There will be at least two registered write-ins for the position of mayor of the City of Fennimore this April as two citizens have thrown their names into the ring, local business owner Rob Krantz, and Noah Hamann of Afflicted Productions.

Krantz and Hamann will be running to replace current City of Fennimore Mayor Ryan Boebel who after 10 years in the position decided not seek reelection.

“It’s been 10 years, a nice even number,” Boebel stated when explaining his decision not to run for reelection. “Time for some new blood in the position.”

One of those potential “new blood candidates,” Rob Krantz, has been a member of the Fennimore community since 1991, and is the owner of Krantz Auto and Repair since 2013, and also of Krantz Hardware, which opened up last year.

Krantz’s campaign started out as a “Facebook push” from Jeni Oyen-Reed, who posted at the time a “satirical campaign poster” for Krantz.

“Rob was the first person I thought of because he knows what it’s like to be a business owner. He knows the struggles but he also knows the people and he is as down to earth as it comes. I made the campaign post as a ‘joke’ because technically he hadn’t agreed to run, but I also knew that the post would get attention,” Oyen-Reed explained.

“He was on vacation so the post would hopefully gain enough traction while he was gone that people would both encourage him and also support him and see the same thing I did... a down to earth guy from Fennimore who would see the importance of having someone like him as Mayor.”

Krantz stated it was all of the “encouragement of the community” he saw over Facebook with all the “likes” and comments that made him decide to make the once satirical campaign a reality.

“I figured if enough people ‘pressured’ him in a positive way, he would have no choice but to see how much impact he could have as mayor of our town. I am happy that the post encouraged him to do what I knew it would do,” Oyen-Reed explained.

Now that the online pressure has been a success, the Krantz’s campaign can “officially” begin.

“You’re going to get me,” Krantz stated about what his place in the mayoral chair would look like. “I feel I’m very community oriented and that’s an important trait to bring to the position.”

“As mayor, I definitely would have an open door policy to the whole community,” Krantz went on to say.

As far as Fennimore’s future, Krantz would like to see a focus on more businesses coming into town.

“Bringing more businesses into Fennimore would one of if not my main focus. That includes the old Energizer building. It would be great if we could get something back in there.”

Noah Hamann who moved back to Fennimore a year ago after graduating high school has also registered as a write-in candidate for mayor.

“I have fond memories of growing up here, and I’ve always had family here, but I feel Fennimore isn’t the lively community it was once,” Hamann explained. “I want to bring back a community centered feeling.”

Like Krantz, Hamann stated he would also be focused on bringing businesses to Fennimore, as well as having people live and work here, and not letting the younger generation move out of the area once school is done.

Hamann is running for mayor under the name Afflicted Productions, his music label, so that the name that he would prefer voters write down, if they choose, to vote for him.

When asked why the music label for his write-in, Hamann stated, “Music can bring the community together. It’ll all make sense if I’m elected.”

The spring election will be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, which Boebel will stay on through before “passing the baton” over to the next mayor, most likely after April’s regular council meeting, with the new mayor heading that month’s council organizational meeting.