Cheryl Hentz
Candidate for Common Council
P.O. Box 1628
Oshkosh, WI 54903-1628
(920)-426-4123
hosts@eyeonoshkosh.com
Biography
Cheryl was born and raised in Oshkosh and has made it
her home for most of her life. An active member in the
community, she has been appointed to several city boards
and commissions by the Mayor and City Council, including
the Citizens Advisory Committee, Housing subcommittee,
Grand Opera House Advisory Board, Landmarks Commission
and the Board of Zoning Appeals, on which she served as
Vice-Chairperson from June 2002 to June 2004, and as Chair
from June 2004 to present.
She also served for four years on the Board of Directors
for the Oshkosh Area Humane Society and wrote and edited
its newsletter for three years. Always helping animals
wherever and whenever she can, Cheryl has also volunteered
her time during the past five years or so to the Dal-Savers
Dalmatian Rescue group, which serves the Wisconsin and
Illinois area. She volunteers for other animal causes whenever
possible.
A freelance writer and journalist since 1982, Cheryl has
worked in all areas of the media, including radio, TV and
print journalism. Besides writing and reporting, she does
voice-over work for commercial productions and owns & operates
a professional writing/publishing/communications service.
In addition to her professional work, she has hosted and
produced the award-winning cable access show “Eye
on Oshkosh” since 2002.
Position Statement
As most people in Oshkosh know, I have entered the race
for the Oshkosh Common Council. While my reasons are many,
they primarily center around two things: Responsible spending
on current and future needs, including planned development;
and wanting to have a city council that listens to the
residents of Oshkosh and is more responsive than most people
believe the current council has been.
In recent months in particular we have seen the current
council – with the exception of Paul Esslinger and
Brian Poeschl – do the following:
- Approve a multimillion dollar amphitheatre project
within only three weeks time, though having few answers
as to how it would operate (we still don’t have
those answers, by the way);
- Fail to solicit any public discussion on that same
amphitheatre project, despite city administration’s
own acknowledgement that citizens were cool to the idea;
- Move $675,000 out of our General Fund – designed
for emergencies and the like – to pay for bathrooms
at the amphitheatre project;
- Waive bids on the construction work of those bathrooms
and give the contract to a close personal friend and
golfing buddy of one city council member – a city
council member who also now happens to be running for
mayor. (Incidentally, now that same contractor has stepped
forward to say he can save the city money if he waives
his architectural fee and construction manages the project,
when God only knows how much money truly could have been
saved had the bids not been waived to begin with);
- Close our municipal pool while spending about the same
as it would have cost to repair it on a splash pad that,
realistically, only younger children can use;
- Approve the extinguishing of another 250 street lights
(more than 1,000 put out since 2002), yet approve spending
approx. $150,000 on decorative lighting and colored concrete
on one of our bridges;
- Waive bids on the purchasing of playground equipment
for one of our parks because the parks director happens
to like one particular company and he’s comfortable
with them;
- Approve dropping the liability insurance requirement
for groups hosting events in city parks where liquor
will be served, against the advice of our city attorney
and now leaving the city open to potentially costly litigation;
- Refuse to give citizens the opportunity to vote on
whether or not we should have a mayor with some real
power instead of the ceremonial mayor we currently have.
Makes one wonder what they are afraid of, doesn’t
it?
And that’s just for starters. In addition, our taxes
this year went up 5.7 percent and that does not even begin
to cover what the amphitheater and other downtown redevelopment
will cost us in years to come.
The majority of the Oshkosh Common Council do not seem
to care what the citizens in this community think, unless
they are a well-known developer, important business person
or special interest group. Rather, they appear to be out
of touch with their constituents. Citizens by and large
are fed up and that is something that can be seen by the
large number of candidates in this race.
What separates me from some of my opponents in this race
is that while they may suddenly be talking about the city’s
haste with certain projects and some unsound business decisions
the Council may have made, I have to wonder where these
people were before this? They have not spoken out one time
about these “concerns” of theirs – not
at a city council meeting; not in a letter to the editor;
and not to the media as they launched their campaigns.
The candidates I’m speaking about are the ones who
keep talking about “progress,” having a “vision’ and
being “positive.” They are the ones who will
undoubtedly be supported and endorsed by groups like the
Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, Progress Oshkosh and Forward
Oshkosh.
My positions, on the other hand, have been well-known
for a long time. I have never been afraid to speak out
against that which doesn’t make sense or that which
I think needs greater scrutiny before someone commits our
hard-earned tax dollars. I don’t merely speak out
when it’s convenient because I want to sway the public
in order to get votes. The public in Oshkosh knows where
I stand – that’s why so many of them have asked
me to run.
I am not opposed to progress, provided it is done in a
judicious manner and the public has been heard on matters
involving their tax dollars, especially large sums of money,
like for the amphitheater. Haste creates waste and we have
seen that time after time after time in this city. And
THAT is one of the reasons other communities are progressing
more rapidly than us and having greater economic development
than us. It’s common-sense stuff, folks.
And I think it’s important to have a vision. But
part of that vision must include having decent roads, good-paying
jobs, affordable housing for the poor and elderly and people
not being forced out of their homes by high taxes caused
in large part by frivolous spending. These are some of
the real quality of life issues our community needs to
focus on.
Do I profess to have all the answers? Of course not – no
one can! But if elected to the Oshkosh Common Council I
will take my job seriously, I will do my homework (as I
always do) and I will listen to constituents with an open
mind and understanding ear. We may not always agree on
issues, but at least I will listen and try to be the voice
of the people. That’s a tremendous step forward from
where we are now.
Thank you for allowing me to tell you why I am running
and where I stand on some of these issues. In closing,
let me just say this: Some of the candidates are asking
that you call them and let them know what your “vision” is
for the city and to tell them what kind of city you want.
To what end? They seem to already have their minds made
up about what is best for this community. I, on the other
hand, have been listening to the citizens for several years – both
through my nearly 12 years of service on city boards and
commissions and through my 2+ years hosting Eye on Oshkosh.
I hear your concerns and I see the fear of what’s
yet to come in so many of your faces. And I hope that with
your support on Tuesday, Feb. 15 and again on Tuesday,
April 5, I can begin to help make a difference for ALL
the citizens of Oshkosh, not just a select few.
A vote for Cheryl Hentz is a vote for common-sense and
common interests, not special ones. Thank you again! |
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