Russia, Nicaragua, Poland: who’s paying for Wiza’s overseas trips?

By Brandi Makuski

Mayor Mike Wiza is the first mayor to represent Stevens Point in another country since 1990.

He’s also the only mayor in the city’s history to travel to three different countries as a municipal representative.

The Sister City Project was initiated by a group of citizens who traveled to Rostov Veliki, Russia, in 1984 but wasn’t adopted by the two city governments until 1990 under Mayor W. Scott Schultz. The program includes formal relationships with Rostov and Gulcz, a village with a population of about 600 in Poland; and is closely associated with the partner city of Esteli, Nicaragua.

Two sisters and a partner

The purpose of the program was to promote citizen exchange, tourism, and economic development programs, including industry and commerce, and “other appropriate opportunities for cooperation which may arise,” according to city records. Similar relationships were later solidified with Gulcz and Esteli.

All three communities are being recognized in a pocket park under construction at Pfiffner Pioneer Park. Cultural Commons bills itself as “an interactive garden and education space” using architectural and artistic elements reflective of the sister communities, and broke ground last year.

Diplomatic travel patterns

According to City Clerk Paul Piotrowski, Schultz (1987-94) was the first to travel to Rostov Veliki, leading a delegation to the city in June 1990—travel problems about that trip were covered in a New York Times story—after the Rostov mayor visited Stevens Point in 1989.

Under Mayor Gary Wescott’s administration (1995-2007), Wescott sent his assistant Louis Molepske—who would later go on to serve one term in the Wisconsin Legislature and is currently the Portage Co. District Attorney—to Nicaragua.

During Mayor Andrew Halverson’s time in office (2008-2015), Alderman Randy Stroik was sent with a group to visit Rostov. Stroik’s uncle, Ray, was a founding member of the group that first traveled to Rostov.

Piotrowski said to his knowledge, no other mayor has traveled out of the country as a representative of the city.

The Wiza Administration

Wiza’s first trip out of the country was the subject of great discussion prior to departure and was reported in local media outlets before the August 2017 trip. Along with a few others from the community, Mayor Wiza, his wife, Chris, and Public Utilities Director Joel Lemke, traveled to Rostov for about two weeks.

According to City Treasurer Corey Ladick, the trip cost the city $2,518 each for Wiza and Lemke. Mrs. Wiza’s travel expenses were not covered.

In March 2018, Wiza and his wife embarked on another trip, this time to Esteli, as part of a group on a goodwill mission by the Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partners. Travel expenses paid by the city for Mayor Wiza came to $1,985.75.

Ladick said all departments in city government have some travel and education expenses built into their budgets—often used for a work-related conference or training, he said—and the mayor’s office also has a community/public relations budget. Expenses for the hotel and travel for both trips, Ladick said, were covered entirely by those funds.

“I’m not aware of them paying anything for airfare or hotel, but there’s no percentage or cost-sharing or anything,” he said.

On May 22, Wiza and his wife, along with Lemke and Public Works Director Scott Beduhn, left for a two-week trip to Poland that has already been well-documented on Wiza’s Facebook page. When page followers began to ask whether the city paid for the trip, Wiza said the city paid for “some” of the cost.

Wiza followed up the next day by publishing a letter on the city’s website justifying the trip, writing in part, “the things we learn and share help make our community a better place to live.”

“Most of the costs for me to visit our Sister Cities are covered under this budget, too. Airfare, transportation, and lodging are covered, just as they would be for a conference,” Wiza wrote. “We left Stevens Point with members of the Polish-American Heritage Society, who all paid for their own trip, as did my wife. This trip is not over, obviously, but will cost around $2,000 for me, including the gifts for our friends here like pins, pencils for the students, and some other Stevens Point-related things.”

Wiza also wrote that he had “never exceeded the overall budget that is approved by the City Council.”

According to the city treasurer, travel and hotel expenses for the Poland trip cost the city about $2,255 for Wiza, with the same costs each for Lemke and Beduhn, the entirety of which came from the budgets of their respective departments.

All told, the city has paid $6,760.04 for Wiza’s travel since 2017.

Ladick said while some line items may exceed their budget, the overage can be canceled out by coming in under budget for another line item.

When asked if the city had any measurable economic benefit as a result of the travel, Ladick said he “was not aware of any”, adding, “I am not aware of any grant funding or other reimbursements that we have received to cover the costs of the trips.”

Wiza, Lemke, and Beduhn are expected to return to work June 3.

(Courtesy City of Stevens Point)