Mayoral candidates share their vision for Clintonville

CLINTONVILLE – There are two candidates running for mayor of the city of Clintonville on the April 7, spring election ballot. The Clintonville Tribune-Gazette recently sent a list of questions to the two candidates – incumbent Steve Kettenhoven and challenger Jeannie Schley – so they could share their vision for the city with voters.
The questions and their responses are listed below:

Why did you decide to run for mayor of Clintonville?
Kettenhoven: I truly care about Clintonville. It has been my home for over 50 years, and I want to see it continue to grow and improve. One of the best ways to do that is to become a leader in local government.
Schley: I have always had an interest in city government. Now that I am retired, I feel I can offer the position the attention and time needed to properly serve the community.

What are your qualifications to serve as mayor?
Kettenhoven: I believe a good mayor must have leadership qualities that the council and our residents can trust. I served 15 years on city council, including four years as mayor. I understand what it takes to run a city, but I also recognize that the mayor cannot do it alone. The mayor is part of a team that includes the city administrator, city hall staff, department heads, employees, and the city council to make decisions that serve the best interests of our community.
Schley: I have served on the Clintonville Common Council over a decade across multiple terms. During that time, I served on Finance, Personnel, Utility, Safety & Ordinance, Airport, and CAWS committees. I also chaired a number of them. In 2014, I served as council president and acting mayor while the current mayor was on medical leave.

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the city of Clintonville, and how would you try to fix that issue?
Kettenhoven: I believe every community, including Clintonville, faces challenges. As someone with a disability, I have encountered many challenges throughout my life, but I choose to see challenges as opportunities to grow, both as an individual and as a community. These opportunities include increased citizen participation, economic development, and better housing. I am confident our opportunities are endless, and if we work together as a team, we can accomplish anything.

Schley: Maintaining what we currently have. Roads and infrastructure are and always will be an issue. We need to be more proactive in procuring funding through government aid and grants.

Last year’s budget included a 26% increase in the tax levy. Do you feel that is sustainable in future years? If yes, how is that sustainable? If no, what steps would you take to ensure smaller tax levy increases in the future?
Kettenhoven: The tax increases in 2025 and 2026 were due to the compensation study the city council approved in 2024. There will be no need for substantial tax increases as long as the city continues to maintain wages and benefits for its employees.
Schley: I feel the taxpayers cannot afford another blow to their pocketbooks. My city taxes went up 71% and that was just the city portion. We, city government, need to reevaluate the budget and be fiscally responsible. The mayor and council need to be more involved in the budget, not just rubber stamping it.

The last two years employee compensation has seen large increases because of the recent compensation study, but because of those increases city projects that would benefit residents had to be cut or delayed. Do you feel it was the proper decision to increase employee compensation in the last budget by a total of $278,000 at the expense of city projects that would have benefited city residents? Explain why or why not.

Kettenhoven: Absolutely. Employee retention is critical. We have great employees working to serve our community, and they need the same wages and benefits that other communities of similar size are offering. The compensation study, approved by the city council, examined several factors, including job descriptions and responsibilities.
For the record, there were no cuts in capital or operational projects due to the compensation study. We need to keep the good, hardworking people we have to maintain projects and services for our citizens.
Schley: In the last two years wage increases were over $400,000. So, in answering that question it would be NO. As I have said in the past, wages should be based on performance, not job title. This year’s budget had on $11,000 a year raise in it for one person. Last year another person received over $35,000 a year raise. That is more than some households in this city make in a year. Maybe those increases could be justified if we are seeing results, but the question is, ‘Are we?’

Why should residents of the city of Clintonville vote for you?
Kettenhoven: I love Clintonville. My wife and I raised our family here. I want to keep working with our city staff and lead our council in making policies that benefit our community. Clintonville has so much potential, and we are on the right track. Let’s focus on the positives and keep moving forward!

Schley: I hope to bring accountability, accessibility, and common sense back into city government.