Two Rivers council candidates focus on housing shortage, business recruitment and vacation rentals at League forum

At a League of Women Voters forum in the Oscar Room of the Two Rivers Park District, three candidates for city council — incumbent Tim Petrie, candidate Andre Robitai and incumbent Scott Steckwasser — told voters the city’s most urgent problem is a shortage of housing that, in their view, is blocking business recruitment and workforce growth.

The candidates said the housing shortage, competition from short-term vacation homes and uneven downtown development were the dominant themes across audience questions. Andre Robitai, a candidate and resident, told the forum “there’s a pretty big rift between a lot of the residents that live here and the city leadership,” saying closing that gap and improving communication were central goals of his campaign.

Why it matters: multiple candidates said a lack of housing limits the city’s ability to attract and retain businesses and workers. That, they said, affects school enrollment, tax base and downtown activity — all issues voters raised at the forum.

The candidates’ priorities and proposals

Housing and workforce: All three candidates named housing as the top barrier to economic growth. Petrie said the housing shortage forces would-be employers and workers to look elsewhere. Steckwasser, who is finishing his first term on the city…