Candidate Profile: Carstens For Village Of Waukesha Trustee

WAUKESHA, WI—The 2021 election is heating up in Wisconsin and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Voters will also decide the outcome of state representative, senate seats and local government and school boards.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Brandon Carstens hopes to be elected as a Village of Waukesha trustee.

Age (as of Election Day)

36

Position Sought

Village Of Waukesha Trustee # 3

Party Affiliation

N/A

Family

Wife Sarah, two children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelors in Technology Management

Occupation

Manager or Process and Controls Engineering at Rockwell Automation, 4 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

https://www.bmcarstens.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want every resident in the village to be represented fairly, listened to thoughtfully, and most importantly know that the leadership is working for them.

I have found in my personal interactions with the village, and through feedback of other residents, that information is not readily accessible, or at least not easily consumable. I recognize that it is exceedingly difficult to convey in simple terms everything, but I would seek to improve the information dissemination on frequent topics just as I have started to do through my candidacy on my website.

Additionally, I want to make village leadership accessible. Members of the community often are intimidated by the notion that they must come before the village board to voice their concerns. I want to make myself approachable and hear directly from residents so that I may properly represent them.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

My top concern is our fiscal capacity.

The village has a finite amount of taxes coming in and for years the highest opportunity properties were annexed into the City eroding the natural fiscal growth of the village. This has left the village struggling for enough money to address roads, salting, ditches, and emergency services.

I am not about to promise that I am going to come in and fix all the roads, but I can say with confidence that I will work with village staff to take close inspection of the budget and find as many opportunities to reduce or eliminate unnecessary costs because $1,000 here and there can really add up.

Secondarily, a frequent complaint in speaking with residents is they do not understand what is going on within the village. If they can manage to locate agendas, budgets, and information packets in the first place, sorting through these documents can simply be too much. I will seek to improve the village’s technology and communication platforms to improve clarity on the proposals brought before the board and their outcomes.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Long before running I had made the decision to be actively involved in our community through my regular attendance at village meetings and participation in supporting the village through the challenges that 2020 presented with Covid-19 and the departure of the clerk. I have made it my commitment to be an active member of this community and when presented by the vacant seat on the board many residents encouraged me to step into the role. Conversely my opponent has never been in regular attendance at meetings, and I am unaware of any participation by him in village activities or services.

I have ensured that I am as informed on matters as possible and posted unbiased this information to my website as evidence of this endeavor. I also share my opinion on matters and encourage residents to reach out and let me know their opinions as well. My opponent has demonstrated regularly throughout his campaign that he is unprepared for this position. Even posting contradictions to clearly stated facts publicly available on the Village of Waukesha website.
Beyond being prepared I have sought to remain unbeholden to anyone. I have self-funded my campaign taking no money or endorsement from any individual, business, party, or other entity. In contradiction to this my opponent has openly bragged about accepting campaign funds and the political endorsement from partisan groups on his Facebook page.

I wish to act as a neighbor and a leader within our village. I seek input from residents and to find consensus within the board to do what is best for our community. My opponent has attacked and bullied private residents on social media when they show support for my candidacy or challenged his thinking. Further he shows active defiance of the board and resident’s requests to wear a mask during Village Board meetings is a clear demonstration of indifference for residents and the community's leadership.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Michael Doerr currently holds this seat but has declared noncandidacy as he runs for the President position in this election cycle.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I am satisfied with the way the Village of Waukesha handled the coronavirus. In their handling of the virus, they observed guidelines as issued by state and federal agencies making attendance of village meetings comfortable for all residents wishing to attend.

I am disappointed with my opponent when in his attendance of village meetings defiantly refused to comply with the request of the Board and residents to wear a mask in disregard for other attendee's health, safety, and comfort. As he did not actively participate in the meetings discourse in these appearances, I would have encouraged him to have attended from home as his attendance caused others to become uncomfortable and ultimately leave meetings early due to his presence.
As a potential future leader within our community, I would expect him to act as such. To do his part in respecting the health, safety, and comfort of the attendees and in providing an example of good stewardship.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

As a whole our Village has accomplished a lot and demonstrated a clear ability to move our Village forward. While our fiscal capacity is our definitive challenge, we have several other challenges that we must address from a capital spending perspective.

The Fire Department wishes to expand its capabilities to have coverage for overnight response to medical emergencies. This is a significant challenge as to support our paid-on-call staff we would have to provide them appropriate facilities to support a contingency to stay through the night in an on-call capacity. This would require some sleeping quarters. Given the current footprint of the fire station there is no available space to incorporate these facilities and an additional structure would be needed. Additionally, the DPW does not have adequate storage for their equipment with all plowing equipment being stored outside subject to all weather conditions and a current facility unable to accommodate these larger vehicles. This results in equipment breakdowns and an overall shortened lifespan for this equipment resulting in more spending.

To solve these needs a new fire station has been proposed in various scales and locations. The challenge is cost, and residents would need to be willing to accept a referendum to raise the levy to support this endeavor. On my website I have outlined my alternate proposal to address this. I believe my proposal will fit within our current budgetary constraints though it remains to be assessed if it would fall fiscally in line with our current reserves, budget, and capital plan.

Other things often overlooked are large capital expenses coming due including major road maintenance / replacement, a roof well beyond its life expectancy on the village hall and fire station, and equipment replacement including fire apparatus and snowplows.

A long-term capital plan needs to be defined and adhered to. This will allow us to plan for the future, address our current needs, and deliver the safety and security the village residents deserve on the roads and in their homes.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I bring to the table an enthusiasm for our village and a drive to make our community better. As evidence of this I have regularly attended meetings, sat down with Village staff to understand the challenges their departments face, and volunteered my time to ensure that our village operates even when faced with the challenges that 2020 brought before us.

In my professional career I am a manager with Rockwell Automation where my team is tasked with identifying, validating, and delivering cost effective solutions to minimize our manufacturing costs. I do this on a daily basis making data-driven decisions to drive Rockwell’s overall profitability. In this career I am measured on my ability to deliver against these goals, and this is the same critical introspection I plan to deliver to our Village.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

To call out any one single piece of advice is challenging. Given the position the Village of Waukesha and the world finds itself today; I feel this one is particularly applicable.
“Change is constant, Growth is Optional.”

As the Village of Waukesha moves forward as an incorporated municipality and the world reels with the impacts of Covid we must recognize that change cannot always be predicted and with change we as individuals are challenged to grow and adapt.

I have always considered myself an agent of change supporting the measured implementation of new policies and practices to support our every changing environment at home, work, and within our community. I know I can be this for the Village of Waukesha and I owe this confidence to my second piece of advice...

Find a partner, colleague, spouse, or significant other that supports you in all you do because it is through their support that you will be stronger than you thought and achieve your goals however ambitious. I have my wife Sarah to thank for this. As my spouse, confidante, and biggest cheerleader; she has challenged me to go farther than I thought I could, strive for more than I thought possible, and to be the best version of myself.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have no business interest.
I have no services or goods to sell.
I do not own any property in the village beyond my personal residence.
I self-funded my campaign and have not accepted campaign contributions from any individual, business, party, or other entity.
I have not sought the endorsement of any political or special interest group.
Simply, my influence cannot be bought, my character will not be compromised, and my conviction is to the residents of the village.
I will lead our village not as a politician but as a resident, a neighbor, a leader, a voice for every resident, and a champion for our community.