Just a few comments about races that were, generally, unsuprising.
First, it takes few votes to find one’s way to Common Council. Between about 100 and 200 votes received would have assured a place on Council from Districts 1, 3, and 5. In a low turnout race, without high-profile state or local contests, one can get a platform in Whitewater with that level of support. Legitimate and lawful, but hardly a mandate.
If Wisconsin held these races at the same time as fall general election contests (as other states do), one wonders what the Council would look like.
The registered write-in candidate in District 3 received more votes than the winner in District 1.
Second, the Nosek-Kienbaum race surprises me, very much. I would have expected Kienbaum to do far better than about 55% of the vote. She was the incumbent, presents a grandmotherly image to the public, had campaign signs and newsaper ads, and ran against an opponent who was, well, direct in his delivery in a way that caused consternation among more than one person.
There’s no plausible way to claim, as she did in campaign ads, that she’s the “People’s Voice.” I’d guess, though, that she’ll see none of that, believe she has a mandate, and go on about as she has.
Who voted for Nosek? Lots of people, I wouldn’t wonder, who shared his views. I opposed his positions, as readers know, but there’s no way to ignore that he must have received those votes in support of his stated positions.
What happens to these voters now? I think they’ll wait and see what the city does on the ‘housing issue,’ and if they’re dissatisfied, they’ll be even more of them to turn out for other races.
That it’s reached this point, says so much about how the City of Whitewater has mismanaged this issue. I favor far less government (but I’m convinced that Kienbaum’s an ineffectual, muddled advocate of anything like a market position). After two years of talking on this issue, Nosek’s succeeded in cajoling the city into speaking about how important these matters are.
It’s a recipe for municipal failure, as there’s little chance that the city knows how to address this issue to the satisfaction of aggrieved residents. Unable to solve the problem through its own means tactically, Whitewater now faces a strategic campaign from residents to change policy about what should, and how severely, be regulated. That’s quite a mess, actually.
Finally, statewide, Justice Abrahamson won her re-election race, much to Wisconsin’s benefit. Jefferson County, though, will have to soldier on with Judge Koschnick.