In addition to the Supreme Court Justice election and statewide referendums, some local Townships and school boards will elect leadership in contested races
TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
All Lincoln County ballots for the April 4, 2023, Spring General Election will feature an important contested race for the State of Wisconsin, that being the race for the next Supreme Court Justice. That’s a big one for the state, and all residents are encouraged to get out and vote this coming Tuesday. (See Supreme Court Justice article in this issue.)
Similarly, all ballots will give voters the opportunity to voice their opinions on the same three referendum questions. (See referendum questions article in this issue.)
Beyond that, this article will outline the races on the ballot in each Lincoln County municipality.
Municipalities with uncontested local races
In the City of Merrill, City of Tomahawk, the Town of Birch, the Town of Bradley, the Town of Harrison, the Town of Pine River, Town of Somo, Town of Tomahawk, and Town of Wilson, all of the candidates for the various LOCAL positions, including those running for the Merrill Area Public Schools (MAPS) Board of Education (BOE), and Tomahawk School District (TSD) BOE are running unopposed. That means for each of the local offices on the ballot, no one is running against the listed candidate.
Town of Corning
In the Town of Corning, there is one contested race. Chad A. Kottke, Greg Kleinschmidt, Todd Luedtke, and Jon Weiler are all in the running to become Town Board Supervisors. Four candidates are running to fill two available positions. All other local races on the ballot, including MAPS BOE, are uncontested.
Town of Harding
In the Town of Harding, multiple races are contested. Michael R. Hornischer and Mike Ellsworth are both vying for the position of Town Board Chairperson. Jason Ament, Darrell Oestreich, Steven C. Plautz, and John M. Tomajcik Sr. are all in the running to become Town Board Supervisors. Four candidates are running to fill two available positions. All other local races on the ballot, including MAPS BOE, are uncontested.
Ward 1 in the Town of Harding is located in the TSD, Ward 2 is located in the MAPS District, and Ward 3 is located in the Rhinelander School District (RSD). Candidates for the School Board races in all three districts are running unopposed.
Town of King
In the Town of King, three candidates–Mark Martello, Andy Tomaszewski, and David Dyer–are vying for two open Town Board Supervisor positions. Two candidates–Amanda West and Georgene Linden–are in the running to become Town Clerk. All other local races on the ballot, including TSD BOE, are uncontested.
Town of Merrill
In the Town of Merrill, two candidates–Michael Hass and Cutler Nowak–are running for Town Board Chairperson, and three candidates–Mathew Leder, Rick Neumann, and Darrel Dengel–are running for two Town Board Supervisor positions. All other local races on the ballot, including MAPS BOE, are uncontested.
Town of Rock Falls
In the Town of Rock Falls, two candidates–Michael David and Van De Weerd–are running for the position of Town Board Chairperson. Three candidates–Bryon Gleisner, Kurt R. Niersel, and George W. Alery–are running for two Town Board Supervisor positions. Two candidates– Kelly Gleisner and Diane Chambers–are running for the position of Town Clerk. The candidate running for Town Treasurer is unopposed, as are the candidates running for school board in the MAPS District and TSD.
Town of Russell
Four candidates–Nathan Roggenbuck, Lori Studinski, Marty Sosnovske, and Ivan Dorgan–are running for two Town Board Supervisor positions in the Town of Russell. Other local races on the ballot are uncontested, including for school board.
Town of Schley
Two candidates–Timothy M. Klimek and Kelly Collins–are running for the position of Town Board Chairperson in the Town of Schley. Four candidates–Craig Brown, Gerald Plamann, Cody Bergman, and Tony Dallman–are vying for two Town Board Supervisor positions. The MAPS School Board race is uncontested.
Town of Scott
In the Town of Scott, two candidates– Mike Woller and Ronald Lemmer–are running for the position of Town Board Chairperson. Four candidates–Mike Woller, Brett Woller, Randy Detert, and Gerald Engel–are running for two Town Board Supervisor positions. The MAPS School Board race is uncontested.
Town of Skanawan
In the Town of Skanawan, rather than having competing candidates, only one candidate–Wally H. Horabik–is running, although there are two open Town Board Supervisor positions. Candidates for TSD are running unopposed.