Oak Creek City Clerk Candidates State Their Case

The race for Oak Creek city clerk comes with a lot of questions.

Like, what does the clerk do?

The office is mostly out of sight for residents, but it plays an important behind-the-scenes role in keeping the wheels of Oak Creek government going round.

Administering elections is arguably the most important and most visible task of the clerk. But liquor licensing, city government meetings, workers compensation and insurance claims, record keeping and filing of contracts all fall under the clerk's umbrella, as well.

The next Oak Creek city clerk will be LeAnn Launstein, Suzette Emmer or Catherine Roeske. The three are vying to replace Pam Bauer, who retired in October.

The race will be on the primary election ballot Feb. 21. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election April 3.

The Oak Creek clerk is elected to a three-year term at a salary of $71,400, plus a $150-per month car allowance.

Launstein, 57, represented Oak Creek on the Milwaukee County Board from 1992-2002. During that time, she helped with the development of , bike trails, economic development and other projects within Oak Creek.

But she was recalled in the aftermath of the highly-publicized county pension scandal, as she was one of 20 who voted for a deal that resulted in many county employees getting lump-sum payments in the six figures.

Reflecting on that now, Launstein said she cast her vote for the benefits package based on information she had at the time - information that turned out to be faulty. She noted that one county employee served jail time and the county got $45 million in a lawsuit against Mercer Inc., which the county alleged gave bad advice about the pension deal.

Seven of the 20 supervisors who voted for it were recalled, and "now we know that someone gave us bad information," Launstein said.

Before and after that time, Launstein has been active in the community. She was the first woman Oak Creek Jaycee of the Year, a judge for the Oak Creek Junior Miss program, a school volunteer for many years and is a current member of the Oak Creek Foundation for Education, among other activities.

Launstein also has experience managing people, having recruited, trained and managed some 120 volunteers while serving as director at the West Allis Interfaith. Now, she's hoping to get back into the public realm.

"I care about the Oak Creek community and I believe in public service," she said.

Emmer, 56, has worked for Milwaukee County for the past 15 years in the sheriff's office, zoo, behavioral health and in her current capacity as deputy administrator of the county elections commission.

Emmer said the elections experience and knowledge would greatly help her as city clerk. On the county level, she is intimately involved from the time candidates declare their intentions to reporting elections results.

That background is important as the elections process has become subject to intense public scrutiny, she said.

Emmer said she also wants to be part of what is an important moment in Oak Creek's history, with many large decisions and projects looming. She has also been a small business owner, working in the restaurant field, and feels she has a nice mix of private and public experience.

"It's an exciting time to become involved in city government," she said, adding that officials face the challenge of growing into a bigger city while continuing to provide quality public services.

Roeske, 44, is a former American Express employee who, along with her husband, owns Farmhouse Orchard and Gardens.

During her 18 years at American Express, she managed people, helped save the company money, developed technical skills and worked in programming and business analysis. She was laid off about a year-and-a-half ago when her job was outsourced.

Roeske said she wants to maintain the level of service the clerk's office has now but also sees room for improvement - like streamlining operations online to make services more user-friendly for residents.

Roeske worked as an elections judge in Illinois for eight years. She found participating in the democratic process rewarding and hopes she can resume that in .

"I would get that sense on a daily and weekly basis that what I'm doing really matters," she said.

"I think the citizens of Oak Creek deserve to have a fair and honest person managing elections and I think that I'm capable of doing that," she added. "I really like Oak Creek and it's my turn to give something back to the community."