Chesnut, Forseth seek council seat
By Angie Landsverk
There is no door-to door-campaigning this spring for the two candidates seeking the 4th Aldermanic District seat on Waupaca’s common council.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both Lori Chesnut and Todd Forseth instead planned to send mailings to voters in the district.
“My intention from the get go was to get out and talk to people.” said Forseth. “In this environment, I’m not going to. I’m trying to do a mailing to get my message out there.”
This seat on the council is the only one contested in the Tuesday, April 7 election.
It is a nonpartisan race.
Chesnut is the incumbent, and Forseth is a first-time candidate.
Chesnut
This is Chesnut’s second tenure serving on the council.
She was appointed to serve the district in January 1997, following a council member’s resignation.
Chesnut represented the district through March 1999, resigning when she moved outside the city.
In 2012, she moved back into the district, and was appointed to the council again in June 2015.
That appointment also followed an alderperson’s resignation.
Chesnut ran unopposed in 2016 and 2018.
A Waupaca area resident since 1973, she has worked in Waupaca County’s Department of Health and Human Services the past 19 years.
She is a parent aide in the Children and Family Unit.
Chesnut said she always says to people, “This is your city, and you are my agenda.”
She explained why she wants to continue serving on the council.
“We had significant changes last year,” she said.
Her comment referred to hiring Aaron Jenson as the new city administrator.
She feels there is more council involvement under the new leadership.
Chesnut noted the number of projects planned in the city.
Granite Street is being reconstructed this year and Main Street next year.
“I think anyone would like to see it to the end,” Chesnut said of being involved in the Main Street planning the last few years.
That street will be reconstructed in two phases next year.
She is confident about how the city is managing the project and passing on information, saying there is openness and transparency.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down businesses throughout the community.
Some, including businesses on Main Street, have adapted to the situation, finding ways to continue operating in some manner.
When asked how this experience may help prepare businesses for next year, Chesnut said the planning has already been underway for the Main Street project.
“We will all come out of this learning something,” she said of the current situation.
Saying “we are disrupted but not destroyed,” Chesnut also said she is “confident that we will all be able to come together for what is best for the city.”
Zoning and comprehensive plan updates are also taking place this year.
Fulton Street in particular is part of the zoning discussion after two big-box stores closed on the street.
The internet changed retail, Chesnut said.
“We all have to think outside the box,” she said in regard to Fulton Street’s future.
Chesnut also said the street itself needs to be safe.
She lives near it and sees the amount of pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks.
In addition to possible zoning changes, Chesnut believes the city needs to consider the traffic and how it merges.
Fulton Street is an entrance into the city and needs to be appealing, she said.
“We need to consider what people are looking for,” Chesnut said. “We want people to come here and stay here.”
Forseth
This is the first time Forseth is running for a political office.
“I’ve always wanted to serve my community,” he said.
Forseth sees public service as part of being a good citizen.
“For me, it really is something I like to do as a hobby,” he said.
Forseth has lived in Waupaca his entire life, and in his current home 13 years.
He and his wife Lisa have four children: two daughters and two sons.
Forseth has been interested in running for public office and feels now is the right time.
A 1999 graduate of Waupaca High School, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Forseth is the assistant manager in receiving at Sturm Foods, in Manawa.
Employed there 20 years, he works in logistics with about 60 employees reporting to him.
Forseth commented on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the community.
Going through it will help the city learn how prepared it is for an emergency of this nature, he said.
Forseth thinks the city has done a great job communicating its response.
“Communication is key. I think in this situation, it almost demands it. You have to be on top of it,” he said.
Local governments have to mobilize quickly, and he thinks they will be able to use this as a learning tool going forward.
He waits to learn when businesses can reopen, and about the impact on the local economy and what government assistance will be available.
Four blocks of Main Street will be reconstructed in 2021.
He believes the city made the right decision to reconstruct it in two stages.
Forseth was asked if there is anything about going through the COVID-19 experience that could help businesses plan for next year’s work on Main Street.
He said they are two different things.
Some businesses are closed now because of a mandate.
The impact is different. he said.
Next year’s project will cause disruption, but businesses will have methods of income, he said.
“To be successful in business, you have to be agile,” Forseth said.
He has been impressed with the adaptability of restaurants during this time, coming up with solutions to continue operating.
Another part of the city being discussed is the Fulton Street corridor.
Forseth thinks the former Kmart and Shopko spaces will not be used in the same way they once were.
For example, he sees the Kmart space possibly being broken up into different spaces and sublet.
He said it is not easy to get other big-box stores to replace those that left a community.
“Fewer and fewer people go to stores to peruse shelves,” Forseth said.
It is easier for people to order something from their cellphone, especially if they do not need the item for a few days, he said.
Forseth noted Waupaca is located between two larger marketplaces and the impact that has on a mobile society.
While going to one of them is not as convenient as driving down the street, it is also not inconvenient enough for many, he said.
There are always items people need immediately, and Forseth thinks there are opportunities to fill some of those gaps here.
He said downtown economic development will be a challenge for many communities.