2025 City Council Candidate Chris Woodard
District 9
LA CROSSE CITY COUNCIL
Chris Woodard
Facebook: facebook.com/chriswoodardforcitycouncil
WIZM La Crosse Talk interview with Woodard:
About You:
I work at Kwik Trip Inc as a Talent Technology Analyst, Chair of Washburn Neighborhood Association and Incumbent District 9 City Council Member. I am married to my wife of eight years. We have two children, Lily (8) who attends State Road Elementary and Lincoln (1) who attends Young Achievers Academy. We also have two cats Chloe and Peaches. I earned my Firefighting Certificate from Western Technical College in 2012. I’ve lived in La Crosse for over ten years, mainly in our current council district. In 2017, we purchased our first home on Ferry Street and shortly after that we invested and revitalized our home and became a La Crosse Promise family.
Why did you decide to run for City Council, and what experiences or skills do you bring that will help you represent your district and the city effectively?
I attended Washburn Neighborhood Association meetings for many years and was elected to their Executive Board, and eventually was appointed to the Neighborhood Revitalization Commission by the Mayor. I saw an immediate need in our neighborhood, a need for dedication, commitment and revitalization. This sparked my interest and drive for public service. A decision was made in 2020 that I would run for City Council. The decision that stems from my abilities to collaborate, lead and communicate effectively. My commitment and dedication to District 9 has never wavered and still thrives. My experience and knowledge is reflected in every vote question, and comment made.
How would you ensure residents in your district are actively involved in city planning and decision-making processes?
In addition to the current ways I interact with constituents via phone, text, email and social media, I also have held listening sessions within the District to hear concerns from my constituents. On top of this, I faithfully attend neighborhood meetings making myself accessible to anyone who has a question, concern or comment. I am honored to be their voice down at City Hall.
The City Council delayed a vote on hiring a City Administrator until after the election. Do you support the creation of this position? How do you see this role working in collaboration with the City Council and the mayor’s office?
In theory the idea of a City administrator offers unique advantages, and I eagerly await the conclusion and findings of the City Administrator Working Group. If the Council pursues this route, we definitely need to examine the job responsibilities of the Mayor and adjust accordingly. Ultimately, once all the data and public feedback is collected Citizens will need to guide us to the final decision, and this will need to be a referendum question.
What role do you see the City Council playing in addressing homelessness in La Crosse? Do you support the Pathways Home initiative? What aspects of the plan do you find most effective? Or what alternative solutions would you propose?
I would continue to get everyone at the table, including our State and Federal legislators to ensure we have the resources for the Pathways Home plan to be successful and sustainable. As a City, it would be wasteful and impractical to duplicate the Health and Human Services Department that is administered at the County level. We have now collaborated with the County and will continue to support the County’s leadership on this matter as they are the experts on social services in our region. We continue to have ongoing work with this; our recently approved advisory resolution says a lot about what still needs to happen at a state and regional level. We cannot shoulder this without help and this is the biggest challenge we face.
What steps would you take to increase the availability of affordable housing, particularly for working-class residents and vulnerable populations?
It’s important to have a wide array of housing in the District and we’ve hit a lot of the goals for housing in the City with a lot of developments coming online soon. One type of housing we still need to work on is, middle housing. This generational housing, is the type I will continue to work on, revitalizing house by house to bring more families back into our neighborhood.
How would you balance supporting new business development and sustaining existing businesses while preserving the unique character of La Crosse’s downtown and neighborhoods? Are there specific projects or ideas you would advocate for?
It’s imperative to foster a strong business environment that will attract new economic development which will in turn lead to job creation, expansion of our tax base, higher demand for goods and services produced by local businesses and assist in the ongoing efforts to align the supply and demand of workforce labor. Specific projects such as working with City Brewery will continue to foster a positive experience for both the City and the brewery.
Recent reports show a decline in La Crosse’s population. What strategies would you support to attract and retain residents, particularly younger people and families?
We’ve taken great strides in replacing aging, obsolete or even unsafe homes with quality replacement homes, including both single family homes and multi family homes. Our City has a multitude of programs available to repair and renovate homes and continuing to promote these programs throughout the District is proven to make a difference. You too can make a difference and I encourage those who are looking to move close to our vibrant Downtown, parks, award winning medical institutions and beacons of higher education to come take a look. It’s truly a wonderful place to live, raise a family, and build a future.
What is your approach to improving and maintaining the city’s infrastructure, including roads, public transportation and utilities? How would you ensure equitable access across the city?
We must continue to support our Streets and Engineering Department with all accessible resources including grant applications to make our streets safer for pedestrians. When we do replace roads, we need to make sure the infrastructure that’s often forgot about is in good shape, so we don’t end up redoing work which could have done all at once to save taxpayer dollars.
How would you advocate for improvements to transportation options in your district and the city? What ideas do you have for public transportation, bike lanes or pedestrian-friendly pathways?
Increasing the hours that MTU runs would help move people around the city more efficiently and encourage more people to use the services. Improving lighting at bus stops would improve the feeling of safety in utilizing our mass transit. We continue to enhance pedestrian safety in our neighborhood with traffic calming mechanisms and safe crosswalks outfitted with rapid blinking beacon lights.
What strategies would you support to ensure that La Crosse remains a safe community for residents and visitors? What plans do you have to address issues such as police-community relations, crime prevention and emergency response preparedness?
I believe our Police Department and Fire Department are the best in class across our entire State. They consistently exceed with innovative training, community outreach and variable approaches to emergency response. I will continue to make sure they have the resources they need to be safe and continue the high level of performance they have achieved.
What climate action policies or sustainability initiatives would you champion in your district and citywide? How would you address renewable energy, waste reduction, and the protection of green spaces?
I fervently want to bring back neighborhood gardens to our District so people can enjoy nature right inside our City and locally grow healthy and nutritious foods. I would also continue to encourage the planting and cultivating of native plants that increase our pollinators and beautify yards without the need for excessive watering. We also have an opportunity to encourage new buildings to be leaders in energy efficiency and alternative energy sources. Our District has Houska, Little Houska and Poage Park and I am fully committed to protecting those spaces for our citizens and future generations.
How can the City Council collaborate with the school district and community organizations to ensure educational opportunities and services for young people? Are there district-specific needs you would focus on?
We need to work more closely with the School District, because when the City thrives the School District thrives. All things are woven together; housing, safety and infrastructure. All these elements make or break both entities.
What role do you see for the City Council in fostering tech innovation and improving digital infrastructure? How could your district benefit from smart city initiatives or local tech industry development?
Technology evolves every day and as a City we need to be prepared to juxtapose the benefits with security and privacy. We all see the news about large data breaches and cyber-attacks. We can be proactive by giving our departments the proper tools to safeguard our citizens sensitive information.
