Community Firearms Safety Course on 10/24/20

The Muskego Lions Club is hosting a Community Firearms Safety Course on Saturday, October 24th, 2020 from 9:00AM to 1:00PM at the POLONIA SOCCER CLUB Clubhouse located at 10200 W. Loomis Rd. (Hwy 36) in Franklin, WI 53132.

COST: $50 payable at the door. Successful completion of this course qualifies for requirements to obtain a CCW permit in Wisconsin. This course is taught by veteran law enforcement firearms instructors who will give you a law enforcement perspective of the current laws and information which protect you when you are making deadly force decisions to protect yourself and others.

For more info, and to register, please visit this link by clicking here.

DandiLion Daze today in Muskego

DandiLion Daze, formerly known as the Muskego Community Festival, or Muskego Fest, takes place today, Saturday, August 29, 2020.

This year, due to the pandemic, DandiLion Daze will look a little different. It will only take place today, rather than being the usual three-day bash.

In addition to an all-day lineup of great music, there will also be a fun magic show, cornhole tournament, and a lively vendor area featuring a variety of crafts, wares, and services. The cornhole tournament was introduced to the festival just last year. It instantly became a smash hit, and the festival intends to make it an annual event. Missing this year will be the carnival area.

The community parade will go on as usual, taking place tomorrow, Sunday, August 30.

For more information, including entertainment schedules and sponsors, visit https://www.dandiliondaze.com, or its page on Facebook.

Jammin' on Janesville tonight

Jammin' on Janesville takes place tonight, Friday, August 7, beginning at 5pm. For details on vendors, food and entertainment offerings, and activities, visit the official Jammin' on Janesville Facebook page.

Earlier this week, amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the Muskego Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, which organizes the Jammin' on Janesville event, issued the following press release related to health and safety guidelines and recommendations:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 3, 2020
For information, contact:

Gary Boisits, Legal Counsel
414-305-4712

Keith Hammitt, Board President
414-840-7207

Krisann Durnford, Executive Director
414-422-1155

MUSKEGO AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE STATEMENT JAMMIN’ ON JANESVILLE EVENT

Muskego, WI – Muskego Area Chamber of Commerce has scheduled its popular street event, Jammin’ on Janesville, for Friday, August 7, 2020. With regard to the current health crisis, the Board of Directors considered the event’s impact on both businesses and the Muskego community. Chamber Board President Keith Hammitt presents the following statement:

“The Board of Directors of the Muskego Area Chamber of Commerce understands the impact of this pandemic on public health and our community’s economy. Striking a balance between these two is vital for our citizens and businesses. While recognizing the concerns related to the spread of the virus, we also share the need of normalcy for our community.

We gathered input from many stakeholders and community leaders, including the Police Department and Elected Officials. After considering all input, the Board of Directors believes this event will be a positive opportunity for our community. We acknowledge both the Governor’s mandate that went into effect August 1 and the guidelines presented by Waukesha County. While we believe these will make our outdoor event safer, we do understand that it is the responsibility of each individual and participating business to follow public health guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19. If residents or business members are uncomfortable with the event or have health conditions that make them vulnerable, we recommend they do not attend Jammin’ on Janesville.

To help prevent virus spread, vendor booths will be social distanced and we recommend each participating business use sanitizing and disinfecting safety measures in their area. During the event, we encourage all individuals to participate in social distancing and, when unable to social distance at this outdoor event, to utilize a face mask. We also recognize that people’s choices regarding wearing face coverings may be based on a variety of reasons and ask that attendees be respectful. Please note that private business owners may require face coverings on their premises or to gain entrance to their facility.”

Rick Petfalski elected Muskego's next mayor

MuskegoWisconsin.com congratulates Rick Petfalski on being elected Muskego's next mayor. A big thanks to all candidates for stepping up and contributing to the debate over the city's future, in what has certainly been the most exciting race in recent memory.

Chamber COVID-19 resource page

The Muskego Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism has assembled this incredible page of business resources for both employers and employees during this unique, challenging time. Updated daily. Check it out at:

https://www.muskego.org/pages/BusinessResources

2020 Muskego spring general election guide

Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti announced at the end of this past October that she would not be seeking a fourth term. That opened the floodgates for a five-way primary election this past February, in what has certainly been one of the city's most exciting races in recent times. Rick Petfalski and Dan Dombrowski emerged to see each other again in the spring general election, which is April 7. Here are the final primary election results from the city's Web site.

Following is a collection of candidate contact information and other various election resources.

MuskegoWisconsin.com encourages Muskego residents to exercise their constitutional right - and really, duty - to vote on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. In addition to the city's race for mayor, other major highlights on the ballot include a state Supreme Court race, the U.S. presidential primary on the Democratic side, and a vote on Marsy's Law. Watch our Facebook page and Web site for more voter information on the candidates for mayor as we get closer to election day.

As we approach the election, what local issues are important to you? What will be deciding factors in how you vote? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below. We'd love to hear from you.

MyVote Wisconsin - Request an absentee ballot by April 2, 2020

Sample ballot for the spring general election on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

City of Muskego election information and important reminders

Note - if voting in-person on election day, April 7, voting will only take place at Muskego City Hall. All regular ward/district voting locations are closed.

The candidates for mayor respond to questions from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, published on January 29, 2020 (Note - this includes all primary election candidates)

Muskego voters put contrasting mayoral candidates, Rick Petfalski and Dan Dombrowski, on spring election ballot - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, published on February 18, 2020

Muskego mayoral candidates share their views on development, goal-setting and their experience - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, published on March 11, 2020

Candidate responses to MuskegoWisconsin.com questionnaire - March 29, 2020

Candidate endorsements, support, press: Dombrowski; Petfalski

Dan Dombrowski - businessman

Facebook campaign page

www.DombrowskiForMayor.com

dan@dombrowskiformayor.com

414-775-7670

Rick Petfalski - businessman; former school board president; former alderman and common council president

Facebook campaign page

www.Rick4Mayor.com

rick4mayor@petfalski.com

262-971-1400 

Responses to our candidate questionnaire

Dan Dombrowski

Address: W131 S6710 Kipling Dr.
Age: 23
Occupation: Safety Risk Control Consultant at T/C Risk Management Services, LLC

As you campaign around town, what are some of the bigger themes you’re hearing from residents and business owners? What are people in Muskego most concerned about?

By far, the people of Muskego have been voicing concerns about the absence of a centralized downtown area for Muskego. These concerns also include not doing as much city events as previously conducted. Citizens would like to see Jammin’ on Janesville revert back to three events a year, compared to one. Over the course of the past few months I have addressed these concerns with one of my weekly initiative announcements. I have put together a concept plan that is called Veteran’s Square. This square includes a veteran’s memorial, small park, farmers market, community center, and mutli-use amphitheater. You can view all of the details on my website www.dombrowskiformayor.com/initiatives. In an effort to address further concerns, I have laid out two other initiatives on the website as well. One being a dedicated fall leaf pick up schedule, and the other making Muskego a second amendment sanctuary city. The final initiative will be announced on March 30th on Facebook and my website.

What unique experiences, characteristics, and talents would you bring to the mayor’s chair?

Non-partisan experience for a non-partisan position. While attending UW-Platteville, I served on Student Senate as a Senator and Director of Legislative Affairs. This position gave me experience working with both sides of the aisle (Democrat and Republican) in University policy production, Wisconsin State Legislature, and capitol hill.

The wording of this question is also interesting as it states the “mayor’s chair”. It is my goal to minimize the amount of time that I am in that chair. Being out in the community and working directly with residents and businesses is my style of leadership. A mayor should be out in public working with the people.

Putting together concepts like the Veteran’s Square represent my ambition, direction, and vision for this position. Utilizing public input into my ideology is something that I take a lot of pride in. Having a completely fresh perspective on city government will provide the people of Muskego a breath of fresh air.

What are some ways we can develop a deeper sense of community and really bring people together?

The fact that Muskego is a “Bedroom community” is a big deterrent from bringing people together. I cannot stress the amount of times citizens and business owners have told me that “after 6:00 pm we roll up the rugs and turn out the lights”. This is a large barrier I would like to overcome. Having infrastructure for hosting live music events, potential biergartens, additional Jammin’ on Janesville’s will help to bring our community together as a whole. An example of this infrastructure is my Veteran’s Square initiative. Respecting our roots and heritage as small town is my biggest priority. I feel we have strayed from that and I intend to change that. Creating more events in Muskego will bring people together. Some ideas of that include live music events, biergartens, etc.

What are your major goals for your first term of office?

Dealing with the current pandemic of COVID-19 is paramount. This will take precedence over any other goals of mine. The people of Muskego and their needs come before mine. I have already announced plans for a small business recovery plan that will include working hand-in-hand with the Chamber of Commerce, state and federal government, to get businesses grant applications. The local economy needs to get back on its feet as fast as possible, and that is my main goal.

Producing, analyzing, and executing a fiscally responsible budget will be my next priority. Muskego residents mainly want to be left alone, pay their taxes, and live a good life. Producing a budget that holds the line on property taxes while establishing a plan to pay for approximately sixty million dollars is going to be a hurdle.

Getting the ball rolling on initiatives would be my next step. Those initiatives are a clear representation of my vision and direction for the city of Muskego. They also represent my vision, direction, and ambition for the mayor’s position.

In your assessment, how is city government currently run? What’s working well, and what do you see as perhaps areas for improvement?

I would like to build upon the already very successful city government that we currently have. Like every scenario in life, there is always room for improvement. Efficiency is a word that I will be using often. Efficiency could mean reducing spending in some areas, or spending additional resources (for technology) to make the city more efficient. I personally believe that every situation should be handled independently. Blanket statements and umbrella policies tend to not work.

We are fortunate enough to have some of the best personnel as volunteer fire fighters, police officers, and EMTs. Our public works department also serves at that level. Listening to department heads of the city will assist me in helping them.

What would you do to encourage businesses to locate in Muskego? How do you intend to support existing local businesses?

Having my ear to the ground on what is going on in surrounding communities is a crucial step to invite businesses into Muskego. Going out and meeting with companies is something I plan on incorporating into my plan. We are not even close to second-to-last in regard to commercial/business tax base. This is a topic that needs to be addressed. Being as hands-on as possible reflects my style of leadership. I would like to target all industries and not leave any out.

Supporting local businesses is crucial to the survival of the local economy here in Muskego. COVID-19 is hurting businesses worldwide and supporting them needs to be a priority. As stated above, I will work with the Chamber of Commerce, state and federal government, to make sure that companies have access to business grant applications.

How would you describe your management and leadership styles, specifically, in relation to how you would see yourself working with the staff and common council?

My style of leadership is very hands on. Being out in public on a daily basis and working with residents/businesses is a priority of mine. Reducing the amount of bureaucracy and red tape is my goal. Small government is better government. Confusing processes slow down what actually has to be accomplished.

I look forward to working with the common council and staff. Hearing the council’s perspectives and accomplishing the needs of the citizens is important to me.

Muskego’s second Mayor Donald Wieselmann and Mayor Dave De Angelis are leaders I look up to. I had the honor and privilege to speak with Mayor Wieselmann a couple of times. He was fundamental in building the foundation of Muskego, including the industrial park and post office. Mayor De Angelis lead by example. Always being hands on with his approach is something I would like to replicate.

Final thoughts - anything else we haven't discussed yet that you feel is relevant for voters and community stakeholders to know?

When going door-to-door was still possible, the people of Muskego had one very clear message they were saying to me. They want “New Blood” in office. My status as a political outsider with conservative beliefs provides the people that option for Mayor. Having the support of the Waukesha Young Republicans represents my conservative and fiscally sound beliefs.

The people of Muskego are not looking for experienced leadership, they’re looking for someone that can get the job done with no hidden agendas. Citizens should not have to wonder where the school board ends, and city hall begins.

Rick Petfalski

Address: W194 S8184 Highland Park Dr.
Age: 52
Occupation: Owner, multiple small businesses

Candidate did not respond