Chuck Stanek Seeks Return As Supervisor

Charles Stanek is seeking to be returned to office for another 2-year term as Supervisor on the Middle Inlet Town Board so he can continue using his many years of experience in state and town government to benefit the residents and property owners of the town.

There are four candidates seeking two Town Supervisor positions in the April 4 elections. Stanek, the only incumbent, is being challenged by political newcomers Sally Lensink, Ryan Pomeroy and Dale Romback. Incumbent Supervisor Donald Van is not seeking re-election.

Stanek has served over 33 years in various Town of Middle Inlet elected positions, starting in 1989, when he was elected as Town Chairman. He then was elected as a Supervisor on the Town Board, after which he was elected Town Clerk and then Clerk/Treasurer after the offices were combined, until 2019, when the elected Clerk/Treasurer position was abolished in favor of a clerk/treasurer hired by the Town Board. He was elected in 2021 to again serve as a Supervisor on the Town Board.

Stanek has lived in Wisconsin his entire life. He graduated from Lomira High School in 1961, and served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1964. He attended Wisconsin State University in Oshkosh, majoring in biology and wildlife management.

He and his wife, Romelle, were married in 1972 in Eau Claire, and raised six children. They now have 17 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.

He was employed by the State of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and served 32 years in various law enforcement positions. He became a certified law enforcement officer through the Wisconsin Department of Justice and worked as police officer for the city of Stanley for five years, until 1988, when he, Romelle and their youngest daughter, Sara, moved to Middle Inlet.

In addition to holding various town offices almost continuously since he became a Middle Inlet resident, Stanek continued to serve in law enforcement capacities with the state until he retired from full time employment.

Stanek said he has been learning about town government and the state laws that affect it for more than three decades. Throughout his long tenure as a Middle Inlet elected official, he has regularly attended training sessions, most of them through Wisconsin Towns Association. His training included a 4-year program through UWGB to become a certified municipal clerk, after which he became a member of the Certified Municipal Clerks Association.

Stanek said he considers it an honor to have been allowed to serve the residents of Middle Inlet for so many years, and hopes he will again be returned to office so he can continue using his long years of experience to benefit the town.
Stanek said one of the main things he strives for as an elected official is transparency. He said it is vital for  town residents to be kept aware of what is happening in town government, and is concerned about the current policy of posting meeting notices at the Town Hall, the boat landing and on-line, but not publishing in the Peshtigo Times, which he believes most of residents, including the part-time ones, rely on to keep them informed. He said he realizes the current policy does meet statutory requirements, but he does not feel it serves the needs of the electors, in that many do not have internet access, and most will not drive to the Town Hall or the boat landing to check the postings. “I have always thought it was important to get information to our residents,” Stanek declared.