Five candidates vie for two seats on city council

Trisha Benton Randolph Times

RANDOLPH – Five residents are vying for two open seats on Randolph City Council. One candidate will be eliminated after the May 14 primary election with the final selections made in November.

Residents will fill in the circle next to the names of their top two choices on the primary ballot, choosing between Brandon Backhaus, Todd Greiner, Kayla Korth, Tom Wiese and Walter Worlein.

Here’s a look at all five candidates: Brandon Backhaus

Backhaus hopes to pick up right where he left off if elected to Randolph city council.

He previously served one term on the council, 2018-22. He found he missed being a part of the action on the council and decided to run for the position again.

“I was also involved in a majority of the Floodplain project and with that winding down I am looking forward to seeing empty buildings turn into businesses,” he said.

Although there are no major issues currently, infrastructure is always a concern with dated water and sewer pipes as well as some street maintenance needed, he said.

“Those repairs come with a hefty price tag and you can’t just do one or the other,” Backhaus said. “The challenge is sticking to the budget and drawing new business into town to increase revenue to be designated to those projects without raising taxes.”

Not everyone in town will be happy with all of the decisions made by the council, he said.

“You just need to find the right balance of common sense and be transparent,” Backhaus said. “When things don’t go a certain way, I will not remain anonymous.”

Backhaus has lived in Randolph for 13 years, graduating from Randolph High School in 1999. He has three children and is active in the Randolph Volunteer Fire Department. He is the sales manager for Eagle Distributing of Nebraska. ***

Todd Greiner

Greiner wants his children and his grandchildren to be proud to call Randolph home.

“If we are not actively trying to move Randolph forward and resting on our laurels, we are going backward in my opinion. There is currently a lot to be proud of in Randolph and there is also much more we can do together,” he said.

For years, city council candidates have focused on dilapidated properties and buildings in Randolph which remains an issue, he said.

Another Cedar County community has successfully used Tax Increment Financing to not only build up business and industry but also demolish those properties that are dilapidated, he said.

“I’m not saying this exact model would work for Randolph but the general idea could work,” Greiner said.

He is employed as a deputy with the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office which allows him to work in all of the communities in the county.

“I am able to see they face many of the same issues Randolph does,” Greiner said. “I am able to see how they handle these issues and can observe some ideas that have worked and others that have not.”

Greiner previously served as Randolph Police Chief 2015-2017 and currently volunteers for the Randolph Volunteer Fire Department.

He is married to Megan and they have three sons: Jude, Nash and Rex. ***

Kayla Korth

Running for city council was a decision not taken lightly by Korth but she is eager to serve if elected.

“I would like to see continued growth and expansion of our town and what we have to offer current and future residents as well as to those passing through,” she said.

As an elected council member she would like to focus on current city ordinances.

“I would like to begin by reviewing those with council members and city administration to be sure they are current and serving a purpose,” she said. “I feel that we can take a look at some of those ordinances and focus on improvement of city conditions such as properties both residential and commercial.”

Korth said she’s the ideal council member because she can speak confidently on all topics but also step back and see all the issues through various lenses.

“I am looking toward the future with high expectations of what we can achieve together,” she said.

Korth works as a speech language pathologist, currently employed at Providence Medical Center, Wayne. She will be transitioning to working full-time for the Educational Service Unit 1 at the start of the 2024-25 school year.

She currently serves on the Cardinal Kids Learning Center Board of Directors and is a volunteer EMT with Randolph Rescue.

In the summer, you’ll find her umpiring softball games locally and around the state.

She has lived in Randolph all of her life, and is married with three children.

***

Tom Wiese

Wiese considers himself a citizen not a politician and perhaps that makes him a city council candidate worth considering.

“Since I’ve lived here my whole life, I feel like I could be a good voice for the community,” he said of his reason for running for city council. “I wanted to be more involved.”

Wiese said he isn’t different from any of the other candidates and that any of them would do a good job as a city council member.

The only issue he’s currently concerned about is maintaining the city streets.

He’s currently a member of the city’s planning commission and has worked with the city in the past to provide drone video footage of the community to apply for grants.

He’s an Air Force veteran. Wiese works as a FedEx contractor, working for the company for 12 years and managing a fleet of 25 drivers for the last seven.

He’s married to Candace and they have two children. ***

Walter Worlein

Worlein said he’s running for council to help “make a change.” He said city issues that stand out for him are “a little bit of mixture of everything” from the city budget and rebuilding roads to making sure city employees are taken care of. Worlein is the maintenance manager and transportation director at Randolph Public Schools. He is married to Penny and their family has been a part of the community for the last seen years.

“I haven’t lived here my whole life so I can bring a bit of a different perspective,” he said.

He’s involved in leadership of the local scouting troops in town.