Sheboygan City aldermanic candidates debate taxes, marina plans, housing and data-center risks

Sheboygan City aldermanic candidates for Districts 2 and 8 used a forum hosted by the Sheboygan branch of the American Association of University Women to outline sharply different priorities on taxes, the marina, housing policy and the prospect of data-center development.

At the start of the forum, Christine Smith, chair of public policy for the local AAUW, explained the rules: candidates had three minutes to introduce themselves and three minutes to answer each question. The session was recorded by WSCS and will be made available to the public ahead of the April election.

The candidates repeatedly returned to taxes and development incentives. Peter Jacobs, a candidate in District 8, argued that homeowners are carrying the cost of recent development and called for a pause on new tax-increment financing (TIF) proposals: “Our assessments on average have gone up 35 percent; our tax bills have gone up 85%,” Jacobs said, and proposed not approving developments where public investment exceeds private investment. Jacobs framed the pause as a way to ensure the city gets a “consistent, positive return” on public spending.

Incumbent John Bellinger, candidate for re-election in District 2, emphasized fiscal stewardship and neighborhood service, and described recent operational changes at the marina: he said the city moved away from third-party management, that staff “turned [operations] around this past year” and that the marina “did make a profit” with record fuel sales. Bellinger said he supports careful consideration of long-term impacts before placing permanent structures on the waterfront.

Candidates diverged over the marina master plan and the consultant process. Several — including Peter Jacobs and others who said the public’s input felt sidelined — urged preserving Deland Park and wearing caution on large permanent entertainment structures; others supported a phased plan that extends recreational amenities into the park so residents and tourists can use more of the lakefront.

On housing, the forum highlighted both supply and zoning as core levers. John Bellinger pointed to recent projects that include capped affordable units, and to partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. Bryan Kelly and Aaron Bremser urged reforms to make it easier for small, local builders to produce starter homes and duplexes, and promoted pre-approved housing plans and accessory dwelling units as tools to expand supply without lengthy custom-planning processes. “We should really try to preempt…here’s some things that could be built,” Kelly said, advocating for practical, smaller-scale options that do not require large development teams.

Several candidates connected housing solutions to other priorities. Aaron Bremser, who works at the Sheboygan County Food Bank and serves on local boards, emphasized neighborhood outreach and transparency and warned against secrecy in major negotiations: “I won’t be signing NDAs with corporations when we’re dealing with residents’ tax dollars,” Bremser said.

On revenue and economic development, John Bellinger cited large commercial projects as a source of tax base growth and pointed to a recently approved industrial site as adding to the tax roll. Peter Jacobs and others emphasized boosting tourism and local events, and suggested investing in communications and grant-driven programming to increase non-tax revenue.

The prospect of data centers drew concern across the panel. Peter Jacobs said he is opposed to large-scale data centers over worries about electricity and water demand, generator and blower noise, and potential delays to closing the city’s coal-fired plant. “We have to be very careful about that,” Jacobs said. John Bellinger said he would judge any proposal by its specifics and noted modern facilities can use closed-loop cooling that limits water use; several candidates urged explicit zoning language, community input, and protections against secretive agreements.

The forum closed with brief final remarks from candidates underscoring neighborhood service, street safety, waterfront stewardship and affordable housing. Moderator Christine Smith thanked participants and noted the recording was made by WSCS for public viewing prior to the April election.

What’s next: the candidates will continue outreach ahead of the April election; the recorded forum will be available through WSCS for residents who want to review the full remarks and compare proposals.