Port Aldermen Focus on Budget Challenges

With elections now behind him, Ald. Jim Vollmar said he’s happy to know his district is behind him as well.

“My first campaign was a contested campaign, (and) I wasn’t challenged last time,” he said. “So (this time) the people were given a choice. … It’s always nice to have the people give you a vote of confidence that you’re doing a good job.”

Vollmar won a third term on the council by defeating Peter A. Oglevie, 228-145, in the race for the 3rd District seat.

Ald. Dan Becker also holds his position with 229 votes — winning the race against newcomer John Sigwart, who took home 204 votes for the 7th District spot.

Becker said the number of votes Sigwart received wasn't too much of a surprise.

"I guess I did not know what to expect," he said. "Mr. Sigwart is a great guy that's done a lot for the community. ... I knew it would be good, healthy competition."

Looking to the future, both Vollmar and Becker said the challenge is going to be to keep services the same in the city with a tighter budget.

“I think the things that are going to be focused on are the same things that the city has been focusing on in the past — trying to turn the economy of the city around, including the economic status of downtown,” Vollmar said. “That’s going to be a challenge, to do it with less money, and it’s going to be a challenge to keep people enthusiastic about it.”

One thing that will also help the downtown area, Becker said, is the completion of the coal dock project.

"(One area of focus will be) trying to do something moving forward with the coal docks," he said. "If and when the coal dock plan comes to fruition, I think that's huge for our downtown."

The coal dock areas once were part of We Energies' regular operations, acting as a place for the company to store mountains of coal that would eventually be used in the operation of its power plant. include a recreational park area with walking paths on the north dock and a bird sanctuary on the south dock.

The developed area, Becker said, will hopefully draw businesses and tourism alike. But just because it's a beneficial project does not mean it's exempt from tight budget struggles.

"With the coal docks, it's going to be finding the money," he said, adding that the city is hopeful grants and other sources will still be available as Gov. Scott Walker's budget plans take effect.

Port City Administrator Mark Grams said the voter turnout rolled in at 40 percent on Tuesday, exceeding the city’s 30 percent expectation.

Vollmar hit the streets after election results declared him the winner Tuesday night to add "thank you" notes to all of the campaign signs his supporters had posted — though, he said, they didn’t hold up well with the rain throughout late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.