The Whitewater Unified School District recently held an election for two openings on the school board. Three candidates were on the ballot campaigning for the two openings on the board. The three candidates include incumbent President, Larry Kachel, newcomer Jeff Tortomasi and incumbent Vice President, Maryann Zimmerman. The election was held on Monday, April 2nd that resulted in nearly 3,200 total votes between all three candidates from surrounding counties. The Whitewater Common Council member for an at-large seat was Greg Majkrzak II who won instead of Keith Staebler. There is Orin Smith who won the District 2 seat unopposed while Brian Schanen also did win unopposed for District 4. The Walworth County Circuit Court Judge was won by Estee Scholtz over Peter Navis and Walworth County Supervisor with Brian Holt and Al Stanek still kept their seats without competition. Town of Richmond Supervisor 3 was won by David Alexander over Steven Wade and town of Richmond Supervisor 4 with Mike Bergman who won over Tom Kraus.
The Whitewater Common Council member for an at-large seat won by was Greg Majkrzak II who beat Keith Staebler by 786 to 532. Orin Smith won the District 2 member seat unopposed with 63 votes in. Brian Schanen won the District 4 member seat with 359 votes.
The Walworth county circuit court judge was by Scholtz over Peter Navis with votes of 14,213 to 6,283. The Walworth county supervisor with Brian Holt and Al Stanek got to keep their seats without any competition.
The town of Richmond supervisor #3 was won by Alexander over Wade with votes by 301 to 220. The town of Richmond supervisor #4 with Bergman who won over Kraus with votes from 296 to 231. The Fort Atkinson School District Referendum was passed by a close vote of 2360 to 2280.
The election resulted in a new change for the school board presidency as Jeff Tortomasi won the vote over Larry Kachel. It was noted that Kachel withdrew his candidacy back in February, but his name would still appear on the ballot. Despite this, Kachel received 89 votes in Rock County and 140 votes in Jefferson County. His reasoning was because his investment practice group had merged with another and he would not have time for the school board position. Kachel has served as President for the past three years.
The new school board President, Jeff Tortomasi, has a lot of experience in the community and has held numerous education titles. Tortomasi received 109 votes in Rock County and 208 votes in Jefferson County. He has previously worked as a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent. A big part of Tortomasi’s campaign was his idea to enhance curriculum and emphasize the quality of education in the school district. He has also been a resident of Whitewater for eighteen years and his children have gone through the Whitewater school district. Tortomasi strives to create academic success by collaboration and transparency. He also is interested in working alongside local businesses and community organizations to build further trust with the Whitewater community.
The incumbent Vice President, Maryann Zimmerman, was reelected to continue her work for the school board. Zimmerman is also an advocate for transparency between the district and the public. She has her sights set on aiding the education gap and helping students achieve academic excellence. Zimmerman’s family is also active in the district and have been in Whitewater for the past eight years. She has earned the commitment from voters by volunteering and involving herself in a lot of community events. The re-elected board member wants to move forward with the district and will continue her effort from her previous term.
“What happens next is business as usual. I will still be fighting for transparency. Every single day, I am heavily invested in this district,” said Zimmerman.
The election results ended up with an admirable showing from the electorate in surrounding counties. The voters believe Tortomasi and Zimmerman share a common vision and will work to collaborate on budget concerns along with education achievement gaps. Their experience and dedication to the community will hopefully translate to a more unified community. The newly elected board members will look to create a stronger district that focuses on education development. Tortomasi and Zimmerman aim to bring their new ideas into the district and usher in a new change that will impact the district and students lives positively.