Culhane, Keuschel continue in council race

Two challengers for the First District Aldermanic seat will be going on to the general election in April after voters cast their ballots in the Feb. 16 primary, but a former alderman will not be one of them.

Muffy Culhane overwhelming took the lead with 77 votes out of 136 cast, followed by Brad Keuschel with 28. Bob Kurkiewicz, who'd previously held the seat, took a close third with 26, followed by Daniel Poels with five.

The seat is up for grabs after incumbent Jeanne Cronce opted to run for mayor. The ultimate winner on April 6 will represent the district for two years.

The field also narrowed in the Shawano School Board race, which has three seats available this election cycle.

Incumbent Chuck Dallas, who represents Area 1, will have a chance to fight another day in the April election after getting 386 votes. He will be challenged by James Davel, who received 312 votes for the day. Challenger Sam Sousek will not be continuing after receiving 286 votes.

Dallas also came out on top in the race for the at-large seat with 280 votes, followed closely by Davel with 256 votes. If either man wins both seats in April, he will have to choose which seat he'll take. The seat is currently held by Bruce Milavitz, who opted not to run again because he is also in the race for Shawano mayor.

Rounding out the race for the at-large seat were Sousek with 232 votes, Robin Raber-Bergeon with 140 votes and Stephanie Bendtschneider with 130.

Jamie Beyer came out as the mandated front runner for the Area 4 seat for the board with 606 votes. Coming in a distant second was Jeana Winslow with 202 votes, but she will face Beyer in April. Bendtschneider is out of the race for Area 4 after getting only 168 votes. The seat is currently held by board president Tyler Schmidt, who decided not to run for re-election.

Aside from the council and school board races, Shawano voters will need to decide who will be mayor for the next year in April after Ed Whealon resigned at the end of November. Another key election to be determined in April is in Bonduel and other neighboring communities, as the Bonduel School District will ask voters for $12.5 million to replace aging infrastructure and construct a new gymnasium at Bonduel High School.

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com