Incumbent Brian Giles will face challenger Tim Moen for the District 7 seat on the Marshfield City Council in the April 2 election.
Marshfield City Council members serve two-year terms. Five out of nine seats are up for election this spring.
To learn more about registering to vote and to find your polling place, visit My Vote Wisconsin.
The Marshfield News-Herald asked each of the candidates to address important issues in the city and why they are running for the position.
Brian Giles
Age: 49
Residence: Marshfield
Occupation and education: Technical services at Nelson Jameson; two years of college at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and UW-Marshfield/Wood County
Relevant experience: Served one year as District 7 representative on the Marshfield City Council. Married with three grown boys. Was born and raised here in Marshfield and in the 7th District, as a matter of fact. I have experience dealing with a wide variety of people and dealing with the public often, which is a must in this position. I also believe giving back to people and sacrifice is a huge part of being on council. I volunteer for a number of organizations and in 2020 I donated a kidney to an unknown recipient.
Campaign website/Facebook page: Brian Giles District 7 City Council on Facebook
Tim Moen
Residence: Marshfield
Occupation and education: Business owner
Campaign website/Facebook page: Moen for 7th District
Why are you running for office?
Giles: I am running for reelection because I don’t feel one year is enough time to make an impact. I came into the council wanting to address things that maybe had never been addressed before. I think we need to revisit a committee on sustainability and climate change and discuss what we can do as a community to mitigate climate change. Also, we have a growing LGBTQ+ community that I believe needs to be given the opportunity and support to flourish.
Moen: Marshfield is home for me. For the most part, it has always been home. I am a homeowner, a parent, and a business owner and it is important to keep Marshfield a strong community and competitive economically. I have years of experience in multimillion-dollar budgets in both the creation of and operating within the parameters. My experience should and will make me an effective alderman, and I have the work ethic to protect the stewardship of the 7th District seat so that all of our voices can be heard.
What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?
Giles: How money is spent is usually one of the biggest issues that citizens mention. We as a council just have to keep working to balance the budget and be transparent in doing so.
Moen: Today we find ourselves locked in conversations about economic development and getting the money investments made to start working for us. Today my friends and neighbors need to see the returns they were promised so that we can move Marshfield forward. And often we find ourselves talking about the real dangers of fentanyl in our community. The lack of community improvement is shameful, and we have normalized signs in pharmacies that say “Narcan Sold Here.” Every family I talked with about this topic would rather normalize signs offering help, not a reactive solution. As a community, we must come together and do better.
What makes Marshfield a destination for visitors and new residents and how would you continue to make attracting people to the community a priority if you were elected to the City Council?
Giles: We have a great school system with wonderful teachers. In addition, Marshfield offers a great number of activities and recreation. We are expanding our walking and biking trails as well as many year-round activities. In addition, we have one of the top-rated zoos in the state run by an amazing staff. Marshfield just has so much to offer. I want to help Marshfield continue to grow the family recreational activities. We have new pickleball courts in the future, and I would love to see an expansion of our zoo.
Moen: We have so many unique features and attractions, be it the new water park or splash pad, a library that will rival libraries in communities twice our size, as well as a zoo and park that can all give reasons for our children to unplug from the living room and replug into the outdoors. With the addition of a few new faces in our School Board and what may be the best group of teachers in the state, we have seen positive movement in the rankings of our School District. The investments made to create some of the nicest sports fields and facilities has made this community a model for schools to follow.
There has been much discussion about public safety in the city, especially with staffing at the Marshfield Fire Department. How would you work to ensure adequate funding for public safety in the city?
Giles: The aging population of Marshfield has definitely made this more of a need. There is no magic formula for balancing a budget. We have a wonderful staff who is always looking for ways to trim the budget. As a council we are already looking ahead to the next budget and are getting started on it now so we can make sure public safety doesn’t get short changed and is a top priority.
Moen: The problems facing public safety departments in Marshfield are not unique to this city. Most cities this size are finding themselves in the same situations. We compounded this problem with a series of issues that rattled the trust of the citizens in the community. Many times, through no fault of their own, these issues were discussed and solutions developed in closed meetings. This lack of transparency can add to the distrust and confusion, and it is not time that will heal, but solid information and decision making moving forward. My guess is it is moving slower than these departments would like, but together we will get to the finish line.
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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. Reach him at epfantz@gannett.com or connect with him on X (formerly Twitter) @ErikPfantz.
