Sam Kaufmann (Waunakee Village Trustee, Wisconsin, candidate 2023)

Sam Kaufmann

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Waunakee Village Trustee

Elections and appointments

Last election

February 21, 2023

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Sam Kaufmann ran for election to the Waunakee Village Trustee in Wisconsin. Kaufmann was on the ballot in the primary on February 21, 2023.^[source]

Kaufmann completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Waunakee Village Trustee (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the primary for Waunakee Village Trustee on February 21, 2023.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Tricia Braun (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	John Cherf (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Sam Kaufmann (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Tim Luttrell (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Robert W. McPherson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Dustin R. Mueller (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Brian Wallace (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sam Kaufmann completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kaufmann's 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.

Sam is a current member of the Waunakee Village Board of Trustees and the youngest elected official ever in Wisconsin history. During Kaufmann's first term, he has served on the Police Committee, Public Works Committee, Parks & Recreation Committee (2022-present), and as chairperson of the Village Center Advisory Committee. Prior to serving as a village board member, Sam was a member of the Dane County Park Commission (2020-21), the Waunakee Housing Task Force (2018-19), and the Waunakee Community School District DEI Ad Hoc Committee (2020-21).

Kaufmann’s family has lived in the Waunakee area for generations. Sam is the fourth generation in his family to serve as a village trustee. Sam is a 2021 Waunakee High School graduate and current UW-Madison student majoring in Cartography and Geographic Information Systems and Political Science. Sam is currently employed at Octopi Brewing and also operates his own property maintenance business on the side.

Involvement in the community ranges from starting the Clear the Creek initiative to clean up Six Mile Creek of trash and logjams, coaching middle schoolers in the Science Olympiad program, and completing a

grave photography and transcription project at Saint John’s Cemetery.

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 am running for re-election to the Village Board because there is more I would like to accomplish, and I enjoy working with citizens and staff as a board member. Since I’m the only incumbent running again, institutional knowledge and stability are particularly important going forward. Having a keen understanding of decisions made past and present helps ensure past mistakes aren't repeated again.
• I bring the perspective of a young person to the table. I understand the value of boots on the ground hard work. I don't just talk the talk, I walk the walk and try to fulfill the trustee role as best I can.
• Communication is everything. I started a thrice-monthly email newsletter specifically to help residents stay engaged in, informed about, and feel a part of village government and the community as a whole.

Community Question Featured local question

How important is it to involve residents in the government’s decision-making process? What plans do you have regarding resident involvement in this process?

Involving residents in the decision-making process is critical. My email newsletter has been a great way to ensure residents have information on various goings-on in village government.

Community Question Featured local question

How should record requests from the public be handled? Do you have any policies around transparency and accountability you want to enact?

Record requests from the public should be fulfilled completely in a quick and efficient manner. I'd like to see the creation of an agenda listserv (like the WCSD many communities including Middleton have) so residents can receive meeting agendas via email when they are posted. In addition, village email addresses for all committee and commission members would be a good way to reduce time needed to fulfill a records request while providing citizens an avenue to contact them.

Community Question Featured local question

What plans do you have regarding infrastructure?

I would like to stick with the five-year capital improvement plan, which was implemented in my first term. I'd be interested in creating more path and trail connections throughout the village and connecting neighborhoods.

Community Question Featured local question

What plans do you have regarding the police department? Would you make any changes from current policy?

The Police Department is starting to outgrow their space, especially the garage area. An expansion of the building is in the preliminary phases - and I would like to see the project through to completion.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am particularly passionate about natural resource and environmental issues. I started the Clear the Creek initiative, which was removed decades-old logjams from Six Mile Creek. Seasonal flooding has been reduced and much of the corridor is navigable for paddlers. The creek's health is improving and phosphorus-laden sediment levels are dropping. I'd like to build on my continuing volunteer work and the 2022 Strand conservancy path study by conducting a full hydraulic analysis of the creek within the village limits. There are many areas where concrete under bridges and metal debris acts as a dam both for water, paddlers, and aquatic species.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected officials should lead by example and be willing to go the extra mile to do the right thing for citizens and the community when warranted. I also believe doing your own research, asking questions, and humility are important as well.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like the community to be a better place for all residents present and future (and hopefully myself, when I purchase a home of my own).

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

I worked a summer as a teacher's aide at Waunakee Community Middle School.

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

I have great communication skills and the ability to bring residents together and compromise regardless of political affiliation. My background knowledge and eye for detail are excellent assets to any governmental body.

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.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

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