TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Todd Frederick of Merrill announced he will run as an Independent against incumbent Calvin Callahan for a seat on Wisconsin’s State Assembly representing the 35th District. The 35th Assembly District includes all of Lincoln County, as well as western Langlade County and portions of Marathon, Oneida, and Shawano Counties.
Calvin was elected to serve as the 35th Assembly representative in the Nov. 2020 election and took office Jan. 4, 2021, for a two-year term ending Jan. 3, 2023.
Prior to that, Mary Felzkowski of Irma held that office, but she left the Assembly to run for and was elected to the State Senate for the 12th District of Wisconsin in the Nov. 2020 election.
Todd Frederick and his wife, Renea, have each previously run in this race, attempting to unseat incumbent Republican candidates, but were not successful in their bids for election to the Wisconsin State Assembly.
In 2002, Todd Frederick previously ran on the Democratic ticket against then incumbent Don Friske for the 35th District State Assembly seat; Friske won in that race.
In 2016, Frederick’s wife, Renea Frederick also ran for this same seat, also on the Democratic ticket, against then incumbent Mary Cjaza (now Felzkowski); Cjaza (Felzkowski) won in that race.
Now in 2022, Todd Frederick said his frustration with the current state of our politics has motivated him to enter the race again, this time as an Independent.
“I think we have all seen the split between us widen over the past decade with neither side willing to talk to the other, while nothing of real importance ever gets done,” he said. “I have not felt represented in Madison for an exceptionally long time, and I know of many others that feel the same. Worse yet, many of our younger generations feel it does not matter if they vote; they feel disenfranchised and that there is no future. Well, the best thing about our future is that it is not yet written. The future is what we make it, but it is important that you vote. That is what keeps Democracy strong. We can change the direction of our state with your help.”
“I believe we all share the same important values: family, fairness, helping others when they are in need, honesty, hard work, good public education, freedom, and faith,” Todd Frederick said. “I believe these are the core values we in the Northwoods all share, and they do not belong to just one party. These values are in short supply in Madison, and it is time they got restored.”
A Merrill native, Todd said he learned his work ethic at the early age of nine helping is father on his milk routes picking up cans, and later bulk milk, from farms in Price, Oneida, and Lincoln Counties. He remembers getting up at 4:30 a.m. and not getting home until after 5:00 p.m. When not helping his father during the summer months, he would spend time on some of these same farms doing chores and making hay. His mother worked just as hard in the home raising three children and working outside the home in retail, he said.
After graduating high school, Todd attended and graduated from NTC in Wausau, then worked 14 years as an engineering manager for a large company in Wausau, before starting his own business in Merrill in 1996 with his wife, Renea. That business, Fremarq Innovations, on Mill St. in Merrill, eventually grew to employ 50 people, and the company continues to flourish and is a dedicated supporter of the community, Todd said.
An entrepreneur, business owner, husband, father, and NTC graduate, he has chased the American dream in his own life. “We all have a right to chase the American dreams of owning a home, getting an affordable post high school degree, having a job or a career that provides a living wage, or starting a business,” Todd said. “I have been blessed to have achieved all of these, and I want to help anyone who wants to achieve these same dreams. I believe these are the things that not only help people succeed but will also help our rural communities grow and flourish.”
Todd Frederick will face off against Calvin Callahan on the Nov. 8, 2022, ballot.