Oconto County voters have a handful of decisions

OCONTO — Two local referendum questions and a handful of contested races are on the ballot in several Oconto County municipalities when voters go to the polls (or send in their absentee ballots) for the April 7 spring election.

The Suring School District is asking voters for permission to exceed state-imposed revenue limits by $900,000 yearly for five years starting with the 2021-22 academic year. It would be a renewal of a five-year commitment approved in 2015, under which the district has been exceeding the limits by $750,000 annually.

The Little Suamico Town Board voted in September to place an advisory referendum on the April ballot regarding whether to allow all-terrain and utility vehicles to operate on town roads.

In Gillett, interim Mayor Josh McCarthy is challenged by Jerry Luther, owner of the Gillett Shell Station for the past 16 years. McCarthy was City Council president when former Mayor James Beaton resigned in October and has handled the mayor’s duties since then.

A registered write-in candidate emerged for the Gillett School Board, where incumbent Ron Lenz and former board member Nanette Mohr are on the ballot. Katie Daul works in administration at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital. Voters may vote for up to two board members; incumbent Tracy Winkler decided not to run for re-election.

There are also three candidates for two seats on the Oconto Falls School Board, where incumbent Lisa Peitersen is not seeking another term. Incumbent Jan Stranz is on the ballot with challengers Adam Adler and Randy Vann.

Five people are running for three positions on the Suring Village Board, incumbents Randy Schuettpelz and Dave Kuchenbecker and challengers John E. Fredenburgh, Stephanie Lupe and Angie Whiting.

Lupe and Jeff Whiting are vying for the right to succeed Municipal Judge Philip Fischer.

There are five candidates for four seats on the Oconto City Council, incumbents Kim Bronikowski, Dean Reed, Roger Reed and Al Schreiber, along with challenger Tina Frye.

Of the 31 districts comprising the Oconto Board of Supervisors, 28 have only one candidate running unopposed. The three contested races are:

In District 2, representing part of the town of Little Suamico, incumbent Marcia Ellis is challenged by David Pribyl.

Incumbent Supervisor David Behrend is challenged for reelection by Fran Wranosky in a rematch of the 2018 election in District 7, which represents parts of the towns of Chase and Morgan. Behrend won that race by just one vote.

Supervisor Richard Nelson is not running for re-election in District 24, serving part of the town of Gillett and part of the city of Gillett. Former Gillett mayor and alderwoman Irene Drake faces Tracy Ondik, director of the Gillett Area Ambulance Service.

Statewide, voters have a partisan presidential primary and a choice for Supreme Court between Justice Daniel Kelly and challenger Jill Karofsky, as well as a state constitutional question related to the rights of crime victims.

Although all but Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have dropped out, 12 candidates secured ballot positions in the Democratic presidential primary. President Donald Trump is unopposed for the Republican nomination.