Four running unopposed for Fremont Village Board
By Angie Landsverk
A week after Gene Goode retired from his career in law enforcement, he was nominated to be the next village president in Fremont.
He is set to replace Dan Sambs, who is not seeking another term after decades of service in the village.
Goode is running unopposed for the position.
Sambs smiled as he thanked Goode for his years of service and professionalism in law enforcement and then wished him “luck in his next venture in the village.”
He did so during the village board’s Jan. 12 meeting.
In addition to retiring from the Waupaca Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 3, Goode also retired as Fremont’s police chief on that date.
He was the only person nominated for village president during last week’s caucus, which preceded the village board meeting.
“I knew that the current village president and one trustee was not running for this next term. So, I decided I wanted to continue to serve my community by running for one of the available positions. I believe it is vital for any community that people get involved in their local units of government to serve others,” Goode told the Waupaca County Post.
Financial resources
If elected village president, one goal he has is finding additional financial resources for the village, he said.
“For many years during the budget process, our village has often struggled to make ends meet. I believe we need to look for additional revenues through growth, which may be accomplished by annexation or development.
“This is important if we want to continue to provide the same level of services to the community moving forward. I look forward to working with the village board to achieve this goal,” he said.
Goode has lived in the Fremont area most of his life and in the village since 1999.
A 1987 graduate of Weyauwega-Fremont High School, he attended Fox Valley Technical College and graduated from the police academy.
He completed numerous specialized courses through the years.
Goode’s career in law enforcement began in 1988, when he was hired as a part-time officer in the village of Fremont.
In 1990, he left the village to accept a position with the Iola Police Department.
Prior to his full-time employment with the Sheriff’s Office, Goode began his career in the department as a deputy sheriff assigned to Water Patrol.
In early 1992, he served as a dispatcher/jailer.
Goode continued to grow in his career.
In 1995, he was assigned to the patrol division as a patrol deputy.
Goode was promoted to patrol sergeant in 2005, the position he held until retiring earlier this month.
He returned to serving the village of Fremont in April 1999, when he was hired to be its part-time police chief.
Trustee seats
Three seats on the village board are also on the April 6 ballot.
The seats are currently held by Rick Coenen, John Kohl and Bobbi Marks.
During last week’s caucus, Kohl, Marks and Kristine Looker-Buss were nominated for the three trustee positions.
Kohl has been a village trustee for almost 24 years.
Marks is serving her fifth term on the board.
Coenen is not seeking re-election.
He filed his non-candidacy papers on Dec. 16.
Coenen is completing his sixth, two-year term on the board.
“I enjoyed it,” he said. “It’s just time to move on.”
Coenen said he does not think people should sit on boards for a long time.
He believes new people and new ideas are good things.
Coenen described those he served with as “great people” and said they accomplished a lot.
Looker-Buss is a first-time candidate.
Born and raised in Fremont, she said her family goes back five generations in Fremont.
Her great-great grandfather came to Fremont from Germany, she said.
Looker-Buss is a 1987 graduate of Weyauwega-Fremont High School.
“I started working in various positions right out of high school,” she said.
She worked in Neenah Foundry’s office for about seven years and then sold tooling and machining for about four years.
“I’ve been in an executive recruitment role for the last 20 years,” Looker-Buss said.
She is currently the recruiting manager for ABR Professional Search, which is based out of Madison.
Looker-Buss and her 14-year-old daughter enjoy spending time on the water and snowmobiling.
“It’s something that I’ve tossed around a few different times in the past. This seemed like the right time for me,” she said of her decision to run for trustee.
She also noted how Goode is running for village president.
They graduated from high school together and have known each since they were 5.
“Gene has a lot of history in the village of Fremont as well,” Looker-Buss said. “I respect his views.”
She wants to see Fremont continue to grow and looks forward to collaborating with the other board members.
Her goal is to establish a good repertoire with them and work together to “find new and innovative ways to make things better in the village.”
She said they need to find ways to attract people and help local businesses prosper.
“I want to keep it alive so my daughter can continue to enjoy to be here,” Looker-Buss said.