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Seven South Beloit candidates running
Crowded field of candidates seek four seats on council
By Cheryl Scott
Daily News staff writer
Seven candidates are vying for four seats on the South Beloit City Council, including incumbents Pamela J. Clifton, Robert Redieske and Robert Stone, and newcomers Donald “DJ” Barber, Donald E. Ergen Sr., Ryan Griffin and Bradley Meisenburg.
Donald “DJ” Barber
Although this is the first time Barber is running for a commissioner seat, the lifelong South Beloit resident has been interested in politics for a while and has attended the city's meetings often, he said.
Barber is happy with the direction South Beloit is headed and wants to get involved in keeping the city going that way. He also hopes to have the opportunity to bring fresh ideas to the council. Qualities he would bring to the council include good listening skills, which would aid in listening to the citizens' concerns, and a dedication to work together with the other councilors.
According to Barber, the top three issues in South Beloit are making sure the infrastructure keeps up with growth, focusing on teamwork in the City Council and communicating to the citizens in a timely and effective manner when they confide in councilors about their concerns.
If elected, Barber would support giving businesses incentives to lure them to the city.
“If that's what it takes to get them looking at us, then we should,” Barber said.
Barber is a graduate of South Beloit High School.
He has been working at ABC Supply in Roscoe for 14 years. Some of the experiences from his job that Barber would bring to the council include knowledge about building supplies and the ability to get along with a lot of people.
Although he is not involved in any organizations in the present time, he has volunteered his time coaching at the Stateline YMCA in the past.
He is married with two children - an 8-year-old and a 3-year-old.
Pamela J. Clifton
Clifton has served on the council for four years as the commissioner of public property.
Clifton's main reasons for running are to bring accountability to the office and to let the people's voices be heard, she said.
Although she spends much of her time in city halls and committees making decisions, Clifton always remembers that her responsibility is to represent the residents, she said.
Clifton has taken the lead in plans to bring the Stateline Mass Transit District to South Beloit, a bus service that would be available to everyone, to replace the Careavan bus service, that only provides rides to the elderly and handicapped.
“Transportation is an important part of development,” Clifton said.
Clifton also was integral to South Beloit in gaining acres on the east side and working with the American Legion to bring a veterans memorial to the community.
One of Clifton's top issues is growth and its effect on the city and schools. She is also concerned with keeping up the city's infrastructure, such as sewers and roads, as South Beloit grows, she said.
The quality of life in South Beloit also concerns Clifton greatly.
“Businesses that come here look at quality of life issues,” Clifton said.
That's why it is important to maintain quality schools and an educated workforce, to allow for recreational areas in the city, such as parks and a bike path and working with the Winnebago County Health Department on Sandcastle Community Center, she said.
Clifton has been a licensed insurance agent for 10 years. She is involved in numerous organizations, including the South Beloit Library Board and Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce Executive Board.
Clifton has been married for 35 years and has one daughter who recently got married.
Donald E. Ergen Sr.
Ergen has served on the zoning board/planning commission as a member and currently is chairman. In addition to attending zoning board meetings, Ergen also attends all City Council meetings where he presents to the council the committee findings.
“The board has only been overridden once since I've been the chair,” Ergen said.
Ergen is running for a commissioner position because he thinks he can better serve the council by being involved firsthand in the city's initial decisions, he said. He has also only missed a few meetings in his time spent serving the city, which Ergen said was important to do for city business to be carried out.
Ergen does not think that there are any major issues with the city because he said, “Issues are basically major problems.”
Although Ergen said the council has been effective at resolving problems, he would work on getting the treatment plant upgraded to allow for growth, making sure the growth of the city is controlled, bringing more manufacturing and engineering employment opportunities to the area in an effort to create higher-paying jobs and practicing mutual aid with surrounding communities, he said.
Ergen has worked for Taylor Company in Rockton for 12 years. Additional work and leadership experience Ergen possesses includes serving in five tours of Vietnam from 1965 to 1969 and firefighting experience in the U.S. Navy, Iowa and Rockton, as well as doing some volunteer firefighting.
He received an associate degree in business from Concordia University.
Ergen is married and with children and grandchildren.
Ryan Griffin
Griffin is running for a commissioner seat because he always wanted to get involved in politics, partly because his father, James Griffin, was a trustee in Rockton. He also wanted to get more involved in the community.
“I'm a goal-oriented person,” Griffin said. “I always wanted to be involved in politics. I'm a young, new face and I can bring a business side to the council.”
If elected, Griffin would keep South Beloit on its current path of growth, which would bring in more money for the city and residents. He would also try to bring in more big box retailers, since others will probably want to follow Target's lead, Griffin said.
Griffin said he thinks the top three issues are residential, commercial and industrial growth, making sure infrastructure can handle the growth and providing more resources for the police and fire departments.
Some of the qualities he would bring to the council include being open-minded, listening to citizens' concerns and being dedicated to making every single meeting, he said. His work schedule is flexible enough to rearrange in order to make any last-minute meetings, he said.
Although Griffin has only lived in South Beloit for a few years, he said he “pretty much grew up in South Beloit” because of friends he has always had in the area.
Griffin attended Hononegah High School, Rock Valley College and Palmer College of Chiropractic.
He works as a chiropractor in Roscoe. Besides work, Griffin offers his chiropractic services to the Stateline Hawks and volunteers as a bowling coach for youth in the area.
Griffin is married and has a 3-month-old child.
Brad Meisenburg
Meisenburg is running for a commissioner seat on the South Beloit City Council for the second time. Four years ago, Meisenburg ran and tied with Commissioner Todd Edge. Meisenburg picked Edge's name out of a hat in order for Edge to win that election.
Meisenburg has been involved with the planning and zoning committee for five years. He wants to become a commissioner in order to take part in the continued growth the city has been experiencing.
“Our potential is unlimited,” Meisenburg said. “What we do in the next 10 years can help us shape the next 100 years.”
Meisenburg wants to find a balance between business and residential growth, preserve some green space and agriculture while developing land, hold citizens to the rules of South Beloit and not allow for every variance that is requested, not give in to all of the demands of developers and stop the infighting within the council, he said. The top three issues South Beloit faces are proper growth, development in the I-90 corridor to bring in more tax money and working with surrounding areas, but not giving any of the city away without equal compensation.
Qualities he would bring to the city include enthusiasm and new ideas that would help the city grow, he said.
Meisenburg has been a licensed practical nurse for 27 years. He is working on becoming a registered nurse, but he takes online classes that would not interfere with City Council meetings, he said.
Organizations Meisenburg has been involved in are the South Beloit American Legion, due to his service in the Air Force, and the Winnebago County Local Emergency Planning Committee.
He is also married.
Robert Redieske
Redieske has served on the City Council for 10 years and has been the commissioner of accounts and finance for the past four years.
“I'm very dedicated,” Redieske said. “There hasn't been a phone call I didn't answer.”
A lifelong resident of South Beloit, Redieske wants to continue to contribute to the city as it grows, he said. Besides contributing to the city, Redieske is running for re-election in order to let the people's voices be heard.
One of his major accomplishments has been keeping the city's spending down in order to not waste the taxpayers' money, Redieske said.
“If we overspend in one area, we have to cut something else,” he said.
He also said he's always had enough time to fulfill his duties as a commissioner on the City Council.
“I don't think a lot of people realize how much time it takes,” Redieske said. “You have to love your community to put in the time and do what you have to do.”
His top issues include keeping South Beloit's businesses here, such as through tax breaks or help from Winnebago County, and focusing on the city as a whole, not just the I-90 corridor, he said.
He has worked at Taylor Company for 34 years and is a freezer supervisor there.
Redieske attended South Beloit High School and Concordia University, where he received an associate degree in business.
Organizations Redieske is involved with include the Beloit Eagles Club and the South Beloit Booster Club.
He is married and has five children, from age 15 to 32, and three grandchildren.
Robert Stone
With one term on the South Beloit City Council under his belt, current Commissioner of Public Health and Safety Robert Stone is seeking re-election, and he's confident he can put to use what he's learned during his first term.
“It was a good learning experience. It takes about two years of service, really, to feel comfortable dealing with how things are run,” Stone said of his time thus far on the council, and added that he decided to run again because, “I like the direction the city is heading in, and think I share the vision of others already serving on the board.”
Among South Beloit's top recent accomplishments, Stone lists the rebuilding of the Police Department, hiring of two additional police officers and a continued focus on encompassing the city's growth.
That focus on maintaining a high level of growth - from Target and retail box stores to new residential subdivisions - as well as providing services to meet it is something Stone plans to maintain as a future priority.
“With the continued growth like we're having with the subdivisions, we can afford to expand services in the city,” Stone said. “We're putting together a land use plan, and now we need to plan to see what kind of expansion to the sewer plant would need to be done to handle the growth of the city.”
Stone feels he has plenty of time he can devote to accomplishing those goals as well, he said.
Stone, 53, is a lifelong resident of South Beloit, where he now resides with his wife, Becky. He has a son and a daughter, and three grandchildren. He works at Taylor Company as a senior field engineer and technical consultant.
Julie Becker contributed to this article.
By Cheryl Scott
Daily News staff writer
Seven candidates are vying for four seats on the South Beloit City Council, including incumbents Pamela J. Clifton, Robert Redieske and Robert Stone, and newcomers Donald “DJ” Barber, Donald E. Ergen Sr., Ryan Griffin and Bradley Meisenburg.
Donald “DJ” Barber
Although this is the first time Barber is running for a commissioner seat, the lifelong South Beloit resident has been interested in politics for a while and has attended the city's meetings often, he said.
Barber is happy with the direction South Beloit is headed and wants to get involved in keeping the city going that way. He also hopes to have the opportunity to bring fresh ideas to the council. Qualities he would bring to the council include good listening skills, which would aid in listening to the citizens' concerns, and a dedication to work together with the other councilors.
According to Barber, the top three issues in South Beloit are making sure the infrastructure keeps up with growth, focusing on teamwork in the City Council and communicating to the citizens in a timely and effective manner when they confide in councilors about their concerns.
If elected, Barber would support giving businesses incentives to lure them to the city.
“If that's what it takes to get them looking at us, then we should,” Barber said.
Barber is a graduate of South Beloit High School.
He has been working at ABC Supply in Roscoe for 14 years. Some of the experiences from his job that Barber would bring to the council include knowledge about building supplies and the ability to get along with a lot of people.
Although he is not involved in any organizations in the present time, he has volunteered his time coaching at the Stateline YMCA in the past.
He is married with two children - an 8-year-old and a 3-year-old.
Pamela J. Clifton
Clifton has served on the council for four years as the commissioner of public property.
Clifton's main reasons for running are to bring accountability to the office and to let the people's voices be heard, she said.
Although she spends much of her time in city halls and committees making decisions, Clifton always remembers that her responsibility is to represent the residents, she said.
Clifton has taken the lead in plans to bring the Stateline Mass Transit District to South Beloit, a bus service that would be available to everyone, to replace the Careavan bus service, that only provides rides to the elderly and handicapped.
“Transportation is an important part of development,” Clifton said.
Clifton also was integral to South Beloit in gaining acres on the east side and working with the American Legion to bring a veterans memorial to the community.
One of Clifton's top issues is growth and its effect on the city and schools. She is also concerned with keeping up the city's infrastructure, such as sewers and roads, as South Beloit grows, she said.
The quality of life in South Beloit also concerns Clifton greatly.
“Businesses that come here look at quality of life issues,” Clifton said.
That's why it is important to maintain quality schools and an educated workforce, to allow for recreational areas in the city, such as parks and a bike path and working with the Winnebago County Health Department on Sandcastle Community Center, she said.
Clifton has been a licensed insurance agent for 10 years. She is involved in numerous organizations, including the South Beloit Library Board and Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce Executive Board.
Clifton has been married for 35 years and has one daughter who recently got married.
Donald E. Ergen Sr.
Ergen has served on the zoning board/planning commission as a member and currently is chairman. In addition to attending zoning board meetings, Ergen also attends all City Council meetings where he presents to the council the committee findings.
“The board has only been overridden once since I've been the chair,” Ergen said.
Ergen is running for a commissioner position because he thinks he can better serve the council by being involved firsthand in the city's initial decisions, he said. He has also only missed a few meetings in his time spent serving the city, which Ergen said was important to do for city business to be carried out.
Ergen does not think that there are any major issues with the city because he said, “Issues are basically major problems.”
Although Ergen said the council has been effective at resolving problems, he would work on getting the treatment plant upgraded to allow for growth, making sure the growth of the city is controlled, bringing more manufacturing and engineering employment opportunities to the area in an effort to create higher-paying jobs and practicing mutual aid with surrounding communities, he said.
Ergen has worked for Taylor Company in Rockton for 12 years. Additional work and leadership experience Ergen possesses includes serving in five tours of Vietnam from 1965 to 1969 and firefighting experience in the U.S. Navy, Iowa and Rockton, as well as doing some volunteer firefighting.
He received an associate degree in business from Concordia University.
Ergen is married and with children and grandchildren.
Ryan Griffin
Griffin is running for a commissioner seat because he always wanted to get involved in politics, partly because his father, James Griffin, was a trustee in Rockton. He also wanted to get more involved in the community.
“I'm a goal-oriented person,” Griffin said. “I always wanted to be involved in politics. I'm a young, new face and I can bring a business side to the council.”
If elected, Griffin would keep South Beloit on its current path of growth, which would bring in more money for the city and residents. He would also try to bring in more big box retailers, since others will probably want to follow Target's lead, Griffin said.
Griffin said he thinks the top three issues are residential, commercial and industrial growth, making sure infrastructure can handle the growth and providing more resources for the police and fire departments.
Some of the qualities he would bring to the council include being open-minded, listening to citizens' concerns and being dedicated to making every single meeting, he said. His work schedule is flexible enough to rearrange in order to make any last-minute meetings, he said.
Although Griffin has only lived in South Beloit for a few years, he said he “pretty much grew up in South Beloit” because of friends he has always had in the area.
Griffin attended Hononegah High School, Rock Valley College and Palmer College of Chiropractic.
He works as a chiropractor in Roscoe. Besides work, Griffin offers his chiropractic services to the Stateline Hawks and volunteers as a bowling coach for youth in the area.
Griffin is married and has a 3-month-old child.
Brad Meisenburg
Meisenburg is running for a commissioner seat on the South Beloit City Council for the second time. Four years ago, Meisenburg ran and tied with Commissioner Todd Edge. Meisenburg picked Edge's name out of a hat in order for Edge to win that election.
Meisenburg has been involved with the planning and zoning committee for five years. He wants to become a commissioner in order to take part in the continued growth the city has been experiencing.
“Our potential is unlimited,” Meisenburg said. “What we do in the next 10 years can help us shape the next 100 years.”
Meisenburg wants to find a balance between business and residential growth, preserve some green space and agriculture while developing land, hold citizens to the rules of South Beloit and not allow for every variance that is requested, not give in to all of the demands of developers and stop the infighting within the council, he said. The top three issues South Beloit faces are proper growth, development in the I-90 corridor to bring in more tax money and working with surrounding areas, but not giving any of the city away without equal compensation.
Qualities he would bring to the city include enthusiasm and new ideas that would help the city grow, he said.
Meisenburg has been a licensed practical nurse for 27 years. He is working on becoming a registered nurse, but he takes online classes that would not interfere with City Council meetings, he said.
Organizations Meisenburg has been involved in are the South Beloit American Legion, due to his service in the Air Force, and the Winnebago County Local Emergency Planning Committee.
He is also married.
Robert Redieske
Redieske has served on the City Council for 10 years and has been the commissioner of accounts and finance for the past four years.
“I'm very dedicated,” Redieske said. “There hasn't been a phone call I didn't answer.”
A lifelong resident of South Beloit, Redieske wants to continue to contribute to the city as it grows, he said. Besides contributing to the city, Redieske is running for re-election in order to let the people's voices be heard.
One of his major accomplishments has been keeping the city's spending down in order to not waste the taxpayers' money, Redieske said.
“If we overspend in one area, we have to cut something else,” he said.
He also said he's always had enough time to fulfill his duties as a commissioner on the City Council.
“I don't think a lot of people realize how much time it takes,” Redieske said. “You have to love your community to put in the time and do what you have to do.”
His top issues include keeping South Beloit's businesses here, such as through tax breaks or help from Winnebago County, and focusing on the city as a whole, not just the I-90 corridor, he said.
He has worked at Taylor Company for 34 years and is a freezer supervisor there.
Redieske attended South Beloit High School and Concordia University, where he received an associate degree in business.
Organizations Redieske is involved with include the Beloit Eagles Club and the South Beloit Booster Club.
He is married and has five children, from age 15 to 32, and three grandchildren.
Robert Stone
With one term on the South Beloit City Council under his belt, current Commissioner of Public Health and Safety Robert Stone is seeking re-election, and he's confident he can put to use what he's learned during his first term.
“It was a good learning experience. It takes about two years of service, really, to feel comfortable dealing with how things are run,” Stone said of his time thus far on the council, and added that he decided to run again because, “I like the direction the city is heading in, and think I share the vision of others already serving on the board.”
Among South Beloit's top recent accomplishments, Stone lists the rebuilding of the Police Department, hiring of two additional police officers and a continued focus on encompassing the city's growth.
That focus on maintaining a high level of growth - from Target and retail box stores to new residential subdivisions - as well as providing services to meet it is something Stone plans to maintain as a future priority.
“With the continued growth like we're having with the subdivisions, we can afford to expand services in the city,” Stone said. “We're putting together a land use plan, and now we need to plan to see what kind of expansion to the sewer plant would need to be done to handle the growth of the city.”
Stone feels he has plenty of time he can devote to accomplishing those goals as well, he said.
Stone, 53, is a lifelong resident of South Beloit, where he now resides with his wife, Becky. He has a son and a daughter, and three grandchildren. He works at Taylor Company as a senior field engineer and technical consultant.
Julie Becker contributed to this article.
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