Two term council member Seaquist hopes to do more

Seaquist not giving up frank, candid style for addressing city issues.

You won’t find too many other candidates for office this spring campaigning on the assertion that it’s good to raise taxes. 

But La Crosse city council member Bob Seaquist has offered up blunt assessments like that for years on the council, so he’s unlikely to quit now.

In a similar way, Seaquist chides those who focus on single issues as methods to improve the city.

“Making the city better,” he said, “isn’t a one answer kind of thing. There’s so many things. I’ve been helping with housing revitalization, also with working with businesses and working to increase our tax base.”

And the taxes?  Seaquist vocally criticizes mayor Tim Kabat last fall for the mayor’s insistence on cutting taxes in his budget:

“I took issue with the mayor because he left about $600,000 on the table that we could have used for more community policing, for more streets, for more of the things that we really need.”

Seaquist said he knows it sounds “weird” to say but,”we need to…we have to raise our tax levy to our levy limit.” 

In his two terms on the council, Seaquist has often urged the council to raise taxes up to the limit of what the state allows in order to maintain city services.  

Seaquist faces political newbie David Marshall on the ballot on Tuesday in that south side race.