Eau Claire Voters' Guide 2001 article

Eau Claire
Voters' Guide 2001

White will focus on better wages for area workers

Howard White

By Jessica Mortwedt
UW-Eau Claire Public Affairs Reporting Student
Wednesday, March 28, 2001

Wages in Eau Claire need to be better, said Howard White, a candidate for City Council president.

If elected City Council President on April 3, White said he would focus on bringing better wages for citizens of Eau Claire by targeting and confronting local businesses.

“Eau Claire is at the bottom of the wage scale in Wisconsin,” White said.

How They Stand

Should the city have purchased the homes damaged by the Sept. 10 flood?
Howard White: I think so. There are certainly people who don't want to move. The problem is, the city can't gaurantee safety.
Jane Tappen: There will be a tight budget next year. It needs to be adapted to keep the city in good financial standings.

What is the most important thing tax dollars can be spent on?
White: Flooding is going to dominate. There are other things we have to maintain including the streets .
Tappen: Many Eau Claire residents do not feel safe in their homes after they've been damaged by repeated flood problems. It is important that they do.

Should the city focus on bringing business to the downtown area?
White: You can't force people to develop in certain areas.
Tappen: Eau Claire has become a sprawling city and it is being pushed to the edges. All new development requires city services and ends up costing more to serve. The infrastructure of the city needs to be maintained..

Are wages in the city at a good level?
White: Wages need to be raised to meet other municipalities in the state. Eau Claire is at the bottom of the wage scale in Wisconsin..
Tappen: Eau Claire is historically a low-waged town. Competition is the best way to drive up wages. It is up to the city to recruit businesses that will treat workers well and make the city more of an attractive place to live.

Is multiple-family housing a problem?
White: A lot of it depends on the issue. If no one comes forward to object, there should be no problem.
Tappen: Many of the multi-family units in Eau Claire are disconnected from the residential area. We've developed these dead spaces. Developers need to do a better job in developing quality complexes that are not set off from the rest of the community.

White, 46, who was born and raised in Eau Claire, said dealings with political committees give him the experience he needs to run for city council president.

His political experience includes three years on the city council in the 1990’s. He took over an expired term in 1992 and wasn’t re-elected in 1993. He ran again in 1994 and won. White has been on the Eau Claire Police and Fire Commission, served on the city’s Advisory Board and the Parks and Waterways Commission among and worked with area groups such as Bolton Refuge House and The State: Regional Arts Center.

White and his wife, Lauri, 1719 Coolidge Court, have three children. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Macalester College in St. Paul. He later got a law degree from William Mitchell College in St. Paul.

Eau Claire property owners are worried about coverage they can receive for flood damage and taxes White said. These too, will be central on the next City Council President’s agenda, he said.

White is running against Jane Tappen, who currently holds a seat on the council. One of them will replace City Council President, Bill Nielsen who is not running for re-election.

The City Council decided Tuesday to purchase 34 homes severely damaged by flooding after a heavy Sept. 10 rain.

White said he supported the Council’s decision because safety is more important than keeping the homes.

Now an attorney, White is part of the White, Welter, Schilling law firm, 202 Eau Claire St., in Eau Claire. Even though he is a downtown business owner, he is not very concerned about urban sprawl.

“You can’t force people to develop in certain areas,” he said adding that developments should be added only when necessary.

White said he disagrees with his opponent's, stand on neighborhood associations. Although White recognizes some value in the associations, he thinks time should be spent on the bigger picture.

“I think the focus (of neighborhood associations) is too narrow in a city over 60,000 people,” he said. “It ignores developers and citizens who don’t belong to the organizations.”

White said it is important for the council to keep things moving along instead of dwelling on them for numerous meetings.

"We can't allow the council to be hog-tied," he said. "But if it's best for the city of Eau Claire, the Council will have to look at it," he said about the issues the council will face in the next year.