Your Candidate: Katherine Schneider District 22

EAU CLAIRE — Candidate Katherine Schneider said she thinks the county board might find an experienced board member useful right now.

Schneider is a candidate for the Eau Claire County District 22 supervisor seat in the April 2 election. She is the current supervisor and is running against Matthew Lehner.

District 22 is made up of Wards 3, 24, and 50 in the City of Eau Claire.

Schneider has been on the board since 2020. She said serving on the board for four years has been a privilege.

“I’ve figured out how to do the job, which is mostly listening and collaborating across the aisle and with other people,” said Schneider.

She stated that some issues facing the county today include the needs of people and costs both increasing. The costs for things like roads and human services are more than the income is able to keep up with.

She said there are also more needs for the community, including services for people who are homeless or elderly. The county, along with other government organizations, have to pay for these needs with the increasing costs.

One suggestion Schneider had to address some of these issues is for the county to help fund a day resource center that will give people who are homeless a shelter and services to help them. She said the resolution is currently waiting to see if they have enough American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

“I think a lot of supervisors see the need for that and realize the county should be a part of the picture there,” said Schneider.

She also said hospital facility closures will also be an issue. One example she gave was the loss of psychiatric beds that are used by the Department of Human Services for people who need them.

They will now have to be sent to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, which will have a larger cost. To address this she said she would support efforts to have a mental health hospital, or at least a section of a hospital, in Western Wisconsin.

Schneider said she is currently retired but used to be a clinical psychologist. The position helped build her listening skills and focus on their needs even if they are different from hers, which is important for a supervisor.

She said one example of focusing on others’ needs is when people who were against the refugee resettlement reached out to her to learn how to advocate. Schneider did not agree with their perspective, but she still helped them by telling them how to testify at the upcoming meetings.

She said her background helped her find that it is not about her but what her community needs.

“I am a person with a disability which has given me a lens around which my advocacy efforts focus,” said Schneider. “I’m used to looking around and saying ‘Okay, who’s not at the table?’ and ‘How can we get their perspective?’”