Green Bay City Council District 2 election: Andy Nicholson, Jim Hutchison on public safety, roads

GREEN BAY - Voters on Green Bay's southeast side on April 2 will decide whether incumbent Jim Hutchison serves a second, two-year term on the Green Bay City Council or to return former council member Andy Nicholson to the role.

The spring general election will be a rematch of the 2022 race when Hutchison, a retired civil engineer, beat Nicholson, a small business owner. Nicholson represented District 3 for 18 years before Lynn Gerlach ousted him from the seat in 2020. Redistricting shifted Nicholson into District 2 in 2022.

District 2 runs from Baird Creek Greenway to the north, Alpine and Edgewood drives to the west, Greenbrier Road to the south and Grandview Road to the east. It includes parts of Wilder Park, McAuliffe Park, Preble Park, Woodside Heights and Royal Ponds Preserve neighborhoods.

Ahead of the April 2 election, the Press-Gazette requested each City Council candidate provide some background about themselves and answer several questions issues like funding road construction, spending and housing. Responses were limited to about 200 words. Candidates are listed alphabetically.

For information about registering to vote and polling locations, visit the MyVote Wisconsin website at myvote.wi.gov/en-us.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Jim Hutchison

• Age: 66
• Occupation: Retired civil engineer and alder of District 2
• Highest level of education: Master's degree in civil and environmental engineering from UW-Madison
• Campaign website: Hutch for Green Bay Alder District 2
• Why are you running? Growing up, I watched my dad run for the local school board (Erin Elementary near Hartford) and volunteer for civic projects through Rotary. He led by example. We did not talk about it much, but he told stories of his dad building a one-room school on his farm in Ohio and working in the Grange. Giving back to the community was something to do. Two years ago when I was elected alder of District 2, I was able to retire from engineering work and devote full time to the city work.
• What two issues most need to be addressed in Green Bay: 1. Continued professional education of our safety providers (fire and police) in order to keep professionalism high and to reduce or eliminate actions caused by unpreparedness. Green Bay has been a safe haven for all and it must work to continue this tradition. 2. City government should focus time and energy to solve city issues that directly affect Green Bay citizens and not on state or federal politics.

Andy Nicholson

Age: 57

Occupation: Small business owner

Highest level of education: Bachelor's degree in criminal justice from UW-Oshkosh

Campaign website: None provided

• Why are you running? I’m concerned about crime and the safety of our neighborhoods. There are too many murders, thefts, and violent crimes happening in Green Bay and families don’t feel safe. We must turn this around by utilizing neighborhood sweeps. My opponent has not addressed these crime issues and thinks that crime has decreased. This doesn’t match the increase of felony cases being handled by the district attorney’s office.

Editor's note: Hutchison said Green Bay Police annual crime statistics show crime decreased 13% from 2022 to 2023 and that he remains concerned about public safety.

• What two issues most need to be addressed in Green Bay: 1. Property taxes are a big concern. My opponent has voted for a 13% tax increase* in the past two years. Green Bay is a high tax community. If you compare similar sized and valued homes in Bellevue to Green Bay, it is 15-20% lower in property taxes. 2. Repairing roads and infrastructure on the east side of Green Bay need to be a priority. There are terrible roads in Green Bay that have been neglected. Also, there has been flooding on East Mason Street for over a decade. This needs to be fixed.

*Editors note: The city's total, annual spending in two years has increased 13.8%, but the tax total levy increased 10% and the tax rate property owners pay per $1,000 of value has gone down 20% due to a city-wide revaluation.

Green Bay is currently studying the feasibility of a transportation utility to fund road construction costs like water or sewer service. Why do you support or oppose this idea to replace the wheel tax? 

Hutchison: I support this idea. It is my understanding that users of street transportation will be identified across the city. Single-family homes, multiple-family homes, and apartments will be identified as having a set number of vehicles (cars) with an assumed weight. Businesses will also be identified and located depending on their business type, vehicle use and their associated weights (including trucks). This will allow a much more accurate picture of how much traffic, including traffic weights, are spread across the city and where significant roadway use will occur. Combining this with planned utility construction locations, along with the road rating system presently being used to rate roadways, will allow a better selection of planned roadway maintenance locations.

Nicholson: The City Council needs to study this issue more. I’m not comfortable adding another tax in Green Bay without more information and how it will impact property owners. Again, the city needs to prioritize repairing and resurfacing roads and other infrastructure that are critical for our city in the long term.

How can Green Bay better address residents' need for affordable housing and the general shortage of housing units?

Hutchison: More housing units need to be constructed now and in the future. There needs to be a concerted effort by the city to obtain federal and state funds to induce residential construction. Areas (properties) where potential projects may occur need to be identified sooner and with bigger footprints (square footage) where they fit into the city's vision for planned development. Larger developments should mix the economic status of renters (low, medium and high) so a more diverse population of renters will share the same area. This issue is broad and needs to be addressed for both existing and future conditions.

Nicholson: The city has to work with builders to build more single-family homes, duplexes and quality apartments. Green Bay has a reputation of not being easy to work with for business. We must overcome this by working closer with builders and developers so they can create more building projects in Green Bay. Finally, the city must work to hold property taxes and fees down so we’re more competitive with our neighboring communities.

Almost any significant budget cut will involve personnel cuts, which impacts city services. If you want to cut property taxes, what services should be cut to do so?

Hutchison: I agree with the inference that the city budget is tight. Looking at the 2024 budget, almost 50% if the budget goes for fire and police protection. I do not think cutting these services is in the best interest of the city or the taxpayers. Public works is working with older equipment due to costs. There is a need for proficient mechanics to allow this equipment to perform safely. Constituents would not be happy if garbage pickup and snowplowing efforts were cut. Parks, Recreation and Forestry maintain parks across the city, trees on city property, and the the city hall building. Cutting these services would be not in the best interest in keeping Green Bay a vibrant, active city. The remaining services, besides debt services, is 8% of the 2024 city expenditures.

Nicholson: My goal will be to review the spending in each city department and work for more efficiencies. We have to prioritize our needs versus wants to make sure we are covering all of the core services for the city. In closing, Green Bay is one of the highest taxed communities in Brown County. We can’t price people out of their homes with higher and higher property taxes. We have to live within our means and maintain our core city services and keep property taxes in check.

Green Bay's recent population growth has been driven by our Hispanic, Black, Native American, biracial and Asian communities. Yet recent Wello surveys show nearly one-third of residents feel like Green Bay does not accept people with different ideas. How can the Green Bay City Council help increase acceptance and well-being as we grow?

Hutchison: I think introductions are in order. Green Bay is a welcoming community once that first introduction has occurred and people get to know each other. I have been introduced to several families in my own neighborhood that differ in cultural background. They go to work, wrestle with child care, participate in school functions, cut the lawn, shovel the snow and help me with my campaign. Uniting us all, is the need for education, employment and success.

The Equal Rights Commissioners will be making an outreach this summer at city and cultural events to introduce people to the way the city government works and ask about equal rights issues. The results will be presented to the Common Council. This will be a great step in increasing awareness and acceptance.

Nicholson: Green Bay was voted one of the best places to live in America. The city must work with all races, creeds and other beliefs to make our community stronger. I have worked with thousands of constituents on neighborhood problems while I’ve served in local government. I’m always available by phone, email, or in person to help. My family has a history of service. My wife is a teacher in Green Bay, and my son, Ned, proudly serves in the military. I want to serve Green Bay to make a difference.

Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 orjbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.