MARINETTE – During the spring election on April 1 there will be three open seats on the Marinette Board of Education that five candidates will be vying for. The five candidates, listed in order as they appear on the ballot, are Tim Pelzek, Maria Fong-Baake, Marinette Board of Education Vice-President Eric Craver, Marinette Board of Education President Terri Florek and Hank Matthews.
In an effort to give all candidates an opportunity to present their approach to the board of education position, the Peshtigo Times will cover a variety of the candidates. Based on the order of the ballot, information on Tim Pelzek and Maria Fong-Baake can be found in this issue.
How long have you been a Marinette resident?
My wife and I have been residents of Marinette for over 10 years. We moved to Marinette soon after the birth of our grandson. We have found Marinette to be a welcoming community where we have made many friends through our church and the many other activities we have been involved in. Both of our grandchildren attend Marinette Public Schools.
I am happy to have met Maria Fong-Baake and Hank Mathews who share my same goals to improve the English language arts and math skills of the
Marinette School District students and bring transparency and accountability to the School Board.
Why are you running for the school board? If elected, what will be your priorities?
Math, reading and writing will be my priorities. When 72.1% of our students are not proficient in math and 77.2% are not proficient in English language arts (2022-2023 school year), there are major problems which must be addressed immediately to ensure our graduates can find good paying jobs and succeed in society.
I also want to address the issue of fiscal responsibility. Why did the incumbents running for re-election refuse to sell Garfield School to St. Thomas Aquinas Academy for a full-price offer? Then they accepted an offer for almost $35,000 less from a California developer. These were ridiculous and costly decisions. Garfield School has been left vacant for years while it was repeatedly broken into and vandalized.
There needs to be a full audit of the school system’s finances before any additional referendums are passed which would increase the taxes of all school district residents.
What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?
In addition to holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, I have significant experience chairing and serving on various boards and committees.
During my career on the Milwaukee Fire Department, I was elected to the Executive Board of the Milwaukee Firefighter’s Association and subsequently elected Secretary of the Association. My elected positions continued with the City of Milwaukee Pension Board which, at the time, managed approximately $4 billion dollars in assets for all City retirees, and for a time was the finance committee chair. I also served on the Wisconsin Retirement Research Committee. In 2022, I was elected as a Marinette County Board Supervisor.
In all of these situations I saw something that wasn’t working right and felt compelled to step up to help make changes to improve the organization.
Representing others and public service have always been an integral part of my life.
What is your approach to handling controversial and complicated issues?
I believe in order to address controversial and complicated issues, it is first necessary to ask people exactly what their opinion is on the issue. It is imperative that everyone involved understand that it is best to leave strong emotions out of the conversation and deal only with facts. Obviously having people yelling at each other accomplishes nothing. Keeping the conversation light, if possible, also helps.
The most important thing for a person involved in difficult situations is to listen without interrupting. Being respectful of other people’s opinions is key when dealing with controversial issues.
The second most important thing is finding common ground. In the vast majority of cases, people can agree on some part of an issue, although they may not agree on the exact method to solve the problem.
How long have you been a Marinette resident?
I have been a resident of Marinette for the past 10 years. I moved here in 2015 after accepting a position with Lockheed Martin. I have two daughters in the Marinette School District: my oldest is in high school, and my youngest is in the third grade. They are both student-athletes. My oldest, Jazleen, was six when we made our cross-country move to Marinette; she attended Garfield Elementary and is now a Junior at Marinette High School. My youngest, Alexis, was born in Marinette and is now attending Marinette Intermediate School.
Why are you running for the school board? If elected, what will be your priorities?
I am running for the school board because I am passionate about education. Education is the one thing that, once gained, can’t ever be taken away. I want to ensure the community has a voice in educational and administrative decisions. As a member, I will be able to become a conduit for the concerns and interests of teachers and parents. If elected, I will bring a perspective focused on academics, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and parental/stakeholder input on all policies.
My priorities include improving academic achievement, concerns with less-than-sound business decisions, a lack of transparency and poor communication between the district and the community. If elected, I will work to represent you and protect the interests of our students and faculty. We must protect our children’s educational environment from bias and hidden agendas that can distract from what is truly important: the children’s education.
What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?
I am currently employed by Lockheed Martin, I have been with the company for ten years, where I hold a role as a Project Engineer. Prior to my employment with LM I served in the US Navy. As for my education, I have two bachelor’s degrees from UW Green Bay, one in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing and one in Organizational Leadership. I also hold a Master’s degree in Business Administration from UW Parkside.
I am an experienced leader. I have experience developing, analyzing, and implementing policies and contractual documents. I have experience developing and managing high-dollar budgets. I have strong communication skills. I also held an instructor certification in the Navy. My experience with kids and education includes volunteering as an instructor at the College 4 Kids program offered by UW Green Bay. I worked with upper elementary and middle school students.
What is your approach to handling controversial and complicated issues?
I find that the best way to approach controversial and complicated issues is to analyze the issue with a calm and open mind. It is essential to research and analyze all of the facts pertaining to the issue; a person can only form an educated opinion if they have all the facts available to them in hand. It is also vital to listen to and process all the facts and opinions presented by all parties to ensure you are making an informed decision or an educated argument in support of the resolution of the issue at hand.
Candidate Eric Grenier shared with the Peshtigo Times that he has decided to withdraw from the race, adding that he will be supporting Tim Pelzek, Maria Fong-Baake and Hank Matthews.
Marinette Board of Education Vice-President Eric Craver did not respond to the Peshtigo Time’s request for information.
Next week, the Peshtigo Times will cover candidates Terri Florek and Hank Matthews.
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