Lembcke and Lena in town chairman race
By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
Town of Dover residents will decide April 2 whether to retain a veteran Town Chairman or vote in someone new to that position.
The two candidates vying for the Dover Town Chairman position in the April 2 election are incumbent Tom Lembcke and challenger Mario Lena.
• Tom Lembcke, the incumbent, said he is running for re-election in order to continue providing prudent management of town business.
The town’s budget is the most pressing issue the board must address, Lembcke said, explaining that the State of Wisconsin has severely reduced state aids to local governments while also restricting tax levies.
Also, the Town of Dover has a heavy debt load, Lembcke said, which must be reduced to provide funds for other needs.
These loans were taken out by a past board whose members were recalled, Lembcke noted.
That recall was rooted in residents’ anger over that town board’s decision to form a town police department (now disbanded) rather than keep contracting with the county sheriff’s office for protective services.
In the 2010 recall election, Lembcke was elected Town Chairman. Since his return to the board, the town’s loans have been refinanced for a lower rate, saving the township a lot of money since 2010, Lembcke said.
“We’re trying to refinance them again,” Lembcke added, with an eye to getting rates of 2 percent or less.
“Saving money is the goal,” he said. “Let’s get the town more or less on a cash basis.”
Lembcke said that, if re-elected, he will to continue to address issues confronting the Town of Dover in a frugal and prudent manner, benefitting both the township and its taxpayers.
• Mario Lena said he hopes to be elected Town Chairman in order to protect property values and constitutional rights; serve the people of Dover, free of special interests; and ensure the transparency and accountability of local government.
Among the town’s most pressing issues, Lena names the need to ensure transparency of all contracts, and make reviews of current contracts to ensure fairness and productivity of existing contracts, such as engineering reviews, road reviews, consulting reviews.
Lena notes that he has no political ties to any party.
“I listen to the people,” he said. “I do what is right for the people. I will not permit misconduct in office by any employee.”
Lembcke and Lena have faced off before. In the 2010 election, Lena vied unsuccessfully for the Dover Town Chairman position, losing to Lembcke.
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Tom has run this town into the ground. The membership of the fire department couldn’t get paid end of year incentives because the budget had no money. They found this out weeks before the checks were to be printed. Merry Christmas we had none.
The name Tom Lembcke is not synonymous with “prudent management” of any business, let alone town business. He wouldn’t know a balanced budget if it slapped him in the face! The commenter above was right with the fact that Lembcke allowed oversight of the VOLUNTEER fire department’s budget and they were going to miss out on year end service bonuses. This goes along with the fact that Lembcke overlooked a $100,000 typo on the budget in 2011!
HEAVY DEBT LOAD: Yes, the prior board took out a loan to pave roads in the Eagle Lake Manor that was continuously put off by LEMBCKE when he served as chairman on the other boards. It had to get done. The residents deserved it. Lembcke tries to pay off that loan by making large monthly payments to it, instead of keeping the payments as they were budgeted…over years. If saving money is his goal, why are we broke? Why is he continuing to allow hundreds of thousands of dollars to be spent on a lawsuit (regarding roads that HE failed to get a bond for) when optimal settlements have been offered? NO town operates on a cash basis….unless they’re run by crooks!
How does he plan on addressing issues? Like he has been? Continuing to let Eagle Lake, our only natural resource, go to “muck”? He flat out refuses to give any money towards the lake and says that the lake residents can fix it themselves.
Lastly, he brings up the police AGAIN? Really? Is that
ALL he has? The police department here was disbanded 3 years ago. It’s a moot point! Get over it! The majority of us have.
According to Lembcke…he is just a “dumb farmer”. Yes, Tom. You are dumb. And you are offensive to your taxpayers. Farmers and the female population in particular!
I’d like to see a strong business minded individual as town chairman. Someone who knows what budgets are; someone who knows how to manage people and different situations. Someone who cares about the lake! A person that understands that listening to, and considering, the residents’ concerns are the best way to address issues to benefit both the town and its taxpayers.
SOMEONE LIKE MARIO DENOTO!! Write-in MDENOTO on April 2nd!!