Time to Move for the Local April Elections
So I’ve picked up a competitor in the April Fool’s Day election for the Wausau City Council. It’s no big surprise because this will be my sixth race and in that time, I’ve faced four different competitors. As the longest-serving elected official in the City of Wausau, I’ve made some very good friends and I also have what has thus far been a smaller, but dedicated group of detractors. That’s normal.
I don’t take competition lightly, since I won the seat from a 12-year incumbent myself in 1998. It’s a one-time luxury to run as a challenger, if you happen to end up winning. After that, I think it’s more about what you’ve done than what you say. I don’t make any bones about what I’ve supported over the years, including an aggressive approach to developing tax base and jobs, as well as efforts to make Wausau a more attractive and livable community for people of all ages, from many different aspects. It’s about making a difference — not holding an office.
Someone asked me about what is involved in getting on the ballot and it’s not all that complicated, but people who are interested in the spring election need to get moving quickly.
For Wausau City Council, go to the City Clerk office to pick up a packet. There are several forms to fill out which are not complicated. You can then circulate your nomination papers in your district. You only need 20-40 signatures to qualify; still very doable by the deadline to turn them in (which is the first week of January). If you live in another city, village or township, check with the respective office or you may want to inquire through the County Clerk office, which is responsible for many different local elections. For school district seats, check with the respective school district office for information about what terms may be ending.
For the Marathon County Board of Supervisors, you will need to turn in 50-100 signatures to appear on the spring ballot. Those information packets are available at the County Clerk’s office.
For a look at the forms, go to:
http://elections.state.wi.us/subcategory.asp?linksubcatid=412&locid=47
While it might not seem like a great time of year to be running around knocking on people’s doors to get signatures, you can often catch folks home between the holidays and you might even find that it’s kind of fun.
As for my own race, I don’t know a whole lot about my opponent. He had an oversized sign in his front lawn for my last competitor in 2006 and he railed on me against the re-opening of the Washington and Third Street to traffic areas several years ago. People still thank me for that project on a weekly basis and that’s something I just flat-out think he was wrong about, so the voters won’t be able to say they don’t have a stark choice in my district. They surely will.