Tony Burns is no stranger to Rotary, having previously belonged to the Middleton club for many years. Now a member of the Waunakee club, Tony gave his classification talk at the Dec. 2 meeting. 

Tony moved to Waunakee in 2016. His wife is the Middleton City Clerk and recently finished up with all the madness that our elections have become. Tony’s son is at Waunakee High School and his daughter attends Waunakee Intermediate School. In Tony’s neighborhood, people often see him walking his boxer in the mornings. 

Tony was raised in Reedsburg and served in the Army for four years in the military police. He began his civilian professional life in real estate, but later realized he’d be better at writing mortgages. He began with Fairway Independent Mortgage Company in 1998. Fairway is not a bank or a credit union, and just underwrites mortgages. 

Tony walked the club through the different loans, such as conventional, FHA, USDA, VA and Jumbo. He also provided some “do’s” and “don’ts”when applying for a loan. 

As we enter a recession, Tony offered some advice. He said real estate remains a strong asset, noting equity has increased since the last recession. Interest rates are likely to drop during the recession; today’s rate is 6.18, but three weeks ago it was 7.375, he said, adding interest rates follow the rate of inflation. 

Many of us are hearing housing doom and gloom stories, but now is not a bad time to buy because it’s a way to build wealth as home values appreciate, Tony said. 

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Other News:

-Linda Ziegler attended the meeting to provide a $500 gift for Rotary in Lights in her husband, Bob Ziegler’s name. A Rotarian, Bob built some of the displays for the Rotary Lights project before his passing. Thank you, Linda. 

-The club inducted Gabriell Hamre, who is with Century 21 Affiliated in DeForest and has relocated from Appleton. Welcome, Gabriell!

-Tom Kennedy was honored as a third-time Harris Fellow. Awesome, Tom!

-Friday is the Light the Night parade beginning at O’Malley Street near the roundabout and following down Main Street to the Village Park. 

-Tuesday, Dec. 6, the Middleton Rotary Club is coming for a tour of the Rotary Light Display followed by fellowship at the Lone Girl. The tour starts at 5:30 p.m. and the members are expected to arrive at Lone Girl at 6 p.m. If you can, let Bob Klostermann know that you’re coming or sign up through Clubrunner. 

-The shipments on the solar lights for the dog park are delayed. 

-The club is planning Wednesday Wine Nights at Eno Vino. 

-Save the Date: Feb. 9 will be the club’s 50th anniversary celebration at the Waunakee Public Library. 

-The club has a new video featuring the Rotary Lights. It will appear on Facebook, so be sure to share it on your social media. 

-The DeForest Rotary Club members dropped off the poinsettias and cheese boxes. 

Guests: Linda Ziegler, guest of the club. 

Visiting Rotarians: Jacob Vehring, DeForest Rotary Club. 

Birthdays: Dec. 8, Roberta Baumann; Dec. 14, Rich Wipperfurth.

Anniversaries: None. 

Greeters: Dec. 8, Connie Blau and Carol Bleifield; Dec. 15, Tony Burns and Paul Carderella; Dec. 22, Kathy Cefalu and Scott Cochems; Dec. 29, Tegan Counihan and John Cullen.