Post Messenger Recorder -

Henry Janisch

Age: 41

Occupation: Like many Americans, I am working two jobs. I work as a Paralegal specializing in Estate Planning and helping out at my wife's jewelry store.

Years lived in village: Around 30

Incumbent? No

Have you been on the village board or held any other public office before? If so please describe: Yes, I was twice elected to the village board during the economic crisis of 08' and 10'. I served on many subcommittees and remained focused on the good of the village.

Why are you running for village board? Because I feel that I will be a good representative of Glarners. I have experience holding local office. I am an independent thinker and enjoy meeting and talking to my fellow Glarners to hear their opinions and what they have to say.

What issues do you find most important to the village board? List your top three priorities: The pandemic is obviously first and foremost in all our minds. It dominates this list.

Economic recovery and economic stimulation would be the second and third.

If you could reverse one village action, what would that be? Impossible to say. I know most everyone on the board, and I believe that they are doing what each believes to be right. Even with hindsight, it would be difficult to guess other outcomes.

Any additional comments? I would like to add my thoughts on this pandemic so that everyone can gain a better understanding of who I am and where I am coming from. I have spent twelve years serving my country in some elite units, another four years serving my community. Most are amazed at how ordinary the young people who serve in our elite units are. I was in units that had professional athletes in them, and they did not stand out. I have been able to see how ordinary people who adhere to a set standard can create exceptional atmospheres and units. I am certainly not a hero, but I know a few and they all believed in protecting their fellow Americans in whatever ways they could, some gave all they had. We live in a nation that venerates the "Greatest Generation." We admire their selfless service, after Dec. 7th, as a wave of young Americans ran to recruiting stations across our nation to surrender their liberty and their rights, as that is what enlistment means, in order to defend them and their fellow Americans. This is a remarkable thing and worth admiring. We also have borne witness to an attack on our shores. All of us can remember where we were on 9/11, however, we also know what we did after 9/11. By most every account, less than one percent of our population signed up to serve overseas. As a society, we left it up to the few to do the heavy lifting.

Now we find ourselves under attack again, by an extremely deadly foe. Over half a million Americans have died. This bothers me a great deal and seems to be of no consequence to far too many. Once again, we seem to have left it up to the few, doctors, scientists, and healthcare workers to do the heavy lifting while we go on with our lives. Our country did ask us to act, not by wearing a uniform but by wearing a paper-like mask. For many Americans this was asking too much. I bore witness to a grown adult, throwing a temper-tantrum in a local restaurant because of their refusal to wear a mask to the bathroom. By all accounts this does not seem to be isolated.

I do not think that we are at the end of this pandemic. I am reminded of Winston Churchill as he said to his people "this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. It is perhaps the end of the beginning." I fear that we have a longer road ahead than we would like to admit. Electing any one person will not save us. In my opinion, we must save ourselves and each other. If you refuse to answer the call of your nation to wear a mask, I can only ask what is it that you are prepared to do to protect your fellow Americans? Wearing a mask seems to be the biggest nothing ever asked of any generation in our country's history, and yet we seem to be failing.

This is how I see this issue. I hope to draw attention to the fear of change to our routine. Some act as though any change is an attack on them and lose focus on who our enemy is. We need our economy to come back, and to do that we need people to know that New Glarus is doing its duty and answering its country's call to simply wear a mask. So that people can come out, and others can come to visit a thriving beautiful community. It requires no courage or training. It does require diligence and consideration for one another. If New Glarus cannot accomplish this, where we all know and love one another, what hope does the rest of the country have?

I do not presume to be correct on all things, but the connection between mask wearing and its effect on stemming the spread of pandemics is old history. However, if I am wrong then we lose nothing. So, this reasoning on issues that come up is how you can expect me to tackle them. I ask the opinions of as many concerned community members as possible and use reason to come to the best conclusion for my community. People love the expression, "there is no such thing as a free lunch." I find it to be true, we must earn our way forward. I do not believe that we can afford to wait for a small group of people to save us, especially when we have the means to save ourselves. I enjoy interacting with my neighbors and am generally more than willing to talk about any subject. I am usually out and about throughout town and am easy to spot, if you see a tall thin fellow wearing a suit, it is probably me.