Travis Prindl for Alderman of West Bend

06/14/2026

Today we got to go fishing on Lake Michigan off Port Washington as part of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of WashingtonCounty. Jennifer Ann and I have been volunteering with this organization for about a year now with a young fella from Kewaskum. The local fishing club had 8 boats with volunteer captains donate their time and resources and most importantly, their EXPERTISE, helping the bigs and littles have a great day. It was a lot of fun, as we caught 8 big fish capped by a King Salmon that weighed 8.25 pounds, which won the competition for biggest fish. I believe we pulled in the most poundage as well. It was a great time by all, and big thanks to the two Fellas from Cedar Grove that were great!

06/14/2026

Did you make it to the Newburg Firemans picnic? Last weekend I was working the soda and ice cream stand. It was really busy because the rain held off Friday night and the heat ramped up. People were thirsty! As part of the West Bend Kettle Trailblazers snowmobile club, we volunteer at a number of events and get paid from the organizers afterwards. We sell home baked goods for our own benefit on top of the supplied goods offered for sale.

06/08/2026

Today I was honored to tour the West Bend Municipal Utilities. I was invited by Ruth Mueller, the Director of our Utilities, with Travis Thull, the Water Utilities Manager, and then toured the Sanitation Department with Steve Randall, the Sewer Operations Superintendent.
People often asked me why I wanted to become an Alderman, and I often said that I was curious about the inner workings of my community and how it all fits together.
Honestly, I was genuinely impressed not just with quality of the facilities this community enjoys, but the extremely passionate and competent professionals running the machine.
West Bend enjoys a fantastic utility support, with outstanding, (if not best available) water supply system with excellent water well and storage networks. This includes our newest system they just built to remove any chemicals in the ground water, (NPAs?? somebody fill that in if you can). Our sewer system and plant that deals with our waste is incredible. It was designed and built about 1980, and was expected to serve a community of about 50,000 people. West Bend today is still sitting at about 38,000 so the system is not already outdated and is getting great maintenance and replacements without compromising their services. Our costs per customer are the lowest compared to all of our surrounding communities, so that is great credit to our Managers that keep the costs down while keeping the service at A+ levels consistently making top scores with the DNR and EPA evaluations.

We are so lucky to live here. Look at many places in the world where clean water is almost unheard of without buying it. So proud of City of West Bend!

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06/08/2026

One month in as Alderman has been pretty cool so far... The Council approved a ton of business permits like liquor licenses for grocery stores, etc, several new housing developments are starting up around the city. These have been in the works for a quite a while, but they are breaking ground and proceeding now. New businesses that are being built will bring many new jobs to the area.
Last week I passed my first official law of the city regarding E-Bikes. We essentially modeled it after state regulations so it is compliant with the rest of the state, but these new bikes are rapidly growing in numbers and they have great potential for injury with the speed that they can travel.
Essentially, kids 16 and under can ride these bikes on most sidewalks, where 17 and up need to ride in the streets. Plus, no bikes are allowed on the sidewalks downtown as there is a lot of pedestrians there and there is a history of collisions that we wish to prevent. The biggest issue I see with these bikes is the operators need to be prudent and alert the pedestrians as they approach. They are essentially silent and moving up to 28 mph. I have had near misses with these bikes multiple times as they fly by me without getting my attention.
Last week I got to tour the Public Works Department and met the staff, and today I meet with our Utilities teams. My next adventures will be touring the new Fire Station with the Chief and hopefully a ride-along with one of our Police Officers for a day.
I've also highlighted some sidewalk concerns and road issues within my district with the Public Works Director for repairs and adjustments.

05/11/2026

During National Police Week, we pause to honor the men and women of law enforcement who serve our communities with courage, professionalism, and integrity every day. We especially remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and the families who continue to carry that loss with strength and grace.

Here in Washington County, I am proud of the deputies, corrections officers, dispatchers, and professional staff who answer the call at all hours—often in difficult and dangerous circumstances—while remaining committed to protecting our citizens and supporting one another.

Law enforcement is more than a profession. It is a commitment to service, accountability, and standing beside our communities in both the best and most challenging moments.

Please join me this National Police Week in thanking all those who wear the badge and remembering the heroes who never made it home.

We Will Never Forget.

Sheriff Martin Schulteis
Washington County Sheriff’s Office

05/11/2026

Great job!

The City of West Bend received its seventh Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for its 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR). This certificate of achievement is a significant accomplishment for the City. It is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting for a municipality to earn.

The City of West Bend’s ACFR had to receive unanimous approval from the reviewers on the Special Review Committee in order to receive the award. The reviewers use a checklist as a guide when assessing each ACFR. Prior year comments and suggestions for corrections are also reviewed. These graded summaries are then returned to the GFOA, where program staff then conduct an in-house review to verify comments and suggestions for improvements. This procedure ensures consistency within the program. A Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting is awarded once the ACFR is determined to substantially conform to the program standards.

Pictured: Assistant Finance Director Colin Shortts, Finance Director Carrie Winklbauer, Account Technician Lisa Rosbeck

04/19/2026

This week I went to City Hall where I officially took the Oath of Office before my term begins this Tuesday.

On Saturday, I participated in a seminar held by the Leadership Institute learning about Robert's Rules, the organized system that is used to hold official meetings for all kinds of organizations. It was really interesting to learn how these things are done and it was really helpful for me before I sit in the chair.

04/09/2026

Thank you to everyone that took the time to vote on Tuesday. Spring election turnout is a rather lackluster affair. I understand municipal elections want to be separated from the big ones, but personally I think there should be one election day that covers everything so more people participate. In the end, District 1 had about 25% turnout. I learned a lot with door knocking, I've come to know the entire district and the various neighborhoods that I had never even driven through before, and I didn't even know they were there! I will endeavor to meet those people in the future.

Yesterday, I fulfilled my first promise to the people that allowed me to put my campaign signs in their yard by collecting all of the signs. Of course, NOW the weather is nice.....I intend to use most of them again since they were not dated for this specific election and I paid for them. If you still have one of my signs, I'd be happy to swing by and collect it as some were given out during some events and I did not record where they were.

I appreciate all of your support and look forward to my first Council Meeting on the 20th where I get to sit in the chair and get to work.

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