Wauwatosa 3rd District aldermanic race

Voter's guide for Tuesday, April 3, election

March 18, 2012

Jacqueline Jay (i)

Age: 45

Address: 11624 W. Mount Vernon Ave.

Years of residency: 17

Family: husband, Trent; children, Justin, 21; Cory, 20; Calvin, 17; Megan, 16

Job: landscape designer/owner 3-J Landscape Design, office assistant at Redeemer EFC, Kohl's Associate and current alderwoman

Education: bachelor's in landscape architecture from Cornell University

Community involvement: 17-year director of children's club at church for 3- and 4-year-old kindergartners, six-year soccer coach for Tosa Kickers, supporter of Wauwatosa West Theater and West Music, volunteer teacher of community landscape design classes, volunteer designer of community gardens, volunteer with God's Kids in the Hood, volunteer at summer camps, volunteer designer of church's property

Website: search for "Jacqueline Jay Wauwatosa" to find her Facebook page

Contact: JacquelineJay@att.net, (414) 774-6860

Work on local streets will start soon to prepare for the traffic diverted during the Zoo Interchange reconstruction. How would you make sure the interests of residents and businesses are represented?

The Zoo Interchange will have a major impact on our residents. Last summer during the repaving of Bluemound Road, Landry's BP was told that it would not have access for two days. I worked with Rep. Dale Kooyenga's office to make sure that Landry's BP and other businesses would continue to have access for their customers. I will continue to work with our state legislators' offices to ensure businesses remain open with minimal impact. I will work to reduce lane closures during morning and evening rush hours. I have discussed my concerns with Sen. Leah Vukmir about the plans to make Mayfair eight lanes wide with three turn lanes from Bluemound to Mayfair, and with that size, take away green space on Mayfair. I am highly concerned for the pedestrian crossings in the area, especially for the children who have to cross Mayfair to get to Underwood Elementary.

As the city looks to reducing cost and increase revenues, are there any areas you see as off-limits and any areas where you'd like to see changes?

Four years ago I decided to run for alderman because the city was considering taxing San Camillo. I feel it is wrong to tax religious and nonprofit organizations. Raising taxes on our seniors will encourage them to move to other cities, like Brookfield, or states without income taxes. At times such as these when so many residents are having a hard time finding employment, paying $4 a gallon for gasoline, and otherwise making ends meet, I believe that we should not be raising property taxes. I will work with the new mayor, as I did with former Mayor Jill Didier, to encourage economic activity in underdeveloped areas of the city, such as the Burleigh Triangle and the State Street area. Increasing economic growth will increase revenues and property values. Wauwatosa will continue to be the best-run city in Milwaukee County.

How do you feel about the existing size of the Common Council?

I can see the positives with both the current board size or a smaller one. It is good that Wauwatosa citizens will have an opportunity to express their desire. The current board size allows for a greater diversity of opinions. The current board size also allows each district to be represented on the two most important committees - Budget & Finance and Community Development. Reducing the board size allows a small savings to taxpayers. Many residents are confused about having two aldermen per district. Changing to one alderman per district will reduce that confusion. Finally, there are several more important issues facing Wauwatosa, such as infrastructure, the Burleigh Triangle, relations with Wisconsin Lutheran College and Mayfair mall, and the development of the County Grounds with University of Wisconsin at Innovation Park. Whatever the board size, I will continue to work with the other aldermen to continue to improve our great city.

Greg Walz-Chojnacki

Age: 57

Address: 8007 Portland Ave.

Years of residency: 26 years

Job: web editor for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Education: bachelor's degree in philosophy from UW-Madison

Community involvement: soccer coach, choir member and church cantor

Contact: (414) 475-0260, Greg4Tosa.com

Work on local streets will start soon to prepare for the traffic diverted during the Zoo Interchange reconstruction. How would you make sure the interests of residents and businesses are represented?

Based on our region's recent experience with the Marquette Interchange, I feel confident that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will have a good plan in place to minimize the disruption to Tosans and all users of the freeway system. The city's scope of action is largely limited to an advisory role, since this is a state project. However, the DOT has been receptive to city input, so my primary roll will be to serve as a point of contact for citizens and businesses, ensuring that their voices are heard when the DOT comes before the city. I intend to be highly pro-active in connecting with the citizens of the district on this and all matters affecting us.

I'll also advocate for a strong effort to minimize the use of residential streets as shortcuts. This may require strict enforcement and perhaps traffic-calming measures (speed bumps or calming circles) on side streets.

As the city looks to reducing cost and increase revenues, are there any areas you see as off-limits and any areas where you'd like to see changes?

Clearly safety is a top priority, so reductions in police and fire services are unacceptable. Basic infrastructure cannot be allowed to crumble, because it is key to economic development. I am eager to see greater efficiencies, though the administration is already doing an excellent job at identifying and implementing cost saving measures. Ultimately, I believe we can't cut our way out of our fiscal problems, we need to grow our way out. Maintaining and enhancing our livability is vital to attracting the people and enterprises that will add value to our community. I would like to see the city become a model of sustainability. Saving on energy and garbage tipping fees is good in itself, but we'll enjoy even greater economic benefits if businesses and families looking for a home view our city as a national model in its management of sewerage, stormwater, waste management and energy use.

How do you feel about the existing size of the Common Council?

I am persuaded that our council is outsized and can be trimmed. This is going to take significant consideration and planning, however. As it is now, our council members devote quite a bit of time working on various council committees and as liaisons to citizen committees. Fairness and commonsense demands that the time required of our elected officials - for whom these are part-time positions - is not too burdensome. Simply cutting the council in half and doubling the committee assignments, for example, is not a sensible solution. I expect the reduction to take the form of A) changes to the scope of city and citizen committees (for example, combining the energy and recycling committees into a sustainability committee), and B) redrawing of the city districts into 10 or 12 districts with a single alder, instead of the current arrangement of two alders in eight districts.

Advertisement

Local Crime Map

CONNECT    

Advertisement

Latest Photo Galleries