Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Shane Blaser Endorses Candidate Running for Mayor

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis (WFHR, WIRI)

There will be a Spring Primary in the City of Wisconsin Rapids as there are four candidates running for Wisconsin Rapids Mayor. The primary will be held on February 20th to narrow the field down to two. The candidates are Tom Terry Mews, Nicholas Palmquist, Preston M. Seitz, and Matt Zacher. Current Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Shane Blaser announced in October that he will not be seeking reelection, opening the field to other candidates.

Mayor Blaser sat down with James Malouf on January 17th on Mid-Day Magazine to discuss the mayoral race and his endorsement of Matt Zacher. Shane said Zacher has experience serving on city council. He’s served on the finance committee, and he’s a local business owner and veteran. Matt also holds a Masters Degree from UW-Milwaukee in Social Work. Mayor Blaser said he feels Matt has the least amount of learning curve coming into the position of Wisconsin Rapids Mayor. He also has the most knowledge about city operations and government. You can find the full interview here: https://civicmedia.us/shows/morning-magazine

The job is Mayor, not King

Mayor Blaser spoke to the common misunderstanding of what the job of mayor entails. He said the power at the local level within government lies with the local elected council people. They control the money, not the mayor. The mayor can only operate within the guidelines set by the council. The council collectively has the power to pass and control policies and pass and control the budget. The mayor doesn’t have the power to make any changes on day one unless the council allows it.

Respect for the Candidates running

With four candidates running, there is a February 20th primary to narrow the field for Wisconsin Rapids Mayor. Current Mayor Shane Blaser said he has respect for all four of the candidates running. They’re willing to step forward, put their neck out there, and put their platform and ideas out for the community to see. He may have a different opinion than some, but he respects anyone who is willing to run for public office.

It’s important to check the facts

Mayor Blaser said it’s important to fact check what you see on social media during the lead-up to the election. You’re always welcome to call City Hall. You can also call the mayor’s office to confirm or deny information being shared on social media during the campaign. The phone number for City Hall is (715) 421-8200 Here is the link to the mayor’s information on the city page. https://www.wirapids.org/mayor.html