Tim Macho for County Board

It was a privilege to serve with Walt on the county board. He will be missed.
RIP my friend.

Menasha stalwart Walt Ulbricht dies weeks before 75th birthday Winnebago County District 3 Supervisor Walter 'Walt' Ulbricht died unexpectedly March 15, county officials confirmed.

✅ Early In-Person Absentee Voting is being held at the UW Oshkosh Culver Family Welcome Center, 625 Pearl Avenue.
ℹ️ Election information: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/

Saturday, March 28th - 8:00 am to 12:00 pm
Monday, March 30th - 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Tuesday, March 31st - 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Wednesday, April 1st - 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Thursday, April 2nd - 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Friday, April 3rd - 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Could a zero-interest loan help you make necessary repairs to your home? The City of Oshkosh has options to help homeowners make needed repairs and improvements to their homes.
This can include exterior updates, problem areas, and other improvements that help keep your home in good condition.

Applications will be available through Neighborly on April 1. Read more about the programs here: https://bit.ly/3Py7EEf

Thoughts on small businesses in our area?

Every time someone opens a local business in your town, half the people say “I hope they make it” and the other half say “they’re crazy for trying.”

But here’s what I’ve learned, when people actually show up, these businesses do make it.

The regulars who come in every week. The people who leave Google reviews. The ones who tell their friends. The customers who become ambassadors.

Local businesses don’t fail because people don’t care. They succeed because enough people do.

If you want local businesses in your town, be the person who shows up opening day. Leave the review. Tell your friends. Become a regular.

Supporting local isn’t just shopping local. It’s being an active participant in someone’s dream.

Your town has people willing to take the risk and open businesses.

Make sure they know you’ve got their back.

Another neighborhood association being formed in District 20.
If you live in this area please look into joining.

New Neighborhood Alert! We are looking for people in this proposed area that might be interested in being a part in the team that develops this area into a neighborhood. Do you or someone you know live in this area? 9th, Ohio, South Park, Main. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

The Re-Election team hard at work.
I'll be out talking to constituents. Let me know your concerns for Winnebago County.

Exciting news!
Welcome to the neighborhood!

We’re excited to share that ThedaCare Medical Center–Oshkosh is officially opening its doors.

This new health campus brings convenient, local access to care for families across the region. Care teams will welcome their first patients on Monday, January 19, 2026.

Located at 250 W. 6th Avenue along the Fox River, the campus supports Oshkosh’s ongoing downtown revitalization. With nearly 73% of residents living east of I-41 — and many more than 15 minutes from a hospital — this location helps ensure care is closer to where people live, work and spend their days.

Continue reading: https://thedacare.org/news-and-events/thedacare-medical-center-oshkosh-to-open-in-january-2026/

We look forward to caring for you in our new home.

A great way to help the community through the upcoming food situation.

Taco John's® is here to support our neighbors and community members in need. From October 31 to November 2, anyone impacted by the government shutdown and in need of a meal can visit a Taco John's location and request the Community Support Special to receive one beef or bean burrito and one Jr. Potato Olés®. The special is available 9 AM - 11 PM each day.

In addition, the Taco John's Foundation will donate to local food banks for every Taco Bravo® sold on Thursday, November 6.

It is going to be some scary fun!

🎃Like to decorate for Halloween? Enjoy interacting with trick-or-treaters. Do both! We are looking for trunks for the Southside Halloween Bash on Oct 24th. Click link to sign up your car and maybe win the best dressed trunk award.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4EAFAC29ABF4C25-58537495-support #/

Curious about the apartments at 4th & Michigan? The ribbon cutting will be held on October 8.

Great article! An important item to include is that there are many beautiful historic buildings in the cities and towns in Winnebago County but when many small building owner goes to renovate, they find so much red tape and new requirements, that they give up. Does Oshkosh have a program to help the small business building owner? What are your thoughts?

Here’s where economic development misses the mark. We fawn over small business owners and shower them with resources, while building owners get ignored. Which is insane. Building owners are entrepreneurs too, and without them you won’t have any good business owners.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve toured downtown with the Main Street director and they tell me they are recruiting a brewery, or an olive oil shop, or a café. I nod, it all sounds great. Then I ask the question that matters: “So where are they going?” Blank stares. A business can’t exist without walls and a ceiling. UPS needs an address. This part should be obvious, but it’s constantly overlooked.

If you have no available space, don’t expect new businesses. If all you have is bad space, don’t expect good businesses. Who rents the $200-a-month, leaky-ceiling dump? Startup churches, Beanie Baby ladies, DVD stores, karate shops. Quality entrepreneurs know their brand, their product, and their customer experience depend on a quality location. They’re willing to pay more to make more. Rundown downtowns attract rundown tenants.

And let’s kill another myth. Just because you have empty buildings doesn’t mean they’re available. Nine times out of ten, they’re not. Maybe they’re locked in a trust, maybe some family in Florida owns them, maybe they’re a tax write-off in some portfolio. If the owner isn’t trying to lease or sell, it’s not available. You’re not convincing them otherwise. The only solution is new ownership.

This is why small building owner development matters more than small business owner development. Everyone wants to help entrepreneurs write business plans, but almost no one is helping small developers. Yet developers are the key. They write good leases, they recruit tenants, they invest sweat equity, and they care about the district’s success because their own success depends on it.

Your downtown will never thrive if the real estate is in absentee hands. You can run all the entrepreneurship bootcamps you want, but if those businesses end up in a strip mall, you’ve failed. Revitalization starts and ends with local developers. Shift resources to train and finance them. Pass legislation that pressures deadbeat owners. Work with banks. Bring in the Incremental Development Alliance. Stop pretending you can fix your downtown with business programs while your buildings rot.

Your town was built by small developers, brick by brick. It will only be rebuilt the same way. Small business owners matter, but they depend on building owners. Ignore that, and your downtown stays stuck. Face it, without local building owners, Main Street is dead.