After 22 years, Waterford town chairman position opens up

By Patricia Bogumil

Editor

After 22 years in office, Waterford Town Chairman Robert Langmesser has decided not to seek re-election.

Langmesser’s official Notification of Non-Candidacy form for the April 2013 election arrived in the mail Dec. 14 at the town hall.

It was sent from Mesa, Ariz., where Langmesser has purchased a second home and where he plans to live for a few months every year – a “snowbird” situation that led to his decision not to seek re-election.

In a telephone interview Sunday, Langmesser explained he would feel guilty seeking re-election knowing ahead of time that he doesn’t plan to be in town for three months of the year.

Langmesser has attended the town board’s last three meetings electronically via Skype, an online messaging and video-calling program, rather than in person.

He said he continues to be on the job and in daily communication about town issues, and plans to stay a Town of Waterford resident.

But communicating long distance is just not the same as working here in person, Langmesser added.

The April election

Asked to name someone he believes would do well as town chairman, Langmesser suggested town supervisors Tim Szeklinski and Tom Hincz.

“Those two are very qualified. They both have the background to do the job,” Langmesser said.

A business background is helpful, Langmesser explained, as is experience in working effectively with others on a board.

Both Szeklinski and Hincz confirmed they have circulated nominating papers for the town chairman position, which they both plan to submit to the town clerk by the Jan. 2 deadline.

Hincz said he also plans to submit nominating papers to retain his supervisor position, which is up for re-election in April.

“I’m just sorry both are running for town chairman, because one is going to lose and if that leaves a vacancy, then it takes a lot of experience off the town board,” Langmesser commented.

Asked about the type of person who would not do well as town chairman, Langmesser had a ready answer.

“If anybody is going to run for office for the money or they have an ego issue, then they don’t belong on the board,” he said.

The town chairman position pays $17,900 annually. Besides working every weekday at the town hall, Langmesser said he keeps his home office available so people can drop by with problems as needed.

It’s a lot of work and a lot of hours for not a lot of money, he added.

“As a small town politician, you’re on the front lines every day, it’s not like at the state level, where people have aides,” Langmesser explained.

“You’re available all the time to the public. They see you at the grocery stores, they see you at the gas stations, they see you all over town.”

The history

Langmesser, 67, moved to Waterford in 1987 with his wife, Terry, who is now deceased. They were looking for a house on a lake, he said.

At the time, he owned Electronic Specialists Inc., and worked at selling electronic components, semi-conducting wire, computer accessories and the like. “My partner bought me out and still has it,” Langmesser said.

Living on Tichigan Lake gave him personal insight into serious problems that needed attention, Langmesser said. That includes private septic tanks that dumped directly into the lake and Fox River, as well as no municipal garbage pickup.

Also, an influx of new residents had contributed to a decision to move from a three-member to a five-member town board.

So, Langmesser threw his hat into the ring and won election as town chairman in 1991.

“When we took over, we inherited a mess!” he recalled.

Besides no town-wide garbage pickup, the police had only low-band radios and could only talk to themselves, he said. There were no computers, he said, but there were $18,000 in uncollected rescue call bills, and obsolete equipment for the office and public works department.

There were also personnel issues, he said.

Within the first six years, that was all largely straightened out, and all without raising taxes, Langmesser added.

The accomplishments

“I can tell you that the Town of Waterford is in the 21st century now and we have very dedicated employees, who by far are not over paid,” Langmesser said.

Among the accomplishments he is particularly proud of, Langmesser names:

• A successfully thwarted attempt by Mukwonago to annex the western portions of the town, a battle he said was fought for 10 years.

• building of  two parks, one on the east and one on the west side of town.

• equipment upgrades for all departments

• a town recycling center – a resource that Langmesser said many communities do not have.

• the creation of the Fox River Commission, which Langmesser chaired for 14 years. “We spent about $1.2 million on 14 projects. I applied for grant money to do all those projects,” he said.

• creation of a land use plan, so the town could move forward in the right direction, he said.

• a re-codification of all ordinances, which took about 3 years.

• the lake and river have improved 100 percent over the past 20 years, Langmesser said.

Even though a weed problem remains, groups like the Waterford Waterway Management District and Citizens Against Underwater Silt and Erosion continue to work hard to rectify problems and clean up the environment on the waterways, he said.

“All this was done by board members who cared about the town. We’ve never had an administrator; we as a board make the decisions and follow through.

“And we have a town attorney who lives in out town and who gives us information to protect us against making wrong decisions,” Langmesser said.

Everything was accomplished while also keeping town taxes at a low $2.48 mil rate, Langmesser said.

“I would like to thank all the people who have supported me for all these years,” he said.

“With people’s support, we now have one of the nicest towns to live in.”