The field for the Platteville Common Council and the Platteville School Board was trimmed by about one-third Feb. 17.
Tom Nall received 323 votes and Angie Donovan 172 to advance to the council at-large election April 7 to replace retiring Ald. Dick Bonin. Darrel Browning, with 146 votes, was eliminated.
Nall won all four aldermanic districts. Donovan finished ahead of Browning in all but one aldermanic district, District 2, where they received 36 votes each.
Meanwhile, the field of Platteville School Board candidates was reduced from eight to six for the three available board seats.
Incumbents Steve Obershaw and Eric Fatzinger finished first and third with 394 and 366 votes, respectively. Challenger Colleen McCabe finished second, with 384 votes. The other three primary survivors were Matt Zielinski, with 357 votes; Curt Timlin, with 321 votes; and Jamie Brogley, with 174 votes.
The primary eliminated candidates Jeremy Johnson, with 140 votes, and Brian Brown, with 77 votes.
Lafayette County voters reduced from four to two the number of candidates running to replace retiring Circuit Judge William Johnston.
Duane Jorgenson, with 897 votes, and District Attorney Kate Findley, with 409 votes, advanced to the April 7 election. Gayle Jebbia, with 349 votes, and Guy Taylor, with 285 votes, were eliminated.
In addition to circuit judge, municipal and school board races, the April 7 ballot will include races in two towns where incumbents have been accused of violating the state Open Meetings and Open Records laws.
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.
Hood, Smith and Lange were each fined $263.50 Feb. 16 after they pleaded no contest to violating the state Open Meetings Law, an ordinance violation. The violation took place Aug. 20 during a discussion of a rezoning request. The town’s plan commission voted for the rezoning on agricultural land, the town board voted against the rezoning, but the Grant County Board ultimately voted for the rezoning in late December.
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.
Schultz and his wife, Colleen, sued town supervisors for violating the state Open Records law in November 2013 by refusing to show them financial reports and unapproved town board minutes. The lawsuit was dismissed one month later after the Schultzes and the town reached an agreement in which the town would provide copies of financial reports and unapproved minutes for the second half of 2013.
The Schultzes, however, accused the town of further violations of state statutes in letters to The Journal in 2014.
Platteville Public Schools voters will decide April 7 on a $15 million referendum for $16.6 million in building projects to Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center, Westview Elementary School, Platteville Middle School and Platteville High School.
