KEWAUNEE COUNTY – Eleven of 20 County Board seats and the Kewaunee mayor’s office are up for grabs in the general election taking place Tuesday, April 3.

Nine of the board supervisor races are contested. Two seats have no registered candidates and will be won by write-in votes.

Residents of the city of Kewaunee will vote for their mayor as well as two alderpersons Four candidates are seeking three seats as trustees for the village of Luxemburg.

In the Luxemburg-Casco School District, voters will choose two school board members from among three candidates and decide on two referendum questions for school improvements totaling almost $28 million if both questions pass.

County Board

Five incumbents are seeking to retain their seats as County Board supervisors.

In District 6 (Village of Luxemburg, Wards 1-2), incumbent Donna Thomas is being challenged by Daniel Olson. 

District 8 (Luxemburg, Ward 3) has Frank Madzarevic challenging Sup. Douglas Doell.

District 12 (Town of West Kewaunee, Ward 1) has Sup. Mary Ellen Dobbins and Milton Swagel running for the seat.

Incumbent Patrick Benes and Joseph Lukes face off in District 17 (Town of Pierce, Ward 2, and Town of Casco, Ward 3).

And Sup. Lee Luft and Jeff Cmejla are running in District 18 (Kewaunee, Ward 1, and Pierce, Ward 1).

Other contested board races are:

District 2 (Town of Lincoln): candidates Cory Cochart and Mark Kuniesz.

District 7 (Town of Casco, Ward 2, and Village of Casco, Ward 1): Charles Schmitt and Kenneth Secor.

District 10 (Town of Franklin): John Wochos and Thomas Cretney.

 District 11 (Town of Carlton, Wards 1-2): Richard Schleis and Aaron Augustian.

Districts 5 (Luxemburg, Wards 4-5) and 13 (Town of Casco, Ward 1, West Kewaunee, Ward 2, and Town of Luxemburg, Ward 3) have no registered candidates. Sup. Christopher Rasmussen is not seeking re-election in District 5, and District 13 is vacant after the recent death of Sup. John Pagel, who would have been unopposed for the election.

Those seats will be decided by write-in votes. County Clerk Jamie Annoye said if the write-in winner declines the seat, the board will appoint someone to fill it.

Supervisors running without opposition are Gerald Paape (District 1, Town of Ahnapee), Charles Wagner (District 3, Town of Red River, Wards 1-2), Robert Weidner (District 4, Town of Luxemburg, Ward 2, and Red River, Ward 3), Scott Jahnke (District 9, Town of Montpelier, Wards 1-2), Thomas Romdenne (District 14, Algoma, Wards 2-3), Linda Teske (District 15, Algoma, Wards 4-5), Virginia Haske (District 16, Algoma, Wards 1 and 5), John Mastalir (District 19, Kewaunee, Wards 2 and 5), and Kaye Schillin (District 20, Kewaunee, Wards 3-4).

Kewaunee

Mayor Sandi Christman is seeking another term in office against challenger James Kleiman III, who survived a February primary to remain in the race.

District 1 is a contested race, with Ald. Jason Jelinek challenged by Jeffrey Vollenweider.

The 2nd District alderperson race is open after incumbent Diane Jirtle chose not to seek re-election. While no one registered as an official candidate, Alison Smith registered as a write-in candidate. 

District 1 is a contested race, with Ald. Jason Jelinek challenged by Jeffrey Vollenweider.

incumbent Janita Zimmerman in District 3 and Daniel Stangel in the 4th District are running unopposed for alderperson. Stangel would replace Don Kickbusch, who chose not to run.

Luxemburg

Four candidates are running for three trustee seats, with incumbents Dan Olson, Dan Porath and Sue Raduenz facing a challenge from Michael Bonk.

Casco

The village of Casco has no contested races for its board. Incumbent trustees Tim Kinnard and Francis Gilson are running without opposition.

L-C School District

incumbent Cary DeQuaine and challengers Robin Richard and David Delain are seeking two spots on the Luxemburg-Casco School Board:

The first referendum facing L-C voters asks for up to $15.9 million for building additions and/or remodeling the district’s primary, intermediate and high schools. It would also cover the cost of updating the district’s undersized gymnasium, adding a public entrance for the fitness center, updating classroom technology, repaving the parking lot, and building or remodeling secure main entrances to the schools.

The second question asks for up to $11.9 million to build a new middle school at the south end of the current high school. This means seventh and eighth-grade students would move from the Casco location to the main school in Luxemburg. The Casco building would then be converted into an alternative high school. 

The current tax rate is $8.08 per $1,000 of equalized property value. If both referendum questions pass the tax rate would increase 77 cents, or about $115 for the owner of a $150,000 home.

Algoma

The city of Algoma also will have a write-in spot on its ballots this spring because no one filed papers to run for District 2 alderperson, where Janice Mueller is not seeking re-election.

All other races in the city are uncontested, with Mayor Wayne Schmidt, 1st District Ald. Kevin Schmidt and 3rd District Ald. Eugene Cleveland running to retain their seats and Jake Maring seeking to replace incumbent Jan Dart as alderperson in the 4th District after Dart chose not to run.

Also, John Pabich, Patricia Qualman and Ann Schmitz are unopposed for Algoma School Board seats.

Statewide

The heated race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has Sauk County Circuit Judge Michael Screnock facing Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet. The race is nonpartisan, but Screnock has campaigned as a conservative while Dallet has positioned herself between moderate and liberal.

Also on the ballot is a question asking Wisconsin voters if they want to eliminate the state treasurer post, which has been in place since the state was founded in 1848. The position’s duties have gradually been stripped away over the years. Current treasurer Matt Adamczyk and his predecessor, Kurt Schuller, both are in favor of elimination. However, another past treasurer, Jack Voight, is in favor of retaining it.

For more on the issue, see the story by Jason Stein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Those in need of a Wisconsin ID card can get one free of charge at the state Department of Motor Vehicles offices in Algoma or Green Bay. District maps can be found under the “District Maps” tab on the left side of the home page at the county website.

For more information, call 920-388-7133 or go to kewauneeco.org.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Kewaunee County spring 2018 election preview