Area Chamber of Commerce and The Journal will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. It will be aired live on the Facebook pages of the Chamber of Commerce and The Journal and will be also be available for viewing post-event.

Longtime Village Board members Neil Gulbranson and Curt Wandemacher are also not seeking re-election. Village Board member Lance Austin is seeking re-election and is running unopposed.

As of Monday at deadline this week, one write-in candidate was confirmed for the two open seats: Chad Stevenson.

To familiarize voters with the two candidates for Village President, here’s some background information.

Becky Beissel

Becky Beissel was born and raised in Ellsworth. After leaving for college, she returned to what she felt was “home” to establish roots and raise a family. She has been married to her husband, Brad for 19 years and they have two children: Kallie and Evan. She is co-owner of a marketing agency based in Ellsworth and recently purchased a building downtown to start a second business.

She has been a Village Board Trustee since April 2020, serving on the following committees: Health, License and Welfare, Water and Sewer, Ellsworth Area Ambulance Operating Committee, Community Development Authority, Community Development Block Grant Housing Program, Cemetery, and Board of Appeals.

Her time as Trustee has given her insight into the inner working of the Village and committees and the challenges faced by our community. She believes the answers lie in having an open dialog with the community and looking at challenges from a fresh perspective.

Always active in the community, Becky serves on the Executive Director Team of the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce, Cheese Curd Festival, Ellsworth Trails, Pierce County Tourism Coalition, Connect Communities, Community for Ellsworth Area Kids, St. Francis School Gala, and the Friends of the Ellsworth Public Library.

Michael Steele

Michael J. Steele is 58 years old and has lived at 296 Sunset Lane for 38 years. His occupation is Purchasing & Receiving Coordinator for Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery. He has been a member of the Ellsworth Fire Department for 33 years and is currently the department Treasurer. He graduated from Ellsworth High School in 1980 and Red Wing Vo-Tech in 1982. He currently serves on the following Village Board committees: Finance, Streets & Sidewalks, Parks, ETZ, Sewer & Water and TIF District, as well as the Board of Appeals. He is the President Pro-tem of the Village Board.

Steele says a vote for him would get the Village of Ellsworth a person who has been living in the village for the past 38 years and is willing to be involved in making decisions to move the Village forward. He said that with the current budget cap in place from Madison and serving on the Finance Committee, the board has had to make some hard decisions on cutting some projects and to borrow money to balance the budget. He always remembers that the Village of Ellsworth taxpayers are paying the bills, and he will work with other board members and the community to move the Village of Ellsworth forward.

“A challenge for the Village Board has been getting the Main Street/Maple Street and sidewalks repaired because of the condition of these,” said Steele. “We have been working with the Department of Transportation and soon we may get some movement on these projects. The Village Board and the community have been working on other projects like Design Ellsworth and Housing and walking paths and updated library. Due to some retirements of employees of the Village of Ellsworth, we have had to hire some new employees. Currently we have hired a Village Administrator/Clerk to help the Village Board find funding dollars.”

Village Board Seats

Incumbent Lance Austin won’t be able to attend the candidate forum.

Chad Stevenson

Chad Stevenson was born in Rock Island, IL. He studied environmental engineering at the UW Platteville and business marketing at the UW Parkside. It was during this time that he fell in love with a Wisconsin native and the beauty of Wisconsin. He and his wife, Dr. Stormie Reiman, DC, were married and took up residence here in 2017. They purchased a historic property that they have worked to preserve and restore.

Chad is a regional sales manager for a manufacturing company and owner of a local woodworking business. Due to the growth of his business, he is in the process of acquiring a building in the East End business district.

Chad has served on the board of the Red Wing Farmers Market and has been a long-time art vendor at the Cheese Curd Festival. As a business owner, he is passionate about helping other businesses grow by elevating local markets, strategy development, and innovative and creative thinking.

As Trustee Chad's main goals are to address community challenges through innovation, develop a business-friendly environment to stimulate the local economy, and create a community rich in amenities that tourists will want to visit and residents will be proud to call home.