Incumbents win re-election to Eau Claire school board, city council

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Incumbents in Tuesday’s Spring General Election largely held on to their offices in the races for positions largely based in the City of Eau Claire.

In the election for Eau Claire Area School District Board of Education, president Tim Nordin and incumbent Marquell Johnson each were re-elected to the board, with Nordin earning the most votes of any school board candidate in the race. Stephanie Farrar was also elected to the ECASD Board of Education.

Nordin was the subject of a death threat in March. The ECASD, like many school districts, has seen its school board meetings become contentious in light of COVID-19 policies and inclusion-based efforts. Nordin released a statement at the time that “our schools are too important to cede to fear” and said to families that “your vote matters in this election.”

On the Eau Claire City Council, five people were elected into office, including incumbents Kate Beaton, who received the most votes out of all eight candidates, and Roderick Jones. Ahead of the election last week, most of the candidates held a forum at UW-Eau Claire, discussing topics such as affordable housing, homelessness and their ideas on how to improve the city. The five elected City Council representatives at-large include Beaton, Jones, Larry Mboga, Joshua Miller and Charlie Johnson.

Most of Eau Claire County’s Board of Supervisors seats were contested elections as well. Incumbents Joe Knight, Nancy Coffey, Nathan Otto, Judy Gatlin, president Nick Smiar, James Dunning, Gerald “Jerry” Wilke, Robin Leary, Heather DeLuka and Missy Christopherson were all re-elected, while Nathan Anderson, Donald Mowry, Kevin Stelljes and Carl Anton lost their re-election bids. Newcomers to the Eau Claire County Board of Supervisors in contested races include Todd Meyer, Amanda Babb, Larry Hoekstra, Cory Sisk, Allen Myren, Brett Geboy, David Hirsch, Thomas Vue, John Folstad, Jodi Lepsch and Kyle Johnson. Kimberly Cronk, Tami Schraufnagel, Katherine Schneider, Mark Beckfield, Connie Russell, Steve Chilson, Dane Zook and Stella Pagonis all ran unopposed.

The referendum for clean water passed easily, with nearly 79% of the voters selecting “yes.”

Turnout for the election was 22.2% of eligible voters and 30.8% of registered voters in Eau Claire County.

Full unofficial Spring General Election results for Eau Claire County can be found on the Eau Claire County Clerk website. You can learn more about elections in Wisconsin by visiting the Wisconsin Election Commission website. If you are looking for sample ballots, voter registration information, or are wondering where to vote, you can visit the MyVote Wisconsin website.