Citizen Staff/Ken Thomas
Stan Rechek is shown with his wife, Shirley, at their home on Walnut Street in Beaver Dam. Rechek has close ties to city hall years after he ceased to be an alderman for the 8th Ward.
Some people call him “The man who says no.”
Others call him “alderman at-large.”
Whatever the handle, former alderman Stan Rechek has been a solid influence at Beaver Dam City Hall, and a man who has always spoken his mind.
Now 81, Rechek began his life on a farm near Rolling Prairie, a railway stop just east of Beaver Dam. His father was renting a farm at the time and Stanley attended the tiny Rolling Prairie School. Stan’s dad later rented a farm near Burnett.
Stan started to attend Beaver Dam High School around the time his father bought a farm on Ollinger Road. It was during Stan’s senior year in 1946 that he got into an argument with his teacher. He started to walk out of the classroom when the teacher told him to go to the office.
“She said, ‘You’re going to the principal’s office,’” Stan recalled. “I said, ‘No, I’m going down and enlist.’ I walked out and enlisted at the recruiting station that was in the old city hall on North Spring Street.”
He had just turned 18.
During his four years in the Army he did a variety of jobs, but seemed to find his calling as a mechanic. The training on Army jeeps served him well, as he worked as a mechanic at local garages after he returned to Beaver Dam in 1950. In that year he married his high school sweetheart, Shirley Neuman.
“I was enchanted by her red hair,” said Stan, who pointed out that she kept her carrot top until recently when a medical treatment turned it white.
“The nieces and nephews still call her Auntie Red,” Stan said.
Other jobs included roofing contractor, Dodge County Highway Department mechanic and Waupun prison guard (then known as a ‘screw,’ he said). All that time he was still active in the Army Reserve.
After 18 years in what he calls his “civilian career,” Stan rejoined the army in 1968. He seemed a natural as a drill sergeant, career counselor, recruiter and man of many trades. That career took him to Massachusetts, Ohio and Kentucky.
When Stan retired from the military in 1988, he and Shirley returned to the home they had purchased on Walnut Street in 1964. The rent they had collected in the meantime had paid off the mortgage.
Stan can’t remember exactly what set him off, but at some point he attended a meeting of the department of public works.
“I was concerned about something,” Stan said. “Something was bothering me, and I went and voiced my opinion.”
He was fascinated by the process of local government, and when his 8th Ward alderman decided not to run for re-election in 1993, Stan decided to give it a shot.
“I tossed my hat in the fire,” he said.
Some might correct him, saying it’s “toss your hat into the ring.”
Stan’s description better fits the world of Beaver Dam politics.
Stan can’t remember many of the items that the city council faced during his years of service, but singles out the South Spring Street/Highway 151 interchange as one of the most significant. That debate was a hot one, and Stan was a strong advocate for its creation.
“I definitely wanted that interchange, and fought hard to get it approved,” Stan said. “There were arguments and arguments and arguments — pro and con. And finally it was passed.”
“Some people called it the Rechek Interchange,” Stan said with a smile. “There were plenty of jokes about it going around at the time.”
Another jibe was the title “The man who says no,” because of his frequent opposition to measures proposed at city hall.
“I said no a lot of times,” Stan said. “There were a lot of times I stood alone, but hey, that’s the way I felt.
“Sometimes you get to say yes.”
A self-proclaimed conservative, Rechek makes no apologies for his stand against higher taxes.
Shirley often chided him for his opposition.
“I would challenge a lot of things he said when he got home,” Shirley said. “You can’t say that to everything, and sometimes that’s the way it seemed.”
It may have taken an emotional toll, but Rechek considered that part of the job.
“There were times when I really got upset, but that’s just the way it was,” Stan said.
Rechek served on the council on and off for 10 years, eventually losing his seat to Mick McConaghy.
“I was a good friend of city clerk Gary Dummer and there were tears in his eyes when he told me that I lost by three votes,” Stan said.
Not to be dissuaded, Stan continued to serve on the Beaver Dam Community Development Committee, and only relinquished that spot this past spring.
“I was somewhat limited by medical problems, so I asked the mayor not to re-appoint me,” Stan said. “Steve Sabatke (a former Beaver Dam mayor) was appointed in my place.”
Even though he may not be an official alderman, he still attends many meetings and offers his opinions when he feels they are needed.
He still enjoys it, and urges others to follow in his footsteps.
“I got a lot of experience, and if I was younger, I’d do it all over again,” Stan said. “I loved every minute of it and I would encourage anyone to jump right in with both feet. You have to have enough time and interest to do the job, but you can reap a lot of benefits from the experience.”
Beaver Dam’s city government certainly continues to reap those benefits, and will welcome his input for as long as he is able to give it.