Water, housing, infrastructure dominate mayoral forum

Incumbent Kris Hanus and District 1 Alderman Tom Barnett faced off Thursday evening at a mayoral candidate forum hosted by WJFW and WXPR, with News Director Katie Thoresen and evening anchor Dan Hagen moderating. The forum, held at Nicolet College, gave voters a chance to hear the two candidates — both downtown business owners — lay out their visions for the future of Rhinelander.
The League of Women Voters of the Northwoods kept time as the candidates fielded questions from the moderators and members of the public on topics ranging from infrastructure and housing to arts, mental health, and substance abuse.
Hanus, who is seeking a second term, told the audience he has no plans to seek a third term if reelected, and said the volume of ongoing city projects was the driving reason behind his decision to run again.
“We right now have a ton of projects in the works,” he said, citing infrastructure work, housing initiatives and TIF development. “I don’t want to see those projects fall behind or not happen based on a change of leadership.”
Barnett, who owns an art studio in downtown Rhinelander, cast himself as a candidate focused on community potential. “The greatest thing about Rhinelander isn’t its local government,” he said. “The greatest thing about Rhinelander is its people.”

Infrastructure and water
Much of the forum centered on the city’s infrastructure challenges, particularly its ongoing PFAS contamination issues. Wells 7 and 8 were shut down in 2019 due to PFAS contamination, and last October the City Council approved nearly half a million dollars for the design of a treatment facility, with reimbursement expected through the state’s Safe Drinking Water Program.
Hanus said the city tests its water for PFAS and other contaminants at minimum every quarter, calling it among the most tested water in the state. He said the council has begun the process of bringing the offline wells back into service, with research underway to determine the best filtration approach.
Barnett announced that he would lean heavily on the expertise of former Mayor Chris Frederickson — who served during the period when the PFAS issue first came to light.
“I would bring him in as a trusted consultant on what we can and cannot do as far as mitigating the PFAS issue,” the alderman said. “There is nobody that knows more about PFAS than him, and I trust his opinions and his thoughts on the matter.”
Housing and budget
Both candidates identified housing as among the city’s most pressing needs. Hanus described the city’s role as a “shepherd” — connecting developers with grant funding and economic development resources, and making Rhinelander an attractive place to build. Barnett echoed that, saying he would work closely with the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation and pursue workforce housing grants.
On the budget, Barnett repeatedly advocated for hiring a dedicated, full-time grant writer, arguing it would pay for itself by capturing funding the city currently leaves on the table. Hanus agreed that grants are important but emphasized controlling expenses and growing the city’s tax base through economic development as the more sustainable long-term solution.
When an audience member pushed back on the grant-heavy approach, noting that grant success rates are low, both candidates acknowledged the challenge. Hanus noted that the city faces a structural timing problem — expenses are known before income, and key revenue figures like net new construction don’t arrive until mid-October, complicating the annual budget process. He said the city’s net new construction tax base grew by more than $300,000 last year.
It should be noted that the full council discussed the possibility of adding a full-time grant writer as part of its March 9 meeting with the majority expressing opposition to the idea.
Staffing issues
A Rhinelander Police Department employee asked both candidates about staffing shortages across the police department, fire department, and streets department. Hanus pointed to the return of longevity pay, improved benefits, and PPE upgrades during his tenure as steps toward retention, while acknowledging that sustainable solutions require either growing city revenue or making difficult budget trade-offs. Barnett again pointed to a dedicated grant writer as part of the answer, while agreeing with Hanus that building up the city’s tax base is the real long-term fix.
Substance abuse and mental health
Both candidates praised the Rhinelander Police Department’s existing outreach position focused on substance abuse, with Barnett calling for grant funding to sustain it long-term and Hanus arguing for deeper partnerships with Oneida County and state-level partners.
On mental health, Barnett drew on his experience working with at-risk youth at his art studio, arguing that grants could bring mental health professionals to the community and help retain them. Hanus tied mental health outcomes to quality-of-life factors including housing stability, financial stress, and access to green space, and said he has opposed selling any city parkland for that reason.
The golf course
An audience question about the city-owned Northwood Golf Club — home to ski trails used by the silent sports community and events like the Heal Creek Dog Dash — drew a notable exchange. Hanus said flatly he opposes selling the property, calling the roughly 1,000-acre green space irreplaceable, and noted the course lost about $40,000 this year in part due to unexpected delays obtaining a liquor license.
Barnett clarified that he had previously expressed support for selling the course but acknowledged that is unlikely to happen. He called instead for more creative use of the property in the off-season, including food service during sledding season and pursuit of a grant-funded tow line for the sledding hill that he said was offered but never pursued. Hanus responded that the course’s kitchen is already open on weekends during the off-season, including a promoted Friday fish fry.
Arts, culture, and pedestrian infrastructure
Arts and culture drew enthusiastic responses from both candidates. Hanus pointed to a new mural planned for downtown this summer through partnerships with the Rhinelander Community Foundation and the chamber. Barnett, an artist himself, argued the city’s Arts Commission has been underutilized and called for closer collaboration between city government and the arts community, citing examples like Wausau’s umbrella installation as models for driving tourism foot traffic.
Tom Jerow, the city’s volunteer forester, raised pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, noting the difficulty of walking or biking to and from destinations including the golf course. Hanus cited existing trail grants the city has received and outlined ongoing planning to extend walkability. Barnett called for more ADA-compliant infrastructure and said a dedicated grant writer could help piece together smaller grants to build out trails over time.
Regrets
The final audience question came from Gary Zarda, self-described regular viewer of city council meetings, who asked both candidates to reflect on mistakes they’ve made in city government and what they’ve learned from them.
Hanus pointed to the city’s handling of a proposed well site near Nicolet College as one of his biggest regrets as mayor.
“That is something I think the media got out in front of us before we had decisions made, and the way we handled that wasn’t the best it could be,” Hanus said. He added that the city had contracted out the pace of the project to a firm that was managing the timeline, and that he should have been more on top of it and more transparent with the public, particularly the adjacent property owners. He said the situation ultimately resolved well, with the city pivoting to treating the two currently offline wells instead, but called it a significant lesson in proactive communication.
Barnett said his biggest regret was his vote to cancel the city’s Share Ride program, a decision he came to deeply regret after learning more about its impact on riders.
“If I could do it again, my vote on that would be a resounding absolutely not to get rid of the Share Ride program,” Barnett said. He said a subsequent conversation with the owner of the taxi service revealed information he had not been aware of when he cast his vote, and that the experience taught him to be more diligent about fully understanding an issue before voting. More broadly, Barnett said he makes no apologies for being willing to change his mind when presented with a compelling argument. “I am very well known by a lot of people, never to be so proud that I can’t say that I’m wrong about something,” he said.
Both candidates struck a collegial tone in their closing remarks. Barnett returned to a theme from his opening statement, telling the audience that Rhinelander is not limited by its challenges but poised to move forward. “Through creative and outside-of-the-box thinking we can get there,” he said. “We can bring those events to town, we can grow Rhinelander in a positive direction.” He said the community knows what it wants and who it wants to lead, and expressed gratitude simply for the opportunity to offer his services. Hanus said it has been his honor to serve as mayor for the last four years and made an argument for continuity, telling voters that on day one of a second term he would be fully up to speed on every ongoing project. He also offered an acknowledgement of his opponent, saying that if Barnett does not prevail the mayoral race, he hoped Barnett would continue bringing his ideas forward through his remaining time on the City Council. “Thank you all for coming out,” Hanus said, “and thank you for voting for whoever you do vote for.”
The forum will be televised on WJFW on Sunday, March 22. It will also air on WXPR at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 25. The election is April 7.