Winnebago County executive candidates debate transparency, budget and homelessness at League forum

Oshkosh — Incumbent County Executive John Damel and challenger Gordon Hintz faced questions on transparency, the county budget, homelessness and other priorities at a League of Women Voters of Winnebago County forum hosted by Oshkosh Media ahead of the April 1 election.

The forum focused on how the executive’s office should balance staffing and consulting costs, improve budget forecasting and coordinate county services such as homelessness assistance and Parkview Nursing Home. Gordon Hintz, a former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and Damel, the incumbent county executive, offered contrasting accounts of the last four years and competing plans for the next term.

“Transparency, real transparency, true transparency, needs to be more than just...complying with the law,” Hintz said, arguing the county should make budget and policy materials easier for the public to understand and increase public engagement early in strategic planning. Hintz said better internal communication and monthly meetings with department heads would be part of his first-day priorities.

Damel defended the county’s increase in administrative staff as enabling professional operations and specific initiatives. “The addition of the staff has allowed us to actually function as an organization and get to some of the efficiencies we needed to,” Damel said, pointing to work on facility condition assessments, payroll reliability and the rollout of priority-based budgeting tied to the county’s strategic plan.

Budget and forecasting dominated the exchange. Hintz said the county’s last budget relied on about $6,800,000 from fund balance and argued the county must improve budget forecasting and measure whether added staff and consultants produced measurable benefits for constituents. Damel said priority-based budgeting and new data position the county to stabilize services and protect programs such as Parkview and community supports.

Both candidates addressed homelessness and housing. Hintz emphasized continuing federally funded programs such as the HELP eviction-prevention initiative (he said it is federally funded through the end of 2025) and pledged to prioritize emergency-shelter planning early in a term. Damel recounted local efforts he cited as successes: a day-by-day warming shelter, a tiny-house village and sober-living houses. He noted challenges in producing permanently affordable units (for example, market rents he cited for tiny-house-style units).

On immigration enforcement, both candidates said they took the Winnebago County sheriff at his word after the sheriff signed an agreement to hold certain detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Hintz said the sheriff clarified the arrangement was a reestablished agreement and that he took comfort in the sheriff’s commitment against profiling. Damel said he had not known the agreement was coming but said he trusts the sheriff’s assurances that it will not expand enforcement beyond jail holds for people brought to the facility.

Parkview Nursing Home and county facilities were raised as fiscal and operational priorities. Hintz said he would prioritize ensuring Parkview is fully staffed and better utilized for rehabilitation services. Damel said the county faces roughly $68,000,000 in deferred maintenance over the next 10 years and argued strengthening facilities management and following the county’s master plan are immediate priorities.

On other items, Hintz discussed the pros and cons of a county sales tax, calling it a potential revenue source that is regressive but could lower property taxes if the board chose that trade-off. Damel said a sales tax could help smooth capital costs tied to deferred maintenance and that tourism-related spending makes Winnebago County a candidate for such a tax.

Both candidates described public-health roles differently: Hintz said he supports an engaged, advocacy-oriented public health department that promotes evidence-based prevention and education; Damel emphasized returning to preventive, “old school” services such as screening for hearing, vision and lead abatement while avoiding heavy-handed approaches.

Moderator Margie Davie, president of the League of Women Voters of Winnebago County, closed the forum by reminding listeners of voter resources and deadlines, noting statewide races and a referendum on the April ballot and directing listeners to myvote.wi.gov and vote411.org for registration and ballot information.

The forum focused on policy contrasts and administrative style rather than new formal proposals; neither candidate proposed a specific ordinance or ordinance number during the session.