Candidates for Portage County Board District 14 share their qualifications, views ahead of Feb. 15 primary election

Stevens Point Journal

Candidates Charles Grugel, Pat Keller and Ed Morganroth Jr. will face off in a primary race for the Portage County Board District 14 seat on Feb. 15. The top two vote-getters will move on to the spring election on April 5. The seat has been vacant since the September 2021 death of Anton Anday, who previously held the seat. The Stevens Point Journal asked each candidate to address important issues in the county and why they believe they are the best candidate for the position.

Charles Grugel

Age: 44

Occupation and education: Financial adviser; bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Relevant experience: Held various positions on several boards. Previous coordinator for Toys for Tots in Portage County run through the Rotary Club of Greater Portage County.

Pat Keller

Age: 60

Occupation and education: Furniture and mattress consultant at Furniture and ApplianceMart; studied marketing at UW-Whitewater

Relevant experience: I am a past member of the board of directors for Telecommunications Professionals of Wisconsin. I have held the title of warehouse manager, territory manager and branch manager, responsible for 36 employees and millions of dollars in gross profit.

I volunteer at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, and I entertain, free of charge, at numerous retirement homes and senior centers throughout central Wisconsin.

Ed Morganroth Jr.

Age: 66

Occupation and education: Retired in October 2020 from Nationwide; master's degree in business administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Relevant experience: Previously served on the Stevens Point School Board

Why did you decide to run?

Grugel: I believe that the Portage County Board could use someone who takes a pragmatic approach to help address and resolve matters before the board. This often includes holding people and their decisions accountable, along with trying to understand why something is or isn't working correctly.

Keller: I believe we should all share our talents, for the greater good, when time allows. I worry that our next representative could be someone who is motivated for personal gain or who is not even from Wisconsin; someone who would like to see big change in our area. I am running to preserve our heritage as a community that cares for one another and to be sure we continue to thrive, with controlled expansion, which will benefit the community as a whole.

Morganroth: I like to be involved in my community and to contribute. I believe in public service and believe I can make a positive difference with my local government and business experience. I have been in the community for 26 years. I want to work together with the County Board members, the county executive and the people of Portage County to help resolve some of the long-standing issues the county faces and help make it even better in the future.

What makes you the better candidate?

Grugel: Understanding and explaining complex issues with my clients has given me, I believe, a better foothold to deal with many of the matters that come before the County Board. This experience will also give me the opportunity to be able to explain many of these issues to the constituents and the logic for the decisions made.

Keller: I am the best choice because I have no personal agenda. My plan is to learn everything I can about every issue brought to the board. I plan to communicate with our neighborhood through social media platforms Nextdoor and Facebook and with informal meetings at places like Mission Coffee House, so I know what our community wants and so I can keep our neighbors informed on what issues are at hand and what decisions have been made by the board.

Morganroth: I have experience both in local government and the private sector. I have had the privilege of serving as a School Board member here from 2007-10 and again in 2019-20 for about eight months. I also have strong business and financial experience, which I think is an asset and will assist me in analyzing the issues. I try to keep informed as to county issues and have been attending recent County Board meetings. Additionally, I have excellent verbal and written communication skills and the desire to listen to people — both in county government and the people of Portage County.

What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?

Grugel: Most of the issues expressed to me come with a plea to use a practical approach to governance. It seems that many people believe there is often no rhyme or reason to a decision that was made or that the final decision was much more complex than needed to solve the issue at hand.

Keller: I hear a lot of discussions about keeping our kids in school, whether or not they should be made to wear masks or if our government has the right to force them to be vaccinated. I hear arguments for and against a new jail and how big it should be. I’m asked if I think we need a new health care center. People want to be heard before the county votes. I will listen, and I will represent their opinions.

Morganroth: The residents I have spoken with have said some of their issues of concern are:

1) How can we maintain and improve the county environment including water quality — both surface bodies and underground water?

2) Develop a game plan for how to proceed with a review (and decisions!) on the need for a new/renovated justice center and jail and related infrastructure needs.

3) Health care center issues. Will the county rebuild/renovate the health care center for our seniors who need it?

4) How should the county’s very substantial funding from the federal American Rescue Plan be utilized?

How would you approach deciding the future of the Portage County Health Care Center?

Grugel: I believe we need to weigh the pros and cons of each issue to help make an honest and, hopefully, best decision for Portage County. One of the biggest issues will be funding a new facility (if Portage County voters approve the referendum on April 5), along with ongoing maintenance. If the current facility is now being underfunded by government reimbursements, why will a new facility be different? If it isn’t different, then how will that issue then be addressed by the residents of Portage County? I think we all need to understand the pros and cons to each of these issues.

Keller: I volunteer at the health care center. I believe the community should care for its residents who need help. I also agree with the decision to put a new facility on the ballot. The people should decide major issues. If the board thinks we need a new facility, it is the board’s job to let the people know why. That is exactly why I’m running. I plan to bring our neighborhood into the discussion.

Morganroth: Regarding the health care center, a significant amount of study on the need for such a facility and revenue/cost estimates have been completed. A referendum to increase the tax levy limits to fund a new/reconstructed health care center was just approved by the County Board, to be placed on the April ballot. If voters approve it, the board will likely proceed to design and construct the new facility. If the referendum fails, then the county would either begin to close the health care center down, with final closure probably in 2023, or possibly put a similar referendum on the November ballot.