Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
Voters in the city of Shawano will go to the polls Tuesday to choose from six candidates looking to become the city’s next mayor, two of which will go on to compete in the spring election on April 5.
The overabundance of candidates is seen as unusual in a city where incumbent Mayor Lorna Marquardt has faced opposition only once during her 14 years in office. Marquardt chose not to seek another two-year term.
Business and industrial growth, jobs and vacant downtown buildings have been top issues in the race, with some candidates saying the city has been making progress in addressing those issues and others calling for change.
Three of the candidates are either currently involved or have been involved in city government, and three are newcomers with backgrounds in the business community.
The candidates are Rich Belongia, owner of R&R Recycling; Jeanne Cronce, a 14-year member of the Shawano Plan Commission and former Shawano School District teacher and principal; Kasey Hohn, who has worked at the Shawano Pawn Shop for 10 years and is owner of DotCom Vinyl; Jim Oberstein, retired director of credit and collections with Johnson Controls in Milwaukee; Brian Retzlaff, a former Common Council member employed at Little Rapids Paper Mill; and Sandy Steinke, an incumbent city alderperson and County Board supervisor.
The plethora of candidates is leaving city election officials unsure of what to expect in the way of turnout Tuesday.
“I think it will be a little higher than is typical,” Deputy Clerk Lesley Nemetz said, adding that it is unusual for city races in recent years to be contested, much less have this extent of competition.
Interest in the race was enough to bring out an estimated 120 people to a candidates forum at Shawano Community High School on Monday night, but absentee voting so far has not been unusually high.
The city has mailed out 110 absentee ballots, distributed 25 ballots to voters at nursing homes and has had 19 voters cast absentee ballots at City Hall as of Friday afternoon. None of the ballots will be counted until after the polls close Tuesday.
Shawano voters will also cast ballots Tuesday in a three-way primary for the County Board’s District 2 supervisor’s seat, where incumbent Patrick Hoffman will face off against challengers Mark Bolin and Wesley Bucholz for a two-year term.
District 2 includes Wards 3 and 4 of the city of Shawano.
Elsewhere, voters in the Bonduel School District will narrow the field Tuesday in a race for School Board member serving the village of Cecil and town of Washington.
Incumbent Judy Rank is being challenged by Nathan Burton and Kara Skarlupka for a two-year term.
Shawano voters will cast ballots at City Hall, 127 S. Sawyer St.
Voters in Bonduel will cast ballots at Village Hall, 117 W. Green Bay St. Voters in the town of Washington and village of Cecil will cast ballots at the Cecil/Washington Fire Station, 111 E. Hofman St., in Cecil.
All polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A voter ID is required.
HOW TO HELP
The city of Shawano is looking for additional election workers to help out with Tuesday’s primary.
Deputy Clerk Lesley Nemetz said the city would like to get another 10 people to help staff the polls. Election workers are paid $8.50 an hour and are provided with lunch and dinner.
The workday starts at 6 a.m., an hour before polls open, and runs to about 9-9:30 p.m. The hours are optional, however, and workers can work a split shift or part of the day.
For information, call City Hall at 715-526-6138.