By Kim McDarison
Fort Atkinson constituents on Tuesday will be asked to make several decisions, among them voting for two of three candidates running for two open seats on the Fort Atkinson City Council, voting for two of four candidates running for two open seats on the School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education, and deciding, by a yes or no vote to a referendum question, whether to fund 14 additional public safety employees, including two police officers and 12 full-time firefighters with emergency medical training.
Following is a recap of information provided by Fort Atkinson Online to help voters make informed decisions.
City Council
City of Fort Atkinson residents will find three candidates vying for two open Fort Atkinson City Council seats on the general election ballot. They are incumbent Bruce Johnson and challengers Ron Martin and Eric Schultz. Council members are elected to two-year terms. The two top vote-getters will win seats.
Voters will find biographical information and responses made by the candidates to a questionnaire here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/fort-city-council-voters-guide-candidates-share-experience-views/.
A video recorded online-only candidates forum is viewable below.
School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education
Sam LaMuro, Matt Loup, Christopher Rogers and Robynn Selle are the four School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education candidates who advanced from the February primary to the April 5 general election ballot.
This Tuesday, the four will vie for two open seats.
Biographical information, along with answers to a candidates questionnaire submitted by the full field of six primary candidates, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/february-primary-voters-guide-fort-school-board-candidates-share-experience-views/.
School board members are elected to three-year terms. The two top vote-getters will win seats.
A video recorded online-only candidates forum, featuring the four candidates advancing to Tuesday’s election, is viewable below.
Public safety referendum
Fort Atkinson city officials are proposing through referendum that the city be allowed to go above its state-imposed tax levy limit to fund additional public safety personnel. Fort Atkinson Online has attended several meeting where the plans to change the way the Fort Atkinson Fire Department is organized, including additional manpower, has been presented and discussed.
Links to several stories follow, including:
• A public safety workshop held by city council in February at which officials from surrounding towns were invited to ask questions: https://fortatkinsononline.com/city-holds-public-safety-referendum-workshop-town-officials-ask-questions/.
• The approval of the public safety referendum question by council for placement on the April ballot, and charts showing its overall financial impact, including tax impact to property owners: https://fortatkinsononline.com/city-approves-public-safety-referendum-question-for-april-election-ballot/.
• An introduction of the referendum to city council in January: https://fortatkinsononline.com/fort-public-safety-referendum-introduced/.
A video recorded online-only edition of “What’s Up? with Michael Clish,” viewable below, features interviews about the public safety referendum with Fort Atkinson Fire Chief Daryl Rausch and Fort Atkinson Police Chief Adrian Bump.
Other election-related stories of interest
Voters heading to the polls on Tuesday can find sample ballots and stories about other ballot items below, including:
• Sample ballots for voters living within the School District of Fort Atkinson within both Jefferson and Walworth counties: https://fortatkinsononline.com/jefferson-county-fort-whitewater-school-districts-sample-ballots-available/.
• Races to be decided for court of appeals and circuit court judges: https://fortatkinsononline.com/several-court-of-appeals-circuit-court-judges-seats-to-be-decided-in-april/.
• A race in District 29 and incumbents running unopposed for seats on the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors: https://fortatkinsononline.com/jefferson-county-board-fort-to-see-one-race-whitewater-candidates-running-unopposed/.
• Biographical information and answers to a candidates questionnaire as provided by two candidates, incumbent Mary Roberts and challenger Wyatt Cooper, who will face off in a race for the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors District 29 seat. https://fortatkinsononline.com/voters-guide-jefferson-county-board-of-supervisors-district-29-candidates-share-experience-views/.
City of Fort Atkinson Clerk Michelle Ebbert works at a table where absentee ballots are processed during the primary election held in February. File photo/Chris Spangler.
Polling places for voters within the School District of Fort Atkinson
A map of the School District of Fort Atkinson can be viewed here: https://www.fortschools.org/cms/lib/WI02211243/Centricity/Shared/District/boundary.pdf.
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)
Hebron, N2313 County Road D.
Palmyra, 100 W. Taft St.
Sumner, N1525 Church St., Edgerton
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