Town of Glenwood candidate: Joe Draxler

TOWN OF GLENWOOD  —  Two candidates will be on the ballot for the April 7 election for chair in the Town of Glenwood.

Joe Draxler, incumbent town chair, will face challenger Mark Maes.

Draxler, 61, and his wife, Charl, are residents of 320th Street. Their children are Steve, Cathy, Mike, Chuck and Bill, and they have 20 grandchildren.

Draxler says he is “the big cheese” at their Lofty Acres Dairy Farm.

The Tribune Press Reporter sent out questionnaires to the candidates.

Here are Draxler’s answers to the Tribune Press Reporter’s questionnaire:

• Where have you lived other than the Town of Glenwood?

I have lived at the farm or our current address which is 1/4 mile away from the farm my entire life.

• What is your educational background?

I went to UW River Falls, and I have a degree in Animal and Plant Science and Economics.

• Why did you decide to accept the nomination for chair of the Glenwood Town Board?

I have been the current Town Chairman for 16 years. I have learned a great deal over that time period and feel I have a lot to offer for the betterment of our Township

• What about your background makes you particularly suited to serve on the town board?

I am a “numbers guy.” I constantly crunch numbers to figure out what is the best economic decision to make for every situation. I also like to pursue every avenue of options. And to get input from a lot of people when making decisions. Experience is generally the best teacher. Talking with others that have varieties of experiences and then plugging in the numbers is a great way to gather information to make a good decision or recommendation.

• What do you believe to be the biggest challenges or issues facing the Town of Glenwood?

Roads and Budgets are always the biggest challenge we face. We can have big snowstorms or ice storms or 100 year rains, but they are short term problems. Trying to make progress with State Budget restraints is always a challenge.

• What ideas do you have for increasing revenue or decreasing spending?

Increasing revenues is not an option. We basically receive our equalized valuation figure from the State and then the Assessor has to proportion that value over the various classes of land and improvements. We are also limited by the State to increasing our budget by a maximum of 2.25% per year. Presenting a balanced budget and having a short term and long term plan with road projects is our best avenue.

• Why are you the best candidate for chair of the Town of Glenwood Board? 

I have worked extremely hard from the very first year as chairman to put together a balanced budget. By doing that we have upgraded our equipment. We built a new Town Shop which doubles as our Town Hall. The Town Shop has Geo Thermal heating which has really proved to be a huge annual savings. When I first took over as Chairman we had more dirt roads in our Township then any other Township in the County. We have paved many miles of roads during my tenure, and we no longer have that “dirt road” title. I attend many workshops and talk to other Townships and have worked closely with St. Croix Co. Highway personnel to come up with the best options for our Township and our roads during the various seasons.