By Chris Spangler
Contributor
Fort Atkinson electors will be casting ballots for city council, board of education and state superintendent of school seats in Tuesday’s general election.
The polls open at 7 a.m., with balloting continuing through 8 p.m.
The polling place for all city of Fort Atkinson residents is the Municipal Building, 101 N. Main St. Polling places for rural residents living within the School District of Fort Atkinson include the towns of: Koshkonong, W5609 Star School Rd.; Oakland, N4450 County Road A; Jefferson, 434 County Road Y; Cold Spring, N1409 Fremont Rd., Whitewater; Lima, 11053 Willow Dr., Whitewater (Rock County), and Hebron, N2313 County Road D.
City council
Four candidates are vying for three open Fort Atkinson City Council seats on the spring ballot. They are incumbents Mason Becker and Chris Scherer, and challengers Megan Hartwick and Jordan Lamb.
Becker, 40, is a restauranteur with his family’s Subway business who is seeking his fourth term on the council.
A 37-year Fort Atkinson resident, he is active in the Fort Atkinson Lions Club, Bethany Lutheran Church and Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce.
He said he is seeking a new term because “I believe that right now Fort Atkinson is at a critical crossroads, and many opportunities lie ahead. …While we have made strong progress in areas like revitalizing our downtown, fixing roads, and ensuring financial stability, there is still more work to be done.”
Chris Scherer, 29, is self-employed in business consulting. He is seeking his second term on the city council.
Having resided in Fort Atkinson for 26 years, Scherer has been a member of the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce for 13 years, including serving as president-elect of its board of director and a member on a variety of chamber committees; Planning Commission; and many other municipal committees. He has served as a Madison College continuing education instructor.
“My desire to remain civically involved, specifically as a city council member, is to continue making a positive impact on the community that I was raised, educated, and live in,” Scherer said.
“I am choosing to run for a second term as a council member because I want to see projects that have started through to the end and to responsibly start new improvements to our city. While having only been an elected official for one term, my experience and involvement with the current decision-making in the city extends back to 2015 during the Community Placemaking Initiative. Six years later, I am still actively involved and a part of facilitating the planning and envisioning that occurred then.”
Megan Hartwick, 36, is executive director of the United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties.
A Fort Atkinson resident for 27 years, she has been a member of the Fort Atkinson Police & Fire Commission, Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce and Jefferson County Planning Commission as a nonprofit representative, and is the founder of the Fort Atkinson Charity Concert Series.
“I grew up in Fort Atkinson and this community gave me so much and was a huge part in shaping who I am and the opportunities I was given,” she said. “Now that I am back living here and am raising my family here, I want to be as big a part of helping this community grow and thrive as I can. I want to give back to a community and a city of people who gave so much to me.”
Jordan Lamb, 25, is co-owner of Fort Atkinson Small Engine LLC.
A 22-year Fort Atkinson resident, he has been a member of the Fort Atkinson Chamber of Commerce and National Federation of Independent Business.
“I believe my hardworking attitude, along with my drive to get things accomplished, will help drive this city to a better future,” he said in citing why he is seeking a council seat. “Fort Atkinson city taxpayers need a true voice on the council that will be completely transparent about anything going on.
“It is not a foreign action for me to be working side-by-side with government officials to make things happen,” he added. “My prior experience working with the DOT provided great insight into project deadlines, budgets, and community impact/expectations. I would like to work with city committees to try to boost the local downtown businesses and increase the tourists our city can attract.”
Board of education
Rhona Buchta is unopposed in her bid Tuesday for a seat on the School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education.
Buchta, 44, is a literature/language arts middle school teacher at St. Joseph Catholic School in Fort Atkinson.
A 40-year Fort Atkinson resident, she has been involved in the St. Joseph School Art Enrichment Committee for more than 10 years, the Diocese of Madison Star360 Advisory/Core Team for three years and as a St. Joseph Student Council co-mentor for three years.
“I have been part of the Fort Atkinson committee for many years. I have grown up here and have raised and continue to raise my own children in this community,” Buchta said. “In seeking this position, I hope to contribute ideas and a voice as a strong advocate for the progression of all schools.
“I fully understand how important it is to support our teachers and staff and believe it is important to collaborate as a community in support of our youth’s education,” she added.
The board of education is a five-member board. Members serve for three-year terms.
Incumbent Rachel Snethen is not running for a new term.
State superintendent of schools
Two women are on the ballot Tuesday for Wisconsin state superintendent of schools.
Jill Underly and Deborah Kerr advanced to the general election after being the top vote-getters from among seven candidates in the February primary.
The current DPI chief, Carolyn Stanford Taylor, was appointed by Tony Evers after he stepped down from that spot upon being elected governor. However, she is not did not seek re-election.
Underly is superintendent of the Pecatonica School District, where she has served for six years.
Kerr stepped down in 2020 after 13 years as the superintendent of the Brown Deer School District.
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