West Bend, Wisconsin

West Bend is a city in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,752. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

History

Early history and settlement

Northeastern Washington County's earliest known inhabitants were pre-Columbian Mound Builders, who constructed effigy mounds in the area sometime between 650 CE and 1300 CE. They were semi-nomadic and survived by hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants. They made pottery and constructed tools from bone, wood, stone, and occasionally copper. They built effigy mounds shaped like mammals, reptiles, birds and other creatures, both real and mythical, as well as conical, oval, and linear mounds, some of which contain human burials. Some mounds in the West Bend area were destroyed by settlers to create farm fields, but several dozen survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Washington County "Island" Effigy Mound District, which includes the Lizard Mound County Park site in nearby Farmington as well as several privately owned sites.

In the early 19th century when the first White settlers arrived in Southeastern Wisconsin, the Potawatomi and Menominee Indians inhabited the land now occupied by the City of West Bend. In 1831, the Menominee surrendered their claims to the land to the United States Federal Government through the Treaty of Washington. The Potawatomi surrendered their land claims in 1833 through the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which (after being ratified in 1835) required them to leave the area by 1838. While many Native people moved west of the Mississippi River to Kansas, some chose to remain, and were referred to as "strolling Potawatomi" in contemporary documents because many of them were migrants who subsisted by squatting on their ancestral lands, which were now owned by settlers. In the mid-1800s, there was a large Native American village on the shore of Silver Lake, southwest of the modern-day City of West Bend. Eventually the Potawatomi who evaded forced removal gathered in northern Wisconsin, where they formed the Forest County Potawatomi Community. By the end of 1845, they had purchased eight eighty-acre tracts of land along the river, and invited local landowner E. N. Higgins to join their venture as well. In 1846, Wolcott constructed a dam and a sawmill in the new community, and in 1848, he constructed a gristmill.

In 1845, land surveyor and early settler Barton Salisbury built a sawmill on the river north of West Bend. The community that grew around the mill was known as Salisbury's Mills before to the name was changed to Barton in 1853. Additional sawmills and gristmills sprang up on the river in the community's early years, and by 1855, Barton's population was over 1,000, making it larger than neighboring West Bend. Despite its early growth, however, Barton would be overshadowed by West Bend in the coming decades.

19th century politics and growth

thumb|250px|right|The old [[Washington County Courthouse and Jail was constructed in West Bend in 1889. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and now serves as a local history museum.]]

The Wisconsin Territorial legislature created the Town of West Bend on January 20, 1846. At the time, the town included land that is now part of the City of West Bend, as well as the neighboring towns of Barton, Farmington, Kewaskum, and Trenton.

In the 1840s and early 1850s, Washington County included the land along Lake Michigan that is now Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Port Washington served as the county seat, which was controversial at the time. West Bend, Cedarburg, and Grafton vied for position of Washington County seat and the material advantages it would entail. In 1850, the Wisconsin legislature voted to bisected Washington County into northern and southern counties, with Port Washington and Cedarburg as the county seats, respectively. County residents failed to ratify the bill, because there were voting irregularities in some communities. In 1853 the legislature instead bisected the county into eastern and western sections, creating Ozaukee County. Port Washington became the seat of the new county, and the Washington County seat moved to West Bend. The bisection was controversial. When Washington County officials from West Bend arrived in Port Washington to collect relevant county records, they were run out of town, and Ozaukee County officials refused to hand over the records for several months.

On November 25, 1853, the County Board of Supervisors attempted to change the name of West Bend to Lamartine City. However, this change was not well-received and the name was changed back 18 hours later.

In November 1862 during the American Civil War, the draft was unpopular with some Washington County residents, including German immigrants who had experienced or fled conscription in their homelands. On the day that men from the nearby Town of Trenton were being drafted at the courthouse in West Bend, a mob disrupted the proceedings and forced the draft commissioner to flee to Milwaukee. On November 22, 1862, the commissioner returned to West Bend with six companies of the 30th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment to prevent further disruptions.

West Bend was incorporated as a village in 1868. railroad station was constructed in West Bend in 1873, bringing new residents, businesses and economic connections into the community. The community had previously only been located on the western bank of the Milwaukee River, but in the 1870s residents began to develop property on the river's eastern bank as well. In March 1885, West Bend incorporated as a city.

Industrialization and post-war growth

thumb|150px|right|Amity Leather Products manufactured leather billfolds in West Bend between 1915 and 1996. The company constructed an [[Art Deco factory in the city in 1925, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.]]

In the 1890s, West Bend's economy began to transition from a rural market town to an industrial community. Early manufacturers included the Schmidt and Stork Wagon Company; the Enger-Kress Pocketbook Company, which moved its operations to West Bend in 1884; the West Bend Aluminum Company, which began manufacturing low-cost aluminum utensils in 1911; and Amity Leather, which was founded in West Bend in 1915 and was once the world's largest manufacturer of leather billfolds. Other 20th century manufacturers in West Bend included Pick Manufacturing Company, which fabricated automotive parts; Gehl Brothers Manufacturing Company, which produced construction and agricultural equipment; and West Bend Concrete Products.

West Bend experienced dramatic population growth during the post–World War II economic expansion. As automobiles became more commonplace, more people moved to West Bend and commuted for work, taking advantage of new roads such as U.S. Route 45, which connected West Bend to Milwaukee. Between 1950 and 1990 the population more than tripled from 6,849 to 23,916, and the city annexed land from the surrounding towns as well as the Village of Barton. There is a monument at a park near Green Tree Elementary School.

Library controversy

In 2009, a controversy arose after a local couple complained to the West Bend Community Memorial Library about the presence of "sexually explicit books" and "books for youth on homosexuality" in the young adult section of the library. A petition called on the library to label the identified books as explicit, move them to the adult section of the library, install Internet content filters on the library's computers, and "adopt a policy to attain balance in the viewpoints of selections (both affirming and opposing) that the libraries carry in issues sufficiently controversial within the West Bend community (i.e. homosexuality). Specifically, we request faith-based and/or ex-gay books affirming traditional heterosexual perspectives be added to the library."

The West Bend Common Council refused to reappoint four library trustees whose terms were ending. One councilman complained that the library board was stonewalling the complaint, while another asserted that the library trustees were not serving the interests of the community “with their ideology.” The council's actions were widely criticized, and local citizens unsuccessfully sought to have the vote rescinded. After a public hearing on the petition in June 2009, the library board voted to reject any restrictions on young adults' access to books in the library.

Four Wisconsin men belonging to the Christian Civil Liberties Union filed a claim against the West Bend library, asking for $30,000 apiece for "emotional distress", and that Francesca Lia Block's book Baby Be-Bop be "burned or destroyed."

Historic sites

The Washington County Historical Society operates four distinct museums located in West Bend. Buildings and sites that have been deemed historic by official bodies include:

Old Courthouse Museum
Old Sheriff's Residence and Jail
West Bend Company/Regal Ware Museum
Father Rehrl's Rectory at St. Agnes Historic Site

Downtown West Bend has a movie theater which originally opened in 1929. The theater was last renovated in 1992 to house a total of three movie screens. The theater was closed and listed for sale in January 2012, with a purchase occurring in May 2012. The movie theatre has since reopened and hosts many plays and movies. It is now being advertised as "The Bend."

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

West Bend is in the Kettle Moraine region, and its topography is varied. The glacial activity has formed many kettles and hills throughout the region.

Climate

The average temperature in West Bend ranges from a high of (July) to a low average temperature of (January). Record high and low temperatures are and , respectively. The average annual rainfall is . The average annual snow measures .

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, West Bend had a population of 31,752. The median age was 40.6 years. 22.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 13,749 households in West Bend, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.1% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 28,585 || 90.0%

| Black or African American || 566 || 1.8%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 128 || 0.4%

| Asian || 345 || 1.1%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 9 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 482 || 1.5%

| Two or more races || 1,637 || 5.2%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,556 || 4.9%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 31,078 people, 12,769 households, and 8,250 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 13,546 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.77% White, 1.61% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 1.38% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population.

There were 12,769 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.4% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 37 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

Economy

Although many current residents of West Bend work in neighboring communities, the city's economy has been historically based in manufacturing and financial services. West Bend Mutual Insurance Company was founded in the city in 1894 and West Bend Savings Bank (now Westbury Bank) in 1926. The West Bend Aluminum Company (later the West Bend Company) was founded in 1911 by Bernhard C. Ziegler, and remained in West Bend until 2003. Ziegler had previously founded the securities brokerage company B.C. Ziegler in 1902. Ziegler would later run for Mayor in 1914.

In 1915, Robert H. Rolfs founded Amity Leather in downtown West Bend, which eventually became the world's largest manufacturer of leather billfolds. Amity Leather left the city in 1996. The strong economy in West Bend in the 1930s led Ripley's Believe it or Not to claim that West Bend was the only city in the United States that did not enter the Great Depression. In 1949, the printing company Serigraph, Inc. was founded in a garage in West Bend and went on to employ people all over the world. The Gehl Company is also located in West Bend.

Military

The Army National Guard operates an armory near the airport, at 125 Chopper Drive, West Bend.

Recreation and tourism

A paved riverwalk snakes through the city along the banks of the Milwaukee River. The Eisenbahn State Trail, a Rails to Trails project, has added another trail for walking, running, biking, and roller skating. The 1,000-mile National Ice Age Trail crosses through West Bend. West Bend also has over 1,200 acres of parks and green space. This facility includes scenic bike/pedestrian trails, a canoe launch, three softball fields with two concession stands, and a children's play area. Lac Lawrann Conservancy, offers a 137-acre nature preserve and 5 miles of trails. It was listed as a favorite farmers' market in Vogue magazine.

Entertainment on Thursday nights in the summer is provided by Music on Main. The street in Downtown West Bend is closed to traffic and a different band takes the stage at Old Settler's Park each week. One local restaurant is designated each week to provide food and beverages for purchase. A more recent annual event in Riverside Park is JazzFest.

West Bend has been branded the “Geocaching Capital of the Midwest™,“ boasting over 1,200 caches within a 10-mile radius of the city. An annual "Cache Ba$h" has been sponsored by the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce since 2008.

A holiday light show, Enchantment in the Park, was moved to Regner Park in West Bend in 2012 (previously it was hosted at the Washington County Fair Park). The event accepts donations to support local food pantries. The event also includes an opportunity to visit Santa and ice skating on the pond at Regner Park.

West Bend is also home of the Museum of Wisconsin Art, an art museum dedicated to showing the works of Wisconsin artists.

The Washington County Fair Park and Conference Center is located five miles south of the city. Numerous events are held throughout the year, including the Washington County Fair. The facility was built in 1999 and has a 24,000 sq. ft. pavilion, Agricultural and Equestrian Complexes and theater entertainment areas.

Government

The city is governed by the City Council, consisting of the mayor and eight aldermen. Each alderman's term lasts two years. Aldermanic elections are held every spring, wherein half of the current seats are up for election. Every three years, the mayoral election is included in the spring elections. The City of West Bend created a BID Board on January 1st, 2001 for their downtown area. West Bend was a village from 1868 until being incorporated as a city in 1885. During that time they had Village Presidents instead of Mayors. The term for Village President was one year.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"

|+ class="nowrap" | List Of Village Presidents

! colspan="2"|Village President

!Term in Office

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|John Shelley

|rowspan="2"| 1868 – 1870

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|George H. Kleffler

|rowspan="2"| 1870 – 1871

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|John Shelley

|rowspan="2"| 1871/1872 – 1873

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Albert Semler

|rowspan="2"| 1873 – 1874

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Christopher Eckstein

|rowspan="2"| 1874 – 1876

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Leander F. Frisby

|rowspan="2"| 1876 – 1877

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Fred H. Haase

|rowspan="2"| 1877 – 1879

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|George F. Hunt

|rowspan="2"| 1879 – 1881

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|John Reisse

|rowspan="2"| 1881 – 1882

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Fred H. Haase

|rowspan="2"| 1882 – 1883

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|John Shelley

|rowspan="2"| 1883 – 1884

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|John Potter Jr.

Office Disestablished

|rowspan="2"| 1884 – 1885

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"

|+ class="nowrap" | List Of Mayors

! colspan="3"|Mayor

!Term in Office

| rowspan="2"| 1

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|John Potter Jr

|rowspan="2"| 1885 – 1886

| rowspan="2"| 2

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Henry Lemke

|rowspan="2"| 1886 – 1887

| rowspan="2"| 3

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Barnabas S Potter

--resigned--

|rowspan="2"| 1887 – Dec. 1887

| rowspan="2"| 4

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Patrick O'Meara

|rowspan="2"| Dec. 1887 – 1888

| rowspan="2"| 5

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Charles H. Miller

|rowspan="2"| 1888 – 1894

| rowspan="2"| 6

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Patrick O'Meara

|rowspan="2"| 1894 – 1896

| rowspan="2"| 7

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Joseph Ott

|rowspan="2"| 1896 – 1899

| rowspan="2"| 8

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Ernst Franckenberg

|rowspan="2"| 1899 – 1901

| rowspan="2"| 9

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Joseph Ott

|rowspan="2"| 1901 – 1906

| rowspan="2"| 10

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Albert E. Gray

|rowspan="2"| 1906 – 1908

| rowspan="2"| 11

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Andrew Pick

--Deceased--

|rowspan="2"| 1908 – August 1, 1910

| rowspan="2"| 12

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|William C. Bratz

|rowspan="2"| August 1, 1910 – 1916

| rowspan="2"| 13

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Joseph F. Huber

|rowspan="2"| 1916 – 1920

| rowspan="2"| 14

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Frank Schoenbeck

|rowspan="2"| 1920 – 1926

| rowspan="2"| 15

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Henry O. Regner

|rowspan="2"| 1926 – 1930

| rowspan="2"| 16

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Joseph M. Knippel

|rowspan="2"| 1930 – 1940

| rowspan="2"| 17

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Clyde J. Schloemer

|rowspan="2"| 1940 – 1948

| rowspan="2"| 18

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Micheal Gehl

|rowspan="2"| 1948 – April 6th 1954

| rowspan="2"| 19

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Walter Schmidt

|rowspan="2"| April 6th 1954 – April 7th 1960

| rowspan="2"| 20

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Paul Henke

|rowspan="2"| April 7th 1960 – April 3rd 1966

| rowspan="2"| 21

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Ralph Schoenhaar

|rowspan="2"| April 3rd 1966 – 1978

| rowspan="2"| 22

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|John Pick

|rowspan="2"| 1978 – 1981

| rowspan="2"| 23

| rowspan="2"| 100px

| rowspan="2"|Donald Gonring

|rowspan="2"| 1981 – 1987

| rowspan="2"| 24

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Micheal R. Miller

|rowspan="2"| 1987 – 2005

| rowspan="2"| 25

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Doug Bade

--Resigned--

|rowspan="2"| 2005 – June 10, 2007

| rowspan="2"| 26

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Kristine Deiss

|rowspan="2"| June 10, 2007 – April 20th, 2011

| rowspan="2"| 27

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Kraig Sadownikow

--Resigned--

|rowspan="2"| April 20, 2011 – November 4th, 2019

| rowspan="2"| 28

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Steve Hoogester

Interim Mayor

|rowspan="2"| November 4, 2019 – April 21st, 2020

| rowspan="2"| 29

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Christophe E. Jenkins

|rowspan="2"| April 21, 2020 – April 18th 2023

| rowspan="2"| 30

| rowspan="2"|

| rowspan="2"|Joel Ongert

|rowspan="2"| April 18, 2023 – Incumbent

List of Alderman

Source:

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

| District 1 Alderman

| Name

|Tenure

|Doug Bade --resigned--

| ? - 2005

| Kristine M. Deiss --resigned--

| 2005 - 2007

| Roy Justman

| 2007 - 2008

| Tony Turner

| 2008 - 2014

| John Butschlick

| 2014 - 2026

| Travis Prindl

| 2026 -

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

| District 2 Alderman

| Name

|Tenure

|Thomas F. O'Meara III

| 1992 - 2005

| Dave Krochalk

| 2005 - 2009

| Steve Hutchins --resigned--

| 2009 - 2018

| Micheal A. Christian

| 2018 - 2019

| Mark Allen

| 2019 - 2025

| Rhett Engelking

| 2025 -

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

| District 3 Alderman

| Name

|Tenure

| King J. Riffel

| 2002 - 2008

| Richard W. Lindbeck

| 2008 - 2010

| Ed Duquaine

| 2010 - 2016

| Mike Chevalier

| 2016 - 2018

| Andrew Chevalier

| 2018 - 2020

| Brett A. Bergquist

| 2020 - 2026

| John Skidmore

| 2026 -

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

| District 4 Alderman

| Name

|Tenure

| Glenn G. Goodearle

| ? - 2007

| Nick Dobberstein

| 2007 - 2011

| Randy Koehler

| 2011 - 2017

| Christophe E. Jenkins --resigned--

| 2017 - 2020

| Randy Koehler

| 2020 - 2023

|Matt Sternig

| 2023 -

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

| District 5 Alderman

| Name

|Tenure

| Allen Carter

| ? - 2014

| Rich Kasten

| 2014 - 2020

| Jed Dolnick

| 2020 - 2024

|Mary Beth Seiser

|2024 -

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

| District 6 Alderman

| Name

|Tenure

| Micheal Schlotfeldt

| ? - 2013

| Steve E. Hoogester --resigned--

| 2013 - 2019

| Vacant

| 2019 - 2020

| Steve E. Hoogester --deceased--

| 2020 - 2020

| Vacant

| 2020 - 2021

| Tracy Ahrens

| 2021 - 2023

| John Spartz

| 2023 -

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

| District 7 Alderman

| Name

|Tenure

| Terry Vrana

| ? - 2010

| Deb Anderson

| 2010 - 2012

| Adam D. Williquette

| 2012 - 2018

| Justice Madl

| 2018 - 2024

|Bill Schmidt

|2024 - 2026

| Justice Madl

| 2026 -

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

| District 8 Alderman

| Name

|Tenure

| Scott Frederick

| ? - 2009

| Roger Kist --resigned--

| 2009 - 2020

| Meghann Kennedy --resigned--

| 2020 - 2022

| Aaron Zingshiem

| 2022 -

Mayoral Election Results

{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"

| Mayoral Elections

! Year

! Candidate

! Votes

! %

! Notes

!rowspan = 1 | 1885

|John Potter Jr. ||225||100% || Last Village President of West Bend (1884 - 1885)

!rowspan = 2 | 1886

|Henry Lemke || 83 || 69.74% ||

|A. Frankenberg || 36 || 30.26% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1893

|Charles Miller (inc) || ? || >50% ||

|W. P. Rix || ? || <50% ||

!rowspan = 1 | 1896

|Joseph Ott ||415||100%

!rowspan = 2 | 1899

|Henry Koepke || 206 || 43.36%

|Ernst Frankenberg || 269 || 56.63%

!rowspan = 1 |1901

|Joseph Ott || 349 || 100%

!rowspan = 2 | 1908

|Andrew Pick || 287 || 58.45% || Partner in Pick Brother Co. (Today known as Pick Heaters). Member of the city staff

|Albert E. Gray (inc) || 204 || 41.54%

!rowspan = 2 | 1912

|William G. Bratz (inc) || 298 || 57.75%||Appointed as interim mayor in 1910 after Andrew Pick died of typhoid fever. Alderman since 1894

|Peter Lochen || 218 || 42.24% || Alderman. Member of the Wisconsin State Senate.

!rowspan = 3 | 1914

| William G. Bratz (inc) || 215 || 36.81%

|Lorenz Guth || 175 ||29.96% || Brother of Louis D. Guth

| Bernhard Carl Ziegler || 194 || 33.21% || Founder of West Bend Company

!rowspan = 1 | 1916

| Joseph F. Huber || 586 || 100%

!rowspan = 2 | 1918

|Joseph F. Huber (inc) || 531 || 80.45%

|Robert H. Rolfs || 129 || 19.54% || Founder of Amity Co.

!rowspan = 1 | 1920

|Frank Schoenbeck || 572 || 100% ||Alderman

!rowspan = 2 | 1922

|Frank Schoenbeck (inc) || 769 || 74.87% ||

| Joseph M. O'Meara || 258|| 25.12% || Alderman. Son of Patrick O'Meara (4th and 6th Mayor)

!rowspan = 3 | 1924

| Frank Schoenbeck (inc) || 549 || 59.35%

|Rudolph F. Jackel || 243||26.27% ||

|Abe Herman || 133|| 14.37% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1926

|Henry O. Regner || 675 || 58.49% ||Regner notably has a park named after him in West Bend. Described in the local newspaper as "young, progressive and aggressive"

|Frank Schoenbeck (inc) || 479 || 41.50%

!rowspan = 1 | 1928

|Henry O. Regner (inc) || 832 || 100% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1930

|Joseph M. Knippel || 855 || 67.64% || Alderman

|George J. Obermeyer Sr. || 409 || 32.35%

!rowspan = 1 | 1932

|Joseph M. Knippel (inc) || 1,127 || 100% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1934

|Joseph M. Knippel (inc) || 1,142 || 79.58%

|George J. Obermeyer Sr. || 293|| 20.42%

!rowspan = 2 | 1936

|Joseph M. Knippel (inc) || 1,167 || 64.54%%

|Edward Tessman || 641 || 35.45%

!rowspan = 2 | 1938

|Joseph M. Knippel (inc) || 1,074 || 68.36%

|John P. "Turk" Wiskirchen || 497 || 31.63%

!rowspan = 2 | 1940

|Joseph M. Knippel (inc) || 949 || 43.37%

|Clyde J. Schloemer || 1,234 || 56.62% || Founder of Schloemer Law Firm. Prominent preacher on political/religious subjects

!rowspan = 1 | 1942

|Clyde J. Schloemer (inc) || 576 || 100% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1944

|Clyde J. Schloemer (inc) || 656 || 98.64%

|Scattering || 9|| 1.36%

!rowspan = 1 | 1946

|Clyde J. Schloemer (inc) || 501 || 100% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1948

|Michael L. Gehl || 1,315 || 96.33% || Related to the Gehl Company

|Scattering || 50|| 3.67%

!rowspan = 1 | 1950

|Michael L. Gehl (inc) || 1,896 || 100% ||

!rowspan = 1 | 1952

|Michael L. Gehl (inc) || 2,671 || 100% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1954

|Walter Schmidt || 1,462 || 54.63% || Alderman

|Deane Bascom || 1,214 || 45.37% || Alderman. Member of Washington County Board

!rowspan = 1 | 1956

|Walter Schmidt (inc) || ? || >50% ||

!rowspan = 1 | 1958

|Walter Schmidt (inc) || 1,578 || 100% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1960

|Walter Schmidt (inc) || 1,396 || 39.14%

|Paul M. Henke Sr. || 2,170 || 60.85% ||Alderman since 1957

!rowspan = 2 | 1962

| Walter Schmidt|| 1,398 || 49.97% || Demanded a recount 3 separate times. Originally Henke won with a 7 vote lead, but each recount decreased that number to eventually 2 after Schmidt took his complaint to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

|Paul M. Henke Sr. (inc) || 1,400 || 50.03% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1964

|Walter Schmidt || 1957 || 45.80% ||

|Paul M. Henke Sr. (inc) || 2316 || 54.20%

!rowspan = 2 | 1966

|Ralph "Shorts" Schoenhaar || 1,766 || 50.86% || Alderman

|Paul M. Henke Sr. (inc) || 1,706 || 49.13%

!rowspan = 2 | 1968

|Ralph "Shorts" Schoenhaar (inc) || 2453 || 51.10% ||

|Paul M. Henke Sr. || 2347 || 49.90%

!rowspan = 3 | 1970

|Ralph "Shorts" Schoenhaar (inc) || 1747 || 42.48% ||

|Roland P. Jaeger || 1685|| 40.97% || Alderman

|Robert N. Wolf ||680 || 16.53% || "political newcomer"

!rowspan = 2 | 1972

|Ralph "Shorts" Schoenhaar (inc) || 2808 || 50.65% ||

|Paul M. Henke Sr. || 2735|| 49.45%

!rowspan = 2 | 1974

|Ralph "Shorts" Schoenhaar (inc) || 2449 || 52.23% ||

| Marvin Huberty || 2240|| 47.77%

!rowspan = 2 | 1976

|Ralph "Shorts" Schoenhaar (inc) || 3322 || 55.55% ||

| Harvey Larson || 2658|| 44.45% ||West Bend School Board Member for 10 years

!rowspan = 2 | 1978

|John M. Pick || 2763 || 52.02% || Alderman since 1966. Pick's great uncle was the 11th mayor Andrew Pick

| Donald L. Gonring || 2549|| 47.98% ||Alderman since 1976

!rowspan = 2 | 1981

| William Oelhafen || ? || 48.00% || Former West Bend fire chief

|Donald L. Gonring || ? || 52.00% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1984

| McKay Schwalbach || 2332 || 46.20%

|Donald L. Gonring (inc) || 2716 || 53.80% || an ethics complaint against Gonring came out around the election and made Gonring a more controversial figure, splitting the incumbent alderman on who they supported. Endorsed by future mayor Mike Miller

!rowspan = 2 | 1987

|Michael R. Miller || 3525 || 58.67% || Alderman (1976 - 1984)

|Donald L. Gonring (inc) || 2483 || 41.32%

!rowspan = 1 | 1990

|Michael R. Miller (inc) || ? || >50% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 1993

|Michael R. Miller (inc) || 3918 || 81.05% ||

| Helene M. Kocher || 916 || 18.94% || Alderman

!rowspan = 1 | 1999

|Michael R. Miller (inc) || ? || >50% ||

!rowspan = 2 | 2002

|Michael R. Miller (inc) || ? || >50% ||

|Thomas F. O'Meara III || ? || <50% || District 2 Alderman (1992 - 2005). He is the great-grandson of 4th and 6th Mayor Patrick O'Meara, as well as 11th Mayor, Andrew Pick. O'Meara's uncle is Andrew Pick O'Meara

!rowspan = 3 | 2005

|Doug Bade || 2,144 || 55.43% || District 1 Alderman

|Thomas F. O'Meara III || 1,692 || 43.74% ||

|Write-Ins || 32 || 0.82%

!rowspan = 3 | 2008

|Kristine Deiss (inc) || 2,672 || 59.09% ||Appointed Interim Mayor after Doug Bade Resigned in 2007. District 1 Alderman (2005 - 2007)

|Michael A. Christian || 1,837 || 40.62% || Heavily involved in West Bend Historical Society

|Write-Ins || 13 || 0.29%

!rowspan = 3 | 2011

|Kristine Deiss (inc) || 2,542 || 32.04%

|Kraig Sadownikow || 5,366 || 67.63% || CEO of American Companies (active developer)

|Write-Ins || 26 || 0.33%

!rowspan = 3 | 2014

|Kraig Sadownikow (inc) || 1,835 || 63.96%

|Roger Kist || 1,026 || 35.75% || District 8 Alderman (2009 - 2020). Chairman of Washington County Republicans

|Write-Ins || 8 || 0.28%

!rowspan = 2 | 2017

|Kraig Sadownikow (inc) || 2,284 || 96.82%

|Write-Ins || 75 || 3.18%

!rowspan = 3 | 2020

|Rich Kasten || 3,993 || 47.77% || District 5 Alderman (2014 - 2020). Endorsed by outgoing mayor Kraig Sadownikow

|Christophe E. Jenkins || 4,295 ||51.38% ||District 4 Alderman (2015 - 2020)

|Write-Ins || 71 || 0.85%

!rowspan = 3 | 2023

|Joel Ongert || 5,594 || 57.17% || Member of West Bend School Board (2017 - 2020) West Bend Public School Foundation (2019 - 2023)

|Denis Kelling || 4,156 || 42.47% || Member of the Washington County Board since 2016. Endorsed by outgoing mayor Christophe E. Jenkins

|Write-Ins || 35 || 0.36%

!rowspan = 2 | 2026

|Joel Ongert || 5,619 || 97.40% ||

|Write-Ins || 150 || 2.60%

2019 Resignation Situation

Former mayor Kraig Sadownikow announced his resignation as mayor on October 21, 2019, following a closed session. The reasoning for his resignation was because of an upcoming development where he had a current business relationship with the people involved for over 15 years, and Sadownikow was concerned he would have a bias regarding it. This situation had been addressed to Sadowinkow and a part of the community shared his concern with bias. Sadownikow said "I’ve got to separate my business life from my service life and the best way to maintain my own integrity and the integrity of the office and the project is for me to resign". Sadownikow's resignation was immediate. The City Council held a special meeting to decide what will happen. The council decided to have an interim mayor finish off the rest of Sadownikow's mayoral term. District 6 Alderman Steve Hoogester was appointed as interim mayor on November 4, 2019. Hoogester returned to his role as District 6 Alderman after he completed Sadownikow's term.

2007 Resignation Situation

Former Mayor Doug Bade resigned from his office in late May in order to pursue an out-of-state job. The common council was tasked with appointing an interim mayor to serve the last 10 months of Bade's term. On June 5, the council decided to appoint their council president Kristine Deiss. This proved to be a controversial decision as the vote to appoint her was blocked when Aldermen Allen Carter, Terry Vrana, and Scott Frederick walked out. Eventually, on June 10 the vote was held successfully. Kristine Deiss was able to win reelection after she finished off Bade's term. of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Trinity Lutheran School, of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and St. John's Lutheran School, of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

Roman Catholic schools include St. Frances Cabrini School and Holy Angels School.

Media

West Bend has a country music station, WMBZ (92.5 FM) and a classic rock station, WRYU (1470 AM). The official newspaper of the City of West Bend is the West Bend Daily News.

The West Bend Booster is an independent, family-owned newspaper covering the area and has an office in West Bend. In 2020, due to COVID-19, The Booster's parent company, Booster Publications, announced that they would permanently close.

The city of West Bend and the West Bend School District maintain their own separate public, educational, and government access channels, carried by both Spectrum and AT&T U-verse throughout the region and also online .

Transportation

The West Bend Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) east of the central business district of West Bend.

The options for public transportation within West Bend include the city and county taxi programs. The Washington County Commuter Express previously provided bus service to and from the city of Milwaukee until 2023 when the county ended the service., and became the Eisenbahn State Trail. When the rail line was continuous through West Bend, it was operated by Wisconsin Central, Ltd (WC) most recently.

Notable people

William Arnemann, Wisconsin state representative
Samuel S. Barney, judge
Zack Baun, football player
Mathias J. Berres, farmer and Wisconsin state representative
Bill B. Bruhy, Wisconsin state representative
Ward Christensen, computer scientist
James Davison, Wisconsin state representative
John DeMerit, baseball player
Almah Jane Frisby, physician and professor
Leander F. Frisby, lawyer
Bob Gannon, Wisconsin State representative
Kenneth William Haebig, Wisconsin state representative
Fred H. Hildebrandt, U.S. representative
Theodore Holtebeck, Wisconsin state representative
George F. Hunt, Wisconsin state senator and physician
Ken Jungels, baseball player
Florian Lampert, U.S. representative
Scott May, baseball player
Stephen F. Mayer, Wisconsin state senator
Willie Mueller, baseball player
Andrew P. O'Meara, United States Army officer
B. S. Potter, Wisconsin state representative
Ryan Rohlinger, baseball player
John W. Salter, Wisconsin state representative
Frederick C. Schroeder, Wisconsin state representative
Richard H. E. Smith II, software engineer and computer consultant
Dave Steckel, hockey player
Jordan Stolz, World Champion speed skater
Patricia Strachota, Wisconsin state representative
Frank Weddig, Colorado State Legislator
Viola S. Wendt, poet
Morgan White, gymnast

Sister cities

Aisho, Shiga, Japan
Heppenheim, Hesse, Germany