Meet the candidates: County Board’s D-25 Supervisor

STEVENS POINT – In partnership with the Stevens Point Gazette, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Member at Large Unit in Sevens Point solicited responses for questions addressed to the primary candidates for District 25 county supervisor. The goal is to provide education about the candidates to voters ahead of the Feb. 17 primary election. While there are three candidates running for each of the above offices, and all candidates were invited to participate, not all candidates’ submitted responses.
Three candidates are running for District 25 County Supervisor are Travis Bassett, Walter Leppen, and Jerald D. Trzebiatowski. Responses from candidates are published as received and were only edited for grammar and punctuation.
They were given three requests: provide a brief biography of their education, background and life experiences, answer why they running for this office and what do they hope to accomplish, and list three issues in Portage County that should be addressed and how to handle them.

Travis Bassett
• 2003 graduate of Amherst High School.

• 2008 graduate of Viterbo University with a BS in Middle and Secondary Education, minor in Environmental Studies.
• 2015 Graduate of UW-Oshkosh with a MS in Educational Leadership and Policy
• I’ve been a social studies teacher for nearly 18 years. The main challenge I embrace every day is helping students develop critical thinking skills including, most importantly, understanding that we aren’t all going to agree and then figuring out how to still work together to act as good citizens who uphold the Constitution and rule of law and help make our community and world a better place. In my professional career, I’ve also served in various leadership roles in my building, district, as well as regionally, working with a diverse range of people and organizations to improve education in our central Wisconsin communities.
• Our system doesn’t work unless people who want to serve the community get involved. I have no agenda or ulterior motive other than I want to help our county continue to be one of the best places around to live, work, and raise a family. Through 4-H and Scouts as a kid, to campus ministry in college, to serving as a club advisor, local teacher leader, and mentor for aspiring basketball officials today, I have an extensive record of serving others, trying to make things better in whatever community I’m in. I want to bring this spirit of service to my role as a county board supervisor.
What are the top three issues facing Portage County and how would you address them?
• In my area of the county, water quality is an issue that is sure to get folks fired up and rightfully so! No one should have to worry about what is coming out of the tap in their homes or businesses or be concerned about the water in the lakes and rivers their kids swim in during the summer. There may be some people who declare any spreading of manure on a field a hazard to public health, but we live in a rural community and the fresh dairy air is a trade-off we face for having a bit more elbow room than other places. There are many programs in place already to improve water quality- residential well programs; incentives for changing agricultural practices to reduce infiltration and run-off; monitoring wells; and many others. Continuing to work together toward more solutions (without demonizing each other) while including expertise and resources from state agencies and programs will ensure the stewardship of all our natural resources, not just water, for everyone including future generations.
• In an era of ever-increasing prices, the seemingly constant increase in property taxes seems to be driving everyone a bit bonkers, as it should! Ensuring responsible use of taxpayer money is, perhaps, the most important role of any elected official and is a role I will take very seriously if elected. Transparency in fiscal policy making is of the utmost importance so voters know who has voted for what and what impact policies will have on taxes. To be clear, however, I’m also not okay with kicking the can down the road on maintenance and upkeep to screw over our children’s generation. Our law enforcement needs updated equipment; our roads need to be repaired; government buildings need boilers replaced; and sometimes, big projects need to be tackled. For the big projects, we have the referendum to ensure the decision-making is in the direct hands of taxpayers and for the other, mundane maintenance of running a municipality, we have elections to hold our local officials accountable for their fiscal policy and responsibility.
• I’m not sure exactly how to resolve the political division our nation is struggling with, but I do know this: if all you watch is Fox News or MSNBC, and/or if you spend a large portion of your day doomscrolling through an algorithm-tailored social media stream designed to make you angry at your neighbor with different viewpoints, then you are part of the problem in our country. Please, put the phone down, turn off the TV, and go talk with your neighbors. I’ve traveled all over the state, country, and world; everywhere I’ve traveled, the overwhelming majority of people I have met have been good people. The solutions that work for most people aren’t at the extremes… they’re somewhere in the middle. As a county board supervisor, I promise I’ll listen, I’ll seek to understand different perspectives, and I’ll work with other elected officials to find where those best solutions are for our county.

Walter Leppen
I’m a native of Portage County, graduating from Amherst High School in 1972 and Mid-State Technical College in 1974. I have been an automotive technician since 1972, owning a business in Stevens Point’s Southside Business District for 37 years. For the past 35 years, I have been a member of the Mid-State Technical College Advisory Board.

I moved back to my hometown of Nelsonville 19 years ago and have been active as a Village of Nelsonville Trustee for 11 years. I have represented the Village as a member of the Portage County Comprehensive Plan Committee in 2023 and am a current Amherst Fire District Commissioner.
I believe all issues have key points that, if addressed, will provide a solution acceptable to all parties. One of these key points is being adequately and accurately informed on an issue. Once this is accomplished, the second key is to listen to the concerns and options of all constituents without prejudice. By addressing these two key points, I believe a solution can be found. I believe these two points have more often than not been neglected. I want to bring my experiences with these keys to the Portage County Board, helping to make informed decisions for all Portage County residents.
I believe one of the major issues in Stevens Point today is the condition of the Business 51 and Highway 10/Main Street corridors. The general maintenance of these roadways is a hazard to both vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic. In this issue is also the maintenance of the railroad underpasses at Division Street and Michigan Avenue.
Another major issue is the plight of the homeless in the city. The third issue is that I believe the needs of residents and business leaders are falling on deaf ears at the city government level. Stevens Point leadership has shown limited results in recent years. County leadership, during the same timeframe, has taken steps to listen to community needs and act on them. I want to help keep this momentum going in the coming years.
While there are many issues facing the County Board, taxes, roads, housing, I believe completing the two facility projects would be of immediate benefit to the county. Completing the courthouse remodel is a must for the safety of the people who work there, our neighbors, friends, & family members. The building of a new county jail needs to be completed, reducing congestion in the heart of the city and providing a more secure environment for those temporarily housed at the facility. As county board member I will do everything possible to make this happen.