Meredith Scheuermann makes return to Oshkosh politics with Common Council Campaign

OSHKOSH, WI—(WISS)—Meredith Scheuermann is not a new name in Oshkosh politics. She served on the Oshkosh Common Council from 2007 to 2009. After her stint on the council, she did not abandon the city, but instead chose to stay active by serving on several governmental committees. But now, she is one of the seven candidates competing for the three open seats on the Oshkosh Common Council.

“ I’ve been passionate about city politics for decades. Being on the council 20 years ago, I never really lost that passion. I stayed involved through the Board of Zoning Appeals, through the Planning Commission, through the RDA (Redevelopment Authority); all boards and commissions I’m on today,” said Scheuermann. “What I realized that those are all advisory and the only way to really make a difference, a true difference, is to be one of the seven who actually can make that vote count.” 

Serving as an officer of a local bank, Scheuermann said she is dedicated to fiscal responsibility and the financial well-being of the Oshkosh city government. She sees the Common Council as the “Board of Directors” for the city. City Manager Rebecca Grill is the CEO. Department heads are the management. And the Common Council acts as the board of directors in an advisory role.

Scheuermann said experience on the council could give candidates, such as herself and Paul Esslinger, a slight advantage at the polls.

“ If experience is important to you, then for sure it should. I would say that it also gives me consistent dedication that I’ve never wavered from my love of Oshkosh and my commitment to the city. So do I think it should give us a leg up? You know, I would say yes,” she explained.

Scheuermann points out she has a passion for the city and wants to be a part of its growth.

“ I think that there are some things that we can continue to do and grow and evolve. So I want to be part of that process of being better,” said Scheuermann. “I’m not running because I think we’re terrible. And I think we have to be good or be better. I just think that we can be better. And I just want to be part of that process!”

Meredith Scheuermann’s Campaign

Oshkosh Issues

Scheuermann said the number one issue she sees facing the City of Oshkosh in 2026 is thoughtful fiscal responsibility coupled with progressive development. 

“ You’ve got to find a way to be more than just city streets and garbage and sewers,” she said. “But yet, we can’t bear the burden, the tax burden on the residents, either to build big, outrageous things.”

She said she knows that Oshkosh residents are mainly concerned with affordability issues in the city, especially regarding property taxes.

 ”They’re really concerned about their pocketbook. They’re concerned of the property taxes. They’re getting hit, you know, county, school board, the taxes are a combination of all of those, as you know,” said Scheuermann. “You hear a lot about, ‘I can’t afford this. I can’t afford any kind of increases!’ So just being really mindful of the expenses that we spend in the city is important to them.”

Housing 

Scheuermann considered prioritizing housing one of the four major tenets of her campaign. 

“It’s about looking at our zoning ordinances. So, for instance, we just passed a revision of the code that allows a third-story dwelling to become a livable space now,” she explained. “So for some people, that’s housing. If you live in a garage, in the top of a garage, that’s housing for some people.”

She said the residential, building, and zoning codes have not been reviewed in the city in a very long time. She said she thinks that with some changes, it might become easier to develop in the city.

“ Making it just a little bit easier, still keeping being safe and all of that, but maybe being able to make it a little bit easier for contractors to come in. There’d be more opportunity for lower cost housing to be done,” she said.

Property Taxes

Last year, property taxes in Oshkosh did go down a bit with a reduction in the mill rate. That came after a significant jump in 2024. Scheuerman said she thinks the city needs to be more forward-thinking when developing budgets.

 Sometimes we do our planning short-term, and we’re not sustainable. We don’t look at the long term…When we talk about deferring maintenance, if we just keep deferring maintenance, deferring maintenance, then at some point we have to buy a whole new fleet!” she said.

Regardless, she said she wants to start all budget processes with no increase.

“ I think we need to come in at a flat tax rate, like no increase. I want to start from there. I don’t want it to come to me with already 3% built in, and then we start taking away. I don’t want to do that. I want to  know ‘What does it look like flat?’ Maybe plus one minus one. Maybe a couple of options,” she explained. “But, back in the day, we would come in with it sort of preconceived what the (budget) was going to look like. And there almost always was a tax increase in there. I don’t want to start there.”

Lagniappe: a little something extra

To know more about Meredith Scheuermann is to see that she runs. Not just for the Common Council, but she puts shoes to the pavement and runs.

“ I’m a marathoner!” Scheuermann said. “So I’ve run thousands of miles across the city of Oshkosh. I’ve ran 93 half or full marathons, all 50 states. I’m on my second time around three countries. So I’m a runner.”

As part of her campaign process, Scheuermann has incorporated physical activity. She connects with voters in “Walk and Talks,” where she walks and talks about what is important to constituents.

Engaging with the campaign

To engage with Scheuermann’s campaign, Oshkosh residents can visit her campaign Facebook page or connect with her at various events throughout the city. 

“I’m very accessible. I work at a local bank downtown. I’m on Facebook. I’m on Instagram. It’s Meredith Scheuermann for City Council. I love to talk to people one-on-one. I love coffees. I love happy hours. I don’t know if I should probably say that, but I do. And I’m just really accessible because I think it’s really important for people to get to know the candidates, because there are so many and we are pretty diverse,” she said.

Oshkosh Common Council Race

Eight people are running for the three Common Council seats being decided this spring. In addition to Scheuermann, Alec Lefeber, Jacob Amos, Paul Esslinger, Tim Neubauer, Eric Gumz, Logan Jungbacker, and Dan Lenz have all turned in papers to run. Amos was appointed to fill the remainder of Kris Larson’s term in November. He is running for his first full term.

Incumbents D.J. Nichols and Jacob Floam have decided not to seek reelection.

The primary will be held on February 17th, during which the field of candidates will be reduced to six. The spring election is April 7, 2026.