After growing up in Waunakee, Wis., and attending high school there, Altoona resident and City Council President Bill Spangler attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, then attended Hamline University for his law degree.  He is a partner at the Eau Claire law firm of Weld, Riley, Prenn & Ricci, S.C.
   Bill met his wife, Leslie, when they were both trumpet players in the UW-Madison marching band and they have been together ever since. They had their first child, Sylvia, in October 2007. They also have a 4-year-old black lab named Stella.

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   Fall Creek resident and Altoona Director of Public Safety Todd Chaney grew up in Detroit, Mich. After graduating high school there, Chaney attended Eastern Michigan University, Detroit’s Highland Park Community College, and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay. Now the director of public safety for the city of Altoona, Chaney manages Altoona’s police department, fire department, and rescue squad. He is also a WIAA official, refereeing basketball games at area schools and serving as umpire for softball and baseball games. Chaney’s wife, Sue, is a sixth-grade teacher at Regis Middle School in Eau Claire. His oldest daughter Kate lives in Eau Claire with her husband and daughter; his second daughter Meagan is a social worker and lives with her own daughter in Manitowoc, Wisc.; his youngest daughter Johanna is a CNA and works in Altoona; and his son David works in Eau Claire and is preparing for college this spring.

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   After growing up in Eau Claire, St. Mary’s Elementary School Principal Erika Johnson received a degree in guidance and counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, then completed her administrative certification through Viterbo University in La Crosse. Besides being the principal of St. Mary’s, she is also the principal of St. James Elementary School in Eau Claire. She and her husband, Derek, have two daughters, 10-year-old Kali and 3-year-old Teslyn; they all reside in Elk Mound. In her free time, Johnson enjoys camping, spending time with family and friends, working out, coaching, and attending sporting events.

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   Although she lives in Eau Claire, Debra Goldbach has been involved with the Altoona community since 2001, when she took a job with the city. In August 2002, she became the Altoona Parks & Recreation Department Coordinator, where she spends her days with Altoona youth. In her spare time, Debra enjoys spending time with her husband, Clima-Tech Plant Manager Steve; daughters Jessica, 24, Jennifer, 22, and Jordyn, 17; and granddaughters Janaya, 3, and Desirae, 1. Debra is originally from Loyal.

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After going to high school in Independence, Wisconsin, Chelsea Engen went to college in UW-Madison where she double majored in social work and psychology. She then went to Marian College in Fond du Lac  to get her administrative degree. Now the principal of Pedersen Elementary School, Engen now lives in Altoona with her 17-month old daughter.

What does your job mean to you?
That is a huge question. I love my job, and other than my daughter, it’s everything to me. You have to be a leader and I take that very seriously. Educating youth is critical to our future. The job of educating kids is challenging. You want them to have the best possible education so they can reach their potential and their future. In elementary education you are also teaching them, in partnership with family, how to be citizens of the world.

How long have you been a resident of Altoona?
For six years.

What can residents find you doing on a Saturday?
In the summer I am gardening and playing with my daughter. We frequent the local parks; we’re using the bike trails.

What is your favorite local establishment and why?
Kwik Trip, for my morning coffee!

If you could be mayor for one day what would you do?
I’m very happy with the responsibility that I have. I wouldn’t want any more. I think we have a strong community and I think it’s headed in the right direction.

    Born in Illinois in 1956, Dave Elvig has lived his whole life in the Midwest. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Minnesota’s St. Olaf College, then a medical degree from the University of Minnesota. Although he spends many hours every week as the CEO of Eau Claire-based LOGICARE Corporation, a position he has held since 1986, Elvig is also the president and founder of Altoona Outdoors, a non-profit group that funds recreational trails throughout Altoona. He lives in Altoona with his wife of 14 years, Robin, and his three daughters: 12-year-old Sophie, 10-year-old Anna, and 3-year-old Gretel.

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Who is Bob McCoy?
After growing up in Sioux Falls, S.D., Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce President and CEO. Bob McCoy attended the University of South Dakota. Now a resident of Altoona, McCoy lives with his wife. Together they have two sons, one of which is a police officer in Altoona. McCoy’s other son resides in La Crosse with his wife, who recently gave birth to twins.

What does your job mean to you?
Aside from my family, my job is everything to me. I’m involved with so many things within the community. Wherever I am, I’m representing the chamber. I enjoy that. I live in a fishbowl, but I’m not sure what I would be doing if I wasn’t doing this.

How long have you been a resident of Altoona?
Since 2000, when we built our home in Altoona. We were looking to build a smaller home, but we found the lot we are on now, and then realized we were in Altoona!

What can residents find you doing on a sunny Saturday afternoon?
They will find me meticulously maintaining my yard and playing golf.

What is one of your favorite local establishments, and why?
There are so many good restaurants in the Chippewa Valley that it is impossible to pick just one – I love them all.

If you could be mayor for one day, what decisions would you enact?
I might want to be mayor for more than one day. That’s an interesting question. I think my objective would be to inform more citizens of what the city is doing, and what should be done. You can’t do that in one day, but that’s something I would do – try to get a big group together.

Describe a favorite Altoona memory.
I teach Junior Achievement in the second grade. It’s really a fun experience to listen to second-graders talk about what their parents do, and how money moves. That’s what we do, is learn about how money moves through the community. We learn about manufacturing, public and private money; they learn processes.

A liaison is “an instance or means of communication between different groups,” according to “The Free Dictionary” by Farflex, Inc. For the School District of Altoona, that translates into someone who works within the school to ensure that the community is aware of all the school does, as well as all the community can do to help. Read the rest of this entry »