MONROE — Local voters have a partisan choice to make Tuesday, when they will be tasked with voting within just one party to oversee both county and state-level offices.
However, voters will be able to vote for any candidate in any party in the November election.
Despite candidates filling in both the democrat and republican sides of the upcoming ballot, the majority of candidates are running unopposed within their own parties.
In Green County, incumbent Sheriff Mark Rohloff is the sole republican running for the seat. On the democrat side, former sheriff Jeff Skatrud is running as the only candidate for the position in his party.
Skatrud left office abruptly in 2013 while in the middle of his term. At the time, he cited an opportunity for an undisclosed part-time job. He had noted that an unsolved death that same year of an inmate in the county jail and a pending wrongful death lawsuit had nothing to do with his leaving.
In announcing his bid for election after five years, Skatrud said he left his position to help his family care for his elderly parents as well as the flexible, part-time opportunity.
Rohloff, a Janesville native, has spent the last four decades in law enforcement. He was appointed as sheriff by Gov. Scott Walker in November 2013. The following year, he won the seat in an unopposed race. Rohloff spent more than 20 years with the Monroe Police Department before transitioning to sheriff. He credited his longtime experience for improvements and new ideas he said he has brought to the department.
On the republican side, Clerk of Circuit Court Barbara L. Miller has no opponent. There are also no democrats running for her seat. On the other hand, the sole candidate for Green County coroner is on the democrat side with Monica L. Hack.
Even state representatives don’t have to worry about competition during Tuesday’s election. District 17 Senator Howard Marklein, the incumbent, has no opponent within the republican party. Neither does fellow party member 51st Assembly District Rep. Todd Novak. They do, however, have challengers looking to unseat them from the democratic party.
Marklein will face off against newcomer Kriss Marion, the sole democrat on the ballot for that seat. Marion, an organic farmer in rural Blanchardville, is currently in her second term on the Lafayette County Board. She announced her campaign in February with a pledge to help rural school districts and ailing family farms. Marion also plans to change the law to allow more access to rural broadband.
Marklein identified better internet as a goal of his as well, and has noted concerns from constituents about crumbling roads. A Spring Green native, Marklein was elected first in 2010 to represent the 51st Assembly District. He was succeeded by Novak in 2014, after defeating incumbent state Sen. Dale Schultz for his current seat.
Novak also has a single challenger from the democrat side, one which he has faced before. Jeff Wright lost to Novak by fewer than 800 votes in 2016. Novak, a two-term representative, has said his accomplishments have shown his dedication to the people of the district and that he wants to continue to serve because he feels there are more things to address.
Wright, the assistant superintendent at Sauk Prairie School District, announced his second bid for the seat in April. He noted that he was running for reasons similar to the past, namely to improve the district’s communities in areas of infrastructure, development and education.
In Lafayette County, Sheriff Reg Gill is the only candidate running for his seat in any party. Gill first took office after being elected in 2014. In his bid for re-election, Gill announced that he has been proud to implement the use of a new communication tower as the finalization of an ongoing project and a new records management system. The improvements have aided with communications for emergency responders and updated levels of security, he noted.
Incumbent Linda Gebhardt, a democrat, is also the sole candidate on the ballot for the position of county coroner.
New candidate Trisha Rowe of Darlington will also be the only candidate for clerk of circuit court. A county employee for nearly 25 years, Rowe currently serves as deputy clerk in the Lafayette County Clerk’s Office. She also acts as the victim witness coordinator in the county district attorney’s office.
Rowe looks to replace longtime clerk of court Kitty McGowan, who announced in early April she would not be seeking re-election after 21 years in the position. McGowan plans to step down in January after the new clerk is sworn into office.