Only one incumbent challenged for office
By Robert Cloud
Seven Waupaca County supervisors are retiring this year.
No candidates have announced intentions to run for three of those seats.
A write-in candidate has announced her bid to seek the District 8 seat on the county board.
Retiring in April are supervisors Dennis Kussmann, Terry Murphy, Joyce Boyer, Mary Kay Poehlman, Robert Ellis, Pat Craig, Bernie Ritchie and Mary Craig.
In District 2 – which includes two wards in Clintonville and all of the village of Embarrass and the town of Matteson – Tammy Strey-Hirt is running unopposed.
District 6 – which includes all of the town of Bear Creek and parts of the towns of Helvetia, Lebanon and Union – has the only contested race for a seat on the Waupaca County Board. Chad Bestul is challenging incumbent Dick Rohan.
Ricky A. Ertl is running unopposed in District 7 – which is comprised of wards in the village of Iola and in the towns of Iola and Scandinavia.
Jodi Ketchum has announced her write-in candidacy to represent District 8 — which includes all of the village of Big Falls, all of the towns of Harrison and Wyoming, and one ward each in the towns of Helvetia and Iola.
District 11 – with three wards in the city of Waupaca – has no candidate for supervisor.
In District 12 – comprised of four wards in the city of Waupaca – Scott Purchaztke is running unopposed. He is currently a member of Waupaca Common Council.
Dayton Town Board Supervisor John Miller will be on the ballot for County Board District 15 – which includes three wards in Dayton.
No candidate has registered for election to represent District 18, which is primarily the town of Royalton and part of Little Wolf.
Wayne Wilfuer has filed to run for District 26 – which has wards in the towns of Lebanon and Mukwa.
Retiring incumbents
Dennis Kussmann has represented District 2 since 1998. He has been a member of the Legislative, Judicial, Ethics and Safety Committee, Zoning, Land Use, Farmland Preservation, Land Use, Environmental Site Assessment, Clintonville TIF, and the Pigeon Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District.
Representing District 7, Terry Murphy was first elected in 2006. He has served on Land Information, Criminal Justice, Zoning, Land Use, Farmland Preservation, Legislative, Judicial, Ethics and Safety, and the Iola Lake District.
In February 2013, the Waupaca County Board selected Joyce Boyer to replace her recently deceased husband, Jim Boyer. Elected four times, she continued to represent District 11 for nine years. Boyer served on Health and Human Services, Committee on Aging, Public Property, Waupaca TIF District, and Criminal Justice.
Mary Kay Poehlman was first elected to represent District 12 in 2012. Her committee assignments included Criminal Justice, Legislative, Judicial, Ethics and Safety Committee, Health and Human Services, Capital Improvement Projects, Committee on Aging, Law Enforcement, Emergency Management, Executive, Wisconsin Counties Steering Committee and National Association of Counties Steering Committee.
Robert Ellis has represented District 15 since 2008. He served on Land and Water Conservation, Zoning, Land Use and Farmland Preservation, Comprehensive
Planning, Environmental Site Assessment, Land Information, Capital Improvement Projects, Stratton Lake District, Agriculture, Education and Extension.
For 26 years Pat Craig represented District 18. Among her committee assignments, she served on Law Enforcement, Finance and Personnel, Information Technology, Highway, Lakeview Manor, Outagamie-Waupaca Library system, Land and Water Conservation, Health and Human Services, Board of Adjustment, Emergency Management and the Executive Committee.
Representing District 26 since 2018, Bernie Ritchie has served on Land and Water Conservation, and Agriculture, Education and Extension committees.
19 incumbents seek re-election
The names of 18 incumbents will appear on nonpartisan election ballots on Tuesday, April 5. Only one incumbent is being challenged for re-election.
• DuWayne Federwitz, District 1 – one ward in Clintonville, all of the village of Embarrass and the town of Matteson.
• Dick Koeppen, District 3 – two wards in Clintonville.
• Dennis Wengelski, District 4 – three wards in Clintonville, parts of the towns of Dupont, Larrabee and Union.
• Lee Much, District 5 – Marion and one ward in the town of Dupont.
• Dick Rohan, District 6 – the town of Bear Creek and parts of the towns of Helvetia, Lebanon and Union. Chad Bestul is challenging Rohan for the seat.
• James Nygaard, District 9 – all of the village of Scandinavia, one ward each in the towns of Scandinavia, Farmington and St. Lawrence.
• Kevin Will, District 10 – one ward in Farmington and three wards in the city of Waupaca.
• Joe McClone, District 13 – two wards in Farmington and one ward in the city of Waupaca.
• Gerald Murphy, District 14 – two wards in Farmington.
• Sue Golding, District 16 – one ward in Dayton and two wards in Lind.
• Dave Johnson, District 17 – all of Ogdensburg, one ward in the city of Waupaca, and parts of the towns of Waupaca, St. Lawrence and Little Wolf.
• Jack Spierings, District 19 – three wards in the city of Weyauwega.
• Cindy Hardy, District 20 – all of the village of Fremont and the town of Weyauwega, one ward each in the towns of Fremont and Lind.
• Pete Bosquez, District 21 – two wards in the town of Caledonia and one ward in the town of Fremont.
• Kenneth Jaeger, District 22 – three wards in the town of Mukwa.
• David R. Morack, District 23 – three wards in the city of New London.
• Fred Zaug, District 24 – three wards in New London and one ward in Mukwa.
• Dave Neumann, District 25 – three wards in New London.
• In District 27 – which includes Manawa and one ward in the town of Little Wolf – incumbent supervisor Mary Craig is running as a write-in.
CORRECTION: The original version of this article did not include Mary Craig as a write-in candidate for District 27.