The state spring general election is Tuesday, with a lengthy ballot in the Platteville area.
Platteville Public Schools voters will choose three School Board members out of six candidates, as well as decide the fate of the $15 million referendum to make $16.6 million in improvements at the district’s four schools (see SouthWest, page 1B).
City of Platteville voters will choose a Common Council candidate to replace at-large Ald. Dick Bonin. Voters in the towns of Platteville and Kendall will decide contested township races.
Lafayette County voters will choose their next circuit judge to replacing retiring Judge William Johnston.
State voters will choose candidates for the state Supreme Court and a referendum on what should determine who is the state’s chief justice.
Schools: Incumbents Steve Obershaw and Eric Fatzinger and challengers Jamie Brogley, Colleen McCabe, Curt Timlin and Matt Zielinski will face off for the six Platteville School Board seats.
At the same time, voters will decide on $16.6 million of improvements, $15 million of which would be funded through the referendum, in the four school buildings, including moving first and fourth grades to Westview Elementary School, reconfiguring classrooms at Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center, making renovations to the science rooms at Platteville Middle School and Platteville High School, and updating all four schools’ entrances to current school safety standard. The referendum includes long-term maintenance projects at the four schools.
Municipal races: The third contested Common Council at-large seat race in as many years has Tom Nall facing Angie Donovan in the race to replace Bonin, who is retiring. District 4 Ald. Ken Kilian is unopposed.
The Town of Platteville ballot will feature contested races for all but one position, treasurer, where incumbent Dave Klar is unopposed.
Town chairman Dale Hood will be opposed by Tom Weigel. Incumbents Dan Smith and Rich Lange will be opposed by challengers Roxanne Lyght and Gary Pothour for the other two town board seats. Town clerk Jim Lory will be opposed by Jenni Ginter Lyght.
In Lafayette County, Town of Kendall chair Micah Bahr is opposed by Don Schultz. Incumbent supervisors Jackie Steffes and Don Christensen will be opposed by Joe Flogel for the other two town board seats.
Judgeships: Lafayette County voters will choose between their district attorney and their corporation counsel to replace Johnston.
Kate Findley defeated Duane Jorgenson in the Democratic primary for district attorney in 2014 and went on to win the general election. The two are now running against each other for circuit judge.
State Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is opposed by Rock County Circuit Judge James Daley for a 10-year term on the court. Bradley was first elected in 1995.
Whoever wins the Supreme Court race may get to decide who the court’s chief justice will be. A referendum would allow justices to choose the chief justice, instead of the current practice of the most senior justice serving as chief justice — currently, Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
