Eric Gumz sets his sights on Common Council seat

OSHKOSH, WI—(WISS)—Eric Gumz grew up in Oshkosh. Left the area when he joined the U.S. Marines. Now, he is back and running to fill one of the three at-large seats on the Oshkosh Common Council. He said public safety and crime are his primary concerns in Oshkosh.

When a career-ending injury led to Gumz’s discharge from the Marines, he returned to his hometown and found it had changed. He saw more crime and a different vibe in the city. Friends and relatives encouraged him to settle elsewhere.

“ I’m like, ‘Dude, this is my home, man. I’m not giving up on this city. I love this place. I love the people here. I love everything,” Gumz said. “It’s like I understand where they’re coming from. But at the same time, I think that this community is worth fighting for and to try to help out in any way that I can to make things better.”

However, Gumz said that in the time he has been back, he has noticed an increase in shootings, stabbings, and drug crimes.

“ That’s one of the major things that motivated me to just do it. It’s not something that was just kind of like spur of the moment, right?” he said. “I’ve actually been thinking about it for years in my process of wanting to come home, which has been a very long, difficult journey in itself. It’s something that I’ve really been considering for a long time, and I even started jotting down notes of things that I would like to do in the community.”

Gumz’ Campaign

Oshkosh Issues

Gumz looks at crime as the single most pressing issue facing the Oshkosh City Government right now. He said that, along with crime, there has been an increase in the city’s homeless population. He sees that as problematic.

“ Our homeless population obviously has exploded, right? That is a major concern. Businesses down on South Main Street are concerned about it because it can kind of detract from business,” Gumz said. “I’ve talked to a lot of those people on the south side here at the end of Main Street. And that’s like one of their major concerns, too.”

Gumz said residents are afraid to go for walks or go to the city parks, and that is his top concern.

“ Feeling safe in your own community should be like a human right,” said Gumz. “Everybody should have the right to feel safe to go outside and enjoy their community without feeling like they have to look over their shoulder or that there’s somebody trying to do something to them. So that’s kind of like one of my top concerns. I think that we can absolutely do a better job in that department. And I’m not trying to knock on the police department for, you know, they’re, it’s not like they’re doing a bad job. I just think that we can equip them better to be more effective.”

Gumz said hiring more police officers, creating more community policing opportunities, and building relationships between the community and the police.

“ I really just want people to feel safe in the city and let Oshkosh be a place to build businesses, build families. Attracting the type of people to the city who are gonna invest in the community,” he said.

Housing 

Regarding housing availability and affordability in Oshkosh, Gumz said he is experiencing difficulties in the housing market. 

He said, “ I still don’t have a home of my own right now. My grandfather passed away this past fall. So my parents have now moved in with my grandmother. I’m actually house-sitting my parents’ house until I myself can find something. I’m finding myself at a bit of a loss with the housing market. I mulled over should I rent?  I’m looking at the rent prices, and I’m like, ‘Good God!’ Like this is crazy!”

Gumz said the Common Council needs to encourage developers to bring more affordable housing into the city, which is something he is not seeing right now.

“ I like the high-end stuff. That’s fine. You’re kind of attracting wealthier individuals which is great. It brings money to the community,” He continued, “We need to have a little bit more of a common sense approach and realize that not everybody can afford $2,000 a month in rent!”

He explained that living on a fixed income with four children he knows the struggle to afford suitable housing in a city like Oshkosh.

“ I can relate. I’m living that. That is a challenge for me and my family as well. We just need to provide better options for people to get in. And we want to attract people to Oshkosh,” said Gumz. “And I think housing is a major issue where people are not able to come here, even though maybe they would like to.”

Property Taxes

Property taxes are always a topic of discussion at election time. In Oshkosh, recent property revaluations led to higher taxes, even as the city and school board are working to reduce property tax levies for property owners. 

Gumz said he would like to look at property tax alternatives for the city. He specifically mentioned switching to a sales tax model for the city, rather than property taxes, similar to Milwaukee’s approach. He said he believes EAA AirVenture alone could generate $7 million in sales tax revenue for the city.

“ I think there is a lot of merit to that discussion because essentially we would be expanding our tax base instead of just focusing on people who own property.” Gumz said, “They’re on the hook for everything, right? But we have some major events that go on here in the city. And we have people who come here for all kinds of stuff. People who commute here to work.”

According to Gumz, being brilliant at the basics and establishing priorities is the way for the city to manage its budget and reduce the tax burden on its citizens. 

“ Basically, it’s really public safety, roads, utilities. We need to be brilliant at those things. We need to get those things right,” Gumz explained. “After that, it’s kind of like we move on to other things that, maybe, are nice to have. But we need to be fiscally responsible and make sure that we’re spending that money in the most efficient way.”

Lagniappe: a little something extra

Gumz said while in the Marines, he received a career-ending injury that left him unable to walk and bedridden.

“ But that was a really difficult challenge for me and my family. So I know what it’s like to suffer. I know what it’s like to be at a disadvantage, I guess, in life. I lost my highest earning career, making years,” he explained.

Gumz said that with help from his wife, a strong will and determination, and motivation from his athletic son, he is now up and running.  

“ I am an endurance athlete. I’m a wrestling coach at Oshkosh North. I’m a musician. I play guitar, drums, and bass. I’ve been in multiple bands, ranging from a Doors cover band to a punk rock/emo band to a heavy metal band. And I’ve recorded music and copywritten some of my music and stuff like that. I’m an outdoorsman. I’m a conservationist. I love nature,” he enthused.

As a lifelong lover of music, Gumz said he would like to help bring more “Alt, Art, and Culture ” to Oshkosh.

Engaging with the campaign

To interact with Gumz’s campaign, Oshkosh residents can find him on his personal  Facebook page. He doesn’t have a campaign page per se. He considers his campaign to be a very different sort of campaign for the city.

“(I’m)  Trying to take more of a grassroots (approach). People have offered me campaign donations. I’ve actually refused those,” Gumz said. “I want to run a clean campaign, and I would like to think of myself as a populist type candidate that kind of speaks to everybody. That’s the beauty of these non-partisan positions, that the parties are not involved!”

Oshkosh Common Council Race

Eight people are running for the three at-large Common Council seats being decided this spring. In addition to Gumz,  Meredith Scheuermann, Alec Lefeber, Paul Esslinger, Jacob Amos, Tim Neubauer, Logan Jungbacker, and Dan Lenz are all on the primary ballot.

Incumbents D.J. Nichols and Jacob Floam have decided not to seek reelection.

The primary will be held on February 17th, during which the field of candidates will be reduced to six. The spring election is April 7, 2026.