Kuehl, Braughler to square off for 4th District position

Friday, March 21, 2008 12:28 PM CDT

Incumbent Alderman Mark Kuehl and former council member James Braughler will square off April 1 for the 4th District aldermanic seat in Watertown. Listed below are each candidate's credentials, motives and goals.

Former council member James Braughler is looking to become the new alderman of District 4 following the general election on April 1.

Braughler and his wife, Heidi, live at 812 Cole St. He is currently a library assistant for the L.D. Fargo Library in Lake Mills.

Braughler, 48, served as the 2nd District alderman from 2001 to 2003 and has been a member of the Park and Recreation Committee, Public Works Commission and Community Development Authority.

A resident of Watertown for over 30 years, Braughler has an undergraduate degree from Maranatha Baptist Bible College and a master's degree from Maranatha Baptist Graduate School of Theology.

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Braughler is the vice president of the Watertown Historical Society Board and the Watertown Municipal Band Board. He is also a member of the Watertown Friends of the Library.

The following is his statement of candidacy:

“My entire adult life has been spent in service to others - 24 years in education and 30 plus years in my local church, civic groups throughout Watertown and the local area. Local politics are a natural outgrowth of this lifestyle.

“I have enjoyed my time serving Watertown on the city council, running for mayor and on various boards and groups.

“My wife and I own a home on Cole Street. We have the same struggles that everyone does today: house payments, insurance, taxes, utilities and rising gas prices.

“My blue collar upbringing and my adult white collar experiences make me well suited for local government. I taught government, speech, history and economics; all subjects preparing me to serve the citizens of the 4th district.

“I am a fiscal conservative who will work hard to carefully oversee the needs and dollars of Watertown. I am presently working a job that allows me the freedom to go to important meetings - day or night so that the 4th District will always be represented.

“I am willing to listen to the citizenry, ask the tough questions and make the right decisions. My potential to serve both county and local government will well serve Watertown.”

The following are Braughler's responses to questions posed by the Daily Times:

1. Many believe it will be hard to maintain the city budget in the coming years without making some cuts to services and programs. Where can the city become more efficient to minimize these cuts to services and programs?

I believe a three-fold approach is necessary:

1. Approach the people of Watertown and find out from them what cuts they would be willing to endure. With the economic picture ahead of us, we need to realize that cuts are inevitable. No one likes cuts - they hurt and they are painful but we become better because of them.

My potential to serve as well on the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors could serve the city well. The Jefferson Board has made cuts to their budget for the past five years but not to their services. I can learn much from them which can be applied to the city.

2. Consolidate departments and programs for greater efficiency. Obviously this could be painful but hard times necessitate hard choices.

3. Prepare now for the future and look down the road five and 10 years to determine what hard cuts to services will need to be made and start preparing now. No matter how we look at cuts, some will not like the changes. We must make the hard decisions for what will benefit the whole city the most, not just those who are the loudest or most powerful.

2. How do you feel about annexation and residential growth?

In the past two weeks I have driven around town and regularly read the Daily Times. We have over 170 empty residential lots in some stage of preparation and over 140 homes for sale. We do not need more land annexation for homes, especially in light of the present housing market.

We need to maintain and properly service the land we presently oversee. Addition of more will only overburden the taxpayer, the city employees and the local economy.

Annexation of land attached with signed and sealed businesses or industries would be wonderful - this is something I would support. No to residential and yes to businesses is my answer to annexation.

3. How would you approach improving economic development in Watertown?

In today's economy, a small town like Watertown has some very tough competition. We need to continue to work with the Chamber of Commerce, the Main Street Program and other local agencies to get Watertown's name out there, and develop whatever nuggets of growth we can kindle.

We must be realistic about the economic potential. But I think our time, efforts and funds would be better spent on keeping and maintaining what businesses and companies we already have in town.

We must create incentives for local businesses to stay local, education/re-education of the workers to meet the changes in the marketplace. We must also encourage our young set of Watertownians to go to college to come back to Watertown to start new businesses, enter the local job market and strengthen our economic base.

4. Fees, which many believe to be another form of taxation, are becoming more and more of a revenue source for local governments. What role do you feel fees ought to play in the overall budget?

Fees are taxes by another name, but fees are closely related to the use by the consumer who both uses the services/product and pays the fee.

We cannot escape taxes and we cannot operate without them. As state and federal governments impose more mandates upon the local governments, we are going to have to give up either a program or service or money from our wallets.

I am much more comfortable asking someone for fees if the service/program is something they use on a regular basis. Since I don't want my personal money paying for something I don't use or won't ever use; why should I expect any more of the citizens of Watertown?

Incumbent Alderman Mark Kuehl is looking to retain his 4th District seat on the Watertown Common Council.

Kuehl, who lives at 303 S. Eighth St., was appointed by the council in May 2007 to fill the 4th District unexpired term after Ron Krueger was elected mayor. He also served as 4th District alderman from 1984 to 1992 and 1998 to 2000.

Kuehl, 50, currently serves on the finance committee, public safety committee and library board. He is the circulation manager for the Watertown Daily Times.

Kuehl graduated in 1976 from Northwestern Preparatory School, which is now known as Luther Preparatory School. He is a past board member and president of the Watertown Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Watertown Safety Council.

The following is his statement of candidacy:

“It is my privilege to serve as a member of the Watertown Common Council and I thoroughly appreciate the experience of representing the constituents of the 4th District. The experience that I have gained by serving on most, if not all, of the council committees has given me the background to serve you knowledgeably.

“The city constantly faces challenges especially in the area of finances and budgeting. With decreasing revenue from Madison we must continue to monitor our operations to ensure we are providing the quality services that our residents expect in the most efficient and cost effective manner. You have my pledge that I will work to keep them at the highest standards and at the most affordable cost.

“One of the benefits of having worked with city hall is knowing how the system operates and the people to contact if something isn't working well. If there is any help that I can provide you please feel free to contact me. I pride myself in excellent constituent service. With your support on April 1 I would be honored to continue serving you during the next two years.”

The following are Kuehl's responses to questions posed by the Daily Times:

1. Many believe it will be hard to maintain the city budget in the coming years without making some cuts to services or programs. Where can the city become more efficient to minimize these cuts to services and programs?

There are always areas where we could be more efficient but I believe that our various departments are extremely efficient. Any resident should contact their alderperson if there is any area of our city operation that he/she feels could be done even better.

One area of major concern is how looming cuts in the shared revenue we receive from the state will affect our local budget. Reductions in funding could require cuts in services and programs. If this does become reality, after exploring all options to keep city services intact, I would look to my constituents to inform me which areas should be eliminated.

2. How do you feel about annexation and residential growth?

This is an age old question. Yes, there are added costs as a community grows, but there are benefits as well, including more variety and types of stores and businesses that locate in the area with a larger population base. This also is an area that needs input from constituents as these decisions are being made.

It is important to mention that Watertown subscribes to the “smart growth plan” that considers any land that is proposed for annexation to determine if it is best utilized as agricultural, industrial or residential. If growth is to occur it needs to be given serious consideration and deemed to be “smart growth.”

3. How would you approach improving economic development in Watertown?

The role of the city is to work closely with the Chamber of Commerce and the Promotive Corporation when it comes to “selling” Watertown as a great location to locate a business. Our mayor and city staff do work diligently to bring new businesses to our community. This type of effort is often slow and tedious but also vitally important.

There is tremendous competition among the communities vying for a new industry and some major infrastructure costs for the successful city. Watertown has a major advantage in the fact that we have prime industrial property available in our Tax Incremental District No. 4 on the west side.

Another logical and more affordable approach is to work with our existing employers, of all sizes, to help them grow right here in Watertown. That type of growth is very healthy and much cheaper for the community.

4. Fees, which many believe to be another form of taxation, are becoming more and more of a revenue source for local governments. What role do you feel fees ought to play in the overall budget.

Fees have become more common and more expensive in all levels of government including Watertown. Keep in mind that the city needs the same amount of revenue to support its budget whether those dollars come from taxes or fees.

The advantage of these dollars being collected on the tax side is that they are deductible for those itemizing on their tax return. However, these costs are not shared by the large amount of tax exempt properties in Watertown. The advantage of collecting dollars in fees is that the cost is spread over all of the properties in the city.