Bill Castle closing statement

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the citizens of Oshkosh for having let me run for mayor. I have learned and gained much. I have learned that most citizens of Oshkosh care about our future. There have been reasonable disagreements concerning how to evaluate and fund our redevelopment efforts. However, every candidate has by the end of this campaign supported these redevelopment efforts.

I have gained a far deeper understanding of how important the new mayor position can become. We must work hard to ensure that we don’t let the election of this position be divisive but rather we must use the election to bring people together to work toward common good.

I ask that we all make careful decisions April 5. If we all do that, then we all win. Thank you for the last eight weeks.

ESSLINGER CLOSING STATEMENT

I would like to use my closing statement to say THANK YOU!

First of all, I would like to thank the voters who voted for me in the primary and allowed me to be one of two candidates that would be honored to be the first directly elected mayor in almost 50 years. I hope that I will be the one that you will vote for on April 5th.

I would like to thank Miles Maguire for hosting this site. I'm sure it takes a lot of time and effort to host this site. Allowing residents to view the opinions of the candidates is critical to making an informed vote, and the information on this site allows people to get educated on the candidates.

I would like to thank Bill Castle, Kyle Reppert, and Mark Madison for running for mayor. Although we don't agree on all of the issues, the voters win because they have had choices in who they would like to be their new directly elected mayor.

I want to thank the 14 candidates that ran for City Council. I believe 14 people running for council are the most we've had in a long time. Again, the voters win because of the choices that they have in candidates.

And finally, I would like to encourage everyone to get out and vote on April 5th. Running for office takes a lot of time, effort, and in some cases money. Seeing a large voter turnout is satisfying to candidates that their efforts are appreciated. A large voter turnout also shows that the people in the community really care about the community, and that they want their voice heard in whom they want to represent them.

Sincerely,


Paul Esslinger

Bill Castle Response to Question No. 4

Running for mayor has been a great learning experience for me. I have learned that most citizens of Oshkosh support our city’s redevelopment efforts. However, it has become clear to me that we as a city haven’t communicated with and kept the public as well informed of our efforts, as we should. The Oshkosh Northwestern recently ran a series of articles on the city’s redevelopment efforts. It was great stuff. After having read it I realized that we as a city need to more actively tell our own story.

The Five Rivers Resort proposal is currently before the Redevelopment Authority. The Redevelopment Authority is composed of citizens and city staff and is tasked with evaluating all of the nuts and bolts of projects like the Fiver Rivers Resort project. The people on the Redevelpment Authority were selected for their experience and knowledge. They meet every third Wednesday at 4 PM at city hall and the public is welcome to attend. Ultimately the Redevelopment Authority will negotiate the final package for Fiver Rivers.

Their recommendation will go to the city’s Plan Commission which meets every first and third Tuesday of the month at 4 PM at city hall. I would expect the Redevelopment Authority to make a detailed and informative presentation to the Plan Commission on all aspects of the Five Rivers Project. The advantage of doing this at the Plan Commission meeting is that these meetings are televised and the public is free to speak on specific agenda topics. This is a critical step in helping the public find out what’s going on.

The Plan Commission then votes on the land use components of the proposal. For example the Plan Commission would review how the public would have access to the riverfront. Our recently adopted Comprehensive Plan specifically directs public access to this rive front property.

If approved by the Plan Commission the proposal would go to the city council. In one of my previous answers I indicated that city council meetings are not as productive as they might be. When elected mayor I would hope to improve how these meetings are conducted. For example I would hope city staff would make a detailed presented of the Five Rivers Resort project. Citizens could speak. Council members would discuss with each other while not pandering to the camera. When finished everyone should feel that they know what’s going on and that they had the opportunity to provide input.

Generally these projects are easier to modify earlier in the process. Our public access tv helps keep the public informed. However we must always work harder to keep the public and ourselves better informed. To that end you can go to BILLCASTLEFORMAYOR.COM for a detailed presentation of my views.

I ask for your vote April 5th so we can continue these important projects.

ESSLINGER RESPONSE TO QUESTION #4

First, I think that if the developer is asking for public funds in any substantial amount, that there be a public meeting on the project (a town hall meeting if you will.) I think citizens should evaluate the project based upon the complete plan when it comes forward.


Some of the elements of the plan that citizens should evaluate are as follows:

1. Is the development appropriate for this location?
2. How much money is being asked of the taxpayers?
3. Can we afford the amount being asked for?
4. Will there be public access to the riverfront?
5. Will the public be able to use the various aspects of the development, like the
water park?
6. Will the taxpayers be burdened with the project should the TIF fail?
7. How many jobs will be created, and what is the multiplier effect of the jobs that
will be created?


I don't think there should be an arbitrary dollar amount that we can say now that the taxpayers should be willing to pay for because we haven't seen the complete plans. I also don't think that we can afford to write a blank check for the project either. I would be more comfortable talking about dollar amounts when the plan comes forward and we can have the questions from above answered.

The amenities that the citizens should insist on are access to the riverfront and that the public be allowed to use the water park. And as I stated before, something should be put in the contract that the taxpayers not be burdened in any way should the TIF fail.

Sincerely,


Paul Esslinger

Question No. 4

The Five Rivers Resort proposal for the Pearl Avenue-Marion Road Redevelopment Area provides an interesting test case for the city. Not surprisingly it has generated a certain amount of rhetoric even before many of the details have become available.

* How do you think citizens should evaluate this situation and make up their minds about the proposal?

* Should there be a specific dollar limit on the amount that taxpayers should be willing to provide in public support?

* Are there certain amenities or development limits that the city should push for?

Bill Castle Response to Question No. 3

We can expect the costs of city government to keep rising. Employee costs including medical costs will continue to increase. We can not take the attitude that we are going to balance our budgets on our employees backs. Some businesses have tried that approach and found that it doesn’t work. We must work cooperatively with our employees to find ways of delivering greater value for each wage dollar spent. We need to move away from our political discussions always being about yes or no budget issues. We need to raise the level of political discourse and focus on delivering better city services for the same tax dollar. I am proud I supported replacing two police officer car patrols with one-officer cars. We want to keep the same number of officers on the street, but allow them to be more places at one time. For the same tax dollar we get better protection and we work cooperatively with the police department to ensure our officers remain safe.

With that same cooperative attitude we need to engage the county and surrounding townships on how we can all bring greater value for each tax dollars spent. Police, fire and roads are obvious places to look. We should look for the less obvious.

For a more comprehensive look at these and other important issues I would ask that you go to my web site BILLCASTLEFORMAYOR.COM. thanks for taking the time to become better informed.

ESSLINGER ANSWER TO QUESTION #3

1. In the last contract negotiations with the unions, there were some positive developments. The unions agreed to pay 5% of their premiums where they previously paid 3%. We also had savings by having two health plans, an EPO, and a PPO. The EPO limits the amount the doctors for the employees but saves the city money because the doctors involved agree to discounts. We saved money on the PPO by increasing the out of network payments by employees. We also agreed to a 2.25%, 2.50%, and a 2.75% increase in the employees' salaries over three years respectively. This is the first time that the union employees received less that a 3% increase in their salary in a long time.

The thing that will need to be taken into consideration in the next contract negotiations is that the comparables (contracts that have been signed in communities around us) are over 3.0%. This is important because we must be close to what we offer our employees or the unions can go to court and claim that the city is not bargaining in good faith.

So, to sum it up, are hands are somewhat tied when it comes to salaries and benefits, however, we may have some leverage with more insurance concessions.

2. I have heard of some possible efficiencies, such as combining the Sheriff's Department and the City Police Department. I have not personally seen any of this information, but if it makes sense to the taxpayers, and it does not diminish the quality of the service, then we need to look at making some consolidations.

3. Nonunion employees should be evaluated by the City Manager and suggestions can be made to increase salary and benefits based on their performance. I don't believe employees should receive increases in salary simply by occupying space from one year to the next.

Sincerely,


Paul Esslinger

Question No. 3

How do you propose controlling personnel costs, including salaries and fringe benefits, in city government?

Please respond to the following specific aspects of this issue.

* Does the city need to be more aggressive in bargaining with unionized employees?

* Are there efficiencies that can be achieved through greater collaboration with the county or adjoining communities?

* How should nonunion employees such as department heads be evaluated and compensated?