By Heather Ruenz
Editor
Voters in Tuesday night’s election decided numerous contested races in the Walworth, Fontana, Sharon and Williams Bay communities, according to unofficial results.
Walworth
The race for the Town of Walworth Supervisor 1 seat was won by Steve Santeler, 120 votes, to David Curry’s 70.
Santeler, prior to the election, said he was seeking the seat because of his desire to serve the community and, with his background, “bring some relevant expertise to the board.”
Tom Connelly, Jr. won the Village of Walworth President seat by a large margin of 291 votes to Ed Snyder’s 164.
Connelly, who has been a Village Trustee for two years, said prior to the election, “there is much more that can be accomplished… and I would like to be a part of those efforts.”
In the race for Village of Walworth Trustee, which had three seats up for election and featured six candidates, Daniel Mizialko (245 votes), Pat McMahon (242) and Daniel Banks (219) garnered the most votes.
Banks, in his first time seeking a political position, said prior to the election he believes he could bring “new and fresh ideas and work well with the other village board members in making the Village of Walworth a better place.” He also said he will work toward easier, more effective communication channels between the board and residents.
The other three candidates in the race for Village of Walworth Trustee – Todd Watters, Richard Novak and David Rasmussen – earned 166, 154 and 141 votes, respectively.
The Big Foot Union High School seat up for election in the Village of Walworth was retained by Kim Arntz, who earned 693 votes, to Kristi Reireson-McWayne, who had earned 387 votes.
Arntz, a longtime board member, said prior to the election in addition to continuing to update policies, would like to “see each student get the most they can from their education and turn out to be productive citizens.”
Sharon
In the race for Town of Sharon Supervisor 1, incumbent Matt Shinkus retained the seat with 102 votes over challenger Richard Getka, who garnered 90 votes.
Shinkus, who will be entering his third term as Supervisor 1 following Tuesday’s victory, said his priorities include assuring funding to maintain fire and rescue equipment needs, spot checking contractors awarded bids for road improvement projects, lobbying for funding for road maintenance and overseeing purchases and maintenance of township trucks and equipment.
Fontana
Four candidates threw their hats in the ring for three Village of Fontana Trustee seats with Tom McGreevy (204 votes), John O’Neill (178) and Arvid Petersen (148) being elected while Thomas Whowell earned 145 votes.
McGreevy, who has been a trustee since 2009, said he was seeking re-election because he enjoys serving the community and working to maintain the services and village atmosphere the board strives to maintain.
O’Neill, a former trustee in the village, said he was seeking election to “give back to the community that I feel is one of the best in the country.”
Petersen, who has served on the board for the past 15 years, said he would like to continue to serve the community “by providing experience and leadership to the board.”
Williams Bay
The top three vote getters of five candidates on the ballot in the race for Village of Williams Bay Trustee were George Vlach with 330 votes, Marsha Engquist, 281, and James D’Allessandro, 241.
Vlach, who has served as a trustee for the past eight years, said he was seeking a fifth term to “continue moving the village in the correct direction… There are those that say, ‘The Board does nothing but rubber stamp votes’ yet this can’t be any farther from the truth.”
Engquist said she sought re-election because there are a number of initiatives to be completed in the near future including a library expansion, parks improvements and recreation department growth, efforts she’s led as chairperson of the Parks and Lakefront committee. “Allowing me to continue as a trustee will bring both experience and continuity for the initiatives and our residents,” she said.
D’Alessandro said he enjoys being a positive part of the community, listening and talking to people and building relationships. “I always want to encourage people to get informed on the issues and what the Bay is doing,” he said.
Robert Carlson and Donald Weyrauch earned 228 and 202 votes in the Village of Williams Bay trustees race, respectively.
Four candidates were on the ballot for two seats on the Williams Bay School District Board with newcomers Kristi Granberg (389 votes) and Karolyn Nelson (305) earning the most votes. Incumbent Lynne Landgraf earned 276 votes and Michael Anagnos, who had dropped out of the race last week, 128 votes.
Granberg, prior to the election, said she believes in the public education system and has “faith that high quality schools directly benefit our community.” She also said when a school continues to set high achieving curriculum standards “everyone benefits because individuals are able to think critically, and thinking critically leads to a pathway of success.”
Nelson said she was seeking election to “help continue the excellent educational experience offered by the Williams Bay School District to its students.” Nelson, a retired teacher, said her career has given her insights about various school districts and the “opportunity to observe quality school boards serving their community and functioning successfully.”
State Superintendent
In the race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, incumbent Tony Evers retained the seat over challenger Lowell Holtz. In Walworth County, Evers earned 6,153 votes to Holtz’s 4,188, in line with the statewide trend in that race.
