Who’s Running for Local Offices

The race to watch for the spring election comes out of the Gibraltar School District, where eight candidates are vying for three seats. It’s the only local race that triggered the need for a primary election to be held on Feb. 16 in advance of the April 6 spring election.

No other primaries are needed and only a few contests have emerged within the towns of Gardner, Union and Washington, and for seats on both the Sturgeon Bay and Southern Door school boards.

The state races on all Door County ballots will be for the superintendent of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and a judge seat in the District III Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS

Gibraltar School Board: Eight people have filed for three open seats, triggering a need for a primary election. The eight candidates are incumbent Angela Sherman, Erick Schrier, Alan Kroll, Carrie Becker, Cambria Mueller, Marc Savard, Jamie Christianson and Amie Carriere. Incumbents Lynnea Hickey and Mark Weborg are not running for reelection. 

Sturgeon Bay School Board: Four candidates are running for three open seats: incumbent Teri Lawrey Hooker, Roger Wood, Angela Kruse and Damion Howard. Incumbents Keith Miller and Amy Stephens are not running for reelection.

Southern Door School Board: Three candidates are running for two open seats: incumbents Josh Jeanquart and Janet Veeser, and Christopher Jackson. 

Sevastopol School Board: Only the three incumbents are running for the three open seats: Sue Todey, Lisa Bieri and Keith Volkmann.

Washington Island School Board: Only the two incumbents are running for the two open seats: incumbents Bob Wagner and Mike Thielke.

LOCAL MUNICIPAL RACES

City of Sturgeon Bay: Four of seven alder seats are up for reelection, and only the four incumbents are running uncontested: Helen Bacon, District 1; Dan Williams, District 3; Gary Nault, District 5; and Kirsten Reeths, District 7.

Village of Egg Harbor: Three of five board seats are up for reelection, and only the incumbents are running uncontested: John Heller (president), Joe Smith and Angela Lensch.

Village of Ephraim: Three of five board seats are up for reelection, and only the incumbents are running uncontested: Mike McCutcheon (president), Cindy Nelson and Kenneth E. Nelson. 

Village of Forestville: Three of five board seats are up for reelection. They are currently held by Terry McNulty (president), Scott Pinchart and Jessica Koskubar. The Village did not respond to requests for information about who had filed candidacy papers.

Village of Sister Bay: Four of seven board seats – including the chair seat formerly held by David Lienau, who resigned effective Dec. 1 – are up for reelection. (Trustee Denise Bhirdo is temporarily filling the vacancy left by David Lienau.) Only three people are running for the four open seats: Rob Zoschke for village president, and incumbent trustees Scott Baker and Nate Bell. Incumbent Chad Kodanko did not file for reelection. Given that there are three trustee seats up for reelection and only two have filed for the seats, “someone will win with a write-in vote,” said Heidi Teich, administrative assistant/clerk. 

Town of Baileys Harbor: Three of five board seats are up for reelection, as well as the town constable seat. Donald Sitte is running for chair uncontested; incumbent Constable Mark Merrill is running uncontested; and incumbent board members Peter Jacobs and Roberta Thelen are running uncontested. Incumbent Chair David Eliot did not file for reelection.

Town of Brussels: All three board seats are up for reelection, and only the incumbents are running uncontested: Joe Wautier (chair), Mark Marchant and Joel Daoust. Clerk JoAnn Neinas, Treasurer Lois Maedke and Constable Matthew Phillips, all incumbents, are also running uncontested.

Town of Clay Banks: All three board seats are up for reelection, and only the incumbents are running uncontested. They are Myron Johnson (chair), Mark Heimbecher and Patrick Olson. Clerk Jessica Bongle and Treasurer Candace Kolstad, both incumbents, are also running uncontested. 

Town of Egg Harbor: Three of five board seats are up for reelection, and only the incumbents are running uncontested: Paul Peterson (chair), Dale Wiegand and Elizabeth Gauger. 

Town of Forestville: All three board seats are up for reelection, and only the incumbents are running uncontested: Roy Englebert (chair), Larry Huber and Jason Tlachac. Clerk Ruth Kerscher and Treasurer Dena Schmidt, both incumbents, are also running uncontested. 

Town of Gardner: Three of five board seats are up for reelection, and two of those are contested races: Incumbent Mark Stevenson and Carl Waterstreet are running for chair; incumbent Glen Merkle and Michele Ploor are running for the Supervisor 1 seat. Incumbent Mark Lentz will run uncontested to retain his seat, as will incumbent Treasurer Nancy Robillard and incumbent Clerk Amy Sacotte.

Town of Gibraltar: Three of five board seats are up for reelection, and only the three incumbents are running uncontested: Steve Sohns (chair), Brian Merkle and Tim Luettgen.

Town of Jacksonport: All three board seats are up for reelection, with two incumbents running for their seats uncontested – Randy Halstead (chair) and Tom Wilson – and one uncontested candidate, Renn Warren Jervis, running for the seat that will be vacated by incumbent Tim Bley, who did not file for reelection.

Town of Liberty Grove: Three of five board seats are up for reelection, and only the three incumbents are running uncontested: John Lowry (chair), Nancy Goss and Cathy Ward.

Town of Nasewaupee: All three board seats are up for re,election, and only the incumbents are running uncontested: Steven Sullivan (chair), Dennis Rimert and Don Sixel Jr. Clerk Jill Lau, Treasurer Carol Russell and Constable Aric Weber, all incumbents, are also running uncontested.

Town of Sevastopol: Three of five board seats are up for reelection, and only the incumbents are running uncontested: Dan Woelfel (chair), Mark Haen and Linda Wait.

Town of Sturgeon Bay: All three board seats are up for reelection, with only the incumbents running: Daniel Cihlar (chair), Carol Schuster and Paul Skup. Clerk Nancy Anschutz and Treasurer Lynne Gustafson, both incumbents, are also running uncontested. 

Town of Union: Incumbent Clerk Rene LaLuzerne is not running for reelection, and two candidates filed for the seat: Beth Hanson and Jenny Jandrin. Incumbent Treasurer Denise Englebert is running uncontested, as are all the incumbents for all three board seats up for reelection: Bruce Alberts (chair), Brian Renard and Jeff LeGrave.

Town of Washington: Three of five board seats are up for reelection, and two incumbents will face off for the chair’s seat: incumbent chair Richard Tobey and incumbent Supervisor Hans Lux. No one filed to fill Lux’s seat on the board, and incumbent Supervisor Martin Andersen will run uncontested. As with the Village of Sister Bay, a write-in candidate can claim the seat Lux is vacating. 

STATE RACES

Two additional races will appear on all Door County ballots for the primary election.

Superintendent, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Seven candidates running for superintendent of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) will appear on the Feb. 16 nonpartisan primary ballot. The two candidates who receive the most votes will be on the ballot for the April 6 election. 

The DPI superintendent works with the legislature to set the direction, budget and policies for schools across the state. Incumbent Carolyn Stanford Taylor, who is not running for reelection, was appointed by her predecessor, Tony Evers, who resigned to take office as governor.

The seven nonpartisan candidates are Sheila Briggs, Joe Fenrick, Troy Gunderson, Shandowlyon Hendricks-Williams, Deborah Kerr, Steve Krull and Jill Underly. 

The League of Women Voters’ forum with the candidates, and written answers to previously submitted questions, are available at the website of the Wisconsin Public Education Network (wisconsinnetwork.org). A link is also available on the League of Women Voters of Door County’s Facebook page and website (leagueofwomenvotersdoorcounty.org).

District III Court of Appeals Judge

The District III Court of Appeals covers 35 counties across the northern part of the state, including Door County. Its three nonpartisan judges are elected to six-year terms. This intermediate appellate court hears all cases appealed from the circuit courts and rules in favor of one party on whether the law was appropriately applied in the circuit court.

Incumbent judges are Lisa K. Stark, Thomas M. Hruz and Mark A. Seidl. Only Seidl’s seat is up for reelection, and he is not running for another term. The four candidates running for the seat are Rick Cveykus of Wausau, Scott Rosenow of Oregon, Aaron J. Loudenslager of Antigo and Gregory B. Gill Jr. of Appleton.
Craig Sterrett, a Peninsula Pulse contributor, gathered the local school-board data for this report. Reach him [email protected].