School District gets approval to exceed revenue limit
Whitewater Unified School District voters overwhelmingly supported a referendum Tuesday to exceed the state’s revenue limit through the 2018-19 school year.
The referendum allows the district to exceed the limit by $1.2 million each year beginning with the 2015-16 school year.
The unofficial totals show the referendum winning 66 percent approval, 4,168 to 2,122.
Tuesday’s election yielded no upsets in the area for seats on the state Legislature.
In the 15th Senate District, which includes the City of Whitewater, Democrat Janis Ringhand garnered nearly 60 percent of the vote to defeat Republican Brian Fitzgerald 36,348 to 24,759.
Ringhand gave up her position in the 45th Assembly District to seek the seat held by longtime Janesville Senator Tim Cullen, also a Democrat.
In the 43rd Assembly District, incumbent Democrat Andy Jorgensen easily beat back a challenge from Republican Leon Hebert by an unofficial total 14,107 to 9,487.
In the 33rd Assembly District, Republican Cody Horlacher was elected without opposition to succeed Nass.
Legislator Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, was elected to succeed Neal Kedzie in the 11th Senate District.
Vote totals, according to unofficial results Tuesday, show Nass garnering 43,800 votes to 16,970 for Democrat Dan Kilkenny.
Although not an incumbent senator, Nass, 62, has served as the 33rd Assembly District representative since 1990. He was elected to the Senate to succeed Neal Kedzie, who did not seek re-election after 12 years as state senator, with 63 percent of the vote over Darien’s Dan Kilkenny.
Nass said before the election that he supports driving down income and property taxes, and taxes will not be raised on his watch. He said he thinks referendums are a great opportunity for citizens of a community to speak out on whether they want to be taxed or not.
Kilkenny, 58, a Delavan attorney who serves on the Walworth County Board and the Darien Town Board, garnered 37 percent of the vote. He ran for the 32nd Assembly District seat as an independent when Lothian vacated it in 2010.
Running as a Democrat on Tuesday’s ballot, Kilkenny lost by the narrowest margin in Rock County where more voters cast ballots for Mary Burke than Scott Walker as governor. There, 46 percent of voters cast their ballots for Kilkenny.
Ryan wins another term
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janseville, also earned a decisive win in his second race against Rob Zerban, a Democrat from Kenosha.
The unofficial total shows Ryan, who was the Republican nominee for vice president in the 2012 election, with 64 percent of the vote.
In the Fifth Congressional District, incumbent Republican James Sensenbrenner won re-election over Democrat Chris Rockwood with 70 percent of the vote.
