Rib Lake village Board candidates respond to election questions

In the village of Rib Lake election incumbents Cliff Mann, Jack Buksa and Megan Beckstrand will face challengers Bryan Marschke and Dave Glenzer.

Each of the candidates who filed nomination papers was asked to answer an election questionnaire. Not all candidates responded. The responses received are as follows and appear in alphabetical order:

Megan Beckstrand

Please tell us about yourself. What is your background?

My name is Megan Beckstrand. I have been a teacher for 10 years, this being my third year teaching at Rib Lake Elementary School. I have also spent the past two years serving on the Rib Lake Village Board. Outside of my responsibilities I enjoy spending time outdoors and with family.

Why do you want to serve on village board? I want to continue serving on the village board to provide a voice for the people we serve and create positive change for the village.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing the community in the next five years and how would you help address this challenge?

I feel the biggest challenge facing the community in the next five years is the continued loss of businesses that are the crucial backbone of a thriving community. To help address this I believe the village board should take a proactive role in retaining and recruiting new businesses to come into our great community.

What do you feel the is village’s biggest asset and why?

I believe the village’s biggest asset is our community members. Our tight-knit community is caring and involved, which leads to endless possibilities for Rib Lake.

David Glenzer

My name is David Glenzer and I am a life long resident of Rib Lake. I recently retired after 44 years of employment at Marathon Cheese Corp. I am an avid hunting and fishing enthusiast and I enjoy wildlife photography.

I have served my community for 24 years on the Taylor County Ambulance, Rib Lake Unit. I served both as an EMT and as a first responder for the people of this town. I always wanted to serve on the village board but could not due to second shift work hours. Now that I am retired, I see my opportunity to do so.

I would like to hear from people and address concerns that they have.

I feel that the biggest challenge in this community is the current loss of business. We have to pursue growth in the community by making the village more attractive to both businesses and individuals. We need to help convey the message that this is a safe, steady and dependable community for all those who work and live here. We also need people to be treated fairly by all.

The biggest asset in the village of Rib Lake is having a small and very family oriented community which is nestled among one of our biggest attractions which is the Rib Lake lake itself. We also are surrounded by many outlying lakes and public county forests which serve as a big draw for many outdoor enthusiasts. Another asset is being a community member to the ice age trail system.

I’m looking forward to being able to serve the residents of the Rib Lake community once again.

Bryan Marschke

My name is Bryan Marschke. I was born and raised here in RibLake. I also raised 3 children here. I worked in the village for 20 years. I served on the Fire Department and I served as an Ambulance driver together for over 40 years. I am now retired.

I want to serve on the Village Board . I served on the Board in the past. We had good results. I would like to continue working to improve the quality of life in our community.

Some of the biggest challenges facing our community are availability of having a grocery store . Not being able to buy fresh produce and meat products locally is not a good situation. The lack of available housing is a problem. Affordable high speed internet is needed for homes. Students need to have quality internet for school and community families with home businesses need access to affordable internet.

The Village of Rib Lake has many great things to offer. The lake is a very important asset for our community. Taking care of the lake through the Fish and Game and community involvement is very important. Our Fire Department and its many volunteers support and care for our community. Recreation availability such as fishing, the Ice Age Trail access for Cross country skiing, snow shoeing, walking and biking are a big part of what RibLake has to offer. These things help to support our local businesses . We have a great School System. Having a Bank and Credit Union in the Community helps people to be able to stay in the community to do their banking. RibLake is a safe place to live.

David Glenzer

Bryan Marschke