Hello!
On Tuesday, April 4th, I hope you will all join me in voting for our next Merrillan Village President. I am also asking that you strongly consider me, Chris Wruck, for the position. My wife Sarah and I have lived in Merrillan for seven years, after relocating from Black River Falls, and have chosen this wonderful Village as the place to raise our three children, Alister, Gwen, and Winry. Alister and Gwen are currently attending Lincoln Elementary. I have been a member of the village board for four years, and both Sarah and I work for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office as 911 Dispatchers. My family is deeply vested in our community, and I am very passionate about improving our community and providing for the best future possible for my family, as well as all the residents of Merrillan. Sarah and I understand the biggest challenges facing people today, whether it be housing, daycare, employment, transportation, inflation… the list goes on. It can be quite daunting, and for some, making ends meet can seem like an insurmountable task, but I look forward to working with all of you to help ease those burdens and strive for a better tomorrow.
My decision to join local government was fostered from my desire to make a positive difference in our community, and I constantly strive to build on yesterday’s achievements to solve today’s problems. The challenges we face are never-ending and require significant forethought and long-term planning. Many of these challenges cannot be solved overnight. First and foremost, and I want to ensure that you, the people of Merrillan, are kept well-informed, and provided the opportunity to be actively involved in deciding the future of our Village.
I, like many of you, often wonder if my vote even matters. I want all of you to have the opportunity to be involved in the decisions your local government makes far beyond the vote you cast. It is, after all, your home. As your Village President, I will make it a priority to understand the issues facing you in your day-to-day lives, keep you well-informed on everything we do, and take the time to hear your ideas, concerns, and criticisms on every Village issue.
If my experience working in emergency services has taught me anything, it is that you can never go wrong by hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. For us, this means establishing a roadmap that is budget conscious, proactively tackling some of the issues we have readily identified and having a plan in place to mitigate emergencies to the best of our ability, as well as quickly handle them when they do arise.
I have already been hard at work making Merrillan a safer place for us all by increasing our law enforcement coverage through a new Village Deputy position, contracted from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. I have also worked to bring our technological infrastructure up to date, which has provided the Village with updated and reliable equipment; something we all rely on for work, entertainment, and staying connected with friends and family.
While working through the big storm in December of 2022, one I’m sure you can all not-so-fondly remember, many lessons were learned. Lessons that I look forward to turning into a plan-of-action for the future, so we are better prepared to handle the next big snow, and anything else Mother Nature throws our way.
Another problem facing Merrillan is availability of affordable housing. Of all the struggles and stresses life has to offer, being able to afford a roof over your head should not be one of them. As Village President, tackling this issue will be one of my top priorities.
I would like to sincerely thank you all for taking the time to read this and consider me for the position of Village President. I look forward to working with all of you.
Respectfully,
Chris Wruck
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By Mail:
409 Washington St
Merrillan, WI 54754
By Phone:
608-487-3505 (call or text)
Email:
chris@chris4merrillan.org
Website:
www.chris4merrillan.org
Facebook:
facebook.com/chriswruckmerrillan
