Spring races for city council, school board take shape

TOMAHAWK – Local races for the Tuesday, April 1 Spring Election have taken shape following Tuesday’s deadline for candidates to file paperwork.

There will be no competitive races for the City of Tomahawk Common Council, while one seat on the School District of Tomahawk Board of Education will likely be decided by write-in.

City of Tomahawk Common Council

The makeup of the City of Tomahawk Common Council is slated to remain the same as it has since 2019.

Incumbents Mickey Loka (District 1), Jeff Kahle (District 2) and Tadd Wegener (District 3) are each seeking to return to the council. No challengers filed paperwork, meaning each incumbent will run unopposed.

The council is made up of nine members, with three members representing each of the city’s three districts for three-year terms. One seat from each district is up for election each spring.

City voters will also weigh in on an advisory referendum focused on fluoridation of the city’s water supply in April.

School District of Tomahawk Board of Education

The School District of Tomahawk Board of Education will see some changes in representation and membership after the April 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 is open. Following a declaration of non-candidacy from board member Dick Huseby and the recent passing of board member Bob Skubal, the open seat will likely be decided by write-in after no other candidates filed paperwork.

Incumbent Ann Swenty is running unopposed 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 is the lone candidate seeking to fill an open seat representing the apportioned area encompassing the Towns of Birch, Bradley, Rock Falls, Skanawan and Tomahawk.

The board approved the 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 remain at 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 in 2025, 2026 and 2027, 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, which was implemented in 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.

A district funding referendum will appear on Tuesday, Feb. 18 primary election ballots.

The district is asking taxpayers for $3.25 million per year for four years.

The district’s current referendum, which has accounted for $3.25 million for each of the past three years, was approved in April 2022 and expires at the end of the school year.