Category Archives: 2012 Elections

by | February 19, 2012 · 4:21 pm

There Is An Election On Tuesday …

Update: Be sure to vote in my poll on this. And here is a sample ballot.

With all of the big-name elections coming up this year — from the gubernatorial recall to the presidential election — it’s easy to forget that the spring primaries are on Tuesday.

Voters heading to the polls in South Milwaukee will see just one race on the ballot: Milwaukee County Court, Branch 17. This is because none of the incumbents running for re-election in the city have competition in 2012, and the South Milwaukee School Board race (in which three people are running for two seats) won’t require a primary.

Of course, other communities have contested primaries, including Oak Creek, which will see primary elections for mayor, clerk and alderman on the ballot.

Christopher Lipscomb Sr., Nelson Phillips III and Carolina Stark are running for the Branch 17 judgeship. Phillips is the incumbent.

And don’t forget that the City Council meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday this week due to the election. 

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by | January 27, 2012 · 9:30 pm

Tommy Thompson Invests In South Milwaukee

Tommy Thompson has put his money behind South Milwaukee.

Among the municipal bonds he has invested in are some from our fair city, according to this story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. And here is a more detailed story on the results of the former governor and current Senate candidate’s financial disclosure this week.

From it:

In the interview, Thompson said his actual net worth is roughly $13 million. He provided a letter from his accountant saying he paid an effective federal tax rate of 31.1% in 2010 (36.1% when state taxes are factored in), noting the controversy over GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who paid less than 15% on multimillion-dollar earnings. Thompson said he would release his tax returns if he becomes a U.S. senator but did not promise to do so during the campaign.

A review of Thompson’s stock holdings, contained in the 63-page report, shows Thompson holds health care-related stocks, energy stocks, stocks in Wisconsin companies, municipal bonds, including several in Wisconsin, and even some holdings that any investor would consider blue-chip stocks.

If you need a refresher on municipal bonds, this information from the Securities and Exchange Commission is sound.

 

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by | January 20, 2012 · 10:38 pm

Exploring Wisconsin’s New Voter Photo ID Law … In South Milwaukee

I was able to attend Thursday’s voter photo identification law information session at South Milwaukee’s City Hall, and I was glad I did.

I learned quite a bit from the presentation from the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.

Of course, the most-publicized major impact of the law is probably its most controversial: Voters must show a photo ID in order to vote beginning this year. And all voters must sign a poll list before being issued a ballot.

Other mandates, however, were more of a surprise to me. Among them:

  • The residency requirement — the time someone must live at their current address before voting — has changed from 10 days to 28 consecutive days.
  • Voter registration is no longer a year-round option. Registration now “closes” for a short window — from 5 p.m. on the Friday before election day to the day of the day of the election — for each election. This allows for clerks’ offices to prepare their voter lists. Registration then reopens at the polls.
  • Voters will no longer be able to select a straight-party ticket. Instead, each candidate must be selected individually.
  • Absentee voting is also being changed. The window for in-person absentee voting is shrinking, as it now begins the third Monday before the election and ends at 5 p.m. on the Friday before election day. Photo ID must be provided. Ballots received by mail will be made available sooner.

In the end, I support the new law, which will clearly bring some major changes to how we vote in Wisconsin. The new requirements are reasonable and provide good safeguards to further protect the integrity of the vote.

But I also have this message: Be patient at the polls.

The ID and signature requirements will slow down the voting process, no question about it. Tests done by the GAB showed it took at least 20 seconds per voter to accomplish these tasks — and when you multiply that by hundreds, if not thousands, of voters that you’ll see during high-turnout elections like the upcoming presidential primary and gubernatorial recall and it’s significant.

South Milwaukee poll workers — who comprised most of the approximately 30 people in attendance on Thursday, as the meeting was presented by the city clerk’s office — do their best, but there is a learning curve for them, too, with the new voting rules. Please keep that in mind.

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by | January 5, 2012 · 10:30 pm

Reminder: Voter ID Information Meeting Is Jan. 19

Don’t forget: The city clerk’s office is hosting a public information meeting on the state’s new voter ID law on Thursday, Jan. 19, at City Hall.

Election experts from the Government Accountability Board will present information about the new law and be on hand to answer questions.

The meeting is from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

See you there!

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by | January 4, 2012 · 11:26 am

Decision 2012: More Ballot Competition In Other Nearby Communities

While South Milwaukee elected officials have little to no competition this April, that is not the case in a couple nearby communities.

Oak Creek and Greenfield are among the cities where elected officials will have opponents come April 3. 

These headlines detail some of that:

The Journal Sentinel has a roundup of all contested races here, and here is a story taking a more global view of competitive local elections.

Note: Cudahy does not have any city races on the ballot this spring.

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by | January 3, 2012 · 6:58 pm

Decision 2012: Little Competition In South Milwaukee

Uncontested races have become the norm in South Milwaukee in recent years — and that won’t change this April.

All candidates running for city office will run unopposed, as the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline for prospective candidates to declare their intentions to run and submit the necessary signatures came and went with no challengers stepping up.

So here is who you will see on the April 3 ballot:

  • Mayor: Tom Zepecki
  • City Clerk: Jim Shelenske
  • City Treasurer: Karen Skowronski
  • City Attorney: Joseph Murphy
  • Municipal Judge: William Fenger
  • 1st District Alderman: Fran Van Dusen III

You’ll recall that Frank, appointed to his seat this summer to replace Mike Karbowski, must run for the seat and the chance to serve a one-year term. He will be up for re-election again with the rest of the aldermen in April of 2013.

The South Milwaukee School Board will see some competition in April, as incumbents David Maass and Kathleen Molus and challenger Sophia Williams vie for two seats. I will post more information on this race in coming days and weeks.

At the county level, Supervisor Pat Jursik, who represents South Milwaukee, is also running unopposed (as is County Executive Chris Abele).

Frankly, I’m surprised at the lack of competition at the city level, especially in the political climate were in — and given the rancor surrounding the Walmart debate last fall. There was so much anger over that issue — along with threats of ballot challenges and recalls — that I was certain that that votes taken by the council (and mayoral support) would lead to at least one candidate for mayor (and perhaps a couple of the other seats).

I was wrong.

In  a way, that’s disappointing. I think competition is a good thing. It makes everyone better.

Of course, I’d like to know what you think. Post your comments below!

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by | December 2, 2011 · 10:40 am

Decision 2012: Want Your Name On The Ballot?

December is a key time for those looking to run for office in the spring of 2012.

All candidates for local, county and state positions must declare their candidacy and file a campaign registration statement – as well as gain necessary signatures to get on the ballot, if required – by Jan. 3.

Learn more on the Government Accountability Board’s website.

There are a number of local elected officials up for re-election on April 3, including:

  • South Milwaukee Mayor Tom Zepecki, City Clerk Jim Shelenske, City Treasurer Karen Skowronski, City Attorney Joseph Murphy and Municipal Judge William Fenger;
  • South Milwaukee School Board incumbents David Maass and Kathleen Molus; and
  • Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik.

There is also a special election for the 1st District aldermanic seat currently held by Frank Van Dusen III. If you recall, the council appointed Frank as an alderman this summer to replace Mike Karbowski, who passed away. The winner of the April 3 election will serve one year and be up for election again with the other council members in April of 2013.

The city positions (except for the aldermanic post) and Honadel’s seat are two-year terms. The school board positions are for three years, and county supervisors serve four years.

Candidates interested in the city posts can contact the city clerk’s office for more information by calling 414-762-2222. School board candidates can contact the district office at 414-766-5011.

Necessary forms can also be downloaded from the GAB website.

I’ll keep you posted as candidates declare and the election season progresses. And check out the city’s 2010 election results here.

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by | November 21, 2011 · 9:19 pm

Public Meeting On Voter ID Scheduled In South Milwaukee

It’s a ways off, but mark your calendars for Thursday, Jan. 19, when election experts from the Government Accountability Board will hold a public meeting in South Milwaukee about the state’s new voter photo ID law.

The meeting, hosted by the city clerk’s office, is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Thanks to City Clerk Jim Shelenske for scheduling  this session. The voter ID law is complicated, and there are bound to be questions as the spring elections draw near. It’s good to get out in front of them as best we can, and sessions like this will help.

In the meantime, there is information on voting on the election information page on the city’s website.

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