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Thank you for re-electing me! - - - - - I was elected to be a visionary for our County's future, not a guardian of the status quo. - - - - - I was honored to represent Washington County at a White House Conference in August of 2019. - - - - - I strive to be one of the most approachable County Board Supervisors - - - - - I want to increase cooperation with the City of West Bend, including consolidating services, to free up money in the City budget to help fund road repairs

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Yard Signs Are Available


Do you want to help me continue to reform County Government?  If so, one way you can help is to put out a yard sign for my re-election campaign.  Just send me an e-mail to chris.bossert@yahoo.com or cluke04@yahoo.com with your address, and I'll drop off a sign for you.



Just a reminder of some of the things I have gotten accomplished:
  • No Funding for Milwaukee's Trolley---I found the hidden funding (a regional tax plan) for Milwaukee's trolley and commuter rail plans in the Vision 2050 regional transportation plan.  I led the board in saying "No, Mayor Barrett, we won't fund your trolley." 
  • Night Meetings---Starting in May, the County Board will hold its meetings at night.
  • Combating the Darkstore Loophole---National retailers are using a tax loophole to shift their property tax burdens onto homeowners and small businesses.  I am working with Senator Duey Stroebel and Assemblyman Rick Gundrum to combat the darkstore loophole.  My efforts include authoring a County Resolution supporting efforts to end the darkstore loophole.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Campaign Announcement---2nd Promise for the 2018-2020 Board Session

In the lead-up to April's election, I am going to be releasing a series of campaign announcements.  Today I make my first campaign announcement, a promise for how I will vote on an issue during the 2018-2020 board session.

I promise that I will continue to refuse all mileage (for travel within Washington County) & per diem pay during the 2018-2020 board session.  I encourage other County Board Supervisors to join me, and follow the example I set during the 2016-2018 board session, during which I refused all mileage and per diem pay.  I have never received mileage pay for a normal commute to work, and consequently as a County Board Supervisor I have always refused all mileage pay for travel within Washington County. 

I got elected to serve the taxpayers, not myself.



Thursday, February 8, 2018

History Center is Making Progress Towards Self-sufficiency

Last week Monday, the History Center met with the Quasi-Governmental Agency Committee (which I am a member of).  Our County Administrator, Josh Schoemann, summarized the meeting this way:

The Washington County Historical Society (WCHS) also presented to the committee regarding the initial findings of a feasibility study they did for their organization and the future of the Old Courthouse Museum.  They indicated to the committee that this study proved to them that it is feasible to investigate a strategic reframing of the organization, directed toward a new relationship with the County.   WCHS also laid out a rough timeline for the next step in the process, developing their Strategic Plan which will help to create a proposal for working toward financial independence for the ad hoc committee’s consideration.

While I have in the past been critical of the History Center, which formerly called itself the Washington County Historical Society, I am seeing positive movement from them.  

I am in a unique position to speak on this issue.  When I first went to college, I was giving strong consideration towards becoming a high school history teacher.  While I ultimately decided to pursue other career options, my affinity for history never subsided.  I took 21 credits of History classes, all as electives, while in college.  After graduating college, I continued to explore history through various activities including museum visits.  Once of my favorite museums is a recently-renovated private museum in Wheaton, Illinois, called Cantigny (website is https://cantigny.org/), and specifically their First Division Museum (website is https://www.fdmuseum.org/).

Our History Center and Funding
Our History Center receives a lot of County Funding, while our neighboring counties do not fund our History Center nearly as much.  We give (through a grant) more than $134,000 to our History Center.  In contrast, neighboring counties give their Historical Societies funding in the range of $10,000 to $25,000,  In those neighboring counties, their historical societies do all of the same history preservation and education that our History Center does.  We also give the History Center use of the County's Old Courthouse building for free (technically, we rent it to them for $1/year but we never bother to collect the rent since the point of renting something for $1 per year is to essentially be free).

The funding arrangement seems destined to change.  Prior to my being elected, the County Board (while chaired be Herbert Tennies) decided to implement priority-based budgeting.  That process led to the identification of several programs that were over-funded, including the History Center.  During the 2016-2018 County Board session, we decided to remain consistent with the policies relating to priority-based budgeting (policies put in place while Herbert tennis chaired the County Board).  Consequently, we will be working to transition he History Center to a model that is much more self-sustaining and much less dependent on funding from the County tax levy.

Culturally, our history center has in the past been resistant to change, overly dependent on County funding, and overly adversarial towards the County Board.  Fortunately, that seems to be changing, which is excellent.

I look forward to continuing to watch this change, as the History Center works to become more vibrant, more self-sufficient, and more partner-focused in its relationship with the County Board.


Sunday, February 4, 2018

Campaign Announcement---1st Promise for the 2018-2020 Board Session

In the lead-up to April's election, I am going to be releasing a series of campaign announcements.  Today I make my first campaign announcement, a promise for how I will vote on an issue during the 2018-2020 board session.

I promise that I will reintroduce Resolution 13, a resolution that proposed ending per diem pay for County Board Supervisors, and reducing County Board Supervisor pay by $600 per year (from $6,600 to $6,000 per year).  I believe County Board Supervisors are overpaid, and that per diem payments are wasteful and incentivize County Board Supervisors to hold unnecessary meetings.

Resolution 13 needed 18 votes for passage, but only got 16 votes.  I was one of the 16 votes in favor of reducing our pay and eliminating per diems.