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Conversations with... Clarence Hintz

By JIM SCHUH
of The Gazette
Clarence "Clem" Hintz is in his 13th year as chairman of the Portage County Board of Supervisors. But his years of public service actually go back to 1967, when voters in the town of Linwood first elected him to the Town Board. Hintz is now 78, and still enjoys local politics. He has no plans to retire.

Saint Michael's Hospital Foundation will honor Hintz this Saturday, presenting him with the Quality of Life Leadership Award at the annual Community Leadership Celebration.

Hintz is a World War II veteran, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He spent 39 years working for Consolidated Papers, and retired after running the water treatment plant for the Wisconsin River Division. Over the years, he's been active in community organizations, including his church, the Knights of Columbus, Lions and Elks.

He sat down recently with The Gazette for a wide-ranging interview.

Gazette: You've been in local politics for a long time. How did it start?

Hintz: There was a problem in the town of Linwood, and I complained to my wife (Ardene) about it. She said, 'If you're so smart, why don't you run (for the town board)?' That was in 1967. I became chairman the next year, and served as chairman for 28 years. I was first elected (to the Portage County Board of Supervisors) in 1975, and have served for 19 years - I'm in my 13th year as chairman. I take the job seriously, but you've got to have some fun doing it.

Gazette: You've had many achievements heading the county board. What are the greatest?

Hintz: The Portage County Business Park. (The late) Vern Holmes got me started on it. He knew everybody, and if he had lived, the Park would be three-quarters filled today. I've also been lucky to have Chuck Kell (head of the county's Planning and Zoning Department). Between Vern and Chuck, we got (the Business Park) going.

We've got the nicest business park in the state of Wisconsin - good transportation - highway, rail, air. We also have good covenants. Attracting Lands' End to the park was the hardest thing I ever did - we've got to give all the credit to (former) Gov. (Tommy) Thompson for getting them to locate here.

We were going so well in filling up the park, but it slowed up this year. If the economy wouldn't have gone down, we'd really have been moving. We've got three firms interested in locating in the park now, but there's no action so far. We definitely need help in getting businesses to locate here, and we're looking at the James Berry firm of Milwaukee to give us some help. I've got all the confidence in the world that we'll keep growing. I'm a true believer in the Business Park. Down the road, it's going to make Portage County rich.

Gazette: What are some other achievements?

Hintz: Highways - I'm proud of Highway 10 on Stevens Point's east side, and of course, the HH bridge and improvements to Brilowski Road. With Highway 10, Stevens Point and Hull wouldn't help pay for it, so the county went on its own and did it. (The HH bridge project went through some of Hintz's land.) I didn't get rich on HH. Someday, it will go west to Junction City.

I'm also proud of the county library, the Senior Center and upgrading the EMS system to paramedics.

And Portage County has one of the lowest (county) tax rates in Wisconsin. I've been fortunate to have good people to work with.

Gazette: Are there things you wish you'd done differently?

Hintz: I'd have put frontage roads along Highway 10 (on Stevens Point's east side). The DOT (Wisconsin Department of Transportation) should have helped us with that.

Gazette: The state Department of Revenue has just released new equalized valuation figures, and Portage County's are lower than you had hoped. What effect will this have?

Hintz: It's really going to hurt us. We had hoped it would be around 6 percent, and instead, it's 3.59 percent. It's probably going to cost us somewhere between $800,000 and $900,000 in shared revenues next year. Farmland credits are what are hurting us. (The state now taxes farmland on its use, rather than location.) If owners of forest cropland and swampland were successful in getting the state to give them similar tax breaks, it would be really disastrous for us.

We'll have to see what happens when we put our budget together for next year. Some departments haven't filled open positions - there are two deputy positions in the Sheriff's Department we didn't fill, and three or four at the Highway Department. Health and Human Services is down three or four people.

If we get hit with a loss in shared revenue in 2004, we're going to cut where it hurts the state of Wisconsin most - where the state has mandates - in law enforcement and criminal justice. (Projections show a 2004 shared revenue loss to the county of an additional $600,000.)

Gazette: What about a new jail? That could be expensive.

Hintz: We're in a bind with the present Portage County jail. We've been shipping prisoners to other facilities and it's starting to cost us money. We need a new Law Enforcement Center. The state may come in and say we can't operate at the present jail any more. A new jail may have to come in the next five years. We'd like to stay downtown.

Gazette: Why couldn't Portage and Wood counties get together to build one jail?

Hintz: The joint Portage-Wood County jail project didn't work because we had a turf battle between sheriffs. Who's going to run it? Where will it be? Who has liability? We had to make sure all bases were covered if it was to come to pass.

Gazette: How has the economy affected Portage County? For example, what about sales tax collections?

Hintz: They were down a little bit earlier this year, but now we back up even to last year's level.

Gazette: Do you have any regrets?

Hintz: Not really. I've always been a person who looks to the future. The department heads recommend programs - we look at them, and then see if they're good. If they can prove a program is good for Portage County, we've OK'd them. The department heads have done well for the county.

Gazette: Is there anything you'd like to achieve before you step aside?

Hintz: I'd like to have the Business Park 75 percent full. It's the backbone of Portage County and the city. The county will have to work along with Plover - they need a new business park. I've always believed that everything you can do for Portage County is good for all of us.

I'd like to see firms with 150 to 250 employees locate here, rather than very large companies. Then if a firm fails, it doesn't hurt the community as much.
I hope things keep on going as in the past. We've been fortunate - we're moving ahead.

Gazette: Is there anything particularly funny that happened to you in this job?

Hintz: We got caught in an ethics violation. We couldn't get things done on the County Board floor and needed to make changes. Ten or 12 of us met at the North Side Bar in 1986, when District Attorney John Runde came in and told us we were violating the law. But he drank our beer!

Gazette: What do you like to do away from the office?

Hintz: I love to play golf. I also spend time on my Christmas tree farm.

Gazette: How long do you plan to remain in public office?

Hintz: I'll keep hanging around for a while. I'm like a flat tire - I put a patch on and keep going. I've always told people that if I start repeating myself, tell me and I'll get out.

I've been married to Ardene for almost 54 years. She's been the backbone of my success. She's been a gem to work with. She's been a real help to me in this position.



	Conversations with... Clarence Hintz By JIM SCHUH of The Gazette Clarence "Clem" Hintz is in his 13th year as chairman of the Portage County Board of Supervisors. But his years of public service actually go back to 1967, when voters in the town of Linwood first elected him to the Town Board. Hintz is now 78, and still enjoys local politics. He has no plans to retire. Saint Michael's Hospital Foundation will honor Hintz this Saturday, presenting him with the Quality of Life Leadership Award at the annual Community Leadership Celebration. Hintz is a World War II veteran, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He spent 39 years working for Consolidated Papers, and retired after running the water treatment plant for the Wisconsin River Division. Over the years, he's been active in community organizations, including his church, the Knights of Columbus, Lions and Elks. He sat down recently with The Gazette for a wide-ranging interview. Gazette: You've been in local politics for a long time. How did it start? Hintz: There was a problem in the town of Linwood, and I complained to my wife (Ardene) about it. She said, 'If you're so smart, why don't you run (for the town board)?' That was in 1967. I became chairman the next year, and served as chairman for 28 years. I was first elected (to the Portage County Board of Supervisors) in 1975, and have served for 19 years - I'm in my 13th year as chairman. I take the job seriously, but you've got to have some fun doing it. Gazette: You've had many achievements heading the county board. What are the greatest? Hintz: The Portage County Business Park. (The late) Vern Holmes got me started on it. He knew everybody, and if he had lived, the Park would be three-quarters filled today. I've also been lucky to have Chuck Kell (head of the county's Planning and Zoning Department). Between Vern and Chuck, we got (the Business Park) going. We've got the nicest business park in the state of Wisconsin - good transportation - highway, rail, air. We also have good covenants. Attracting Lands' End to the park was the hardest thing I ever did - we've got to give all the credit to (former) Gov. (Tommy) Thompson for getting them to locate here. We were going so well in filling up the park, but it slowed up this year. If the economy wouldn't have gone down, we'd really have been moving. We've got three firms interested in locating in the park now, but there's no action so far. We definitely need help in getting businesses to locate here, and we're looking at the James Berry firm of Milwaukee to give us some help. I've got all the confidence in the world that we'll keep growing. I'm a true believer in the Business Park. Down the road, it's going to make Portage County rich. Gazette: What are some other achievements? Hintz: Highways - I'm proud of Highway 10 on Stevens Point's east side, and of course, the HH bridge and improvements to Brilowski Road. With Highway 10, Stevens Point and Hull wouldn't help pay for it, so the county went on its own and did it. (The HH bridge project went through some of Hintz's land.) I didn't get rich on HH. Someday, it will go west to Junction City. I'm also proud of the county library, the Senior Center and upgrading the EMS system to paramedics. And Portage County has one of the lowest (county) tax rates in Wisconsin. I've been fortunate to have good people to work with. Gazette: Are there things you wish you'd done differently? Hintz: I'd have put frontage roads along Highway 10 (on Stevens Point's east side). The DOT (Wisconsin Department of Transportation) should have helped us with that. Gazette: The state Department of Revenue has just released new equalized valuation figures, and Portage County's are lower than you had hoped. What effect will this have? Hintz: It's really going to hurt us. We had hoped it would be around 6 percent, and instead, it's 3.59 percent. It's probably going to cost us somewhere between $800,000 and $900,000 in shared revenues next year. Farmland credits are what are hurting us. (The state now taxes farmland on its use, rather than location.) If owners of forest cropland and swampland were successful in getting the state to give them similar tax breaks, it would be really disastrous for us. We'll have to see what happens when we put our budget together for next year. Some departments haven't filled open positions - there are two deputy positions in the Sheriff's Department we didn't fill, and three or four at the Highway Department. Health and Human Services is down three or four people. If we get hit with a loss in shared revenue in 2004, we're going to cut where it hurts the state of Wisconsin most - where the state has mandates - in law enforcement and criminal justice. (Projections show a 2004 shared revenue loss to the county of an additional $600,000.) Gazette: What about a new jail? That could be expensive. Hintz: We're in a bind with the present Portage County jail. We've been shipping prisoners to other facilities and it's starting to cost us money. We need a new Law Enforcement Center. The state may come in and say we can't operate at the present jail any more. A new jail may have to come in the next five years. We'd like to stay downtown. Gazette: Why couldn't Portage and Wood counties get together to build one jail? Hintz: The joint Portage-Wood County jail project didn't work because we had a turf battle between sheriffs. Who's going to run it? Where will it be? Who has liability? We had to make sure all bases were covered if it was to come to pass. Gazette: How has the economy affected Portage County? For example, what about sales tax collections? Hintz: They were down a little bit earlier this year, but now we back up even to last year's level. Gazette: Do you have any regrets? Hintz: Not really. I've always been a person who looks to the future. The department heads recommend programs - we look at them, and then see if they're good. If they can prove a program is good for Portage County, we've OK'd them. The department heads have done well for the county. Gazette: Is there anything you'd like to achieve before you step aside? Hintz: I'd like to have the Business Park 75 percent full. It's the backbone of Portage County and the city. The county will have to work along with Plover - they need a new business park. I've always believed that everything you can do for Portage County is good for all of us. I'd like to see firms with 150 to 250 employees locate here, rather than very large companies. Then if a firm fails, it doesn't hurt the community as much. I hope things keep on going as in the past. We've been fortunate - we're moving ahead. Gazette: Is there anything particularly funny that happened to you in this job? Hintz: We got caught in an ethics violation. We couldn't get things done on the County Board floor and needed to make changes. Ten or 12 of us met at the North Side Bar in 1986, when District Attorney John Runde came in and told us we were violating the law. But he drank our beer! Gazette: What do you like to do away from the office? Hintz: I love to play golf. I also spend time on my Christmas tree farm. Gazette: How long do you plan to remain in public office? Hintz: I'll keep hanging around for a while. I'm like a flat tire - I put a patch on and keep going. I've always told people that if I start repeating myself, tell me and I'll get out. I've been married to Ardene for almost 54 years. She's been the backbone of my success. She's been a gem to work with. She's been a real help to me in this position.