Conflicts in the Election for Mayor

The question of what developments need to be made in Oshkosh and whether residents can afford them was a major topic during the mayoral debate that took place Wednesday evening in UW-Oshkosh's Reeve Memorial Union.

During the debate, mayoral candidate William Castle, who in the past has served in the position for two years, stressed the need to cooperate with developers in order for Oshkosh to obtain new bridges, roads, parks and a new fitness center.

“I’m a firm believer that the city has to step up to the plate when there are serious developers that want to make something happen," Castle said. And maybe the best thing the city can do is get out the way and let the developers in."

Castle believes that building in Oshkosh is "pretty exciting" and the "vision is constantly evolving."

Castle's opponent Paul Esslinger, a five-year city council member, took a different view on the development of the city.

Instead of concentrating on the construction of new facilities like Castle, Esslinger's idea is to "get control over spending and focus on needs vs. wants." He spoke mostly about road repair.

The people of Oshkosh are "traveling on roads that shake the fillings out of your teeth," Esslinger said. "I think we’ve put luxury items ahead of infrastructure needs. Let's focus on the things that need to be done first."

While Esslinger said that Oshkosh's "spending priorities are a little mixed up," Castle stated that he believed in the current spending "balancing act."

"We know how to keep our house in order," Castle said.