Ronald Hoffman candidate for Supervisor 1 on Colfax Town Board April 7

By LeAnn R. Ralph

TOWN OF COLFAX  —  Ronald Hoffman, a Town of Colfax resident, will be on the April 7 ballot for Supervisor 1 on the Colfax Town Board.

Hoffman will face challenger, Lisa Bragg-Hurlburt, for the Supervisor 1 position.

Dean Logslett, who currently serves on the Colfax Town Board in the Supervisor 1 position, is running in the April election for town chair along with Roger Larson.

Hoffman, 59, says his family includes his wife, Joyce, along with Robert (son), Ashley (daughter-in-law), their children Autumn and  Sydney; Laura (daughter) and Brent (son-in-law).

Hoffman is a diesel technician at Eau Claire Diesel Service and attended Chippewa Valley Technical School in the diesel mechanics program.

The Colfax Messenger recently sent out questionnaires to candidates running in the April election.

Here are Hoffman’s answers to the questions:

• Why did you decide to run for the Colfax Town Board?

Friends had asked and encouraged me to run for the position.

• What makes you particularly suited to serve on the Colfax Town Board?

I had served on the Wisconsin Tractor pullers Association board of directors for about 25 years. I have been on the Colfax Lutheran Church Council numerous times since the 1980s, serving two times as the council president. I learned the importance of hard work, the value of the dollar, and the significance of conservation while growing up on a family farm.

• What do you believe to be the biggest challenges facing the Town of Colfax?

Road repair and maintenance are probably the biggest ongoing challenges for the Colfax Town Board. With revenues not really keeping pace with the rising costs of equipment, materials, fuel, etc. it is critical that the board gets the maximum return on the money it has to spend. The board had the foresight to set up an equipment fund where money is put aside each year for future equipment needs. This is a perfect example of wise money management because the money is there when they need it and the town doesn’t waste money paying interest on a loan.

A major issue in this part of the state right now is crystalline silica (frac sand) mining. In January there was a reclamation permit application submitted to the Chippewa County Land Conservation Office for a 1,310 acre mine/processing facility in the Town of Howard that will abut the Town of Colfax. The Colfax Messenger reported in January of talk of a frac sand mine southwest of the Village of Colfax and the selling of mineral rights in the Town of Grant. I feel that the present Colfax Town Board did the right thing by enacting a nine-month sand mining moratorium so that they have time to complete a non-metallic mining ordinance for the township. I have been attending county ground water presentations, going to the Town of Colfax and Town of Howard board meetings, and reading reports to become informed about frac sand mining. I would encourage all citizens of the township to learn as much as they can about the social, environmental and economic impacts of frac sand mining.

• Why are you the best candidate for Colfax Town Board?

We moved to the Town of Colfax because of the beauty of the area, the peace, quiet, and cleanliness of rural living, and the quality of the Colfax School. If elected to the Colfax Town Board, I will work hard to make sure that tax dollars are used as wisely as possible and to preserve the rural environment of the township.