Carey-Mielke, Maletzke advance after Mountain primary

Mountain Town Chairman Lindor “Skip” Maletzke will face Brenda Carey-Mielke in the April 1 spring election. Carey-Mielke was the top vote-getter in the Feb. 18 primary, and Maletzke finished second. Another challenger, Tom Huff, was eliminated. The unofficial tally showed Carey-Mielke with 104 votes, Maletzke with 80 and Huff with 59. The three-way race was the only local contest on the primary election ballot, which brought out only 2,640 or 8% of eligible county voters, according to the Oconto County Clerk’s Office. In the statewide superintendent of public instruction race, challenger Brittany Kinser outpolled incumbent Jill Underly among Oconto County voters, with 1,208 votes to Underly’s 809 and 599 for the other challenger, Jeff Wright. Across the state, Underly secured about 38% to Kinser’s 34.5% and 27.5% for Wright. The position is ostensibly nonpartisan, but Underly and Wright identify as Democrats and Kinser, while calling herself a moderate, has the support of the state Republican Party.