Outagamie County Execute Candidate Kevin Sturn Talks About His Vision For Our Area

There is a 3 person race for the Outagamie County Executive position with the primary election taking place on February 21^st. Last week, I spoke to Incumbent Tom Nelson. On Thursday, I spoke to one of the challengers Kevin Sturn.

We started the conversation by talking about what skills Kevin has acquired working a couple of different positions in the county. “In 2012, I was elected to the Outagamie Board. I served all 8 years on the finance committee … The 1^st four years I learned a lot and I was nominated to become the finance committee chairman.” He also served on the East Central Regional Planning Commission and he was the Vice Chair for the Safety and Security Building Oversight Committee.

With his time as Finance Committee Chairman, Outagamie County experienced a reduction in property taxes. When I asked about it, Kevin highlighted the team effort that was necessary for that outcome. “It’s more of a we were able to do it, not an I… Our debt rate was climbing up and I wanted to get in front of that.” He went on to explain that he was able to make up the difference in lower property taxes by increasing the sales tax by .5%.

One of the biggest issues facing the county today is filling open job positions, with people from both in and out of state. Part of Kevin’s answer to this question focused on apprenticeship programs. “I believe that’s something the county can look into. We can hire that are at a lower level and train them to what we want to do.” He also wants to stop competing within municipalities and start looking over state lines.

The conversation went on to a number of different topics including fiscal responsibility, the biggest difference between him and the incumbent, and what he would do to improve airport revenue.

To hear the entire conversation, listen below.

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