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Volume 8, Issue 51, June 8, 2026
 Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, Eau Claire, Wis.
Business Advocate Past Issues
Public Meetings Calendar
Chamber Events Calendar
The Chamber's Advocacy Principles
The Chamber's Business Issues Agenda
"Talking Po!nt" Podcast
How to become a Chamber investor
Contact: Erica Bodden, Director of Advocacy bodden@eauclairechamber.org
Chamber Business Hours: Mon-Thu 7:30a-4:30p, Friday 7:30a-1:30p 
 

In this issue of the Business Advocate

• June Eggs and Issues: Conversation with City Council President Gragert and City Manager Solberg
• Eau Claire to return to paid parking on Aug 1
• City Council Updates
• Election season: What's next?
• UW Board of Regents elects Kyle M. Weatherly President
• Join The Working Majority for a community-focused discussion event
 

Advocacy upcoming...
• Eggs & Issues: Conversation with EC City Council President Jeremy Gragert and City Manager Dave Solberg
• Click here to register
   Join us on June 18th at 7:30a.m. for a conversation and Q&A with newly elected Eau Claire City Council President, Jeremy Gragert and City Manager Dave Solberg. Our conversation will focus on topics such as the makeup and role of City Council, updates, the City's budget process, and other key issues impacting our community. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask or submit questions for the panelists to engage in a larger conversation about the future of Eau Claire.  

Eau Claire will return to paid downtown parking, effective Aug 1
   Rather than a previously approved June 1 start date for paid parking, the EC City Council voted unanimously last Tuesday to postpone the new parking system to August 1, due to a delay in the delivery of the kiosks. The investment necessary to purchase kiosks to enforce the paid parking scheme will be paid off in just under five months. 
   The new parking system will not only generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, but it will allow the City to consolidate departments and streamline current parking enforcement efforts. 
Read more...
City of Eau Claire News Release
Downtown Eau Claire will implement paid street parking (again) on Aug 1 (Volume One)
Paid parking in downtown Eau Claire delayed until August (WQOW)
City Council votes on paid parking delay, new brush site location (WEAU)
Eau Claire City Council approves downtown parking delay, land purchase agreement (Leader-Telegram)

More local stories...
City of La Crosse to host public district forums for all 13 districts (WEAU) Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey says the new forums are a better way for the city and district officials to reach out to community members of issues and topics in their respective districts.
Republican lawmakers react to Trump's Friday visit (WQOW)
 
 

Eau Claire City Council Updates
City Council to vote on redevelopment plan

   The Eau Claire City Council is expected to vote this week on a plan that could shape the future of a large portion of the city for years to come. The proposed Riverbend Development District would establish a redevelopment framework for an area that includes the former Sacred Heart Hospital campus and surrounding properties along one of the city's key corridors.

   While approval would not authorize any specific projects, it would position the city to pursue redevelopment opportunities and access funding tools that may not otherwise be available. City leaders view the district as an opportunity to encourage private investment, improve underutilized properties, and guide future growth in a coordinated manner.

   The discussion comes as communities across Wisconsin continue to evaluate how best to repurpose aging institutional and commercial sites while addressing housing, economic development, and quality-of-life priorities. Potential future uses for portions of the district could include housing, recreational amenities, mixed-use development, and other projects designed to strengthen connections to the Chippewa River and surrounding neighborhoods.

   For businesses and residents alike, the council's decision represents an important first step in determining how one of Eau Claire's most visible redevelopment opportunities may evolve in the coming years.
Read more...
Eau Claire City Council to vote on redevelopment plan (WEAU)
More information:
Upcoming Eau Claire City Council Meetings
•  City Council Public Hearing, Monday June 8, 6:00p.m. 
•  City Council Legislative Session, Tuesday June 9, 4:00p.m.
   Click here to send an email to all City Council members
   Click here for individual contact information for each City Council member
   Link to videos of city meetings (City of Eau Claire, YouTube channel)
   City of Eau Claire Public Notices (City of Eau Claire)
   City News Updates -incl. City Manager's Weekly Update (City of Eau Claire)
   Comprehensive Plan website (City of Eau Claire)
   Housing Opportunities Commission (City of Eau Claire)
Also meeting this week and next...
•  Housing Opportunities Commission, Wednesday June 10, 5:15p.m.
•  Redevelopment Authority, Wednesday June 17, 7:30a.m.
Altoona Meetings
• Housing Authority Meeting, Jun 9, 9:00a.m., Agenda
• City Council Meeting, Jun 11, 6:00p.m. Agenda
 
 

Election Season: What's Next?
   Following last Wednesday's filing deadline, Wisconsin's gubernatorial field is set for the August 11 primary election. Democratic voters will choose among Sara Rodriguez, Mandela Barnes, Joel Brennan, Missy Hughes, Francesca Hong, David Crowley, and Kelda Roys. Republican candidates Tom Tiffany and Andy Manske will also appear on the ballot, along with Independent candidate David King in November. 
   The race for Lieutenant Gov. will not feature a Democratic primary, with Sarah Godlewski advancing directly to the general election. On the Republican side, David Varnam and Will Martin will compete in the August primary. 
   Attorney General Josh Kaul faces Republican Eric Toney in November, with neither party holding a primary.
   Several congressional races will be decided in our region this summer. In Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District, Democrats Rebecca Cooke and Emily Berge will face off in the primary, while Independent candidates Alexander Valiensi Kent and Rustin Provance have also filed to challenge incumbent Derrick Van Orden. 
   In Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, Democrats Fred Clark, Ginger Murray, and Chris Armstrong will compete in the Democratic primary. Republican voters will choose among Kevin Hermening, Don Raihala, Jesse Ebben, Michael Alfonso, and Niina Baum. 
   At the state legislative level, Republican State Senator Romaine Quinn faces no primary challenge, while Democrats Jeff Foster and Richard Pulcher will compete for their party's nomination. In State Senate District 31, incumbent Jeff Smith and Michele Magadance Skinner have advanced directly to the November ballot. 
   In Assembly District 28, Robin Lillesve will challenge incumbent Rob Kreibich, while in Assembly District 29, Democrat Chris Danou will face incumbent Treig Proschinske.
   The August 11 primary will determine nominees in the state's contested races, setting the stage for the November general election. 
 
 

UW-System Board of Regents elects Regent Kyle M. Weatherly as President
   The Universities of Wisconsin System Board of Regents elected Kyle M. Weatherly as President and Regent Ashok Rai as Vice President 6/4/26. 
   Weatherly, a graduate of UW-Madison and has served on the board since May 2020. President of Alta Medical, his educational background is in healthcare business, leadership, and public policy. Vice President Rai's background is in healthcare and medicine, as the President and CEO of Prevea Health.
   "As Regent President, my priority will be to help ensure that students in every corner of our state have access to the opportunity, excellence, and upward mobility that public higher education can provide."
   The Regents also approved a 2% tuition increase for the 2026-27 academic year, raising tuition costs across all UW-system schools. In-state annual tuition and segregated fees for students at UW-Eau Claire sit around $10,270, comparable to the highest, UW-Madison at $12,420, and the lowest, UW-Parkside at $8,850. Tuition has increased for four consecutive years due to rising operating costs and inflation following the expiration of a decade-long freeze by the WI state legislature. 
Read more...
Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents elects Regent Kyle M. Weatherly as President and Regent Ashok Rai as Vice President (Universities of Wisconsin)
UW proposes 2% tuition hike for resident undergrads (Wis Politics)
Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents approves 4th tuition increase in 4 years (WPR)

The Working Majority stops in Eau Claire
   The Working Majority invites you to attend a What's Ope, Wisconsin summer tour event on June 17th at the Wisconsin Farmers Union building in Chippewa Falls at 5:30pm. Come for fun, free food, friendly conversation, and a meat raffle! RSVP here.
   The Working Majority is a new group uniting lower-income, working- and middle-class Wisconsinites around their shared economic interests - no matter who they are, where they live, or how they vote (or don't vote). They want to hear from YOU, working towards a Wisconsin powered by everyday people.
 
 

Statewide stories...
Dane County joins growing number of communities with data center moratorium (Wis Business)
Largest private affordable housing project in Wisconsin offers hope for more like it (WPR)
New report explores latest WI housing projections, policy implications (Wis Business)
Trump administration announces $19M in funding to southcentral Wisconsin coal plant (WPR)
Senate majority leader seeks 2 votes to revive Wisconsin surplus deal (Channel 3000)
La Crosse gets $2.4M for affordable housing projects (Wisconsin State Journal)
Report finds Wisconsin falling behind on economic metrics (WBAY)

Nationwide stories...
Rising diesel costs from Iran war strain US school budgets (Lisa Baertlein Reuters, Wisconsin State Journal) Soaring diesel prices since the onset of the Iran war are draining already tight U.S. school district budgets, making it more expensive to bus students and run generators in a shock officials say they will not be able to afford for long.
Customers are giving billions to scammers. Tellers are intervening. (Tara Siegel Bernard, The New York Times $) With cybercrime continuing to rise, some banks are testing new prevention strategies. JP Morgan Chase hired a behavioral scientist)

U.S. Employers added 172,000 jobs in May, an unexpectedly strong showing (Lauren Kaori Gurley, The Washington Post) The U.S. economy added 17,000 jobs in May, a surprisingly strong gain for the economy, even as employers grapple with elevated prices.
Trump wants to pause the federal gas tax. Here's what that could mean.  (Victoria Craw, The Washington Post) President Donald Trump has proposed pausing the federal gas tax as a form of relief for American consumers as energy prices soar as a result of the war in Iran.

Thanks for reading this issue of Business Advocate. If you have comments or questions, contact Erica Bodden, Director of Advocacy at bodden@eauclairchamber.org 
 
 
 
 
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