Election 2023: Town of Whitestown

Challenger Mona Spohn and incumbent Douglas Delling will appear on the ballot April 4 for the Town of Whitestown Board. They submitted the following questionnaires to the County Line. 

Chair person, George Wilbur; supervisor 1, Andrew Benck; clerk, Cori Wilson; and treasurer, Casey Oium, will run unopposed.

CHALLENGER MONA SPOHN

What prompted your decision to seek a town board position?

I decided to run for a supervisor seat because I sat on the board for 22 years as the clerk and had a voice, but I never had a vote. I felt like I’d like to, and I feel I can make good choices for the town’s benefit. I also thought it would be very cool to be the first female to serve on our town board! I had no such intentions when I retired in 2021, but the clerk and treasurer positions have been filled by females for years, and I also would like to be a voice for them.

What do you see as the role and duties of a town board member?

As a supervisor, I believe making good decisions about finances and road maintenance are probably the most important, but I also feel it’s important to get out and look at new driveway requests, be available to listen to issues that our residents have, and hopefully give them the time they deserve to be heard. It’s also important to be on hand when there are emergency situations such as flooding and help in whatever way I can. I think making choices that are most advantageous for the town should always be priority.

What do you see as the town’s strengths? 

Our strengths have always been that we work well together to get the job done! There is no one person that does it all, but the chair and clerk positions bare the brunt of the work, and then the treasurer position, and we’ve been fortunate to be able to keep those positions filled with dedicated people who truly care about the township. We’ve been very fortunate to have great patrolmen who truly care also and do an excellent job for our residents. I don’t think we have any real weaknesses. Financially, we are sitting good and our roads are being maintained well.

What strengths do you bring to the board?

I believe my 22 years of experience as the town clerk will be my best attribute, but I also care very much about what goes on in our township and I really want to hear/listen to what resident concerns are, if any.

Could you tell us some biographical information; e.g., other local government/civic experience, family, work, amount of time lived in the town, etc.?

Ive lived here in our township, on our farm, for the past 42 years with my husband, Roy. We raised three kids here and are fortunate enough to have our daughters both living here on the farm, too, since 2020. We had a small herd of organic dairy cows until 2019. I started as the clerk in 1999 and retired from the position in 2021 after finding our current clerk and making her my deputy for six months and then transitioning into her deputy when she became clerk. I still serve as her deputy clerk but will continue to help, if needed, as a board supervisor, if elected. I also serve as a chief election inspector, which I believe I can continue to do, unless I’m on the ballot, or at least help train new people. I enjoy interacting with the people and like being involved in the decisions being made for the town and its residents.

INCUMBENT DOUGLAS DELLING

What prompted your decision to seek a town board position?

My wife, Sharon, and I both love the area because the balance of small farms, small businesses and residential properties in an area of unique, natural beauty provides a beautiful and peaceful place to live. The challenge is to protect what we value while allowing the opportunity for earning a living in the area. It was my desire to address this challenge that led me to volunteer for the Whitestown Planning Committee to develop a long-term plan for the Town of Whitestown. At the time, there were mega cow and pig confinement operations, sand mining and large water bottling operations springing up in the surrounding areas, and in my opinion, would be detrimental to the long-term benefit and quality of life for the Town of Whitestown. It was these same beliefs and the desire to contribute that I became a town supervisor and have continued to serve on the town board. I believe the current town board is doing a good job of finding the right balance for this continuing challenge, and that is why I want to continue to contribute to the town as a board member. 

What do you see as the role and duties of a town board member?

While the long-term goal is to maintain a sustainable balance as described above, the most immediate board duty is to balance the need for adequate roads with keeping taxes low. A key reason Whitestown’s roads are in good repair is due to the quality and dedication of our road patrolmen. Thus, a significant duty for the board is to balance the road materials expense, the expense of a salary and workplace environment that retains quality patrolmen while keeping taxes as low as possible. 

This year, the Town of Whitestown residents saw a significant tax increase, but none of those increases came from the Town of Whitestown. They were basically from the school districts and Vernon County. The Town of Whitestown has not requested a tax increase for the time I have been a board supervisor. The other part of maintaining our roads is to monitor new construction to make sure driveways do not adversely impact our roads and to see that new construction is added to the tax base to assure that all residents are contributing their fair share to our tax base. The last, but by far not the least’ is to listen to Whitestown residents’ questions, concerns and requests for action. 

What do you see as the town’s strengths? What are its weaknesses?

Our citizens are a definite strength and have demonstrated the ability to work together when floods, fires, or other challenges arose. This ability to work together to solve problems and meet challenges are also practiced by the town board and staff. The area’s natural beauty, river, small farms and general rural character are a major draw for visitors for our local businesses, and thus a significant economic strength. 

In my opinion, one of the town’s key weaknesses is the lack of employment opportunities. While the town’s strengths draw lots of visitors, unfortunately most of the visitors are seasonal, and thus do not provide steady jobs throughout the year. 

What strengths do you bring to the board?

I have worked for many years in management and process engineering capacities, both of which require utilizing coordination, communication and teamwork to make improvements, solve problems and most importantly implement preventative maintenance activities. I believe these same skills are very valuable in a board supervisor position and thus are tools I can utilize. But just as important is my commitment to maintaining the character of the town and listening to residents’ concerns and ideas for achieving this goal. 

Could you tell us some biographical information; e.g., other local government/civic experience, family, work, amount of time lived in the town, etc.?

My wife and I purchased our farm in 1993 and moved here permanently in 1998. I worked at a manufacturing company in Tomah and developed a direct-marketed grass-fed beef business in the evenings and weekends. In about 2003, we installed a layer flock and sold eggs to Organic Valley until last year. While members of Organic Valley, I volunteered and was appointed to several committees and leadership activities. In 2008, I retired from my off-farm employment and became a full-time farmer. I am a member of the Ontario American Legion, although not as active as in the past. My first involvement with the Whitestown Town Board was as a volunteer for the Whitestown Planning Committee, where we developed the Whitestown comprehensive plan for the then current town board’s approval, and later developed the plans for the new town shop and the covered recycling facility. I have been a town supervisor since January 2020.

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