The incumbent (I) Fitchburg City Council president faces a challenger for Seat 3 on the council representing District 2 in the April 6 election. The term is for two years.
Julia Arata-Fratta (I)
Arata-Fratta
Age: 54
Address: 2911 Melissa Circle, Fitchburg
Family: Married with two children
Job: Manager in tax and business services department, Wegner CPAs
Prior elected office: Fitchburg City Council since 2015
Other public service: Council president since April 2020; chair, Community Economic Development Authority, member since 2017; former member, Plan Commission; Fitchburg FACTv Spanish TV show, co-host since 2019; board member and treasurer, Madison Regional Economic Partnership; board member and treasurer, Overture Center Foundation; member, Latino Consortium for Action; founding member, Latino Professional Association
Education: Master’s degree in business administration, Kennesaw State University, Georgia; bachelor’s degree in business administration, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina
Email, website: silarata13@gmail.com, juliaforalder.com
Steven Heller
Heller
Age: 36
Address: 5709 Restal St., Fitchburg
Family: Married with two children
Job: Project manager, Epic Systems
Prior elected office: None
Other public service: Cable TV Board, city of Horicon, 2003-2004; Fitchburg Plan Commission since 2019; board member, UW-Stevens Point Alumni Board of Directors, 2019 to present
Education: Bachelor’s degree in communication, UW-Stevens Point; Certified Project Management Professional
Website: Steven4Fitchburg@gmail.com
Q&A
Why should voters
elect you and not
your opponent?
Arata-Fratta: I have proven to be an experienced, knowledgeable and community-focused leader. I believe that my professional background, education and community involvement make me the most prepared and qualified to represent the residents in my district. I have lived in the district for 16 years, and I am an active member of the Fitchburg community where I serve as council president.
Heller: The voters are facing the burden of higher property taxes. I am running to protect the taxpayers in this city by offering a common-sense approach to spending. This means understanding the full lifelong cost of initiating projects and prioritizing core city needs above “nice to haves.” This is something my opponent has shown an inability or unwillingness to prioritize.
What is the most
important issue in this election and how would you address it?
Arata-Fratta: The impact of climate change. Stormwater and flooding issues are becoming very troubling in some areas of our city. We need to develop a resilient and sustainable infrastructure plan to mitigate the effects of climate change. I will focus on supporting policies for environmental and energy sustainability and partnering with neighboring municipalities to work together on a long-term plan to alleviate the flooding issues.
Heller: Shrinking budgets and the impending town of Madison annexation will mean some difficult spending decisions ahead. We need to expand our business opportunities as well as home-ownership opportunities to expand our tax base to account for the city’s growing needs.
Should the city
spend more or less
on police? Explain.
Arata-Fratta: The city needs to properly support public safety, but we should not expect that all problems can be solved by officers. The city needs to invest in programs that promote initiatives and partnerships focused on a community approach to public safety. We need to be nimble in finding alternatives to engage neighborhoods and residents to feel both safe and engaged. Solutions should include partnerships to foster innovative ideas on how to target the roots of public safety issues.
Heller: The city should continue current funding while expanding social services to help offset the burdens on the department. A better question might be, how can we ensure the department’s hiring practices can be more representative of the community they serve?
Photos: Election 2020 voting
Photos: Election 2020 voting
Poll worker MacGregor Wale greets voters Tuesday at the Catholic Multicultural Center in Madison.
Poll worker Crystal Schoen greets election day voters Tuesday at the Catholic Multicultural Center in Madison.
People wait to vote at Elver Park in Madison on Tuesday morning. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a record number of absentee ballots cast, many voters said they felt more secure casting ballots in person in what most agreed is the most consequential election of their lifetime.
Keizan Sato works with absentee ballots Tuesday at Mendota Elementary School on Madison's North Side.
Election Day voting at Mendota Elementary School on Madison's Northside.
Esther Martin, left, and Keizan Sato process absentee ballots Tuesday at Mendota Elementary School on Madison's North Side.
Poll worker Paul Hartwig wipes down voting booths Tuesday at Mendota Elementary School on Madison's North Side.
Chief inspector Pat Butler oversees voting Tuesday at Mendota Elementary School on Madison's North Side.
Voters in the town of Wrightstown, south of De Pere, placed their once-used pens in a bucket after voting as part of the town's efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on Election Day.
Voters in the town of Wrightstown, south of De Pere, voted in every other booth to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Voters enter the town of Wrightstown polling place in Brown County Tuesday.
About 80 people were in line at the polling site at the Swan Club in De Pere when the polls opened Tuesday. Brown County is a key area of the state for both presidential candidates.
Voters wait in line on the dance floor at the Swan Club, a banquet hall — and today, a polling place — in the Brown County city of De Pere.
A poll worker handles voting slips Tuesday at Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Madison's East Side.
Buck Rhyme, middle, checks in a voter before handing out a ballot slip Tuesday at Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Madison's East Side.
Voters wait to check in Tuesday at Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Madison's East Side.
After receiving her ballot from poll worker Sharon Gaskill, right, Hailey Zimmerman prepares to vote at the Vermont Town Hall in Vermont, Wis. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Poll worker Kris Antonie processes absentee ballots at the Vermont Town Hall in Vermont, Wis. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Town of Vermont, Wis. clerk Katie Zelle shares a space designated for election observers while waiting for voters at the Vermont Town Hall Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Peter Antonie and his wife, Kris, process absentee ballots at the Vermont Town Hall in Vermont, Wis. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Pens used by voters share a tray at the Vermont Town Hall in Vermont, Wis. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A former one room schoolhouse, which now serves as the Vermont Town Hall in Vermont, Wis., opened it doors to voters participating in the 2020 fall election Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Chief inspector Don Eggert hands a sealed bag of absentee ballots to poll workers Alice Howard, left, and Courtney Bartunek to be counted Tuesday at the Boys and Girls Club polling place on Madison's South West Side. Howard and Bartunek were among Madison's 3,993 first-time poll workers.
Michelle Masterson takes a selfie in front of the "I Voted Today" sign outside Oregon Village Hall polling place in Oregon, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
First Lutheran Church polling place in Stoughton, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Poll worker Joyce Kaping cleans a protection barrier during down time between voters at First Lutheran Church polling place in Stoughton, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
A sign outside a polling place at the fire station in Stoughton, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Samantha Nelson casts her vote, with her daughter and nieces by her side, at First Lutheran Church in Stoughton, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Voter Hunter Payne, 21, right, goes over information with poll worker Jenny Baeseman before receiving his ballot at First Lutheran Church in Stoughton, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Maureen Nortridge fills out her ballot at First Lutheran Church in Stoughton, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Poll workers, including Stoughton High School students, David Stracener, left, and Amelia Rhinerson, with Heidi Heffron-Clark, at right, process absentee ballots at First Lutheran Church in Stoughton, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Sandra Dickman fills out her ballot in a tent at Elver Park in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Voter Alexander Boatwright, left, checks his address with poll workers Karen Carlson and Anders Clark, right, in a tent used as a polling location at Elver Park in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Poll worker Candace McDowell directs a voter inside a tent used as a polling place at Elver Park in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Ed Treleven | Wisconsin State Journal
Ed Treleven is the courts reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal.
