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2025 Mayoral Race Shaundel Washington-Spivey

Learn more about your 2025 candidates for La Crosse Mayor

Shaundel Washington Spivey

Shaundel Washington-Spivey

Candidate for La Crosse Mayor

Website: https://www.shaundelforlacrosse.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaundelforlacrosse/

Contact: [email protected]


La Crosse Primary voting has started and ends Feb. 18, 2025

The general election for city offices voting ends April 1, 2025


WIZM La Crosse Talk interview with Washington-Spivey:


Washington-Spivey’s answers to WIZM questionnaire:

Can you tell us about yourself — your work, family and history in La Crosse?

I moved to La Crosse In 2007 to attend the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. I am a proud two-time alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration from UWL. I am also an alum of Western Technical College. I am currently finishing up my graduate studies at Viterbo University in Mental Health Counseling. Professionally, I co-founded B.L.A.C.K. (Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge), Inc., a nonprofit organization where I currently serve as the Executive Director. My community involvement extends beyond my role at B.L.A.C.K., Inc. I have served on the La Crosse School Board and am an active member of Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ Advisory Council on Equity and Inclusion. In addition, I have served on multiple boards and advisory committees throughout the region and regularly speak at public events regarding equity, racial justice issues, and other tailored topics.


Why did you decide to run for mayor and what experiences do you feel will help you excel in office? 

 I have proudly served in the La Crosse community for 17 years as an advocate, educator, school board member, small business owner, and non-profit founder. These roles have allowed me to develop the vision, dedication, and leadership skills necessary to guide our city toward a bright future. I have decided to run for mayor because I strongly believe that our city can and should be the exemplar of what it truly means to be equitable and innovative in addressing housing for all, supporting small businesses, and collectively working together to ensure all in this community have access to be successful. As  mayor of La Crosse, I will draw upon my educational, work, and community experiences to make La Crosse a place where everyone feels welcomed, empowered to live authentically, and inspired to grow together. I want to lead the city of La Crosse with care and collaboration, ensuring everyone feels valued, respected, and at home. As a proven leader and collaborator, I will bring people together to create solutions and push our city to the next level.


How would you plan to enhance community involvement in city planning and decision-making processes?

In talking with community members, I regularly hear that community members don’t feel like they’re a part of decisions. To solve this, the city needs to consider inclusive and innovative methods for gathering input and fostering participation. We should continue with traditional methods like sending out surveys via mail, hearing from Neighborhood Associations, and holding regular town halls but we should also explore multiple opportunities for members of our community to have their voices heard and in ways that are accessible to all.


The City Council decided to delay a vote on hiring a City Administrator until after the election. Do you support the creation of this position? If so, how would the City Administrator collaborate with the mayor’s office, and what would their role entail?

I embrace the idea of a City Administrator and look forward to working towards a city administrator with a structure that best fits the City of La Crosse, and formed with input by the community. An administrator would enable higher efficiency within our city government and greater responsiveness between the departments themselves and the mayor’s office. This would enable higher community engagement as the mayor would have more capacity to bridge the common council and the community as a whole. This approach ensures that all voices are heard and that city government works effectively to address the needs of residents and businesses. The city administrator will be  responsive to the vision set forth by the mayor and the common council. This vision will be created with input from community members, businesses, and private organizations. 


Do you support the Pathways Home Initiative?

Yes, I believe in the collaborative effort known as the Pathways Home. I think that this collaborative model demonstrates what is needed for us to address issues and opportunities in our community, collective collaboration. Collaboration can be challenging but if all parties commit it can be done well. I find the idea of working to ensure that people have housing and receive the direct help they need to be the most effective. 


La Crosse is like many cities facing challenges with affordable housing. How would you work to improve the availability of affordable housing for working-class residents?

I am a strong believer in affordable housing and ensuring that we have a variety of housing to meet everyone’s needs. The best way to do this is to continue the work that our city planning office is committed to doing. However it is important to acknowledge that this challenge is one that can not be fixed on its own. If we are effectively going to address affordable housing we have to also address community perception, transportation, zoning, and all the other connected issues and opportunities.  

As for the how , I believe it starts with education and ensuring that when we discuss affordable housing that we are all working from the same definition. We have to examine land opportunities or improvements we have available in our city, then we bring the needed parties to the table. The research has already been done with the housing study. Now it is time for us to do the collaborative work needed to make it a reality.


What is your vision for economic growth in La Crosse, particularly in attracting new businesses and supporting existing ones? How do you plan to balance development with preserving the character of downtown and neighborhoods?

Our growth is determined by how welcoming we are as a community. We need to elevate the great things about this city to attract economic growth. La Crosse serves as the regional hub for the workforce in this region. We are supported by three great higher education institutions, two major health organizations, and several large manufacturing companies. I believe that there are ways that we can make our city more attractive to people looking to put down roots. We need to make sure that our housing initiatives focus on a variety of different housing to create and maintain more diverse neighborhood make-ups. We need to maintain and grow a highly trained workforce. We need to continue to highlight our incredible local culture and all the different ways that people can find where they belong in our city. Lastly, we need to ensure that our local businesses have support and that we bring in more state and federal dollars to expand business in our city. 


What is your approach to improving and maintaining the city’s infrastructure, including roads, public transportation and utilities?

My approach will be to advocate on a state and federal level to bring in more funding to the city to maintain and improve  infrastructure in our city. It is my understanding that the city is catching up on years of deferred maintenance. I will work with the department heads to prioritize projects not just for what our needs are now but also for our wants and needs in the future. We will do this while also making sure that members of our community have infrastructure that supports a walkable, bikeable, accessible city that is easily navigable for everyone. 


How do you plan to improve transportation options in La Crosse? What ideas do you have for expanding public transportation, enhancing pedestrian and bike pathways?

We have great city staff that have been working on diversifying our transportation modalities by ensuring bikers and walkers have safer routes. I will work with the city departments to make sure we are following our current plans like the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, Safe Routes to School Plan, Green Complete Streets plan and other plans that the city has paid for to help guide us in this area. However it does not stop at these plans. I will also work with the passionate community members that are knowledgeable or impacted by transportation and these initiatives like the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, La Crosse Transit Advocates, Disability Action Network and others. When we think about growing and attracting our city, addressing transportation is important. 


What strategies would you implement to ensure that La Crosse remains a safe community for residents and visitors? How do you plan to address issues such as police-community relations, crime prevention and emergency response preparedness?

I believe that La Crosse is a safe community and, like any other issue, I also believe that we should always work to improve. Similar to many other communities we are not exempt from crime. I believe that we should keep exploring research-based models for addressing community safety. La Crosse has engaged in community policing. Officers are out building relationships with business leaders, Community members, and members of local organizations. As Mayor I would also like to explore other models like restorative justice frameworks that work to repair harm and address safety. I also believe that it is important for us to build community amongst each other to ensure that we are looking out for each other’s safety in ways that don’t put an increased burden on police. 


What steps would you take to address climate change and improve sustainability efforts in La Crosse, particularly in areas such as renewable energy, waste reduction, and green spaces?

I remember participating in an interview for the Climate Action Plan and being excited that the Council adopted the new plan in 2023. The work has begun in this community around climate change, sustainability, renewable energy, waste reduction, and green spaces. I think it would be important as mayor to continue this work. It will be important to actively partner with the various departments and community groups that are working to ensure that we figure out ways to elevate sustainability in our city. I have been one of the leaders for the Juneteenth Celebration for the last 3 years and we have challenged ourselves every year to be more sustainable with the help of the experts in our area with the hopes that our efforts would permeate to other events in the area. 


What is your plan for supporting local schools and youth programs in La Crosse? How can the mayor’s office collaborate with the school district and other organizations to ensure educational opportunities and services for young people?

I recognize that the city of La Crosse does not have a human services department but we serve youth everyday because they are a part of the fabric of our community. As Mayor I would ensure that Superintendents in both public and private schools, university and college chancellors and presidents will meet consistently to ensure that we have a shared goal and we all understand the vision for our city. Bringing these educators together will allow a pooling of resources to better serve both K-12 and higher-ed students. 


With technological advancements affecting cities across the nation, how do you plan to incorporate tech and innovation into La Crosse’s growth? This could include areas such as digital infrastructure, smart city initiatives or fostering a local tech industry.

While our goal is not to leave anyone behind in the new digital age, and we won’t, it is imperative that we explore and begin to bring in new technological advancements in our city. One thing that comes to mind is placing a digital kiosk highlighting businesses and resources in our community. This would be an advancement that is utilized to keep the community informed about what is in our community and new things that arise. It could also serve as another opportunity for community input.