Q&A: Village President Julie Siegel

After three years as Village Trustee, Julie Siegel took her new seat at the head of the board Monday night.

Siegel decided to transition from trustee to president when former Village President Kathleen Pritchard announced she would not seek a fourth term. Siegel was unopposed in the April election.

A village resident of 19 years, she and her husband Roger have three kids, ages 15, 18 and 21. She works part-time at Froedtert Hospital as a social worker in the pulmonary department of the outpatient clinic.

As Village President, her annual village salary will increase from $600 per year to $1,200 per year, and she expects her village-related workload to roughly double, as well, from 10 hours per week to 20 hours per week.

Siegel took a moment to sit down with Patch last weekend to share her views on the issues facing the village.

Patch: Why did you decide to step up from Village Trustee to Village President?

Siegel: For me, it seemed like a natural progression. I wasn’t going to run against Katie, because I think she did a terrific job. When I realized that Katie was stepping down and no other trustees wanted to do it, it just made sense. I’m excited to do it. I think the three years on the board has given me a lot of time to learn not only about the issues but how government works, how a board works, how it works with the staff. I think it’s important for me to serve on the board first before becoming Village President.

Patch: What do you see as top priorities for the board?

Siegel: I really want (new Village Manager) Pat Degrave’s transition to go smoothly. With both of us coming in new to this together, I think, has its challenges but in some ways it is pretty ideal because he will put his imprint on the village, on the staff, and I will put my imprint on the board. I want to make sure he has a smooth transition and the board is able to support him in the way that he needs. The board sets the policy and staff carries it out, so we will be working closely together.

I think the number one priority is going to be the financials. Some might say sewers, but you can’t do the sewers unless your financials are in order. (Former Village Manager) Jim Grassman was phenomenal at making sure the village’s financials were great. … The problem I see is what is coming out of Madison is so up in the air right now — not even for our next budget cycle, but for this spring budget cycle. We’re supposed to lose $35,000 in recycling grants. We counted on that money to get us through this year. I think — I’m not sure — but I think that’s gone. I think we need to be really cognizant of the financial situation and go ahead with our capital improvement projects and our high quality service, but also really keep an eye on the bottom line. That to me is the number one priority.

Second, I think, is the sewers. You can’t have 20 percent of the homes affected and not have a village-wide concern...

Another thing is, the reason we’ve lived here so long, and why other people have lived here so long is the schools, the safety and the lifestyle we enjoy. I want to make sure we do all that we can to maintain that lifestyle within the budget constraints upon us to make sure Whitefish Bay is still a desirable place to live.

Another thing that is important is increased communication. Pat will be putting out, once he gets his feet wet, a newsletter similar to Shorewood and Bayside. I know people would’ve liked to have seen that six months ago, but we really wanted to have the new manager put his imprint on that. That will be something that will be forthcoming. We also need to do a little bit of updating on the website, too.

Patch: How do you think the village has done in terms of communication, and do you predict any change in communication style?

Siegel: My experience has been that communication has been adequate. I think it can improve, and I think with the newsletter we’ll do that. In terms of communication, I think those who want information can get it. All of our names, email addresses and phone numbers are on the website. I’m published in the phone book. In terms of accessibility, I think board members are incredibly accessible. We’re always at the school or soccer games or out and about. … I can understand where some people thought communication was an issue, especially around the time of the flooding. They wanted a lot of information, and they still want a lot of information. The problem is, with the Donohue report, we don’t have a lot of information. As soon as we get it, it will go out there. This is a massive project, so it will take a while.

Patch: Do you think you will have a different leadership style than Katie Pritchard?

Siegel: We do have a little bit different style in terms of how we manage things. Katie talked and preached civility, and I agree. We have to treat each other well, and at the end of the meeting, if we disagree on a vote — if it comes out 4-3 or 5-2 at the end of the night — that’s it; the night’s over. No member should be talking poorly about another. We should move on. I don’t think that was so much a problem before, though. I think it’s hard to say ‘I’m going to be this’ or ‘I’m going to do that’ until I’m in that role. The one thing I would like to do is make the meetings a little shorter. I want to work with Pat to set the agenda so the meetings flow a little better. Maybe there are some things that can get on the consent agenda that haven’t or maybe there are some things that don’t belong on there. We’ll have to see.

Patch: What type of approach do you favor as the police consolidation issue moves forward?

Siegel: I think we will need to analyze the information from Shorewood. I think if we’re going to look at merging with Shorewood , we ought to look at merging with all seven communities. It would be a huge undertaking, but you talk about community policing, and I know people are concerned about that, but I don’t think that would be an obstacle to overcome in a merger.

Patch: What type of approach do you think should be taken with regard to fixing the sewers?

Siegel: We’ve been systematically making sewer improvements over the years through our Capital Improvement Program. We continue to do that this year. That has nothing to do with the Donohue report. When the report comes out, we’ll have our engineer look at it and MMSD will have to be involved. We’re going to have to take what they say and see what we can start with in year 1 and year 2 in terms of financials.

I really believe it has to be government and private property working together. It cannot just be the Whitefish Bay village replacing sewer laterals and sanitary improvements. Homeowners are going to have to disconnect their palmer valves, replace laterals and install sump pumps. Without both, nothing is going to improve.

Patch: Do you think incentive or mandates will need to be used to convince property owners to make improvements?

Siegel: I think we are going to have to take a look at both of those.

Patch: What do you enjoy about serving on the Village Board?

Siegel: I love the challenge. It’s interesting to watch how the village works, to see the seven communities come together and work together in the North Shore Fire Department, and it was fun to work toward consolidated dispatch. It’s fun to see government work instead of  hearing about where it doesn’t work all the time.  It’s fun to meet people, learn about sewers, budgets, fire stations and dispatch.  My kids think I’m crazy...The other thing is I grew up on this. My dad (Bayside Village President Sam Dickman) was always involved, and my mom was on the Shorewood School Board for 12 years. I’ve always been interested in this stuff...Whitefish Bay is a great place to live, and I want to make sure it continues to be a great place to live, not just for my kids but for many years to come. There isn’t anybody on the Village Board whose ultimate goal isn’t that. It’s because they love Whitefish Bay.