kris larson for oshkosh city council 2024

The folks you elect to govern where you live ultimately have the most impact on your daily life. I care deeply for this city, and look forward to the opportunity to represent YOU in your local Govt.

a few CAMPAIGN basics:

  • NO $$$: No donations, no contributions. No money accepted or spent on my behalf. Local elections should not have a cost of entry OR be financially supported by special interests or partisan parties.

  • NO PARTISANSHIP & NO ENDORSEMENTS: Council elections are NON-PARTISAN. They should never involve, in any way, any political party. I will not seek or accept any endorsement in any way from any political party or advocacy group thereof (and if by some chance anybody chooses to do so…unlikely right? I will publicly denounce any and all).

  • IT’S YOUR VOICE THAT COUNTS: I believe wholeheartedly that the role of Councilors in a Council/City Manager form of govt. like ours is to represent the wishes of the community. Period. I will represent, without personal bias, and act only in the best interest and wishes of the folks who live in Oshkosh at all times. (I do, of course, have some things I would love to see change…more on that in a bit).

  • GUARANTEED TRANSPARENCY AND 100% CORRESPONDENCE: Don’t you hate it when you take the time to reach out to someone and they never get back to you? Same. I will reply to all messages. Always. Every page here and social will have my personal email. If there is ever an issue that you would prefer I comment on publicly (now or if elected), just ask. Your local Govt. should be 100% transparent at all times and in all places and formats.

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why… why now…why me?

I love Oshkosh (that’s always the easy answer right?). Like you, however, I am at times frustrated that things do not seem to progress very rapidly here.

I believe that your Council can and should take a more proactive approach toward moving Oshkosh Forward and that there are improvements we can make rapidly.

We need to continue forward in a fiscally responsible manner at all times.However, in order to compete in our region and state, we need to focus as much on the future as we do at times on the current.

I am at a point in my professional career where I can spend and lend some time to my community in order to help us all move forward together (and I do think that I can do so).

More on some specific qualifications below, but in general, I believe there should be small business ownership representation on City Council. Operating a business in this city provides unique perspective as to the relationships between government, business and just being a citizen. Of late, there has been little to no business ownership representation on our Council. I believe it is important to return some.

what… ? specifically

first and foremost and in 1 word: proactivity

Your Council (and h*ck, most governing bodies these days) has become almost entirely reactive. We’re fine at the day-to-day and year-to-year things that are important. We’re also pretty good at handling tough situations when big decisions NEED to be made. All of those things have to continue of course, but now is the time to actually DO more. I cannot recall an instance when a new initiative that might benefit you was brought forth purely by your Council or City Hall. I CAN recall, and have been a part of just a couple new initiatives that have been presented TO Council and become beneficial community items…however I can also tell you that those processes, from citizen and through Council etc, were always WAY more difficult than they should have been.

I want to see new, exciting, big, small and in-between sized things happen here to make this city a better place to be (AND to attract others who want to live here as well). I want to hear all of the ideas the community has to make Oshkosh even better, and pledge to make good ideas happen as quickly and seamlessly as possible. And, selfishly, I want lots of those things to happen…now.

SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS

To put it bluntly, our current assessment policy bankrupts homeowners and impedes business growth and property improvement.

There has been talk of changing this policy for years. Numerous studies and committees (some of which I have served on), yet no decisive action or improvement.

We do not need to do this the way we do. There are other options. I would love to work to improve this for all who live here.

CODE AUDIT

From time to time it is always good practice to evaluate local ordinances.

Times change, and local codes need to change to meet new needs.

Nobody seems to be sure when, if ever, Oshkosh had help in reviewing its policies. From experience, I can tell you that sometimes our rules stand in the way of meaningful and valuable progress by making that progress more difficult than it should be.

It is time we take a look at streamlining and refining some policies.

A FOCUS ON QUALITY OF LIFE items

We need to consider what makes folks want to stay and move here.

Decisions we make now need to always consider the immediate impacts of those who live here .
However, we need to do more to evaluate choices and invest in ways that will make Oshkosh a better place to live now and entice folks to move here in the future.

Beautification, parks, transportation, public art, great schools and more all play a part.

It will always be important to make fiscally responsible decisions for the present, but we also need to improve investing in our future.

PARTISANSHIP/
GOVERNANCE

Our Council/Manager form of govt. is important. The nonpartisan nature of those positions is important as well.

Your local offices and elections are just about the last nonpartisan arenas left. Excluding party politics allows those posts to work most efficiently for you.

We should work to make sure partisan politics stays far away from your Council, as well as increase transparency and correspondence at every level between you, Council and city staff.

about me (us)

My wife Sarrah & I were both born and raised in Oshkosh. Both left for a while to attend college and start careers. We returned to Oshkosh to open our first business (becket’s restaurant) in 2008.
In 2014 we opened another business with our Chef/Partner Mike in Downtown Oshkosh (Wagner Market).

We live Downtown Oshkosh, tend to walk almost all of it daily with our dogs Wagner and Bill, and have, for the last 15 years, advocated in as many ways as we can for our neighborhood specifically and city generally.

Some other things:

  • Downtown Oshkosh BID board vice chair

  • Discover Oshkosh board member and past chair.

  • Current WI Restaurant Association board chair

  • City of Oshkosh Transportation Funding Committee member (former)

  • City of Oshkosh Downtown Visioning Committee member (former)

  • Oshkosh arts and Beautification Committee (former)

  • Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra (former, president)

  • Oshkosh Farmers Market board (former)

  • Slow Roll Oshkosh (co-founder organizer, present)

  • Oshkosh Jazz Festival (co-founder, present)

  • Oshkosh Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride organizer (I don’t always wear a suit like in that pic, current)