Lake Geneva’s Tourism Dollars: A Shift Toward Infrastructure Over Festivals

The Lake Geneva Tourism Commission is shifting their focus to municipal development grants and trying to cut down on the amount of grants going to businesses.

Municipal development grants were used during the last administration to pay for Lake Geneva’s debt service on The Riveria, which is the city’s local convention center, it also paid for improvements in the Riveria Ballroom like upgrade of facilities. The current administration under Mayor Todd Krause wants to expand the municipal development powers of the commission and focus less on the grants to regional businesses. 

Municipal developments grants were given to the local YMCA to resurface the sports fields at Veterans Park of $340K in 2023 and $300K in 2025. The YMCA is a big player in the tourism business. They hold multi-day tournaments for primarily out of town families all summer.

At the April meeting, Luke Pfeiffer raised concerns about the allocation of funds for The Riveria debt service. He noted that the city retains all revenue from its rental to help reduce property taxes for Lake Geneva residents. He also is validly unhappy with the grants for going to events held outside the city of Lake Geneva.

Luke is the owner of Maxwell Mansion hotel and a short-term rental property owner he is also on the board of Visit Lake Geneva. Stephanie Klett the overpaid President of Visit Lake Geneva, also nuanced that the Commission should have more hoteliers as members. She stated “, it may be a great idea to have another lodging property “on the commission. Zakia Pirzada from the Lodge on Wells St. is the hotel representative currently.

Visit Lake Geneva Board of Directors are mostly out-of-town business owners. They are:

• Skip Harless – Chairman  Grand Geneva Resort & Spa
• Dave Sekeres – Immediate Past Chairman Lake Lawn Resort
• Steve Lois- Vice chairman Edward Jones and President of the YMCA
• Barb Krause-Treasurer Nei-Turner Media Group and Mayor Krause wife
• Ellen Burling-Lake Geneva Cruse Line
• Dan Dolan- The Abbey Resort
• Ann Esarco- Avant Cycle and on the Lake Geneva Plan Commission
• Tom Keefe- Compass and Geneva Lakes Vacations
• Sherm Lindsey- Lake Geneva Scooter Rentals
• Paul Meckler- Oakfire
• Leigh Myers-The Candle Mercantile
• Kara O’Dempsey-The Geneva Inn
• Luke Pfeifer – Maxwell Mansion    

The April meeting of the Tourism Commission was the last one before new commissioners can be appointed by the mayor. All terms are only for one year. The only change mayor Krause made is the appointment of Linda Frame. The other Alderperson is Mary Joe Fesenmaier who is on her 6th term. Luke Pfeifer was not added to the Commission.

Is anyone monitoring the progress of the grants work?

The tracking software that somehow the Lake Geneva Tourism Commission never got to see until last month. Pacer Ai is a location intelligence platform that tracks person’s mobile phone foot traffic and consumer behavior. The Walworth County Visitors Bureau had a co-op subscription with Visit Lake Geneva. Placer AI informed that there was a breach of contract “The subscription is closed, and we cannot access our accounts, and this goes for the bid as well all the way. I want to say five of us are in this Co-op with the Walworth County visitor’s bureau. “Pointed out Deanna Goodwin VP of Visit marketing.

Commission President Brian Waspi wants to change the way money is being spent and have it go more for municipal development and less on grants for marketing businesses events.

Waspi pointed out that tourism “puts tremendous pressure on the city parks on government infrastructure…. I just don’t want to make as many grants towards, uh, the events. I’d like to see more of those Municipal development grants. “

The city of Lake Geneva used to have brush pickup for residents all summer. They stopped the service when daily street sweeping began downtown after the tourists.

Mayor Krause also wants tourist related infrastructure projects like maintenance of the Riveria and Brunk pavilion in flat iron park to be paid from Commissions dollars. The city gets donated projects but needs the money to maintain them.

Brain Waspi pointed out that events “come to us for money complacent that they’re going to just get that year after year” for marketing. The size of the grants has gotten larger, the first time they come in asking for $10K the next for $15K or $25K.

Waspi believes grants should be for onetime things like the Harry Potter Fest “this is a place where they can come and try to build a lasting presence of something that’s new.”

The numbers.

At the May 2025 Tourism Commission Meeting Waspi came with some numbers. Of the $2.2 million the city collects in room taxes 30% goes into the city general fund. Visit Lake Geneva gets 51% and The Lake Geneva Tourist Commission gets 19%. The commission rolled forward $500K from last year and gets about $200K from their 19% share each year, so they have up to $900K now in the pot. But $400K is already committed so $500K is up for grabs in 2025.

The Grants awarded at the May 2025 Tourism Commission meeting.

  Brain Waspi tries in vain to get the profligacy under control.

“Awarded too many grants for the same group. I got a couple calls on that, like, even three years ago, because we had one Bay contest with the first came. And then there was, she says, like, so, there’s these festivals. So, I’m struggling a bit with if you look at it. In aggregate, it’s quite a bit of grant money to one organization that’s putting on multiple events, and that’s where I’m struggling with after so many years that to the point where, um. I’m having trouble distinguishing between that. We’re granting money for a marketing project to draw new people to town, or it’s becoming part of this one….

It’s getting harder for me with the House of Music events because they’re awesome, they believe. Well, the time you have it, but I don’t know how many years in a row we can. That’s where I’m personally. It can’t be a part of their business plan.”

Waspi believes there should be a time limit on the number of grants one entity gets. It should be to get a event started for a few years and then they either sink or swim.

Taco Fest put on by the House of Music located in Geneva Township

Last year they got $15K, this year wants $25K half from Lake Geneva’s Tourism Commission and half from Geneva Township’s Tourism Commission. This is their 5^th year at the trough. Voting to give them $10K this year Shelley Rowell, Troy Migut, Zakia Pirzada, Alderperson Fesenmaier and Alderperson Linda Frame. Brian Waspi voted no.

Das Fest.

Held at the Kenosha Co. Fair Grounds a non-profit all proceeds go for charity 70 dogs with races for dachshunds and corgis but held the weekend of Country Thunder Music Festival July 18^th. They got $15K. All vote for giving it.

Annual Venetian Festival.

Ask for $60K.

Brian Waspi points out according to statute the money can’t pay for entertainment and printing materials which the Jaycees have listed in their grant. The award is amended to $27K but Frame and Pirzada still want to give them all they ask for. The guys from the Jaycees are to honest.