Logan Jungbacker enters Oshkosh Common Council Race

OSHKOSH, WI—(WISS)—A commitment to the community inspired real estate developer Logan Jungbacker to step into the political space. He is one of the eight candidates running for the three at-large seats on the Oshkosh Common Council. 

Jungbacker is on the board of Downtown Oshkosh Inc. and works with the Business Improvement District (BID). He said he believes his experience will be a boon to the City of Oshkosh.

“ I believe that Oshkosh deserves leadership that is focused on long-term goals and real results that work and affect people’s everyday lives. So my real goal is focusing on and keeping Oshkosh focused on long-term and real practical solutions, and not political platitudes, as you might hear otherwise,” Jungbacker said. 

In past public appearances, Jungbacker said that Oshkosh needs opportunity for businesses and people. He elaborated on that during an interview with WISS.

“ One way that the city council can actually impact our community the most is by creating the conditions for opportunities to exist,” Jungbacker said. “And that comes through, again, a focus on economic development and a forward-thinking attitude of ‘Where’s the puck going?’ And how can we create the conditions for businesses to look and invest in themselves, and also invest in our community.”

He said housing choice, infrastructure, and efficient government will create options and opportunities for businesses. He said exploring the Redevelopment Authority may also reveal growth opportunities.

“In some ways, we’re really not unlike many other municipalities. We have a lot of the same issues,” he added. “I think we need to look to our peers and see what works. See what doesn’t. But then also really broadcast our success. So others say, ‘Hey! I see what Oshkosh is doing, and I wanna be a part of that!’”

The Jungbacker Campaign

Oshkosh Issues

Economic Development and housing affordability are intertwined, and Jungbacker sees them as the primary challenges facing the Oshkosh city government. He added that government efficiency, specifically efficient use of taxpayer dollars, is also a top priority.

“ I also believe that Oshkosh needs work in an area of building public trust. As always, I think Oshkosh needs to continuously show up and do the work. So that people have confidence that what the city is doing makes sense, has reasons, works toward our goal, and our common vision of what success looks like as a community,” He said.

Housing 

Housing affordability is one of Jungbacker’s primary issues for the city. He said it affects everyone and everything within the city’s business.

“ Building stable housing in a healthy housing market is something that affects everyone on an individual level,” Jungbacker explained. “Whether it’s families moving in, seniors trying to downsize. People trying to live closer to where they work. I believe, people need housing choice!” 

To provide those options, Jungbacker said the government can help by promoting new housing stock and revising the building code to make it easier for people to invest and build in Oshkosh. He said the code needs to accommodate a wider range of housing types in the city.

“ Whether it be single-family, home, duplex, triplex, or apartments, there’s a whole continuum of different housing options out there,” he said. “And as we’ve seen in the housing study that was completed just a couple of years ago, we’re really lacking a lot of different options for people.” 

Property Taxes

In the past few years, revaluations of non-commercial property in Oshkosh led to a significant increase in property values, which in turn raised property taxes for residents. Jungbacker said consistency is important to prevent sudden jumps. He said people need to know what to expect.

“ One of the ways I think our local government can do is prevent those surprises by being more consistent in the reassessment process, with that also controlling the tax levy. He added, “What we need to do is focus on really smart investments in our infrastructure and updating what we already have so that we’re not stressing out or creating new obligations for people who already live here, but improving what we have.”

Jungbacker said promoting housing investment, job growth, and targeted investments that grow the tax base without overwhelming property owners and raising the tax levy will benefit the community as a whole. He said evaluating how taxpayer dollars are used, streamlining departmental structure, and taking a long-term, results-focused view will improve residents’ quality of life and reduce the tax levy.

He said listening to the public is the Common Council’s role in helping to reduce the tax levy and property taxes. 

“ The real goal, I think, of a council member is to take those problems and integrate them into a shared vision of what success looks like.”

He continued, “ We need to stay focused on how our actions today drive results toward a long-term goal and a shared vision that’s created by our community through listening and understanding the demographics, what people face every day, and taking those into account transparently, uh, with accountability towards the results as well, so that we know when things are working and when they’re not, when we need to pivot. But we need that compass towards a long-term goal and a vision.”   

Lagniappe: a little something extra

Jungbacker comes from a humanities background. He studied history and philosophy at UW-Madison.

“I appreciate looking at things critically. I stay up to date. I like to read the newspaper. I like to look at things from a global perspective and kind of connect that to what’s happening in my life,” he said. 

He added that live music and the arts are also very important to him.

“We put the, the flower mural on one of our buildings downtown. That was a huge success! I’ve been championing kind of bringing the arts into the community. I think it sends a positive message,” said Jungbacker. “That’s one of the biggest assets I think we have as a community. We have a very creative pool of people that we need to tap into and give them the opportunity to participate in the process of building community.”

You may also see Jungbacker and his wife on a local pickleball or tennis court. 

Engaging with the campaign

Jungbacker attends events around Oshkosh, making himself available to the residents for questions and conversation. He attended the MLK Celebration at Vel Phillips Middle School and helped launch the READ MORE campaign with Leadership Oshkosh and the Oshkosh Public Library.  He has a Facebook page and a website dedicated to his campaign. 

His email address is loganforoshkosh@gmail.com.

Oshkosh Common Council Race

Eight people are running for the three at-large Common Council seats being decided this spring. In addition to Jungbacker,  Meredith Scheuermann, Alec Lefeber, Paul Esslinger, Jacob Amos, Eric Gumz, Tim Neubauer, and Dan Lenz are all on the primary ballot.

Incumbents D.J. Nichols and Jacob Floam have decided not to seek reelection.

The primary will be held on February 17th, during which the field of candidates will be reduced to six. The spring election is April 7, 2026.