HOWARD (NBC 26) — Tuesday, February 21 is a big day for the Village of Howard. It's the primary election for village president, and Burt McIntyre, J.D. Kopp and Michele Swaer are on the ballot.
McIntyre is the current village president and has been for the past 15 years. He said his top priorities this year are property taxes and the proposed public safety referendum.
He said he plans to tackle these issues by working with state legislators to increase financial support for Howard and to get community input.
"One of the goals I have is to communicate as best I can what the village is doing, why we're doing it and what the impact of it is," McIntyre said.
J.D. Kopp has been a Howard resident since 2006 and is an I.T. director at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. He's a political newcomer and said he decided to run this year because he wants to make sure the needs of the growing community are fulfilled.
Kopp said he supports the public safety referendum, and his top priorities are expanding affordable housing options and public transportation services.
"It would be helpful to have public transportation services and partnering with the city of Green Bay to expand their micro transit options," Kopp said. "If you're not familiar with that, micro transit is the smaller buses and shuttles."
Michele Swaer is the final candidate running. She currently serves on the village's Sex Offender Residence Appeals Board. She said in a statement that her top priorities are stopping the development of new apartments and connecting the community.
In her statement, she said she would like to "make it easier to get involved and connect with block parties to get to know your neighbors better."
"During these, I would like to inform people on neighborhood watch programs and safety programs in the area for any issues people may be facing," she added.
The top two candidates will be on the ballot in the election on April 4. The Howard public safety referendum will also be on that ballot.