Green Bay City Council District 9 election: Johnson, Knight focus on more housing, development

GREEN BAY - Voters in Green Bay City Council District 9 will see a rematch of the 2022 election when they head to the polls on April 2.

Tarl Knight, owner of the Tarlton Theatre and At The Tracks venues, will try again to unseat incumbent Brian Johnson, executive director of On Broadway Inc., and win a two-year term representing part of the city's west side on the City Council.

Johnson has represented District 9 since 2018 when he unseated longtime incumbent Guy Zima. Johnson defeated Zima again in 2020 and then beat Knight in 2022, when he won his third, two-year term on the council.

District 9 is a central city district that stretches from Dousman Street to the north, Madison Street to the east, Lombardi Avenue to the south and 14th Street, Gross Avenue and Oak Street to the west. It includes parts of the Fort Howard, Tank Park, Shipyard Seymour Park, and Olde Norwood neighborhoods.

Ahead of the April 2 nonpartisan election, the Press-Gazette requested each City Council candidate provide some background about themselves and answer several questions issues like funding road construction, spending and housing. Responses were limited to about 200 words. Candidates are listed alphabetically.

For information about registering to vote and polling locations, visit the MyVote Wisconsin website at myvote.wi.gov/en-us .

Brian Johnson (i)

• Age: 48
• Occupation: Executive director, On Broadway Inc.
• Highest level of education: Bachelor's begree in political science from UW-Madison
• Campaign website: Brian Johnson: City Council District 9
• Why are you running? I love my neighborhood and I love this City. I have been elected as the alder of District 9 for six years. I am currently the vice president of the Common Council, chair of the Finance Committee, chair of the Ad-Hoc Facilities Committee, and a member of the Personnel Committee, Public Arts Commission, and Landmarks Commission. I resolve hundreds of constituent inquiries every year. This has allowed me to develop a deep understanding of local policy to achieve the best results for our district.
• What two issues most need to be addressed in Green Bay: Roads and economic development — the former explained on the question about the transportation utility. The best way to grow the tax base and pay for services is to foster new development. I supported projects like the $500 million Green Bay Packaging expansion, $500 million Georgia Pacific addition, and the $55 million Carnivore Meat Company plant in our new and expanding industrial park. Facilities like this create good jobs and a substantial tax base that stabilizes rates for all taxpayers.

Tarl Knight

• Age: 28
• Occupation: Tarlton Theatre owner, At The Tracks owner, Shipyard District Inc. director
• Highest level of education: Graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy (Interlochen, Mich.), Renaissance School for the Arts (Appleton, Wis.)
• Campaign website: Tarl Knight for Green Bay City Council District 9
• Why are you running? I've invested my personal and professional life in building our community — as a business owner in The Tarlton Theatre and as director of the nonprofit Shipyard District Inc. in the revitalization and redevelopment of Green Bay’s Shipyard District. With $1.5+ million in arts and cultural investment and $250,000+ in local business investment under my direction, I'm proud to bring years of independent leadership and community advocacy to City Hall to raise the quality of life for all in our city.
• What two issues most need to be addressed in Green Bay: The creation of affordable housing and accountability of local government

Green Bay is currently studying the feasibility of a transportation utility to fund road construction costs like water or sewer service. Why do you support or oppose this idea to replace the wheel tax?

Johnson : Let’s start with a universal understanding that our roads are not in acceptable condition and the tools available to local government are insufficient to address the magnitude of the problem. I support studying a transportation utility, and council unanimously authorized hiring a consultant. We are resurfacing 40% more than the 10-year average, but we need to do more. The wheel tax generates $2 million per year, half of which covers the elimination of residential assessments. That leaves an additional $1 million per year on a $100+ million problem. The only way to cover the difference is unsustainable debt. We’re evaluating how we engineer and replace our roads which can create marginal improvements, but a more equitable way to fund roads that eliminates the wheel tax must be a priority.

Knight : I’m in support of a transportation utility over the current wheel tax. The wheel tax in place now isn’t covering all of our road construction costs and the price tag is placed completely on vehicle owners despite public transportation and carpooling also contributing to the required repair and maintenance of our roads.

My understanding is a transportation utility will proportionally distribute the cost of repairs and maintenance to a larger pool of taxpayers regardless of vehicle ownership, including residential, commercial, and industrial property owners, while covering the costs of road construction. I’m supportive of proportionally distributing costs to fully cover the public utility of our roads, and I’m interested in the next steps of the proposal.

How can Green Bay better address residents' need for affordable housing and the general shortage of housing units?

Johnson : Council ordered a housing study that reported we need 3,000 housing units in the next 10 years just to keep pace, and we need units at every income level. I was the first to propose extending TIDs for the creation of an affordable housing fund. I requested $1 million in ARPA funds to secure sites ripe for development that create new property tax increment. We need more innovation in public/private partnerships to combat rising interest rates and construction costs. I chair a committee that is working to construct a new fire station that could include a hybrid development with housing, lowering costs for the Fire Department and developer. Sites like the WPS headquarters, Adams St. parking lot, Ashland Ave. railyard, Shipyard, and coal piles are all great candidates for housing development.

Knight : We have an affordable housing problem in Green Bay. While 1,000+ units are underway in our downtown, almost all recently announced housing developments offer only market-rate housing and not affordable housing — an important difference. My values support the opportunity for people of all income levels to live and work in our downtown.

We have an opportunity to incentivize developers with tax breaks in Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIF Districts or TIDs) and implement an affordable unit quota which requires developers to include a percentage of affordable units in their building in areas with dense market-rate housing. We also have opportunities in housing/living co-op programs and working with citizens to understand, purchase, and develop affordable, cooperative housing independently.

Almost any significant budget cut will involve personnel cuts, which impacts city services. If you want to cut property taxes, what services should be cut to do so?

Johnson : Fiscal intelligence eats fiscal responsibility for breakfast. It’s easy to say we need to cut, but when the rubber meets the road, few cuts pass our budget cycle because they have limited to no effect on the tax rate. As chair of the city’s Finance Committee, we passed our 2024 budget, the bulk of ARPA fund allocation, and the largest-ever bond request — unanimously. This cooperation comes from communication and understanding. We funded elections, increased investments in public infrastructure, and supported our police and fire departments. We did this with one of the lowest increases of all taxing jurisdictions. Municipal finance is complicated, and I am one of the most well-versed members of Council on the topic. Green Bay is fiscally responsible because we are fiscally intelligent.

Knight : As a property owner, I understand stress about property taxes. I’m committed to holding the line on current tax rates and any unnecessary spending without proactive funding sources. Short of cutting taxes and affecting our quality of life, our prerogative is simple — incentivize and attract private developments in our city which contribute to a larger tax base and create a larger pool of resources for services for the citizens of our city. I’m committed to supporting community initiatives and working with property developers to choose Green Bay and District 9 for their developments.

Green Bay's recent population growth has been driven by our Hispanic, Black, Native American, biracial and Asian communities. Yet recent Wello surveys show nearly one-third of residents feel like Green Bay does not accept people with different ideas. How can the Green Bay City Council help increase acceptance and well-being as we grow?

Johnson : It starts with listening. Every resident of our community deserves to be heard and to receive fair and equitable treatment. I attend neighborhood meetings, meet with business owners, canvas residential neighborhoods, host listening sessions, and volunteer my time to help our residents and nonprofits make their neighborhoods a little bit better while simultaneously listening to their concerns and learning about opportunities. This is what informs good policy recommendations. I have been one of council’s most fiercely independent voices, beholden to no singular ideology. This allows me to critically think about challenges and deliver independent solutions. We are elected to solve problems and that’s what I do. Good policy is inclusive and reflects the perspectives of those we represent.

Knight : As a proud community advocate, I’ve called community meetings and collected signatures on the street for community petitions — at times despite the objections of our current leaders. With so much on the horizon for District 9, it’s vital the plans being drawn include not only politicians and investors but a collective community vision with an attitude of collaboration and openness. We have the opportunity to incentivize participation and support community well-being by proactively forming public-private partnerships with area nonprofits, opening Common Council meetings to public comments and concerns, and holding officials accountable in connecting with constituents outside of the campaign cycle. Leadership isn’t about one man at the microphone — it’s about amplifying the voices of others.

Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier .

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay City Council District 9 election: Johnson, Knight focus on more housing, development