2017 Spring Election Preview: Contested City Races

2017 Spring Election Preview: Contested City Races

 

4/3/17 – There are more vacancies on the ballots than contested races in some communities. In the city of Beaver Dam, there is a contest for mayor. Current alderwoman Becky Glewen is challenging incumbent Mayor Tom Kennedy. The other contested race in Beaver Dam is in the ninth aldermanic ward where Richard Barcus is challenging incumbent Lisa Davidson.  Ward 11 Alderman Jon Litscher filed non-candidacy, and Kay Appenfeldt is running for the open seat. Meanwhile, all the remaining incumbents in odd-numbered wards are running unopposed. In Mayville, only one of three aldermen is seeking another term. Incumbent Dale Toellner is running again while aldermen Mike Schmidt and Lon Bartelt did not seek re-election.  Nobody is on the ballot for either seat.  In Juneau, nobody is running in the Ward One seat being vacated by alderman Jason Buske. There are no contested races in the city’s of Fox Lake and Horicon. There will be a new mayor in Columbus as current Mayor Kelly Crombie is not running again. Alderman Michael Thom is the only candidate on the ballot for mayor. The recently-appointed mayor of Waupun is seeking her first full term in office. Mayor Julie Nickel was sworn-in this past August following the early retirement of former Mayor Kyle Clark.

 

Related Audio Links:

Beaver Dam Mayoral Candidates On Community Comment:

You can listen to our interview with Tom Kennedy here:

https://clyp.it/o04ewx0u

 

You can listen to our interview with Rebecca Glewen here:

https://clyp.it/32hb4jf5

 

Beaver Dam Ward Nine Candidates On Community Comment:

You can listen to our interview with Lisa Davidson and Richard Barcus here:

https://clyp.it/l1ijumvd

 

Beaver Dam Mayoral and Aldermanic Candidates At Chamber Candidates Forum:

https://clyp.it/coy5iinv

 

2017 Spring Election Preview: Contested Village Races

 

4/3/17 – There are very few contested villages races Tuesday and a couple seats do not have any candidates. There are contested races in Clyman where Michael Siegel is facing Daniel Finger for village president and Kathy Vergenz, Amanda Swanson and Jacqueline Hartman-Tollefson are vying for two open trustee seats. In the Village of Neosho, Steven Gonzales and Jeanne McDermott are competing for president while Derric Throne, Michael Weynand and Chad Mintzlaff are all seeking two trustee seats. Meanwhile, Hustisford Village President Dennis Uecker is not seeking re-election and there is no one on the ballot to replace him.  In Reeseville, Village President Brian Miller and Trustees Lee Brasch and Margaret Schmidt are seeking new terms.  A third trustee seat, which is currently vacant, has no candidates running.

 

2017 Spring Election Preview: Contested Township Races

 

4/3/17 – There are several contested races in local townships on tomorrow’s ballot. In the Town of Fox Lake – where controversial votes last year moved the townships zoning authority to the county — two supervisors, the clerk-treasurer and the chairperson all have two candidates on the ballot. Incumbent Carlton Schley is being challenged by former town chair Thomas Wissing, who lost his seat to Schley in 2015. Former Supervisor Ed Benter is challenging incumbent Julie Flemming for the Supervisor One seat while incumbent Wayne Kok is being challenged by Christopher Thurk for his Supervisor Two seat. Travis Paul is facing Raymond Caballero for the Fox Lake Clerk-Treasurer seat being vacated by Mason Zantow. In the Town of Beaver Dam, John Kuzniewicz is challenging Neal Stippich for chairman. Jesse Hankes and Jacob Kern are vying for a supervisor seat. In the Town of Clyman, David Blank and Mark Othmer are competing for chairman. Town of Lebanon Supervisor One pits Greg Fredrick against Carole Vawter. Bryant Halverson and Brenda Wenzel are competing for Town of Leroy Treasurer. Dale Dyer and Perry Billings both want to be Town of Theresa supervisor. There are open supervisor seats in the towns of Emmet and Westford with no one on the ballot.

 

2017 Spring Election Preview: Circuit Court Judge

 

4/3/17 – The race for Dodge County Circuit Court judge is the one race every voter in the county will see on their ballot. Incumbent Martin DeVries was appointed by the governor last year to fill the remainder of the term created following the early retirement of Judge John Storck. Beaver Dam attorney Randy Doyle is a Marquette Law School graduate who has been practicing in the Dodge County-area for the past 15 years after previously working in the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.

 

Related Audio Links:

Judicial Candidates On WBEV’s Community Comment:

 

Listen to our interview with incumbent Judge Martin De Vries here:

https://clyp.it/iimduzmx

 

Listen to our interview with Beaver Dam attorney Randy Doyle here:

https://clyp.it/mfbidunj

 

Judicial Candidates at Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce Candidates Forum:

https://clyp.it/coy5iinv

 

2017 Spring Election Preview: Contested School Board Races

 

4/3/17 – There are also a number of contested local school board seats. Four candidates are running for two spots in the Columbus School District: incumbent Cindy Damm, and challengers Mark Campbell, Julie Hajewski, and current mayor Kelly Crombie.  Incumbent Kevin White, filed non-candidacy. There is a contested race for two of the three Mayville School Board seats up this April.  Incumbent Terri Wilkens and challengers Joseph Hohmann and David Ognenoff are vying for the two city seats.  Incumbent Barbara Hagedorn is not seeking re-election. For a Theresa-area seat on the Mayville School Board, incumbent Richard Fink is running unopposed. Three candidates are vying for two seats on the Waupun School Board: incumbents Jennie Patrykus and Dylan Weber and challenger Stephen Chene. Three candidates are in the running for two seats in Hustisford where Steve Weinheimer, Michael Beisbier and Lisa Bosse are all on the ballot. Four candidates are competing for three seats on the Watertown School Board where Ronald Roehl, Tony Arnett, J. Mark Holland and Jennifer Bakke are all in the running. There are also contested school boards races in Oconomowoc, Hartford and Oakfield. There are no contested races on school boards in Horicon, Juneau and in Beaver Dam, where incumbents Laura Lerwick, Lisa Panzer, and Joanne Tyjeski are running unopposed for their seats.

 

Related Audio Links:

Mayville School Board Candidates On Community Comment:

 

Candidate Joseph Hohmann is with a group that is encouraging voters to vote against the referendum. Hohmann says the question should have been split in two parts and he is touting a plan to close Parkview Elementary and move those students to the Middle School.

Listen to interview: https://clyp.it/1cgm20sg

 

Candidate David Ognenoff supports the referendum and says if approved it would address a lot of issues and solve a lot of problems at all three schools.

Listen to interview: https://clyp.it/sqs04vjn

 

Incumbent Terri Wilkens supports the referendum and says the decision to go to the voters was not taken lightly.

Listen to interview: https://clyp.it/ckz3mds5

 

2017 Spring Election Preview: School Referenda

 

4/3/17 – Voters in the Hustisford and Mayville school districts will see referendum questions on tomorrow’s ballot.  In Hustisford, the spring referendum includes the same items as the question that failed by 80 votes this past November.  However, the price tag increased by $235,000 to $5.83-million-dollars due to cost bumps throughout the construction market.  The referendum would cover a variety of facility upgrades at John Hustis Elementary School including the creation of a safe, secure entryway, renovation of the existing gym into a larger cafeteria space, a new gymnasium, a new hard surface playground and parking lot, and three additional classrooms. If successful, the mill rate would increase by $1.59, meaning the owner of a $150,000 house would pay an extra $238 per year. In Mayville, the referendum question seeks $24.5-million dollars to make safety and security improvements at all three district buildings along with various improvements at the high school.  District officials anticipate a successful referendum would add $2.21 to the current mill rate of $8.81, costing homeowners an extra $331 per year. Mayville voters previously rejected a $23-million-dollar referendum in 2015.

 

Related Audio Links: Hustisford School Administrators On Community Comment:

https://clyp.it/rbebrxig

 

Related Audio Links: Mayville School Administrators On Community Comment:

https://clyp.it/bz24lqd3