MARINETTE — Trygve Rhude is running for a position on the Marinette County Board. Rhude is supervisor for District 22, which includes Wards 5 and 6 in the Town of Peshtigo.
Rhude, a lifelong resident of the district, said he feels strongly about giving something back to the community that has raised him and his family.
“I know the district; the roads, the parks, the businesses, the environmental issues (PFAS) and the folks I represent,” he said in a statement. “I am not running for offices because of a single issue or complaint, residents have many concerns they want addressed. I have listened to all of our residents concerns and will continue to do so. I believe in solving problems, not creating new ones.”
Rhude’s working career included being both an employee and later owner of his family’s business, Sentinel Structures, Inc. Before his retirement he was a supervisor at Marinette Marine. Pointing to his work at his family’s business, his experience included interaction with customers on small-to-multimillion dollar projects, managing a work force of 30 plus employees, taking care of all local, state and federal laws and reporting requirements, and managing the business in a fiscally responsible manner.
Rhude’s community involvement includes 35 years of service to the Menominee River Area of Concern Citizen Advisory Committee working with a wide range of stakeholders including government agencies, industry representatives, environmental groups, University staff and the public to clean up the Menominee River. The delisting of the Menominee River as one of the 43 worst contaminated spots on the Great Lakes is something that Rhude said was “important for our economy, our environment and for the enjoyment of every angler and water enthusiast in the area. I am personally very proud of this achievement.”
Rhude was appointed to the County Board to fill-out the term of long time Supervisor Don Pazynski after he died. He said his nearly two-years of experience on the county board has allowed him to learn the operations of the board and how to navigate county government as an effective supervisor from the Town of Peshtigo.
The three main issues he sees facing the next County Board include the future of the UW-Green Bay Marinette Campus, highway and road maintenance, and taxes.
“The county never expected the sudden downsizing of our campus,” he said. “I voted in favor of leasing the field house to the Rivers City Community Pool Association last year to keep the pool open and available to the public. We are now faced with what to do with the remaining three campus buildings. I will push for the public to be involved in this process before any decisions are made to give away our campus.”
On highways, Rhude said that the cost of road maintenance and repair had gone up over 100% in the past few years.
“The board is faced with the issue of either letting maintenance fall to the wayside or find other funding to continue to take care of our roads,” he explained. “I will work with my constituents to come up with the best solution for all while keeping property taxes in check.”
The ability to continue to fund county government in general gets more difficult every year, Rhude noted, and the cost of everything has increased including services the county provides to its residents.
“I have voted to not fill vacant staff positions and continue to work with the administration to find other ways of reducing costs,” he said. “Twice I have voted in favor of a balanced budget.”
The election is April 2. Rhude is running against Dave Buechler.
Rhude can be reached at his Marinette County board member email (Trygve.Rhude@marinettecountywi.gov) or on his personal email (rhude@new.rr.com).
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