Blair candidates look to grow business in city

The two candidates running for the city council representing Blair’s second ward have similar goals, despite coming from vastly different backgrounds.

Incumbent Jill Anderson has been on the city council for 10 years and has also served as a member of the Zion Lutheran Church council for six years. She’s a third-grade teacher in the Blair-Taylor School District, with a bachelor’s degree in education from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. 

Daniel Zawacki said his previous community service experience was court-ordered during his younger years. According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website, Zawacki pleaded guilty to possession of amphetamine/LSD/Psilocin on July 12, 2018. 

He dropped out of high school as a freshman, but completed his high school education 27 years later, saying he did so in 28 days. He went on to attend Western Technical College where he said he received two scholarships and made the president’s list two years in a row.

Both candidates agree that attracting business is the biggest priority in the city. 

“The most pressing issue for Blair is being able to attract new businesses and getting young families to want to choose Blair as their home,” Anderson said. 

She said the city needs to try to create jobs for the families and that affordable housing “is always an issue as well.” 

Zawacki noted the buildings that now sit unoccupied. 

“There are too many empty buildings in Blair,” Zawacki said. “There needs to be more local businesses employing and producing for our community.”

He said his goal, if elected, is to bring businesses to those empty buildings and “work on getting Blair to be completely self-sustainable and efficient.”

Anderson said making improvements to Riverside Memorial Park is a goal.

“If will continue to look to get our lake restored,” Anderson said. “Our park is one of our great attractions and the lake is a huge part of our parks appeal.” 

The two will compete in Tuesday’s election along with David Donnelly and Jeremy Tranberg — a registered write-in — in the third ward. Neither of the third ward candidates responded to contact attempts made by the Times.