PRINT ADS

It all started when Jim Bialecki couldn’t get a straight answer about his property taxes in 1983. He was content to live quietly with his family as the new kid on the block in Onalaska while working in La Crosse as the administrator for Hillview Health Center. But the frustrations with city hall bothered Bialecki enough that he decided to take action.

“It motivated me to change things,” he said.

As part of Onalaska’s city government since 1985 and as the city’s first full-time mayor, Bialecki has changed many things about city hall.

So many things have changed that as one of his first acts as newly elected mayor, Mike Giese proclaimed April 2008 as Mayor Jim Bialecki Month. Among the hallmarks of Bialecki’s administration, according to the proclamation, were “friendly, citizen-centered services at city hall; open government; orderly growth and stable taxes.”

Chief among the changes during Bialecki’s tenure in city government were the Crossing Meadows tax increment financing district, the Shared Ride system, the new City Hall building, the development of the Midwest Drive TIF district, the Kinney Coulee Road and Gundersen Clinic development, a new municipal swimming pool, purchase of the downtown waterfront property and completion of the master plan for its development, building of a new city shop and the breaking of ground for expansion of the library.

As he accepted the proclamation that ended his reign, Bialecki said, “I tell you, I’m 57 years old and I’ve been parked up here at city hall a long time, but this is the first time I’ve been up here as a civilian.”

He’s learned a few things along the way, he said, and that’s how things get changed. “You learn you’re going to lose some friends along the way,” Bialecki said. “You learn you’re not the only one making decisions. It’s 50 percent plus one. I’m only one person on the council. The mayor has to work with six others.”

One of the hardest lessons he learned was to foster good relationships. As a member of the council for 15 years before becoming mayor, Bialecki said he had a lot to prove to the people in 2000. “People wanted change and here I had been on the council for 15 years. What proof did they have I could change anything as mayor?

“I learned a lot in the election of 2000,’ he said. “One of the things people wanted changed was the relationships with Onalaska’s neighbors. The people were not willing to tolerate the city isolating itself and not talking to our neighbors in surrounding communities.”

Bialecki is most proud of the growth of the community and the quality of people working for the city. He said in the past eight years, the city has added in excess of 100 new businesses and quite a bit of residential capacity.

“The city has a $400 million value, and that doesn’t include a revaluation,” he said.

Even though the staff is about the same size as it was in 2000, Bialecki is proud of the teamwork and accessibility to the public shown by the staff and that they are all educated professionals.

“Things began to move around 1987-1988,” he said. “After Coachlite Greens, growth and development took right off.”

When Bialecki was first elected to the council, there was no development north of Troy Street and Crossing Meadows was a cow pasture. Highway 16 was one lane each way. Some of his earlier challenges included requests to build a dog track and a water park and overcoming a bias against public transportation.

As he grew into public service, Bialecki said he learned to walk the middle of the road very carefully and to keep focused, to know the priorities of the citizens, listen to the people on the committees and keep his eye on the pulse of the community.

As Bialecki worked with Giese to facilitate his transition, he repeated to Giese the same words spoken to him by La Crosse Mayor John Medinger: “Welcome to my web, said the spider to the fly.”

As sticky as the situations became as a public servant, Bialecki said he feels fortunate to have watched a lot of history unfold before his eyes. When asked if he would do it all again, Bialecki hesitated.

“It takes a personal toll on you as well as the family,” he said. “I can’t say if I would or wouldn’t. I don’t want to burn any bridges, but I want to be on earth in 10 years.”

He said he has never been unemployed but he’s not ready to settle down. He still has his health-care administrator license and is still interested in that field. He said he might look at government employment as well.

Regardless, Bialecki is comfortable with where the city is and its direction and doesn’t feel he’s left anything undone. “I’m confident in walking away now,” he said. “I’m going to miss the staff. I’ve done everything I said I was going to do in 2000 except building a home for the tourism commission.”

Although he said he couldn’t be specific, Bialecki offered this glimpse into the future: “A lot will happen, a lot of good things are coming to Onalaska and the whole area.”