MONROE - In a race with more than one new candidate, some people vying for seats on the Green County Board of Supervisors were successful in bumping out incumbents while others ended Tuesday in defeat.
One successful candidate was longtime New Glarus resident Jody Hoesly, who was elected as District 26 supervisor by more than 60 percent of the vote. She and opponent Harry Pulliam were looking to take the seat vacated by incumbent Ted Fahey, who chose not to seek re-election.
"I was very thankful for the voters who came out in a spring election," Hoesly said. "And to my family and friends for their support, and I am thankful for the type of campaign my opponent ran. Harry shed light on important issues."
For Pulliam, disappointment was an obvious outcome when he discovered he had lost by 80 votes.
"I think there are changes I would like to see," Pulliam said. "There are things I could do on the board that are more difficult to impact from the outside."
But Pulliam said his loss would not deter his activism within the community and he looked forward to speaking to Hoesly, now his representative, about issues important to him. Pulliam noted he spoke to Hoesly after the election and wished her success, saying the civility of their election was most important to him. Hoesly echoed the sentiment.
"Jody has been extremely active with funding for the (New Glarus) library, she's an active member of the community," Pulliam said, adding that the Hoesly family name has been synonymous with public service for decades within the area, likely contributing to her election.
Now Hoesly looks forward to working with Green County Clerk Mike Doyle to identify where she would best serve the county. She said while economic development and education are topics she would like to be involved with, she'll work to "identify what best fits."
In District 2, incumbent Gary Neuenschwander held onto his seat against newcomer Beth Robinson. He will begin his third two-year term on the board as a result of the 128 votes he garnered to Robinson's 57. Robinson wrote in a statement on her campaign Facebook page Tuesday night that "it was a good experience running for office even though" she lost, celebrated the victory of Rebecca Dallet in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and congratulated Neuenschwander on his win.
Robinson had campaigned against large-scale dairy operations in the county and called for the protection of clean water against "industrial agriculture." Neuenschwander had taken a more moderate approach to the topic, saying he believed in the protection of water sources but understood agriculture needed to expand to survive.
Supervisor Betty Grotophorst of District 29 was against the idea of larger farms, referred to by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as concentrated animal feeding operations if the number of animals exceeds a specific number. She said growing up on a farm helped her appreciate agriculture and local, sustainable agriculture like organic farming can be done successfully.
But she was beaten by a margin of 140 votes by newcomer Mark Gundlach, who said large-scale agriculture was simply farming of the future. There were 299 total votes in the race. Gundlach served on the Exeter Town Board for nine years before seeking the District 29 supervisor spot held by Grotophorst for eight years. He also championed economic growth to bolster financial stability within the county.
Incumbent John Glynn declared non-candidacy earlier this year and was replaced Tuesday by Monroe resident Joe Snow, who received 204 votes in the uncontested race. District 17 Supervisor Steve Stettler moved, making him ineligible to retain his seat. John Winters of Brodhead won the District 17 position with 217 total votes.
In District 19, incumbent Ron Wolter had retired in August, but no candidate stepped forward to be listed on the ballot. There were 13 votes cast for the position in the city of Brodhead. Aaron Withee secured the most with five.
One successful candidate was longtime New Glarus resident Jody Hoesly, who was elected as District 26 supervisor by more than 60 percent of the vote. She and opponent Harry Pulliam were looking to take the seat vacated by incumbent Ted Fahey, who chose not to seek re-election.
"I was very thankful for the voters who came out in a spring election," Hoesly said. "And to my family and friends for their support, and I am thankful for the type of campaign my opponent ran. Harry shed light on important issues."
For Pulliam, disappointment was an obvious outcome when he discovered he had lost by 80 votes.
"I think there are changes I would like to see," Pulliam said. "There are things I could do on the board that are more difficult to impact from the outside."
But Pulliam said his loss would not deter his activism within the community and he looked forward to speaking to Hoesly, now his representative, about issues important to him. Pulliam noted he spoke to Hoesly after the election and wished her success, saying the civility of their election was most important to him. Hoesly echoed the sentiment.
"Jody has been extremely active with funding for the (New Glarus) library, she's an active member of the community," Pulliam said, adding that the Hoesly family name has been synonymous with public service for decades within the area, likely contributing to her election.
Now Hoesly looks forward to working with Green County Clerk Mike Doyle to identify where she would best serve the county. She said while economic development and education are topics she would like to be involved with, she'll work to "identify what best fits."
In District 2, incumbent Gary Neuenschwander held onto his seat against newcomer Beth Robinson. He will begin his third two-year term on the board as a result of the 128 votes he garnered to Robinson's 57. Robinson wrote in a statement on her campaign Facebook page Tuesday night that "it was a good experience running for office even though" she lost, celebrated the victory of Rebecca Dallet in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and congratulated Neuenschwander on his win.
Robinson had campaigned against large-scale dairy operations in the county and called for the protection of clean water against "industrial agriculture." Neuenschwander had taken a more moderate approach to the topic, saying he believed in the protection of water sources but understood agriculture needed to expand to survive.
Supervisor Betty Grotophorst of District 29 was against the idea of larger farms, referred to by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as concentrated animal feeding operations if the number of animals exceeds a specific number. She said growing up on a farm helped her appreciate agriculture and local, sustainable agriculture like organic farming can be done successfully.
But she was beaten by a margin of 140 votes by newcomer Mark Gundlach, who said large-scale agriculture was simply farming of the future. There were 299 total votes in the race. Gundlach served on the Exeter Town Board for nine years before seeking the District 29 supervisor spot held by Grotophorst for eight years. He also championed economic growth to bolster financial stability within the county.
Incumbent John Glynn declared non-candidacy earlier this year and was replaced Tuesday by Monroe resident Joe Snow, who received 204 votes in the uncontested race. District 17 Supervisor Steve Stettler moved, making him ineligible to retain his seat. John Winters of Brodhead won the District 17 position with 217 total votes.
In District 19, incumbent Ron Wolter had retired in August, but no candidate stepped forward to be listed on the ballot. There were 13 votes cast for the position in the city of Brodhead. Aaron Withee secured the most with five.