Sue Swiantek

Hello, my name is Sue Swiantek and I am running for Taylor County Board District 3. My husband, Art, and I have been married 41 years. We have four grown children, lots of grandchildren and two dogs. We enjoy spending time with our family, UTVing with friends and going for a ride in the first car my husband owned, a 1970 GTO.

There are various qualities that have equipped me to make a positive difference to the Taylor County Board. I am retired from Tombstone Pizza after 30 years and held various roles with the majority of time as Administrative Assistant to the Plant Manager. Some of my strengths are organization, independence, trust and professionalism along with interpersonal communication. As an admin, sometimes things don’t always go as planned. The ability to think on the fly and having to troubleshoot unexpected problems is another quality. Being a good listener and approachable is imperative and essential in problem solving.

Why do you want to serve on County Board?

Being a concerned citizen of the current issues in our country, I have decided to get involved at the local level. At the September, 2021, County Board Meeting, a resolution to reaffirm the Taylor County Board’s support of the U.S. and State Constitutions was brought to the table and a 9-8 vote rejected the resolution. The County Board Supervisor of District 3 was one of the individuals who voted no. Sadly, with the passing of time, the oath of office has lost its meaning to many of our elected offi cials. The Constitution is the voice of the people, “We the People”. If not for upholding the constitution, we are giving up our right to have a voice in our government. For more liberty and better representation, most decisions should be made at the state and local levels. The American system of government is designed to ensure that the decisions impacting your life are made as locally as possible.

What do you think the biggest challenge facing the county over the course of the next 5 years will be and how would you address it?

Being fiscally responsible, training and retaining employees, affordable housing and growing our communities. Having a budget reflects a strategic plan and should consider the needs and priorities from administrators and employees to citizens and business leaders. The development, approval, and implementation are all critical steps. We need to listen to the needs of Taylor County residents. Understanding and managing multigenerational workforce requires employers to adjust their talent management practices and create working environments in which all the generations can strive.

What is our goal? If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.

How can the county help promote economic development and residential population growth especially in more rural portions of the county?

The county broadband project is going to improve communications and will be instrumental in attracting more young families to our area. As more people leave the larger cities, our small towns are becoming even more attractive. A new influx of residents, new business ideas and ventures will also flourish. Whatever we can do to make this more appealing to newcomers and those who want to return to their hometowns will be advantageous. 85% of the younger generation access the Internet from their phones. Moreover, they spend a lot of their free time on their smartphone, and they expect to have access to their work-related tasks from their mobile devices as well.

Would you support a more formalized administrative leadership structure for county employees? Why or why not?

A more formalized administrative leadership structure for the county would provide consistency to the many facets of the county employees. With the current structure, employees don’t always get the same response from one department to another. By not treating everyone equally, these inconsistencies can foster a sense of resentment and separation that can de-motivate employees and damage moral. As mentioned earlier, it is imperative for understanding and managing a multigenerational workforce. This requires employers to adjust their talent management practices and create working environments in which all the generations can strive.

Having to go through many different committees for an answer not only is exhausting but loses its impact.

I am committed to uphold the Constitution of the United States, the State of Wisconsin and the citizens of Taylor County.