DJ Nichols (Oshkosh Council Member, Wisconsin, candidate 2024)

DJ Nichols

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Oshkosh Council Member

Elections and appointments

Last election

April 2, 2024

Education

High school

Louisville Male High School

Bachelor's

University of Louisville, 2012

Personal

Birthplace

Louisville, Ky.

Profession

Lawyer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

DJ Nichols ran for election to the Oshkosh Council Member in Wisconsin. He was on the ballot in the general election on April 2, 2024.

Nichols completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

DJ Nichols provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on March 20, 2024:

• Birth date: March 5, 1990
• Birth place: Louisville, Kentucky
• High school: Louisville Male High School
• Bachelor's: University of Louisville, 2012
• J.D.: University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, 2015
• Gender: Male
• Profession: Lawyer
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook
• Campaign Instagram
• Campaign YouTube
• Campaign YouTube video

Elections

General election

General election for Oshkosh Council Member (3 seats)

Tom Asuma, Jacob Floam, Kris Larson, DJ Nichols, and Kristopher Ulrich ran in the general election for Oshkosh Council Member on April 2, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Tom Asuma (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jacob Floam (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Kris Larson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	DJ Nichols (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Kristopher Ulrich (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Nichols in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

DJ Nichols completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Nichols' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Professionally, I’m on the senior leadership team and an attorney for Great Wolf Resorts, Inc., a hospitality and family entertainment company with revenue in excess of $1.2 billion last year, operations in 22 cities, and more than 12,000 employees. I primarily focus on employment law, compliance, and commercial litigation for the organization, and assist with financing, incentive packages, and construction agreements for property expansions and developments in new markets.

Personally, my mom was 19 when she was pregnant with me and raised me and my brother largely on her own. I started working when I was 14 years old, went to public school, and was the first in my family to go to college and then law school, depending on student loans and part-time jobs to pay for it all.

I have the professional experience to not only understand the impact that government can have on ensuring there is a robust business community and a vibrant downtown, but also the personal experience that government should consider working families and individuals when establishing new policies. I also believe hard work should be rewarded. I have had the opportunity to work as a business leader with municipalities to ensure there are appropriate transit options for workers going to and from our facilities, to discuss policing and security considerations for new developments, and I’ve seen the life-changing impact private development and new opportunities can have on communities.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I’m committed to government transparency. What gets measured gets improved: we must identify metrics to evaluate resident satisfaction and trust in government. As part of goal setting and the annual review of the City Manager, we must publicly report on the ability of government to improve those metrics.
• Responsible spending is crucial to taxpayer trust. I’ll prioritize increasing the housing stock through private-public partnerships and zoning reform, ensuring a robust water infrastructure (safe drinking water, stormwater management, and clearwell completion), and fiber internet to meet the needs of a 21st century community.
• Everyone must have the opportunity for success. Improving information transfer (residents know where to look and who to ask) and making services accessible and practical (e.g., a tenant resource center, reasonable building inspections department, and right-sized public transit) will promote inclusivity, regardless of what residents look like, who they love, who they worship, or how much they make.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m focused on three values, which will inform decisions I make and priorities I set on Council: (1) Government Transparency, (2) Responsible Spending, and (3) Opportunity for Everyone. Through that lens, I want to address the lack of housing inventory, the prevalence of homelessness, strengthen public safety, improve infrastructure (and develop a plan for 50-100 year infrastructure improvements), focus on public health, and address our public transportation, aging water infrastructure (clearwells, lead pipes, stormwater and flooding resilience, and PFAS) .

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was at a tanning salon when I was 14 years old in 2004. It was the closest place to my house that would hire 14 year olds. I worked there during my Freshman year of high school and was paid $5.15/hour. I worked there until I received a job as an usher at Churchill Downs racetrack (making a whopping $8/hour).

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I view the role of City Council as similar to a corporate Board of Directors, responsible for setting goals and priorities for the CEO (City Manager). I have worked with a half-dozen CEOs and dozens of board members.

In my professional life, we focus on SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals to ensure we don’t only set the right priorities, but we have mechanisms by which to measure success or failure. I understand that perfection cannot get in the way of progress, compromise is important, and we must focus on continuous improvement rather than quick or complete wins.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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