NEWS

We asked the three candidates running for mayor about their priorities and experience. Here's what they told us.

Diana Dombrowski
Sheboygan Press

SHEBOYGAN - Three candidates are running to lead the city of Sheboygan as mayor.

Incumbent Mayor Mike Vandersteen, seeking his third term, is being challenged by City Council President Ryan J. Sorenson and James W. Tesauro.

The three will face off in the spring primary Feb. 16., which will eliminate one of them from the race. Voters will then choose between the two remaining candidates on April 6.

Vandersteen, who was first elected mayor in 2013, has seen the city through the transition to a new garbage collection system, a $10.5 million renovation of City Hall and the coronavirus pandemic.

Sorenson was elected to the City Council in 2017. The council chose him as its president in June after Todd Wolf moved from the role to city administrator. Sorenson works in business development for Aflac Insurance.

New to the scene, Tesauro, said he moved to Sheboygan from Kansas in November 2019 because his daughter's mother's family is from Sheboygan. Owner of an online auction company called ImLiveAuctions, Tesauro also served in the Army for nine years.

We asked each candidate some questions about their qualifications and priorities. Here's what they told us.

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Sheboygan Mayor Mike Vandersteen

Name: Mike Vandersteen

Address: 3816 Highcliff Court.

Age: 68

Occupation and highest education level: Sheboygan mayor, Sheboygan County Board chairman, Sheboygan County Board supervisor, Sheboygan councilperson, manager of DuBois Formalwear, attended University of Wisconsin-Green Bay for two years

Relevant experience: Tripled the average miles of streets resurfaced per year; reconstructed 11 substandard railroad crossings; City Hall remodeling project; City Green development; introduced new garbage cart system; developed Sheboygan Insider monthly e-newsletter; increased the number of Neighborhood Associations from two to 12; funded beat cop code enforcement officers; developed the SouthPointe Enterprise Campus

Ryan Sorenson

Name: Ryan Sorenson

Address: 2421 S. 8th Street

Age: 26

Occupation and highest education level: Business development with Aflac Insurance; bachelor's degree in political science and history from UW-Milwaukee, where he was student body president

Relevant experience: Helped small businesses keep staff and customers safe with outdoor café seating last summer; supported small businesses as chair of the Public Safety and Licensing Committee; prioritized road repair and infrastructure projects while serving on the Public Works Committee and the Capital Improvements Commission; worked with entrepreneurs to update the city’s ordinances, helping grow small businesses; conserved taxpayer dollars while making key investments throughout our community and neighborhoods.

James Tesauro

Name: James Tesauro

Address: 511 Fishermans Row

Age: 36

Occupation and highest education level: Owner of online auction company, ImLiveAuctions; co-owner of related company VetsPicks; co-owner of bakery in Kansas; bachelor's degree in political science from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut

Relevant experience: Nine years in the Army

Why are you running for office?

Vandersteen: I love Sheboygan. I enjoy meeting and listening to residents to build a better Sheboygan. The people of Sheboygan deserve experienced, positive leadership. I make a personal commitment to Sheboygan residents to continue to move Sheboygan forward. I take pride in business growth, new housing and infrastructure projects we, as a community, have achieved. I firmly believe that my working to make Sheboygan a safe, affordable place to live, work and play is essential for continued growth. It has been an honor to serve two terms as your mayor that have brought Sheboygan to an exciting point in terms of economic development and vitality.

Sorenson: Last summer, I worked with the Chamber of Commerce, city officials and small business owners to provide a needed lifeline during the pandemic for beloved restaurants in our community. That moment helped me realize what a proactive mayor could accomplish all over the city.

I am running for mayor because these challenging times demand a new approach to local government that brings together small businesses, nonprofits, working families, seniors and everyone in our community. Working together, our community can recover from the health and economic hardships of this pandemic.

Tesauro: The city needs a change in leadership — somebody willing to follow through on the promise of transparency. The people deserve to have a voice that is heard because the government works for the people — not the other way around. Local government is the ultimate representation of the people. We love this community and this is our home, this is where we are raising our children, and I stepped up because what we create now is what we leave them later. Multiple people, especially in the last year, have voiced their concerns that the leadership in this community isn’t responding to what they are expecting. I intend to bring new, transparent and active leadership to the community.  

What makes you the better candidate in this race?

Vandersteen: My style of leadership echoes the view that we are “better together." My collaborative style of leadership means that I am able to creatively solve problems and develop new opportunities for our businesses and our residents. The real-world experience that I have from serving as County Board chairman and Sheboygan mayor, managing a business, and serving in leadership positions on the boards of community organizations are examples that demonstrate my leadership. I have been told that I listen to people and look at both sides of an issue. I have a proven record of getting things done.

Sorenson: I grew up here, graduated from South High School, and after graduating from UW-Milwaukee, returned home to give back to the community that has given me so much. I have the energy, passion, and experience to help Sheboygan reach its full potential. But to do that, we cannot be satisfied with the status quo. I know how to bring people together to get things done. We can improve our roads, develop affordable housing, maintain our excellent police and fire departments, and provide real support to small businesses while holding the line on taxes.

Tesauro: I believe that what I bring to the table for the city of Sheboygan and the community is leadership experience. I’m a 10-year Army officer veteran with most of my service being in support of the 1st Infantry Division. When I left the service, I was a senior captain. I was both a medevac and a VIP UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot. I have deployed to combat zones, led in multiple facets as a team leader, platoon leader and company commander. I also worked as a planning officer for operations in both foreign and domestic arenas. I was in charge of budgets in the tens of millions of dollars, so I understand how to effectively and responsibly manage a budget.

What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?

Vandersteen: Streets. My emphasis was and is aggressively increasing funding for street resurfacing. The average miles of resurfaced streets per year has tripled since I took office. Safety.

Our neighborhood revitalization programs support the Police Department Community Policing program. I will work to add to the 12 active Neighborhood Associations.

Low-income housing. There are 264 new or remodeled workforce subsidized apartments and 123 dormitory units constructed during my terms as mayor, and 240 additional workforce subsidized apartments are now under construction for occupancy in 2022. I look forward to the results of the low income housing study that the city is conducting to project how many more units are needed to serve the Sheboygan population.

Sorenson: In addition to the hardships brought on by the pandemic, residents have talked to me about the quality of our roads, availability of affordable housing, keeping the community safe, and keeping our taxes level.

Since the time I have been on the council, we have taken significant cost cutting actions to ensure that all our departments are running lean. As mayor, it will be my top priority to bring together a team to develop a long-term strategic plan that addresses road repairs and affordable housing for families. This community-based team will ensure that residents are heard and their needs addressed.

Tesauro: The biggest issues that have been voiced to me are the lack of forward progress and transparency on how the city is being run.

There are many other issues, like human trafficking and drug abuse, fixing roads and maintaining that the city continue to control its own shoreline.

I have in-depth experience with managing large budgets. I’ve always been a very engaged and active leader where I was placed in a role that demanded it. I’m not afraid to get “in the trenches” in order to work to get the job done. 

Transparency in government is an easy thing when there is nothing to hide.  

What are the top two issues the city should address?

Vandersteen: Diversity. Sheboygan has become a more diverse community. The Sheboygan Area School District already has a majority minority student population. I will work with residents to find solutions that see everyone in Sheboygan is treated with dignity and respect.

Business recovery. Sheboygan had a booming economy pre-COVID19. I will see that revenues that we receive are directed to businesses that are struggling to survive. In addition, I will support the growth of business with the formation of our Innovation District and support from our revolving loan fund.

Sorenson: Economic development: The city can and needs to do more to support our existing businesses and develop new opportunities for continued economic growth, as well as expanding job opportunities that provide family-supporting wages.

Roads and infrastructure: We need to develop a long-term strategic plan to address the backlog of road and essential infrastructure repairs and ensure we never fall behind again.

Tesauro: As a father, child trafficking is a disgusting crime that needs to be eliminated, and I will work especially hard to make sure that it has no place in our community.

I also plan on focusing on supporting local and small business owners — not only in their endeavor to survive, but having them realize they have a friend in the mayor’s office. Because without small business, our economy will falter. If our businesses' doors close, it has a very defined effect on the rest of the community. If I do not have the answer right then and there, I will find a solution.  

What will you do as mayor to address the COVID-19 pandemic?

Vandersteen: We need to get Sheboygan vaccinated. I will work with the medical community and county officials to be sure that the proper amount of vaccines are available. I will make city buildings available for vaccination clinics and share educational information on the vaccines with the community on city media and COVID-19 update videos. Until the vaccines are administered and effective, I will continue to encourage residents to mask up and keep social distancing.

Sorenson: The city needs to step up to be an important resource to help families and businesses that are struggling. Many cities across the country have an online resource that connects folks to grants for small business, food and job benefits, testing locations and vaccination information. Simply reporting the number of cases and deaths in our community is not sufficient. The city also needs a mayor that will partner with local businesses, nonprofits, and residents to collaborate on solutions so that Sheboygan can fully recover from this health and economic crisis.

Tesauro: COVID-19 has become a severe point of contention that people are now afraid to speak about out of fear. It is important to make sure our business owners are supported and not handcuffed economically, and our children are responsibly kept in school so they do not lose out on educational and social benefits from daily interaction with teachers and other children. The rise in depression, alcohol abuse and drug abuse cannot continue to go unnoticed. The cure cannot be worse than the problem.

The virus is extremely real. My grandmother recently passed away from COVID-induced symptoms before Christmas. So I get it. However, the way that politicians have exploited it in order to gain standing while in office is not fair to individuals trying to survive financially. I fully support people in choosing how to operate their own businesses, lead their own families, raise their children and live their own lives.

Contact Diana Dombrowski at (920) 242-7079 or ddombrowski@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @domdomdiana