Paul 'Biff' Hansen and Christopher Able elected to Manitowoc school board as school referendum passes: Election results
MANITOWOC - Voters on Tuesday elected Paul "Biff" Hansen and Christopher Able to the Manitowoc school board.
Incumbents Collin Braunel and Kathy Willis faced Able and Hansen for the two seats.
According to the unofficial results, Hansen won 6,523 votes and Able won 4,762 while Willis had 4,350 votes and Braunel had 3,935.
All totals are unofficial until a Board of Canvassers reviews and authenticates the ballots.
In a news release Tuesday, Able said voters this year have rejected the idea that the Republican Party has control over the school board.
"They rejected the lies and innuendo, the division and the smear campaigns, and they embraced local, knowledgeable, common sense control of their MPSD," Able wrote.
Voters approve Manitowoc school referendum
Manitowoc Public School District voters approved a five-year, $61.7 million referendum to be used for operational needs of the school district.
According to unofficial results, 5,626 people voted yes to the referendum while 5,286 voted no.
"We are deeply grateful for the community's support of education," MPSD Superintendent James Feil said in a news release. "MPSD is committed to helping all students grow and achieve. This funding will help us continue to provide high-quality academic and extracurricular opportunities for all students."
The referendum asked for the district to be allowed to exceed state revenue limits in increasing amounts through the 2027-2028 school year. Those amounts are as follow:
$5.2 million for the 2023-2024 school year, which is in addition to the $4.3 million voters approved April 2021;
$11 million for the 2024-2025 school year;
$13 million for the 2025-2026 school year;
$15 million for the 2026-2027 school year; and
$17.5 million for the 2027-2028 school year.
According to the news release, if the referendum had failed, the district would have needed to make significant budget cuts to staff and programs.
The Valders Area School District was also on the ballot with two referendum questions.
The first question asked voters to approve $9.9 million in borrowing for the costs of building and grounds improvements and expansion. That referendum passed with 1,238 voting yes and 1,173 voting no.
The second question asked for the district to be allowed to exceed state revenue limits by $1.5 million per year through the 2027-28 school year. That money would be used for operational costs to retain staff, maintain existing programs and services, and to upgrade computer networks and devices. This referendum failed with 1,267 voting no and 1,115 voting yes.
Brett Vanderkin, Michael Cummings, Tim Boldt re-elected to Manitowoc Common Council
Despite three contested races for the Manitowoc Common Council, the members will remain unchanged. The incumbents for all districts up for election this spring have been re-elected.
In District 1, incumbent Brett Vanderkin won 393 votes while Raymond Geigel received 348.
In District 3, incumbent Michael Cummings won 415 votes while Angela Myers received 345.
In District 7, incumbent Tim Boldt won 287 votes while Brian Anderson received 277.
Chad Beeman in District 2 and Todd Reckelberg in District 10 ran unopposed and were also re-elected.
In the city of Two Rivers, Adam Wachowski, Darla LeClair and Bonnie Shimulunas were also re-elected to the City Council. They faced challengers Dean LaRose, Ron Abney and Shannon Derby for three open seats.
Wachowski received 1,745 votes, LeClair 1,408, Shimulunas 1,219, Derby 911, LaRose 857 and Abney 699.
For the Two Rivers school board, Nicole Benthein received 1,573 votes, Randy Williams 1,536 and Wendy Brandt 1,450. Benthein and Williams, both incumbents, will fill the two open seats.
More local election results
Town of Gibson chairperson: Richard Wegner won with 282 votes while Duane Argall received 194 votes.
Town of Gibson supervisor: Steven Rahmlow and Donald Rabitz won the two open seats with 308 and 278 votes, respectively. Argall received 170 votes.
Town of Manitowoc Rapids supervisor: Thomas Wetenkamp won with 429 votes while Mike Valleskey received 330 votes.
Town of Meeme supervisor: Susan Kracht won with 430 votes while Michael Klein received 104 votes.
Town of Two Creeks constable: Gene LeClair won with 125 votes while Michael Krizizke received 42 votes.
Town of Two Rivers supervisor 2: Ray Chase won with 337 votes while Greg Veith received 158 votes.
Village of Kellnersville constable: Ronald Kohlbeck won with 57 votes while Altan Taskiran received 38 votes.
Village of Mishicot trustee: Judy Ferry, John Franz and Bruce Boettcher won the three open seats with 239 votes, 216 votes and 214 votes, respectively. Allen Beranek received 193 votes.
Kiel school board: Dan Meyer, Tony Johannes and Jim Bajczyk won the three open seats with 1,747 votes, 1,604 votes and 1,379 votes, respectively. Michael Joas received 1,166 votes and Matt Piper received 1,046.
Mishicot school board: Shawn Driscoll and Nancy Koch won the two open seats with 1,119 votes and 1,023 votes, respectively. Nathan Krcma received 761 votes.
Valders school board: Michael Lenzner and Ashley Henneman won the two open seats with 1,350 votes and 1,030 votes, respectively. Kelly Ratsch received 812 votes and Matthew James Strother received 754 votes.
More: Manitowoc-area election results
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc spring 2023 election results, school board, common council
