Spring Elections Countdown

Next week is the deadline for papers to be filed to run for local non-partisan offices. So far it looks as if the most competitive races will be for County Board seats rather than the School Board or Common Council. So far 10 of the 36 new districts may see competitive elections, with two of them possibly seeing three candidates vying for a single seat.

While some may lament that only 10 of 36 (28%) districts are competitive, it should be noted that the last county board elections saw only 4 of 38 (11%) districts competitive.

Oshkosh districts that may see competitive races include:

• District 14 (North Side) Incumbents Donna Lohry and Claude Thompson are both running, along with a possible challenge from Harold Steineke, who lost to Donna Lohry in 2006.
  
• District 15 (north of UWO) Incumbent Kathleen Lennon may face challenger Travis Swanson.
  
• District 18 (East Side) Incumbent Bill Wingren may face challenger John Daggett.
• District 21 (South Side) Incumbent Robert Warnke may be facing challenger Christine Kutnink Richards.

The Oshkosh School Board has two challengers so far, Kevin Jahnke and John Daggett, running against incumbents Ben Schneider and Tom McDermott, to elect two members. With the tensions surrounding the School Board this last year the lack of challengers is surprising.

The Oshkosh Common Council has three seats up for election, and the three incumbents (Paul Esslinger, Burk Tower, Dennis McHugh) only have a single potential challenger so far (Robin Eckstein). This is also surprising considering the intense scrutiny on the Common Council this last year.

Will we have competitive local elections this coming Spring? What are your thoughts?