UPDATE: Information from two towns was inadvertently omitted from the list of spring election candidates that appeared in the Feb. 7 edition of the Oconto County Times Herald, including the Town of Little River, where Town Chairman Tom Portier is being challenged by Randy Hahn.
A three-way race for Mountain town chairman is on the primary election ballot Feb. 18, in addition to a statewide primary for superintendent of public instruction.
Early voting began Feb. 4 and will continue until Feb. 13.
Incumbent Mountain Town Chairman Lindor “Skip” Maletzke faces two challengers in the spring election — Town Board Supervisor Brenda Carey-Mielke and Tom Huff. The top two vote-getters in the primary will face off in the April 1 general election.
A race is also on for town chairperson in the Town of Lakewood, where Scott Van Laanen chose not to run for reelection. Mike Musil and Kevin L. Ballangee will square off in April.
Little Suamico Town Chairman Dale Mohr is being challenged by Frank Nowak, in a rematch of the 2022 spring election. Little Suamico is also expanding its town board from three members to five, including the chair. Six people are running for the four available slots, including incumbents Liz Paape and Tracey Krumrei, as well as David E. Primly, Penny Helmle, Dan Herzberg and Nowak.
In the Town of Oconto Falls, Town Chairman Dave Alsteen faces a challenge from Robert Wolf.
In the Town of Little River, incumbent Town Chairman Tom Portier is being challenged by Randy Hahn.
And in the Town of Underhill, Town Chairman Peter Vorpahl is challenged by Mark Winkler.
The vast majority of incumbent local officials are running unopposed for reelection, and in several communities where incumbents decided not to run, only a single candidate stepped forward to take the job.
Those include the Town of Bagley, where Tom Bauer is running to succeed Town Chairman Greg Lechleitner; the Town of How, where Ken Holmes is unopposed to succeed William Bartz Jr. as chair; and the Town of Maple Valley, where Supervisor Mike Beyer is the only candidate to replace Town Chairman Russel Brock.
In the Town of Pensaukee, Town Clerk Jackie Nelis is not on the ballot, and Trudie Chico is the sole candidate to succeed her.
Among local school boards, the biggest changes are expected in Gillett, where longtime Treasurer Cliff Gerbers and President Jamie Young opted not to run for another term on the seven-person board.
Gerbers was first elected to the school board in 1983 and has been treasurer for 39 of those 40 years. He and his wife, Mary, were grand marshals of the 2017 Gillett Independence Day Parade.
The three incumbents running on the Oconto Falls City Council are unopposed — Devin Wirtz, Ashley Bahrke and Mat McDermid. In Gillett, Alderperson Irene Drake is challenged by Keri Hicks, while Ashley VanStraten and Jerry Luther are unopposed.
And in Oconto, there are six candidates for four positions on the city council — incumbent Bob LeBreck along with Rob Gunner Daul, Kim Bronikowski, Mike Feldt, Violet McFadden Hornick, Casey Sowle and Wibble Sowle.
The Mountain town chairman race is the only local contest Feb. 18, but all county voters will be asked to choose the finalists for the state’s highest elected education position. Jill Underly is running for a second four-year term against Brittany Kinser and Jeff Wright.
In addition, a statewide referendum question whether the state’s Voter ID Law should be enshrined in the state constitution. The question is, “Shall section 1m of Article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?”
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 18, or voters may contact their municipal clerk for an absentee ballot or to cast an absentee ballot in person.
The written application must include your voting address within the municipality where you wish to vote; the address where the absentee ballot should be sent, if different from the voting address; your signature; and a copy of your photo identification.
The deadline for submitting an absentee ballot application is Feb. 13, and the last day to vote an absentee ballot in the clerk’s office is 5 p.m. Feb. 14. By state law, no in-person absentee voting may occur on the day before the election.
The municipal clerk will deliver voted absentee ballots returned on or before Election Day to the proper polling place or counting location before the polls close on Feb. 18. Any ballots received after the polls close will not be counted.
Mountain town chairman is only local primary
