Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/133261
JUNE 2013 Page 2A • Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove NEWSMAKER Q&A WITH PAUL DECKER Board chairman discusses issues facing county By Darryl Enriquez Name: Paul L. Decker Age: 61 Occupation: Waukesha County Board chairman and director of Maverick Innovation Lab in Delafield Education: bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, master's of science in business from Cardinal Stritch University. Family: wife, Paula; no children. WAUKESHA – Paul Decker, a Hartland resident, has served on the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors since 2009 and was elected board chairman in April 2012. Decker took some time recently to discuss some of the issues and challenges facing the county. The FREEMAN: Waukesha County seems poised to emerge from the great recession as an economic powerhouse. Are there barriers slowing local recovery and what's being done to clear the obstacles? PAUL DECKER: The obvious barriers are finding enough good and qualified employees that possess a desirable combination of soft and hard skills. Another barrier is a lack of understanding about the utilization of technology in just about every phase of business. We're not in a 1990s world. We're in a 2013 world. We're not going away from using technology. Parents, school systems and business, themselves, must realize the need to stay up-todate with technology or fall behind in the global economy. Getting to know ... Paul Decker Freeman file photo Waukesha County Board Chairman Paul Decker speaks during a recent interview. tructure. There are costs to it and staying on top of it. It's important to business growth. We know those are real issues related to our productivity. In the future, we've got to learn to be much more collaborative among the communities and use our resources to maximize return on investment. We cannot afford to waste money, time or effort. FREEMAN: Is Waukesha County losing its young professionals and what can be done to keep them here? DECKER: We are concerned about the silver tsunami. We skew older and that will have a direct effect on our services to those citizens. It is vital that we have more young professionals work in Waukesha County. We need to be more attractive to young professionals. We have to understand what their wants are and willingly understand that they're different than older people. We need to develop recreation areas and amenities for younger people, including better connectivi- ty. They like to be able to gather in areas. The downtown of our cities and villages need to be developed around that and include walking and biking options. Young people are very concerned about their carbon footprint. FREEMAN: A number of medical and law enforcement reports say that Waukesha County faces growing problems with mental health and alcohol and drug addictions. What can be done to effectively address those issues? DECKER: We have to determine the root causes. Why do people turn to drugs, and what are the root causes for mental illnesses? We can't guess at these things. We need professionals to help us understand or these problems will cost us in the long run. Once we understand the causes, we have to deploy the right professionals in the right way to help mitigate the challenge. However, we must realize that as a society, some of these behaviors are enabled by others and we must find ways to reduce the enabling. My greatest achievement: Surviving cancer and actively contributing to the community. My favorite book is: "1776" by David McCullough. My favorite movies are: "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?," "The Godfather," "Saving Private Ryan," "Good Will Hunting" and "Remember the Titans." My favorite childhood memory: Being taught by my grandmother how to dance and loving to dance all of my life. The people I most admire: Thomas Jefferson and Rob Kneuffer, a Chicago lawyer who gives back to the community. The worst job I had as a teenager: Cleaning the grease traps at my father's restaurant. The food I like best: Sushi. My favorite hobby: Pairing food and wine for cooking, golf and gardening. My favorite music group: Rolling Stones. My goal this year: Stay organized. My pet: None. My favorite vacation place: The next place my wife and I go. 232450001 FREEMAN: Other than the economy, what challenges does Waukesha County face in the immediate future and beyond? DECKER: Maintaining and keeping up the maintenance of infras- Established in 1859 Biography Special to The Freeman FREEMAN: Can Milwaukee and Waukesha counties find common ground to reduce expenditures, improve government services and maintain the enjoyable quality of life in the region? Name some examples. DECKER: We must. We have a continual dialogue with Milwaukee and Milwaukee County about combining resources that make it economically prudent for both parties. When we look at something, County Executive Dan Vrakas and I question if it is mutually beneficial. We will never do it to the detriment of Waukesha County residents and taxpayers. We are constantly working to emphasize that we act and think as a metro area and that we are interconnected. The two counties are working on a combined digital radio system for emergency responses and a combined program to process and dispose of recyclables. We're also striving for stronger regional cooperation in the greater area in the use of resources such as water and technical colleges and roads. The FREEMAN How to reach us 801 N. Barstow St., P.O. 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