Incumbent Shaun Morrow will face challenger James Haine for the District 11 seat on the Stevens Point City Council in the April 1 election.
Alderpersons serve a two-year term.
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The Stevens Point Journal asked each of the candidates to address important issues in the district and why they are running for the position.
James Haine
James Haine
Residence: Stevens Point
Age: 81
Occupation and education: Retired University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point professor. Bachelor’s degree in industrial management and mathematics from Perdue University, master’s degree in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis and Juris Doctor from Indiana University Law School. Admitted to the State Bar of Indiana in 1975 and State Bar of Wisconsin in 1977.
Relevant experience: UW-Stevens Point professor of business and economics, corporate attorney, naval officer (during Vietnam War), computer systems analyst end designer
Campaign email address: [email protected]
Shaun Morrow
Shaun Morrow
Residence: Stevens Point
Age: 57
Occupation and education: Wisconsin Department of Corrections; bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in criminal justice
Relevant experience: 25 years working in government and criminal justice, eight years on City Council, understanding of local law enforcement and city and county government
Campaign website/Facebook page: None available.
Why are you running for office?
Haine: To lend knowledge and experience to help the people of Stevens Point.
Morrow: I like being involved in my community and understanding why things happen the way they do. I like helping others maneuver city government to get what they need. I often hear people complain about things in our city they do not want to get involved and do anything about it. I like being able to be in a position to get things done, like getting Second Street North by Willow Brooke repaved.
What makes you the better candidate in this race?
Haine: 1. I’m retired so I can devote full time to my aldermanic duties. 2. I bring many varied life experiences to city government.
Morrow: I have a long understand of city and county government. I am still in the workforce and understand what current working families are going through and know how to get things done.
What is the most pressing issue facing Stevens Point City Council and how would you address it?
Haine: High property taxes. We need to encourage business developers so that additional development can “take up the slack.”
Morrow: The main issue for the city is the continuation of the Business 51 project and getting the planning to a finalized design, whatever that is. This project has been ongoing for several years and is a once-in-a-generation project for a major corridor of the city. With the uncertainty of federal and state funding it is imperative the city gets as quickly as possible whatever grant funding it can secured.
What are residents telling you are their most important issues and how would you address them?
Haine: 1. Division Street. This entire study needs to be redone. The proposed roundabout is unsafe. 2. Climate change. The city needs to do everything possible to reduce its carbon footprint − solar panels and geothermal.
Morrow: Business 51 and homelessness in Stevens Point. Regarding Business 51, people are aware the majority of the funding is through various federal and state grants. My focus will be on getting a design completed as fast as we can to secure the funding we have. Any delays may result in that funding being pulled. Regarding homelessness, the issues are what caused a person to be homeless. The causes can be anything such as domestic violence, family issues, substance abuse, mental health and so on. Our community is blessed to have a spectrum of services to assist people who are homeless.
The city has a few major opportunities for development that include the East Park Commerce Center and the former Shopko property. If elected, how would you contribute to making the most of these opportunities?
Haine: We need to do everything possible to support these developments (TIF, etc.) because they will eventually take some burden off of city taxpayers.
Morrow: For the Shopko property the question is, what is the proposal? As of now, there is no official proposal the city is looking at. I would look at what is in the best interest of the city and taxpayers. Some people have proposed what they would like, such as housing, entertaining area, restaurants and so on but no developer has brought any plans forward so far.
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Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: April 2025 election: Stevens Point City Council District 11 candidates
Read the full article here