Spring Election results: Local, statewide races decided

WISCONSIN – Voters across Wisconsin headed to the polls to vote in the Tuesday, April 1 Spring Election, deciding local and statewide races.

Locally, the makeup of the City of Tomahawk Common Council will remain unchanged, while two new members will join the School District of Tomahawk Board of Education.

City of Tomahawk voters also weighed in on the fluoridation of the municipal water supply, and several southern Lincoln County townships saw competitive races for positions on their respective boards.

Badger State voters also cast ballots for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and a statewide referendum regarding voter identification.

City of Tomahawk Common Council

Three incumbents will return to the City of Tomahawk Common Council after running for reelection unopposed.

Mickey Loka (District 1), Jeff Kahle (District 2) and Tadd Wegener (District 3) will each return to the council for three-year terms, leaving the makeup of the council unchanged.

School District of Tomahawk Board of Education

The School District of Tomahawk saw a shake-up in membership after last week’s election.

With representation on the board currently in the process of being reapportioned to better reflect population distributions throughout the district, one City of Tomahawk seat was open in last week’s election. Following a declaration of non-candidacy from board member Dick Huseby and the recent passing of board member Bob Skubal, and with no declarations of candidacy filed, the open seat was decided by write-in.

According to preliminary results, Jen Black received the most write-in votes and will fill the vacant City of Tomahawk seat. Black received 242 votes, while no other write-in candidate garnered more than four.

Roughly 90 individuals received at least one write-in vote, preliminary results showed.

Incumbent Ann Swenty did not face a challenger in her bid to represent the apportioned area that encompasses the Towns of Harrison, King, Little Rice, Nokomis and Wilson for another term.

Steve Heinrich will fill an open seat representing the apportioned area encompassing the Towns of Birch, Bradley, Rock Falls, Skanawan and Tomahawk.

The board approved a reapportionment plan during last September’s annual meeting. Under the plan, the board will move to a 3-3-3 model, with the district divided into three apportioned areas: The City of Tomahawk; the Towns of Birch, Bradley, Rock Falls, Skanawan and Tomahawk; and the Towns of Harrison, King, Little Rice, Nokomis and Wilson.

Each area will have three representatives on the board, allowing the board to retain its current nine-person membership.

One seat from each area will be up for election in each election cycle, allowing for residents in each apportioned area to run for a three-year term in each election year.

The new makeup of the board will be put in place over the course of three years. As current terms expire over the next two years, one seat in each newly-designated area will be up for election in each of those years.

The new model will be fully implemented after the April 2027 election.

The board had previously utilized a “4-3-1-1” representation model since 1972. Under that model, the board was composed of nine members representing four designated areas within the district for three-year terms.

Four members represented the City of Tomahawk; three represented the apportioned area covering the Towns of Birch, Bradley, Rock Falls, Skanawan and Tomahawk; one represented the apportioned area that included the Towns of Little Rice, Nokomis and Wilson; and one represented the apportioned area encompassing the Towns of Harrison and King.

City of Tomahawk water fluoridation advisory referendum

An advisory referendum asking City of Tomahawk voters if the city should fluoridate its water supply saw majority support.

According to preliminary results from the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, 579 voters said “yes,” while 519 said “no,” a roughly 53% to 47% split.

Last September, the city’s Board of Public Works voted to end fluoride treatments of city water, citing corrosion of a storage room that houses the city’s fluoride additive and other chemical supplies. The board ultimately decided to propose an advisory referendum, a step that was approved by the City of Tomahawk Common Council in Dec. 2024.

The council will ultimately have the final say on how the city proceeds regarding fluoridation treatments.

For decades, municipalities across the country have fluoridated their water supplies in an effort to improve oral health and prevent cavities, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has pointed to the effectiveness of the treatments.

Opposition to fluoridation has been partially focused on potential fluoride toxicity, which, although potentially life-threatening, is extremely rare, according to a study shared by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Library of Medicine.

Wisconsin Supreme Court

Dane County Judge Susan Crawford defeated Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel to secure a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and maintain the court’s 4-3 liberal majority.

Statewide, Crawford won by a roughly 55% to 45% margin.

According to preliminary results from the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Schimel came out on top in the county, garnering 6,363 votes to Crawford’s 4,617, a roughly 58% to 42% margin. There were eight write-in votes cast, as well as 53 undervotes and one overvote.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Incumbent State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly will serve another term in the post after defeating challenger Brittany Kinser by an approximately 53% to 47% split.

Kinser was the top vote-getter in Lincoln County, tallying 5,791 (roughly 58%), while 4,214 votes (about 42%) went to Underly, according to preliminary results. The race saw 45 write-in votes, four overvotes and 988 undervotes.

State referendum

A statewide referendum asking whether or not voters should show identification in Wisconsin elections was approved by a roughly 63% to 37% margin.

The ballot measure saw strong support in Lincoln County, with 8,020 voters (about 75%) in favor and 2,695 (roughly 25%) opposed, according to preliminary results.

With the referendum’s passage, the state Constitution will include a voter identification requirement.

Since 2011, Wisconsin residents have been required by state law to provide an acceptable form of photo ID at the polls.

Town of Russell Supervisor

In the race for the Town of Russell Board, Lori Studinski and Marty Sosnovske were the top two vote-getters, garnering 130 votes and 125 votes, respectively, to fill the board’s two vacant Supervisor positions.

Ivan Dorgan received 110 votes, preliminary results showed.

Town of Schley Chairperson

Timothy Klimek and Kelly Collins faced off for the Chairperson post in the Town of Schley.

Klimek ultimately came out on top with 240 votes, while Collins tallied 111 votes, according to preliminary results.

Town of Scott Supervisor

The Town of Scott saw a competitive race for its two Supervisor posts.

Preliminary results showed that Ron Lemmer (328 votes) and Gerald Engel (302 votes) will fill the seats. Jeff Krall tallied 163 votes.

Other school referendums

Several area school districts had referendums on ballots last week.

A Prentice School District referendum seeking $950,000.00 per year for four years was approved, with about 57% of voters in support and approximately 43% opposed.

School District of Rhinelander voters, by a roughly 54% to 46% split, voted to increase and extend their current referendum, which will now allow the district to exceed revenue limits by $7 million per year from next school year through 2028-29.

About 64% of voters in the Three Lakes School District voted to approve a pair of questions asking for roughly $20 million for updates to buildings and facilities.

A five-year, $40 million referendum was narrowly rejected by Wausau School District voters.

More than 80 school referendums appeared on Wisconsin ballots last week.

School District of Tomahawk voters in February approved a spending request allowing the district to continue to exceed its revenue limit by $3.25 million each year for four years, starting with the 2025-2026 school year and ending in 2028-2029.

The district is currently operating under a three-year, $3.25 million referendum that got the thumbs up from voters in April 2022 and will expire at the end of the current school year.