School referenda pass for Oconto Falls, Gillett, Pulaski

Towns approve appointing clerks, treasurers instead of electing
By: 
NEW Media Staff

The Oconto Falls School District can dive into the planning and design phase of its bid to replace aging Washington Middle School.

A $37.4 million capital referendum, with a new middle school as a centerpiece, was approved by 58.7% of district voters. The final tally was 3,168-2,231.

The school board worked for about five years to set the stage for the new school, including paying off old debt earlier and purchasing property across the street from Oconto Falls High School and Oconto Falls Elementary School, enabling a potential campus-like setting.

Both referendum questions for the Pulaski Community School District passed the sniff test of voters, with the operational referendum passing with 53.4% of the vote and the capital referendum getting more support with 58.7% of the vote, although Shawano and Oconto counties both indicated the vote on the operational referendum was almost evenly divided.

The first question, requesting that the district exceed its levy limit by $1.5 million to $1.9 million, passed by a vote of 5,922-5,176. In Shawano County, only 695 voted yes, while 722 voted no. Meanwhile, in Oconto County voters approved the question 1,790-1,728.

The second question, asking the voters for $69.8 million in bonds to expand two elementary schools while also adding on to Pulaski High School’s technical education wing and improving safety at all schools, passed by a vote of 6,494-4,566. The vote was more favorable in Shawano County, with 788 voting yes and 628 casting no votes. Oconto County OK’d the measure by a margin of 1,951 to 1,559.

The approvals mean that the district will be allowed to spend a little bit more to keep staff in the district with competitive wages. It also means that work will proceed on expanding Hillcrest and Sunnyside elementary schools, both of which are bursting at the seams because of student populations that exceed the maximums for the respective spaces.

The second time was a charm for the Gillett School District. After a referendum failed in April, the district came back with a revised plan that passed with 1,045 yes votes (57.9%) to 760 no (42.1%).

District voters approved a proposal to allow the district to exceed state-imposed revenue limits by up to $600,000 annually for the next three years.

“We appreciate all of your support,” the district posted on social media after the votes were tallied. “The board, our staff, and our students send everyone a huge thank you.”

Town of Oconto Falls voters agreed to have the town board appoint the town clerk and treasurer, rather than have those two positions stand for election. The referendum was approved 378-275.

The Oconto County Town of How also moved to an appointed clerk and treasurer, although the town split the issue into two questions. The appointed clerk was approved 188-79, and the appointed treasurer 191-76.

State Rep. Elijah Behnke easily won a second term representing the 89th Assembly District. Behnke, R-Oconto, defeated Jane Benson, his Democratic opponent, by a margin of 15,553 to 8,771, or 63.9% to 36.1%.

Behnke won a special election in April 2021 to fill the term of former state Rep. John Nygren, becoming the first member of the Assembly in 50 years who lives in Oconto County.

A 10th two-year term is in the offing for state Rep. Jeff Mursau, R-Crivitz, of the 36th Assembly District. First elected in 2004, Mursau easily defeated challenger Ben Murray with 19,688 votes to 8,139.

During the most recent legislative session, Mursau chaired the Assembly Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation, as well as a Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations while serving on four other committees.

In the 35th Assembly District, state Rep. Calvin Callahan, R-Wilson, earned a second term against independent Todd Frederick. The vote was Callahan 19,271, Frederick 8,358.

In other area election news:

• Peter Schmidt bucked the scorn of his fellow Republican Party members and shattered the hopes of Democrats by easily winning the Sixth Assembly District seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Gary Tauchen.

Schmidt outpaced both his Democratic challenger, William Switalla, and official write-in Dean Neubert by getting 59.4% of the vote. Schmidt received 14,711 votes, while Switalla received 7,694 votes (31.1%) and Neubert finished third with 2,363 votes (9.5%).

The normally two-person race became three after Neubert, at the behest of northeastern Republican organizations, launched a write-in campaign after those organizations felt the criminal records of Schmidt and Switalla were not becoming of a local representative. While Schmidt easily outpaced both competitors combined in Waupaca, Brown and Outagamie counties, the write-in campaign made a dent in Shawano County, where Schmidt only garnered 49% of the vote, with 13,443 ballots cast.

Prior to this week’s election, charges were dismissed against Switalla in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court on Oct. 26 including one count of burglary and one misdemeanor count of theft of movable property.

• In the Town of Bartelme in Shawano County, an advisory referendum easily passed with 227 voting yes and only 31 voting no, getting 88.8% of the vote. The question asked whether or not only human beings, not corporations, nonprofit organizations or other artificial entities are endowed with constitutional rights and one question stating that money is not speech and therefore political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech.

• In Shawano County, the Town of Germania passed a measure appointing its clerk by a vote of 111-42.

• The village of Aniwa passed, by a vote of 68-19, a referendum to exceed its levy limit to fund Aniwa’s portion of the Birnamwood Area Emergency Services.


Editor-in-Chief Warren Bluhm and City Editor Lee Pulaski contributed to this report.