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Bridgeport planning for recall elections
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The Bridgeport Town Board recall elections sparked by dissent over the issuing of a frac sand mining permit are finalized.

The first election will be held on Tuesday, July 1. Current Bridgeport Town Board Chairperson John Karnopp will run against challenger Arnold Steele. Bridgeport. In a separate election on that ballot, Town Supervisor Mike Steiner will run against challenger Greg Webster.

Another election will be held on Tuesday, July 15. In that election, Bridgeport Town Supervisor Rodney Fishler will run against challenger Alan Flansburgh.

Karnopp and Steiner were members of the Bridgeport Town Board, when the mine permit was approved, allowing Pattison Sand Company to mine frac sand on the township properties of Rodney and Sandra Marfilius, Earl and Amber Pulda, and Lee and Joan Pulda.

Alan Flansburgh is currently a member of the Bridgeport Township Plan Commission. Flansburgh was also initially listed on the township mining permit applications, though he opted to withdraw prior to the town’s public meeting on the mine in November of 2012.

Flansburgh is still listed on a Pattison Sand Company permit application for frac sand mining within the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway. Grant County Judge Craig Day effectively approved that permit last Tuesday when he ruled in favor of Pattison Sand Company who had filed a civil suit seeking judicial review of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board’s decision to deny permits for the four properties. Flansburgh previously stated that he remained on the application in case he changed his mind about doing sand mining on his land.

Steele is also a plaintiff in a lawsuit brought against the township, which seeks to invalidate the sand mine permits.

Fishler and Webster have both publically criticized the sand mine permit approval process.