On March 10, three of the four candidates running for seats on the Grand Chute Town Board addressed a policy forum hosted by Fox Valley Initiative.
Candidates Rhonda Daily, Walt Nocito, and Jason Van Eperen discussed roads, housing, and the proposed new municipal complex. They took questions from the audience on each of those topics.
Incumbent Brad Gehring, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term, did not participate in the forum. He is being challenged by Van Eperen for the Supervisor 4 seat, while Daily and Nocito are pitted against each other for Supervisor 2.
The election will be held on Tuesday, April 7. To make certain you are registered and find your polling place, visit MyVote Wisconsin.
The forum was held at Freedom Project Academy and moderated by Dr. Duke Pesta, professor of English at the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh and director of Freedom Project Academy.
Funding Roads in Grand Chute
The discussion of roads addressed the pros and cons of special assessments, debt, and a dedicated road fund for financing road repair and improvements.
Nocito referenced a road funding study he conducted, finding a dedicated road fund would ultimately be the lowest-cost option for Grand Chute residents. Daily supported the dedicated road fund as an ultimate goal but suggested special assessments would be needed in the interim. All three candidates referenced the Town’s road funding survey conducted in September 2024.
Meeting the Town’s Housing Needs
Candidates next discussed housing, referring to a housing study released by the Town in February 2026. That study found
The market in Grand Chute will need to add over 2,100 housing units between 2025 and 2035 to support the 2035 population and job needs. This is 195 units annually between owner and rental options. Over the next several years, housing production should focus on pent-up ownership demand and the need to offer more attainable owner and renter variety beyond traditional single-family detached dwellings and apartment complexes.
Nocito pointed to a January 2026 article in the Wall Street Journal that highlighted the affordability of housing in the Midwest. Families moving from the coasts to the Midwest are increasing demand for housing here and hiking prices … as are the area’s growing immigrant populations, Pesta noted. A real estate broker in the audience questioned the candidates as to their definition of “affordable,” noting 40 is now the average age of a first-time home buyer because younger people cannot afford to get into the housing market.
Does Town Government Need More Space?
The final topic addressed by the candidates was the proposed new municipal complex and Fire Station #3. The candidates appeared to agree further study was needed to assess needs, proper location of a new fire station, the potential for repurposing or consolidation, etc.
In January 2026, the Town’s “future space needs” were addressed in a special Town Board meeting; the packet for that meeting is available here. Nocito pointed out that the boundary agreement between Grand Chute and Appleton, entered into in March 1992, means the Town’s population will fall dramatically at some point in the future, suggesting less need for a larger municipal complex.
Policy Forum Video
The policy forum was live-streamed on the Fox Valley Initiative Facebook page. Uncut, unedited video of the 1.5-hour forum appears below.
In addition, The League of Women Voters will host a forum with the candidates on Thursday, March 12 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Grand Chute’s Town Center Park Community Building, 1850 Grand Chute Boulevard.
I sure wish the article would have also included quotes from Jason and Rhonda.
Brent — sorry about that! I should have done a better job writing down specific quotes from all the candidates. I hope you’ll watch the video to see what Jason and Rhonda had to say.