McFarland Village Board Trustee Ed Wreh recently announced his candidacy for the District 34 Supervisor election to sit on the Dane County Board of Supervisors and will be running against incumbent Patrick Miles for the spot Miles has held since 2006. District 34 includes McFarland, towns Dunn and Blooming Grove, and Madison neighborhoods April Hills and Secret Places.
“As a County Board Supervisor, my plan really is to continue to be a champion for the community,” Wreh told Madison365. “And to advocate for things such as our lakes, our parks, small businesses, and our nonprofits. My goal and my objective is to represent this community in a way that it can be proud of.”
Wreh is no stranger to engaging heavily in the community already as he has served on the McFarland Village Board for over two years after moving to the area in 2019. Identifying what matters most to District 34 residents is a start for Wreh, and from there, it comes down to approaching solutions holistically and being there to listen to community concerns.
“As we talk about affordable housing, we also have to talk about how that affects our local food pantries, and making sure that they have those resources,” Wreh explained. “What I hear from people in my community is that they want someone who is available, someone who takes time to understand the issues and someone who’s going to represent them, and the issues that matter most to them.”
Wreh earned a bachelor’s of arts degree at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota before finishing an MBA at Fayetteville State University, and currently works for Nordic Consulting Systems in Madison. Wreh expressed how one of the aspects of McFarland that drew him and his wife Kyanna to the area was the close-knit community built off of relationships that Wreh has been happy to become a part of.
“That has been who I am as I’ve been on the Village Board,” Wreh said. “It’s all about: How do we bring a diverse group of people together to work collectively to support our communities, specifically, Dane County? That is something I’m gonna stand by. I’m about creating relationships, not about destroying relationships, so I know the things that are important to my community.”
Being a first-generation American after moving to the United States at the age of eight, Wreh is also very aware of the struggles that face everyday people trying to put food on the table and find space to raise a family. Wreh himself looks to give back, with all the support he has been given in mind, by recreating those crucial community relationships in mentoring and volunteer opportunities with organizations such as JustDane and in McFarland schools.
Dane County Board Chair Patrick Miles currently holds the seat for District 34 and currently plans to run for re-election. Speaking on accomplishments so far such as the Lower Yahara bridge project and pride in being the first person of color to chair the board, Miles looks to continue his work and connect with what matters most to the community.
“My mother, an immigrant from Japan, was a single parent raising five kids on waitress’ pay,” Miles said in a statement. “We could not have gotten by without the help of services. My life would be very different today had I not had the advocacy of a social worker and the safety of a foster home during my last couple years of high school. Ensuring we sustain and expand county services that improve our quality of life is at the core of why I serve. This is why I have consistently supported expansion of case management services to help our seniors live independently, increased funding for our youth centers, and joined my colleagues in expansion of mental health crisis support throughout the county.”
Creating better conditions for the community and the environment they call home also stands at the front of Wreh’s priorities as he expressed being open to connect with people consistently to hear their perspectives as part of his dedication to investment in people, human services, and social safety nets to fill in the gaps for the entire community.
“Making sure that we are supporting people because food disparity is a real thing, homelessness is a real thing, our environment is a real thing,” said Wreh. “I know what it’s like to not have anything to eat, I know what it’s like to have to worry about paying the bills, even when you do everything. I can’t forget all of my roots, even though I have progressed in my career. I recognize I am who I am today because people took time to mentor me, so mentorship is important to me. Giving kids a chance and helping kids learn who they are. That is one of my big priorities, as well.”
To learn more about Ed Wreh’s campaign and help support, visit his website here.
