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From veto powers to smoking bans to bluffland protection, the two Onalaska mayoral candidates sought to convince the forum audience at Eagle Bluff Elementary they had the right vision for the future of the city.

Approximately 50 people attended the mayoral forum last Thursday night.

Giese and Muth, both memers of the Onalaska Common Council, were congenial and respectful toward one another, sparring good-naturedly throughout the forum.

While striving to make pointed differences between them on issues where they seemed to agree, Giese acknowledged their similarities. “There’s a lot of similarities. It’s pretty hard to pick a fight. We’re both rather dull. And it looks like both our wives dressed us,” he said with a laugh, alluding to the fact they both wore the same color jacket.

Both men support of bluffland protection programs. James Falvey, with the Mississippi Valley Conservancy, asked the candidates if they support funding — and at what level — a bluffland protection program like the one in La Crosse in an effort to preserve the city’s scenic beauty.

Giese responded with “a very enthusiastic yes.” He said the natural beauty of the bluffs and rivers brings very real value to the area. “It’s not abstract and intangible. It brings in tourism dollars.”

Giese also said he wants not only more protection, but also more access to the bluffs and trails and said he thought an appropriate level of support would be to continue to pledge $50,000.

Muth was chagrined there were houses on the edges of the bluffs along the river road. “To me it doesn’t seem fair and it’s not right,” he said. “Everyone should have access to those areas. I’m all for preserving them.”

Muth didn’t indicate the level of support he thought was appropriate for such protections.

Muth and Giese also agreed on their response to a question raised by Onalaska Board of Education President Kirby Lentz on what the relationship should be between the school district and city hall.

“We’re all in this together, all reaching for the same tax base,” Giese said. “We share the same values.”

Muth agreed, saying the two bodies need each other and face the same challenges. “We have to watch every tax dollar, squeeze every dollar for all the services we can,” he said.

Muth went on to discuss his hopes there could be more communication between city hall and the schools, and not just the school administration. “I want young people to know how city committees and government works. We need more involvement of young people.”

Former council member Bill Leathen asked how each might use their veto power. Giese acknowledged it is a rarely used tool, but affirmed its usefulness in appropriate situations.

“As mayor, you want collegiality and working together with the council,” Giese said. It is one tool I wouldn’t take pleasure in using, but I would use it if I felt strongly about an issue and there had been lots of discussion and sunlight on it. I would use it.”

Muth seemed to defer to council power. “There are six alderpersons making decisions for the city,” Muth said. “The mayor only votes as a tiebreaker. I think that’s a good thing. Six people are working towards the same goal. The power is with the city council.”

As the questions continued, lines of demarcation emerged. Those differences came in discussing a smoking ban, management styles and most importantly the direction of the city.

Had he been a council member at the time a citywide smoking ban came up for a vote, Muth said he would have voted against it. While he is not a smoker and won’t go to restaurants where smoking is allowed, Muth said he would have voted against the ban to protect the business community.

“A local ban creates an island,” Muth said. “We owe a lot to small businesses in Onalaska, all these places we’ve grown up with. They have supported our community, our schools, and athletics.”

Muth was all for a statewide smoking ban, though.

Giese, who was a council member when the vote came up, voted for a citywide smoking ban. “When that came before the council, it was something I was unequivocal about,” he said. “There was no dispute.”

He went on to discuss that many people, like wait staff and bartenders, often don’t have a choice of where to work and municipal government should give them the tools to be healthier in the community. “For smokers, if you want to inhale, that’s one thing. If you have to exhale, you shouldn’t be in the workplace,” he said.

When asked what they would do to retain the best employees, differences in workplace management style became evident. Both said they felt deeply upset by what had happened with the problems in the police department and wanted to put it in the past.

“We need to make changes at City Hall,” Giese said. “I’m not pointing fingers, but I think there are chains of authority that contributed to the problems.”

Muth agreed. “It’s something we never want to see again. There was a lack of communication between the council, the police departments, there were gaps there and rumors and we should have never, never gotten to the point we died. I will never allow that to happen again.”

Muth said his management style wouldn’t involve looking over employees’ shoulders. “The mayor’s job is not to micromanage,” he said. “It’s to be a resource for employees, provide assistance, help and be educated on the issues facing them. The worst thing you can do is stand over someone’s shoulder and tell them what to do. The mayor is a team player, not someone that questions every decision from employees.”

Giese said he would be a hands-on manager of the city. “I’m not a hands-off manager. I’m a mentor, a facilitator. I want to know what’s going on. My style will be different than Bob’s.”

Harvey Bertrand said the success of the mayor will depend on what happens on the waterfront. “A lot of money will be spent there, and it seems to me it will have to be a very delicate and difficult process. How will you go about making sure that will be a success?”

Giese said he wants to change the time line. “I’m not apprehensive that it will be successful. I’m looking at 10 years. I suspect when my kids are driving me to Gundersen for my memory therapy, that’s what I’ll be proud of.”

Muth said there would have to be a huge involvement from the community. “This is going to be a large project. The only way to succeed is to get everyone involved. And I’ll be happy to drive Mike to his memory therapy.”

While both candidates are excited about the prospect of being mayor at the time when real progress will be made in developing the waterfront area, there are differences in their approaches to growth and change for the city.

Muth wants to continue down the path incumbent Mayor Jim Bialecki has been paving. “Bialecki accomplished a lot in the eight years he has been mayor,” he said. “There have been problems, but we’re on a good course now. I want to carry on what he’s accomplished, stay the course. If elected, I’m not going to change a lot of things.”

Giese saw a different view of his role. “Things will have to be done differently,” he said. “We have to be more effective and more efficient and provide more services for the same tax dollars. … It won’t be the same city hall.”

Dan Ferries, a Muth supporter, said he was impressed by both candidates. “Onalaska’s not going to lose in this one,” he said. “Regardless of who wins, Onalaska is going to get a good mayor.”