderman?

Badke: The following are two of several ideas I would bring to City Hall, if elected alderman.  I believe that all departments that store anything that needs to be retrieved use radio frequency identification. Building and planning departments are two examples, as well as the police and fire departments. Businesses use this system because it saves time and money. Countless hours are spent searching for blueprints or evidence or files someone requested.  With RFID it could be located within minutes. There are also a lot of requests for certain information.  This information could be burned to a CD and made available for a nominal fee.  I proposed these ideas years ago but it fell on deaf ears.

Esche: Communicate with my constituents regarding what’s going on.  Hold listening sessions periodically at homes or coffee shops as well as going from door to door to show the people that you are listening to them and representing them accurately.

Lastly, analyzing what we are spending our tax dollars on and are we doing it wisely. We have to run our households on a fixed budget.  If we spend additionally, we have to find savings in other places or we can’t do it.  Our city of Waukesha budget should be handled in the same manner.

Reiland: I am a team player; I’m not someone with a big ego who needs to have his way or the highway.  I have worked well with others in all my experience in the workforce. With my current position at Safway Services, I work closely with our 90-plus branches around the North America along with many vendors on a daily basis.  I will use this experience to work with the mayor and the other aldermen to make sure that Waukesha’s interest is always first.

People who know me know that when I commit to something I give 100 percent, I can assure the voter that I am 100 percent committed to being an alderman that they will be proud of.