FDL City Council Candidate Profile – Brian Kolstad

As voters in the City of Fond du Lac head to the polls on April 2nd, one of the key races they will see is for Fond du Lac City Council. Six people are running for three spots on the council, including incumbent councilman Brian Kolstad. Kolstad is seeking his third term on the council, and is the only incumbent of the six candidates. Kolstad says one of the proudest accomplishments during his time on the council so far is the remodeling of the Hotel Retlaw. “We looked at encouraging the right investor to come in and purchase that property and found ways to help them finance the plan that they had – the plan that would make this an actual viable hotel. Thankfully, they’ve had their soft opening and they’ll be open for full service later this season. So, that’s kind of our biggest victory in a sense – that we now have a spectacular hotel, the Hotel Retlaw, in our downtown,” Kolstad said.

Kolstad identifies employee turnover area businesses and attracting and retaining local talent as one of the biggest challenges facing the council going forward. “We’ll need to replace those workers that are retiring with new ones, and that all comes down to being able to retain talent, to develop our talented workforce and being able to attract new people to the area,” Kolstad said. He says to do that the city needs good parks and other amenities – things that make Fond du Lac a place people want to live. He says the city is also able to show what it has to offer through tourism.

As for why voters should re-elect him to City Council, Kolstad says it’s because he’s willing to listen. “I try to put myself into everyone else’s shoes and see where they’re coming from before i make a decision on something,” he said. “My job is not to represent myself, it’s to represent the community at large, If I see something as a valid action for the rest of the community, I will take that even if I don’t think that’s the best for my own point of view.”


Visit Kolstad’s Facebook Page


Listen to Kolstad’s full candidate interview with Bob Hoffmaster