Kenosha News Article

Excerpt from Kenosha News (link to full article)

15th District

Incumbent Frank Pacetti is being challenged by Michael Orth in the 15th District.

Orth, who is running for office for the first time, said residents aren’t satisfied with Pacetti’s representation for the district or his contact with them. “They feel they’ve lost the voice in city government,” he said.

He said Pacetti has missed a number of council meetings since the last election. “His experience is not experience we can count on,” said Orth, a government and history teacher at Tremper High School.

Orth said aging streets and sewers are major concerns of district residents. With a new high school on the horizon, managing development along 60th Street — the north border of the district — will increase in importance for student safety, he said.

Pacetti, who’s campaigning for his 10th term, disagreed with Orth, saying his experience is valuable in helping to run the city. He said he wanted to provide continuity during significant turnover at city hall, including having a new mayor and at least five freshmen council members.

He said the city and county need to work together to save money, including possible consolidation of both governments’ parks, public works and law enforcement departments.

“There’s nothing off the table,” he said. “Nobody wants fewer services, but nobody wants to pay for all of them. People ask, how do you get more for less? This is the answer.”

Pacetti, JHT Holdings executive vice president, said consolidations might lead to loss of some jobs.