By Kim McDarison
Two organizations, including Fort Atkinson Online and the Whitewater chapter of the League of Women Voters, have announced upcoming candidates forums for candidates running within the Fort Atkinson Online readership area.
Fort Atkinson candidates
Voters within the city of Fort Atkinson and the School District of Fort Atkinson — including the city of Fort Atkinson, and, in part or whole, the towns of Koshkonong, Oakland, Jefferson, Cold Spring, Lima, Hebron, Palmyra and Sumner — will find opportunity to view two online-only YouTube platform videos, with one featuring the three candidates running for seats on the Fort Atkinson City Council, and a second featuring three candidates running for seats on the School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education.
Both videos have been produced this year by Fort Atkinson Online in the UWW-TV studio, with technical support from members of the UWW-TV crew, led by Jim Mead, general manager of UWW-TV and Joe Mabie, video production manager.
Both videos were taped Wednesday, March 1, with an anticipated release date coming next week.
The videos will be made available for viewing on FortAtkinsonOnline.com, and will be made available for sharing across all social media platforms.
Voters are reminded that Wisconsin’s Spring General Election will be held Tuesday, April 4.
The three candidates running for city council include incumbent Mason Becker and two newcomers, John Donohue and Kyle Jaeckel.
With the exception of a possible challenge coming from a write-in campaign, each will be running unopposed for one of the three at-large seats.
All of Fort Atkinson’s city council members serve at-large and for two-year terms.
Voters also will find the name of incumbent Megan Hartwick on the April ballot. Hartwick announced her intention to run early in the campaign season, but withdrew her candidacy after the ballots were printed. She has asked voters not to cast their ballot for her.
With two seats due for reelection on the Fort Atkinson school board, voters will be asked to cast ballots for two of the three candidates. They are incumbents Kory Knickrehm and Amy Reynolds, and challenger, Matt Loup. Loup ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the school board last year.
The two top vote-getters in April will serve at-large, each for a three-year term.
During the two candidates forums, the candidates will each be allotted a total of 15 minutes, during which they will be asked to offer a two-minute opening and closing statement, and answer, each within two-minutes, a series of questions developed by our journalists at Fort Atkinson Online.
Both events are moderated by longtime area radio host and journalist Michael Clish.
Our videotaped forums are sponsored in 2023 by the nonprofit, nonpartisan groups: Heart of the City and the American Association of University Women (AAUW).
Fort Atkinson Online also has received information submitted through our candidates questionnaire from each set of candidates. A link to the city council candidates answers is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/fort-city-council-voters-guide-becker-donohue-jaeckel-run-unopposed-share-views/.
A link to answers submitted by candidates running for seats on the board of education is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/fort-board-of-education-voters-guide-two-incumbents-one-challenger-share-views/.
Whitewater candidates
According to information released by the League of Woman Voters-Whitewater Area, voters within the Whitewater Unified School District will find opportunity to attend a candidates forum sponsored by the Whitewater chapter of the league.
The forum will be held in-person Saturday, March 11, at the Whitewater Municipal Building, 312 W. Whitewater St., at 10 a.m.
Voters within the Whitewater Unified School District include residents living, in part or whole, within the city of Whitewater and the towns of Cold Spring, Koshkonong, Johnstown, LaGrange, Lima, Richmond, Sugar Creek, and Whitewater.
According to information released by the league, the forum will offer voters an opportunity to receive information from six candidates, including incumbent Thayer Coburn, and five challengers. They are Joe Kromholz, Lisa Huempfner, Stephanie Hicks, Chuck Mills, and Christy Linse.
Information received from each of 11 candidates who ran during the February primary election and responded to a Fort Atkinson Online candidates questionnaire is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/whitewater-primary-voters-guide-eleven-school-board-candidates-share-views/. Information received from the six top primary election vote-getters and who have advanced to the April general election ballot is included.
The forum will be moderated by league member Lynn Binnie, according to the release.
In addition, information released by the league notes that a forum, during which voters will have opportunity to meet two candidates running for the position of Whitewater municipal judge, will be held Sunday, March 19, at the Whitewater Municipal Building, at 1 p.m.
The candidates are incumbent Patrick Taylor and challenger Art Coleman.
Longtime area radio host and Fort Atkinson Online-produced candidates forums moderator Michael Clish, at left, and Joe Mabie, UWW-TV video production manager, perform sound checks in advance of Wednesday’s videotaping. This year’s FAO online candidates forums are sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Heart of the City.
Fort Atkinson Online-produced candidates forums moderator Michael Clish, at left, prepares for taping as Fort Atkinson City Council candidate John Donohue, at center, is assisted by a UWW-TV crew member with positioning his microphone. Three city council candidates are running in April unopposed.
Vicki Wright, at left, prepares to time 15-minute segments allotted to each candidate as they offer opening and closing statements and answer questions posed by the moderator. At right, a member of the UWW-TV crew operates one of three cameras used to shoot the forums.
Chris Spangler photos.
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