Election 2012: Town of Hudson Candidate Profiles

Hudson Patch asked all the local candidates on the ballot in the April 3 election to provide some information about themselves. The following is the information submitted by Town of Hudson candidates with minor grammatical edits:

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DON JORDAN

Current occupation: 

• Corporate Real Estate – 35 years

Experience:

• Born and raised on a Wisconsin Dairy Farm – still in family ownership
• Resident of Township – 34 years
• UW–River Falls B.S. Business/Geology
• University of Minnesota–Minneapolis M.B.A. Finance/Risk Management
• Served as Hudson Town Chair – 2 years
• Served as St. Croix County Supervisor – 6 years
• Served as Hudson Town Board of Adjustment Chair – 12 years

Why do you want to be on the Town Board? What is the most important issue facing the Town of Hudson and where do you stand on that issue?: I am running again to serve the Town of Hudson residents because experience matters! We live in challenging times, but having ordinances and regulations in place that have been debated, refined, and relied upon for the past 22 years has served the Town of Hudson well. Gone are the days where each applicant would come to the Town Board as a “special exception” and whoever could muster three out of five votes, won the approval. The town now has zoning overlays and “permitted uses” which help define the future development of our rural community. All 8,000 residents get to determine this course of action and they have spoken.

We need to prepare thoughtfully for future development while at the same time preserving our rural heritage. It is our legacy for the next generation. Many new town residents may be unaware of this rich history; however it is for this reason that I am choosing to run for town government again. Please consider voting for me on April 3.

KEN KOLBE

Current occupation: 

• Retired Civilian Federal Government
• Paramedic most of the County
• Community Emergency Response Instructor/Trainer/Coordinator (CERT)
• Wisconsin EMS Honor Guard

Experience: 

• Registered Land Surveyor
• Construction Inspector
• Mental Health Technician
• Currently Town of Hudson Supervisor since 2006
• St Croix County Supervisor 2006-2008

Why do you want to be on the Town Board?: I have been a public servant since 1973 but could not be involved at the local levels. I entered six years ago as a supporter of public areas especially the parks. I still see the open public use spaces as the future of any community and this includes ball diamonds.

What is the most important issue facing the Town of Hudson and where do you stand on that issue?: What I see as the greatest issues are the ever changing rules placed on local governments by the state legislature. One is a mandate that we can not control the amount levy we need to properly operate our community. Repeal of the levy increase law is of the most important.

Other issues are the backward looking ideas that have failed and are continually brought back for another failure. This would also include the holding up of changes in the town by the county for personal agendas and then being a partly to litigation against the town. Return the local control to the local governing bodies to include all zoning with respect to the safety, clean air, clean water of the community.

I would also like to see the town incorporate to stop further annexation and loss of area.

DAVID OSTBY

Current Occupation: IT Design Analyst, 3M Company, St. Paul

Experience:

• Five Years Town of Hudson Planning and Zoning Committee
• 25 years as Town Board Supervisor

Why do you want to be on the Town Board?: To listen to the people of the town to continue to provide beneficial retail opportunities and town services to the town residents while keeping our tax levies at the lowest possible levels.  

What is the most important issue facing the Town of Hudson and where do you stand on that issue?: It has been pretty quiet in the town lately, but now the town is facing a decision as a partner in the Hudson Area Joint Library, how to continue supporting the library, through the town or through the county? Since the town was made aware of the requirement for an annual review of the exemption to exclude the library from the county tax levy, meetings have been going on among the partners and the county to try to formulate a direction to resolve the issue in compliance with state law. Meanwhile, I maintain the same position with the library as I do with the town. The library needs to be funded at moderate levels and be frugal in its spending. However, the library foundation needs to begin fund raising to purchase the building from the city as we the partners were promised when the joint library agreement was re-written and the building was purchased by the city almost three years ago. This will greatly add to the library's self sufficiency, by not paying rent to the city and actually collecting rent from the city for the police department which occupies one-third of the building.

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Hudson Patch Candidate Profiles

• Town of Hudson candidate profiles
• City of Hudson candidate profiles (coming Thursday, March 29)
• Hudson School District candidate profiles (coming Friday, March 30)

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