SUPERIOR — Voters in Superior’s 3rd District head to the polls April 4 to decide who will represent them for the next year on the Superior City Council.
Darrell Kyle, 2317 Hammond Ave., and Garner Moffat, 1702 N. 21st St., are running for a chance to serve after former City Councilor Warren Bender resigned in November. The winner will serve out the remainder of the term that expires in April 2024.
Both candidates have government experience. Kyle, a chaplain by trade, has served as president of the Lake Nebagamon Village Board; and Moffat, who works with community nonprofits, currently serves on Superior’s Plan Commission, among many other bodies in the past.
But Kyle and Moffat have different visions for the district and the role of city governance.
Reshaping Tower Avenue
The city is currently in the planning stages for a 2027 project that could reduce the number of lanes on Tower Avenue from Belknap to North 28th streets.
ADVERTISEMENT
While the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is making plans for concrete repairs and an overlay of that stretch of Wisconsin Highway 35, city officials are conducting a capacity and operational analysis to determine the feasibility of reducing traffic lanes and adding islands to make the neighborhood more walkable and more like Tower Avenue downtown.
“I think we should also look at a traffic study with the one-way roads on both sides of Tower Ave in this segment,” Moffat said. “One way traffic may be causing speeding and less safe neighborhoods in this corridor. Tower should be used as the collector for traffic, but I also support the proposed improvements of lessening lanes and creating a safer experience for all users.”
Living near Tower Avenue, Moffat said there is heavy pedestrian use in the area, and his neighbors at Roosevelt Terrace have created a plan to calm traffic in the neighborhood.
“This plan has already been submitted to the city, and as a council member, I look forward to supporting it and working to encourage more neighborhood input in future projects,” Moffat said.
Kyle said replicating the Tower Avenue reconstruction project downtown may not be the best approach for neighborhoods south of Belknap Street.
"I think that there are better ways that we could use our funds for road and street improvement than doing what's been done on North Tower,” Kyle said. “So, the whole idea of making more walkable I think is laudable, but I don't think that's the answer. I really think that we should do more exploration and discernment before we continue with the planning that's been done.”
Connect Superior
The city council in coming months could be launching the first phase of a multi-year project to install 180-240 miles of new fiber that would go past 12,200 homes and 1,100 businesses with the goal of providing higher speed and more affordable broadband service in the city.
The projected cost of the 5- to 10-year buildout is about $52.6 million. The estimated cost to users of the network ranges from $45 to $70 depending on the speed of service, according to current estimates.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I think we need to have a very, very firm understanding of what it is going to cost, both initially and to sustain,” Kyle said. “And there has to be a measurable benefit to the citizens of Superior in any project like this. I want to make sure that we're not committing ourselves to costs that simply aren't sustainable. So, to me, the most important part of that is the financial end of it. Not only what it's going to cost to put in to start with, but what it's going to cost to continue that service.”
Moffat said he supports the municipal fiber optic network.
“The proposed project is simultaneously important for economic development; equity; and building sustainable wealth; freedom of information; and supporting community growth,” Moffat said. “Fast, affordable and reliable internet is essential to the future, and we're lucky to be along the leading edge, not falling behind.”
The Trust Project
