Rep. Dean Kaufert PHOTO: WRN
There’s going to be a changing of the guard in Neenah, after 12-year incumbent Mayor George Scherck lost in Tuesday’s election to state Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah).
The long-time lawmaker says he put in a lot of legwork to earn the 58-to- 42 percent victory, knocking on more than 5,200 doors to talk with residents. Kaufert says “a lot of people said they appreciated that fact that, in a very partisan environment down in Madison, I’m still one of the few guys that tries to work well on both sides of the aisle. And I’m going to bring that philosophy to Neenah, where if we sit down, we can work it out.”
Kaufert says growing the tax base and improving the city’s quality of life are among his top priorities. He does plan to give up his seat in the Legislature when his term ends next January, bringing the number of lawmakers retiring from the chamber at the end of this session to 15.
WHBY