Dan Lenz enters the race for Oshkosh Common Council

OSHKOSH, WI—(WISS)—Dan Lenz is a lifelong resident of Oshkosh. Over the years, he has seen what he considers to be an increase in bureaucracy and regulations in the city. Something he thinks is stifling progress. Thus, Lenz seeks to make a change by running for one of the three at-large Common Council positions on the Spring Ballot. 

“ There are a lot of things that are just simply overlooked. So, I would say what motivated me was seeing the disparity in how the ordinances are applied to the citizens,” Lenz said. “Whether I win or lose in this election, I’m still gonna be active in trying to get the council to start minimizing the regulations that are placed on people’s properties and what people can do in this community.”

The Dan Lenz Campaign

Oshkosh Issues

Lenz cites communication and responsiveness to city residents as the primary issues facing the Oshkosh city government right now. 

“ A lot of times, you contact the city, and you say, ‘Hey, I’m having a problem with this.’ Or ‘I got a letter about that.’ And they’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, you gotta call this person or that person.’ And maybe you’ll get a call back. And maybe you won’t,” said Lenz. “Some of the members on the city council are simply unresponsive to the people when they ask a question or send an email request on the city webpage. You can send an email to every council member, and you’re lucky if you hear back from one or two, if any at all. So, that would be the primary thing that I see as an issue with the government.”

As for the people of Oshkosh, Lenz said he thinks they are primarily concerned with housing affordability. But added that crime is a problem in the city as well.

“ It’s growing more than it has over the last five years. I think we hear a lot more about more violent crimes taking place in Oshkosh,” he explained.

Housing 

“ If you were to ask the common person on the street – and I speak to them a lot –  housing is a big issue on people’s minds. Young people have a problem affording housing. I know people right now that are paying more for rent than I pay for my mortgage!,” Lenz said. “And that just doesn’t seem right!”

Lenz said part of the reason housing affordability is a problem in Oshkosh is the red tape and regulations developers and property owners face in the city. 

“ I know of contractors who dread the thought of taking a job in Oshkosh. I know one contractor who hires a part-time person. Brings them out of retirement, honestly, to deal with just the regulations and the issues with regard to getting permits and working with the inspections division in the City of Oshkosh.

He added that he knows firsthand about the difficulties and bureaucracy in Oshkosh, as he encountered the same issues when rebuilding his home after a fire.

“ It is a nightmare working with the city of Oshkosh, getting permits, getting inspections. If the inspector has a problem with your contractor, then you get a problem with the inspector,” Lenz said. “We should not be having this in the City of Oshkosh. People should be able to do, within reason, what they safely can do with their properties!”

Lenz said the processes need to be streamlined and deregulated. 

Property Taxes

Shrinking the city government is also Lenz’s solution to reduce the tax levy and lower property taxes for city residents. 

“ We don’t need multiple departments doing redundant work. We have that currently under the city,” Lenz said. “The City of Oshkosh operates under a two-government system. You have the elected government, the common council. And you have the unelected government. Those who work for the city manager, whoever the city manager is.”

He continued, “I don’t know, Ms. Grill, so this isn’t a personal thing about her. But city managers carry a lot of power. They have a tendency to expand the government…And pretty soon, all these levels of bureaucracy that are unanswerable to the public become an issue and become an expense.”

Lenz said the Oshkosh Common Council needs to conduct a deep exploration of how city government is run. He said recent councils have “gone along to get along.”

 ”What’s happening in Oshkosh. Or what has happened over many years in Oshkosh is that you get a city manager in there. They’re in there for a very long period of time. And every day they gain power over the city’s operation. That power needs to be checked by Council. So what Council can do is take a deep dive and look into the redundancies within our city government. And then tell the city manager, ‘We don’t believe this is there, and since we hold the purse strings, we’re not gonna fund that!’”

Lagniappe: a little something extra

Lenz is a retired small-business owner and U.S. Army Veteran. He enjoys Wisconsin’s outdoor activities, such as hunting and fishing. And he volunteers with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State of Wisconsin to maintain communications during emergencies.  

 ”Being an amateur radio operator and having come from a long term of working with emergency management and emergency governments across the region, including Region Five/FEMA. I work with–It’s difficult to explain–a high-frequency alerting system that’s used by FEMA with regard to emergencies in region five. Of course, most of our emergencies are weather-related, so I work closely with them on messaging, traffic handling, volunteer management, and things like that.

“On the State of Wisconsin side, I am the assistant section emergency coordinator for the amateur radio emergency services. And, I work closely with folks at Wisconsin Emergency Management in that regard. Basically, doing the same thing I do for FEMA, but on a smaller scale,” Lenz explained.

Because he is retired and has no further political aspirations, Lenz said he will be that responsive conduit between the city and the residents he wants Oshkosh to have. 

“ I don’t have an ulterior motive. I am happily retired and have no driving desire for any higher office. But the City of Oshkosh truly needs to have a Council that is responsive to the people. So that’s what I’m going to do!” he said.

Engaging with the campaign

Residents who would like to learn more about Lenz can contact him via his campaign Facebook page. His email is [email protected]. 

“ And you’ll get an answer back. Might not be the answer you want, but it’ll be an answer!” Lenz said.

Oshkosh Common Council Race

Eight people are running for the three at-large Common Council seats being decided this spring. In addition to Lenz,  Meredith Scheuermann, Alec Lefeber, Paul Esslinger, Jacob Amos, Tim Neubauer, Eric Gumz, and Logan Jungbacker are all on the primary ballot.

Incumbents D.J. Nichols and Jacob Floam have decided not to seek reelection.

The primary will be held on February 17th, during which the field of candidates will be reduced to six. The spring election is April 7, 2026.