Michael Schrader, 55, is running against Amanda Paffrath in the spring election. He is running for the Racine Common Council District 4 seat. The election is taking place on April 5.
Schrader lives in Racine, Wis. He has been a resident of Racine County for 4 years.
To read more about other races and candidates visit the Racine County Eye Election Guide Spring 2022. The following answers were provided by Michael Schrader on Jan. 28, 2022.
Questionnaire: Michael Schrader
mhschrader1966@gmail.com
Have you ever held an elected office position before?
Has held positions in other professional organizations
In thinking about your election bid, what top three issues need to be addressed?
Save the parks. Fix the streets. Lower the taxes.
How would you plan to address those issues?
Save the parks – invest in them and do not consider offers to sell them to the private sector. Parks are vital for a healthy city.
Fix the streets – use the monies being given to developers to fix the streets. It is a fact that streets that are in disrepair give a negative impression to businesses and foster lawlessness- if the city doesn’t care, why should anyone else? If you want to attract and retain businesses, you have to have good streets and infrastructure, as poor infrastructure costs businesses money in higher transport costs and fewer customers.
Lower the taxes – My single family house is zoned as mutlifamily, resulting in too high of an assessment, higher tax rates, and higher taxes. If we properly zone, then the net result is lower taxes, and lower taxes will generate growth and investment. High property taxes are indicative of a city in decline, as cities in decline will raise taxes in order to make up for the lost revenue created by the decline, and it is a vicious cycle, scaring away potential businesses and homeowners.
In reference to those issues you have identified, what would success look like to you?
Parks upgraded and still being parks, streets fixed, and taxes lowered.
Why are those issues important to you?
These are quality-of-life issues that impact each and every one of us.
At the end of your term, what would you like to have accomplished?
Mechanisms put in place to accomplish these three goals.
Why should people vote for you?
I bring a fresh view and am not tainted by the insider political establishment.
What is your educational background?
I have a PhD in Civil Engineering.
What civic organizations do you belong to?
I belong to the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
If you are happy with the status quo, then I am not your candidate, because I am not satisfied with the status quo, a city in decline that keeps making poor choices that accelerates the decline. The status quo is not acceptable to me, and if it not to you, I promise that I will work with you to bring change and new ideas to the city.
Election Guide 2022
Learn more about the other candidates running in this election by viewing the Racine County Eye Election Guide 2022.
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