Depending on how you look at the numbers, it was either a phenomenal turnout or an average turnout Tuesday night at the election polls. The city of Boscobel was 72.85% of voters show up, which is a strong number. That number is tempered by the fact that many eligible voters did not register, so in fact, only 40.34% of eligible voters made their way to the ballot box.
Boscobel School Referenda
The school district posed two referenda, one an operational referendum (resolution 1) asking for approval to exceed the district revenue limit by a total of $1.8 million implemented over a three-year period. The second referendum (resolution 2) question asked for approval of issuing $20 million in bond debt for building and improvements.
Voters approved Resolution 1 by a narrow margin, with 970 votes in favor and 958 against, a difference of only 0.7%.
Resolution 2 was defeated and by a much larger margin, with 1,062 votes against the measure and 865 for, a difference of 10.3%.
“The fact that the operational levy has passed will ensure that the school remains open and functioning for the next several years,” said Boscobel School Board President Todd Miller. “The board and staff will reevaluate the building needs, request feedback from the community, and then work to develop a long range plan. Some early considerations will be moving forward in the fall with the same plan, tweaking the current plans to address feedback, creating a new plan, or leaving the buildings as is.
“If those in the community that voted against the building referendum are willing to explain why, so that those concerns can be addressed in future plans, please reach out to me at tmiller@boscobel.k12.wi.us or mail to 206 E Smith Street, Boscobel. I hope to have a link in the near future allowing for feedback on the school website as well. Anonymous submissions accepted.
“I would like to thank all that have worked long hours on these referendum projects over the past several months.”
Boscobel School Board
Two positions were on the ballot for the school board – area 1 covering the city of Boscobel and area 3 covering Marietta, Haney, Scott, and Clayton Townships in Crawford County and Richwood Township in Richland County. Appearing on the ballot uncontested were Jacob Knowles for Area 1 and Roger Knoble, incumbent, for Area 3. Write-in campaigns were mounted by Wendi Stitzer for Area 1 and Kim Trumm for Area 3.
Knowles and Knoble won the election. Results were:
Area 1 – Knowles, 936 votes; Stitzer, 602 votes.
Area 3 – Knoble, 1017 votes; Trumm, 545
Municipal elections
City of Boscobel elections were uncontested. Mayor Steve Wetter and Common Council members Barb Bell (Ward 1), Sara Strang (Ward 2), Milt Cashman (Ward 3), and Roger Brown (Ward 4) retained their seats. Wetter received 777 votes; Bell received 143 votes; Strang received 273 votes; Cashman received 182 votes; and Brown received 188 votes.
County and State elections
At the county level, Boscobel’s Mayor Steve Wetter lost his bid for the County Supervisor District 3 position to Robert Scallon, 395 to 553 votes.
Judicial contestant Joanne Kloppenburg was favored by Boscobel voters over Rebecca Bradley, earning 521 votes to Bradley’s 403. Despite Kloppenburg’s local advantage, she lost the race statewide with Bradley earning 52.5% of the vote (993,538) to Kloppenburg’s 47.5% of the vote (898,590).
Republican primary
The statewide trend was again bucked in the Republican primary, with Donald Trump earning 238 Boscobel votes to Ted Cruz’s 155 votes and John Kasich’s 65 votes. An additional 24 votes were scattered among 14 other choices that included a write-in and the ‘uninstructed delegation’ option that allows the party to decide your ballot choice.
Statewide, Cruz took the nomination with 48.3% of the vote (519,965) to Trump’s 35.1% (377,526). John Kasich trailed in third with 14% (151,074).
Democratic primary
The Democratic primary saw Senator Bernie Sanders soundly defeat Hillary Clinton, both locally and statewide.
In Boscobel, Sanders won 341 (64.46%) to Clinton’s 188 votes (35.5%). Statewide the spread was 56.4% (549,593) for Sanders to 43.3% (421,768) for Clinton.
