Both questions of the two-part Hillsboro School District referendum went down to defeat at the polls Nov. 4.
The first question–allowing the district to exceed state revenue limits by $250,000 for the current school year, and an additional $100,000 for the 2015-16 school year, an additional $150,000 for 2016-17 for a total of $500,000 for 2016-17 and thereafter for recurring purposes–was defeated by a 124-vote margin, 731-607.
The City of Hillsboro supported Question 1 by a final tally of 256-226.
Four townships–Glendale, Whitestown, Wonewoc, and Woodland–also approved the question. However, it was defeated in eight other townships and the Village of Yuba.
The second question–which asked for borrowing $1,250,000 for district buildings and grounds improvements–also went down to defeat by a similar, 109-vote margin, 715-606.
Again, the City of Hillsboro supported the question with a 262-214 vote.
Three townships that supported Question 1–Glendale, Whitestown, and Wonewoc–also supported Question 2. However, the second question was defeated in Woodland township, as well as the other municipalities–eight townships and the Village of Yuba–which opposed Question 1.
The Hillsboro School Board met the following night, Nov. 5, to make final revisions to the 2014-15 budget.
Nerison, Kind win reelection
In other local contests, five-term incumbent state Rep. Lee Nerison (R-Westby) defeated Democratic challenger and Crawford County Board chairman Pete Flesch.
Nerison won Hillsboro, 265-220, and Vernon County, 6,619-4,764.
Third District Rep. Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) also won reelection to another two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Republican challenger Tony Kurtz.
Kind, who has served the district since 1997, won Hillsboro, 301-195, and Vernon County, 6,714-4,931.
Three Vernon County officials–Sheriff John Spears, Coroner Janet Reed and Clerk of Circuit Court Kathy Buros–all ran unopposed.
Hillsboro, county buck trend
In statewide races, both Hillsboro and Vernon County bucked the Republican wave by supporting Democratic candidates.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker in both Hillsboro and Vernon County. Burke won Hillsboro, 263-227, and the county, 6,683-5,924.
Statewide, Walker won his third election in four years. He is believed to be a candidate for president in the 2016 election cycle.
In Hillsboro, Democratic attorney general candidate and Jefferson County district attorney Susan Happ edged Republican Brad Schimel, the Waukesha County district attorney, 231-230.
Countywide, Schimel defeated Happ, 5,557-5,458. Schimel, the favorite of the law enforcement establishment, also won the state vote.
Both Hillsboro and Vernon County also supported Democratic treasurer candidate David Sartori.
In Hillsboro, Sartori received 233 votes to 206 for Republican candidate and eventual state winner Matt Adamczyk, who campaigned on a platform of eliminating the job in order to save taxpayer money.
Countywide, Sartori received 5,328 votes to Adamczyk’s 4,994.
Statewide, Republicans increased their majorities in both the Assembly and the Senate.
Nationally, they took control of the U. S. Senate and increased their majority in the House.
The only Democratic candidate to win the statewide vote, incumbent secretary of state Doug LaFollette, also won both Hillsboro and Vernon County.
LaFollette defeated Republican challenger Julian Bradley in Hillsboro, 273-183, and in the county, 6,044-4,943.
Voters in both Hillsboro and Vernon County also approved changing the Wisconsin constitution to prevent state lawmakers from spending state transportation fund money for other purposes.
In Hillsboro, the vote was 364-103 in favor. Countywide, the vote was 8,844-2,312.
The approval guarantees that an estimated $1.8 billion a year will be dedicated solely to road maintenance, construction and other transportation needs.
NOTE: In the print version of this story, the Vernon County numbers for Attorney General candidates Brad Schimel and Susan Happ were transposed. The numbers in the accompanying table are correct. A correction will appear in the Nov. 20 edition. The Sentry Enterprise regrets the error.
