Of all of the public offices that govern our daily lives, few have a greater impact on the daily lives of the students of UW-Stout than that of the Mayor of Menomonie. The mayor oversees the operations of the city government, and has an impact on housing policy, economic development, public health and safety, and other aspects of daily life. The position of mayor is up for election this year, and it is important that Stout students learn about the candidates for mayor so that we can make an educated decision about who we want for mayor. In this article, we will be learning about mayoral candidate Matthew Crowe.
Matthew Crowe is thirty-eight years old, and has lived in Menomonie for five years. He has a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Montana, and he spent sixteen years of his life as an environmental engineering manager. While he hasn’t been living in the Menomonie area for very long, he has quickly become very involved in the operations of the Menomonie city government. He is currently serving on the Menomonie City Council as the representative for Ward 2, and also serves on the Downtown Menomonie Board, Dunn Economic Development Board, Tourism Commission, Board of Review, the Dunn County Local Emergency Planning Commission, and the Housing Committee. Crowe believes that his background as an environmental compliance engineer and his broad experience of leadership in the Menomonie area would make him the best candidate for mayor.
According to the Crowe for Mayor website, Matthew Crowe’s platform consists of five main priorities, the first of which is economic development. Crowe believes that everyone deserves a job with a living wage and a government that is fiscally responsible, and that the city needs to strategically invest in Menomonie to attract development that fits our culture and beats out cities like Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls. Crowe’s second priority on the list is to restore the vibrancy of Menomonie’s downtown district by bringing in new businesses and restoring the beauty of the great city on the lake. He wants to support our current business owners and attract new ones, and believes that all starts on day one with a fresh, welcoming face of our community who truly wants the best for everyone. Crowe also believes in improving Menomonie’s infrastructure, saying that Menomonie deserves quality roads, bridges, and safe drinking water, and that he’s interested in investing into these projects to help improve Menomonie’s standard of living.
Matthew’s third priority is affordable housing. He notes that over two-thirds of Menomonie’s residents are renters, which makes it critically important to work with landlords and property management firms to impress upon them the importance of improving their rental properties and streamline the process to increase the supply of housing in the area, helping to increase the quality and lower the cost of rent for the many renters that call Menomonie home. Notably, Matthew Crowe has been endorsed by Grass Roots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW), a local organization that has been advocating for housing justice in the Menomonie area.
Matthew Crowe’s fifth and final priority is to bring trust and transparency to the city government. Crowe says that we’ve had a lack of transparency from the current leadership, and that the city needs to learn the lesson from that blunder and be more transparent about how the city government works. Crowe has promised to hold town halls to hear what the community wants to see from their government. He also plans to bring back the position of City Council Vice President, and is planning to have an agenda setting meeting with the City Council if he is elected, so that the Council and the public can have a better understanding of the priorities and goals moving forward.
Matthew Crowe’s background as an environmental engineer and his broad array of advisory board positions give him a unique perspective to approach legislative decisions from, and his policy priorities show a focus on economic support, infrastructure investment, and housing reform. Perhaps more than that, Matthew Crowe promises to bring a new face to the forefront of Menomonie politics, wishing to usher in a new era of transparency and professionalism for the city government of Menomonie.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: All of the information in this article was sourced from publicly available comments or from Matthew Crowe’s website, croweformayor.com. Stoutonia did reach out to Matthew Crowe for an interview, but was unable to get a response in time for the primaries.
Menomonie’s Spring Primary Election for mayor is TODAY!!! (Tuesday, February 17th, 2026). You can vote in the primaries by going to your local polling place. The closest locations to UW Stout’s South Campus are as follows…
- Merle Price Commons
- City of Menomonie Council Chambers
- Menomonie Recreation Department/Leisure Services Center.
More information can be found at: https://menomonie-wi.gov/506/UW-Stout-Student-Info
