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12/30/2009
STILL many seats uncontested
Monday I shared the current candidate situation for April elections in Outagamie County, the Town of Grand Chute, the City of Appleton and Appleton’s Board of Education. Lots of uncontested seats, several with not even a single candidate.
The stories are not much different in the City of Menasha and Winnebago and Calumet Counties.
C. of Menasha
Even numbered districts (2, 4, 6 and 8) are up for election for 2-year terms. Three incumbents are running. That’s it. No opposition. And in one district (4), not a single candidate has come forward. Are all these Menasha alderpersons doing an outstanding job?
- District 2: Incumbent Michael Taylor has filed his nomination signatures and to date, has no challenger.
- District 4: Incumbent Steve Pack has filed a declaration of noncandidacy. NO candidates have taken out papers, signaling an intent to run.
- District 6: Incumbent Dan Zelinski has taken out papers, but not yet turned in nomination signatures.
- District 8: Incumbent Kevin Benner has taken out papers, but not yet turned in nomination signatures.
Winnebago County
All 36 supervisors are up for election. In most districts, the incumbent has filed papers and will be running unopposed, though a comparatively significant SIX districts have competitive races. One district (3) has no candidate. Same question as above - are all the incumbents doing a good job?
- District 3: No candidate. Incumbent Donald Griesbach has filed a declaration of noncandidacy.
- District 6: Currently vacant, former President of the County Board Joseph Maehl has filed his nomination signatures and as of now, is running unopposed.
- District 7: Bill Roh, formerly representing District 6 (moved out of district), challenging incumbent James Koziczkowsk
- District 8: Incumbent Larry Smith getting signatures, but hasn't turned his papers in yet.
- District 12: Randal Darabosh is challenging incumbent Maribeth Gabert
- District 13: Incumbent Tena Riste reportedly intends to run, but hasn't taken out papers yet.
- District 16: Incumbent Amy Gearhart has filed a declaration of noncandidacy; Marissa Reynolds will be running, unopposed as of now, for this seat.
- District 18: John Daggett will challenge incumbent Bill Wingren.
- District 24: Kenneth Neubauer has taken out papers but not yet returned his nomination signatures. Neubauer would challenge incumbent Arlene Schmuhl.
- District 28: Former County Exec. candidate Jay Schroeder will challenge incumbent Jerold Finch.
- District 36: Patrick O’Brien has taken out papers but not yet returned his nomination signatures, to challenge incumbent John Reinert.
Calumet County
All 21 supervisors are up for election. Most incumbents have filed (exceptions listed below) and have no opposition. Two districts have no candidate. One district out of 21 has more than one candidate. Same question....
- District 1: Incumbent Joel Taylor has taken out papers, but not yet returned them with nomination signatures.
- District 2: Incumbent Ron Green has taken out papers, but not yet returned them.
- District 4: Incumbent Brian Leonhardt has taken out papers and not yet returned them.
- District 5: No candidate. Erin Quick-Laughlin filed a Notice of non-candidacy. (Eek, this is my district.)
- District 7: No candidate. Incumbent, Chester Dietzen, passed away November 20. Deadline for filing in this district is extended to Friday, January 8, 5:00 PM.
- District 8: Incumbent Michael Hopfensperger has taken out papers, but not yet returned them.
- District 9: Incumbent James Lehrer has a challenger, Joseph Mueller
- District 11: Incumbent Patrick Laughrin has taken out papers, hasn’t yet returned them.
- District 13: Incumbent Donald Sommers has taken out papers, hasn’t yet returned them.
Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net
COMMENTS
"District 5: No candidate. Erin Quick-Laughlin filed a Notice of non-candidacy. (Eek, this is my district.)"
Grab it - surprise, surprise, sometimes conservative common sense on county boards actually helps people. Or I could do what you're doing and say, "don't just talk about it." You get until next Tuesday to get your 50 friends to sign your papers.
I turned my papers in yesterday. Looking at it from this side, I disagree with your inference that somehow having competition is good. As I see it, if for some reason I'd lose it would be very, very bad for everyone!
County Boards and City Councils are great ways to network with the people on other boards/councils and our friends in state and federal elective offices. Making the case for your neighbors is what it's all about.
Every election I say, "Well, maybe just two more years." And every election I go out there in the cold December and ask people to support me in yet another term of blowing hot air at my fellow office-holders. It's kinda' fun (well, maybe not the cold December).
Duke (Wed Dec 30 09:00:32 2009)
Unfortunately, networking usually translates into lobbying some higher level of government to steal from the taxpayers in other districts so I can use the money locally to buy votes. There is NO incentive to save, every incentive to push the already, shall I say, "overtaxed" system to the breaking point. Which, by the way, we may already have passed. Is it a coincidence that the bigger our governments have gotten, the more unstable our economy? Maybe when you realize that the true cost of government is now about 2 out of 3 dollars in the GDP, it will come into focus. We are killing the golden goose, and have not yet addressed unfunded liabilities like Social Security and Medicare to name only the largest. Add up the taxes that will have to be paid to fund all these, and we are already at over 100%. How is that possible?
and yet, state, federal and local governments have done little to economize, at least in comparison the magnitude of the problems we face.
Sadder still, is that many of the bad guys in this will win by default.
Ken Van Doren (Wed Dec 30 10:12:40 2009)
"Unfortunately, networking usually translates into lobbying some higher level of government to steal from the taxpayers in other districts so I can use the money locally to buy votes."
I disagree: I'm unopposed and have been most of the time. I don't have to 'buy' votes, people vote for me because I get the job done. Networking with other board and council members gives me an opportunity to not have to reinvent the wheel every other month.
By associating with state and federal representatives, and by making my opinion known to them, they are well aware that there's someone out there who won't be afraid to run against them if necessary. In fact, I did that to one of them already!
And finally, my county has cut our property tax levy for the third consecutive year with this tax year. No other county has done that in the past quarter century. C'mon, man - what more do you want?!
Duke (Wed Dec 30 11:59:05 2009)
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