Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Council votes to stay on course for road project while maintaining what they saw as a public benefit.
After several weeks of debate and indecision, there will be a path on Tess Corners Drive after all. A unanimous vote to amend the current plan will keep the path on the same route, but narrows it to six feet, in part to address concerns that an eight-foot path was too intrusive on some homeowners' front yards. The Muskego Common Council had four options before them, recommended by the Public Works Committee last week: The on-road option would have presented the most expensive option and delayed the project until 2013. Many of the opponents to the trail had cited the loss of older trees in front of their homes, as they rest in the city's right-of-way, and would have preferred the on-road option or elimination of the trail to save them. …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Residents weigh in against recreational path, citing safety concerns during the meeting, but others have also registered support. Despite a potential delay in construction and additional costs for redesigns, the council votes to defer approval and sends p
A bike path and recreational trail that was planned to be a part of Tess Corners Drive reconstruction hit a roadblock Tuesday night as many residents spoke against it during the Common Council meeting. After subsequent discussion on the council, the plan was deferred to the Public Works Committee for further review. Neighbors cited the loss of trees, traffic concerns, diminishing property values and flooding and runoff issues as reasons to kill the path. Judith Stenzel, who lives in the area, told the Common Council in a public input session, "our land will be interrupted; traffic is already a concern, and the addition of a bike path will lead to more traffic." She also said she could forsee future lawsuits stemming from any accidents that…
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Hoping to leave previous conflict and divisiveness behind, council members are sworn in after a rough election season.
The Muskego Common Council turned a page Tuesday night as new terms began for incumbent Aldermen Neil Borgman and Dan Soltisiak, and Robert Wolfe took the seat as 1st District alderman. He had defeated Tracy Snead earlier in April after a race that featured tensions between the two candidates, and at times turned personal. In addition, Municipal Judge Patrick Berigan was sworn in by Waukesha Circuit Court Judge William Domina. It will be Berigan's sixth term on Muskego's court. Council members then voted for president, selecting Neil Borgman on a unanimous vote. Soltysiak also received a unanimous vote as the council representative to the plan commission, and Kert Harenda was voted in as the council representative for the Little Muskego …
Organizational meeting will see incumbents and new member sworn in and make appointments for committees.
The new edition of the Common Council will officially start work Tuesday evening, which is labeled an organizational meeting. Incumbent Aldermen Neil Borgman (D3) and Dan Soltysiak (D5) will be sworn in by Judge William Domina for their respective fifth and second terms on the council, while Robert Wolfe, who upset incumbent Tracy Snead for the 1st District aldermanic seat on April 3, will begin his first term. Judge Patrick Berigan will also return for another term as municipal judge. Snead will be recognized for her six years of service on the council, and may offer a parting statement, however she had indicated at the April 10 council meeting that she may not be in attendance. She also had thanked her family and supporters at the end of…
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
As the debate turned downright nasty in some races, local candidates on both sides of the results say it's time to get back to work for the city's best interests.
Whether it was a winning candidate, or one who ended up short in the vote count, the tone of conciliation mixed with a little fatigue over Muskego elections was evident. "While it's a happy time, I'm also concerned over how the races went, and how negative everything became," said 3rd District Alderman Neil Borgman, who will be back on the council for a fifth term, defeating challenger Larry Lefebvre. "I'm honored to serve my district, I've worked hard, and I've tried to listen to what they're saying as I've made decisions on the council," Borgman added. "Our race was fairly clean in comparison to what Tracy (Snead) and Dan (Soltysiak) had to face, which was sad." Snead was also ready to move on after her loss to Robert Wolfe, who posted a…
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
In an election with higher than expected turnout, Aldermen Neil Borgman and Dan Soltysiak with return to council, but Tracy Snead's term ends after six years with a defeat by challenger Robert Wolfe.
Muskego Alderman Tracy Snead was bounced out of her 1st District seat on the Common Council Tuesday — losing to challenger Robert Wolfe by more than a 2-to-1 margin. Two other aldermen who were on the ballot Tuesday fared better — District 3 Alderman Neil Borgmanand District 5 Alderman Dan Soltysiak survived challenges from Larry Lefebvre and John Engelhardt, respectively. The Wisconsin primary election was expected to draw about a 35 percent voter turnout, but local aldermanic races in Muskego and a heightened interest in recent Common Council decisions seemed to increase numbers at the local polls. Voter turnout was 41 percent in the city, but aldermanic races increased that number considerably in those districts. The Snead-Wolfe race …
Monday, April 2, 2012
City, county and national races make for a full ballot on Tuesday; be informed before you head out and cast your ballot.
Unless you've been abroad (for example, interplanetary travel), you know that it will be time to head to the polls on Tuesday. We've listed information about the candidates in all contested races on our Election Central page. There are contested races in all three aldermanic districts. Incumbent Tracy Snead and Robert Wolfe will vie for the 1st District; Alderman Neil Borgman and challenger Larry Lefebvre will be on the District 3 ballot, and the 5th District will feature a race between incumbent Dan Soltysiak and John Engelhardt. The candidates had presented their views during a forum on March 20, but others will also appear on the ballot who were not present during that event, including Muskego-Norway School Board candidates Eric …
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Lake park development, Parkland Mall, and economic development lead discussion among aldermanic candidates
The six aldermanic candidates met at City Hall Tuesday night to discuss the issues in the only public opportunity for residents to hear from them. The forum allowed for questions to be submitted from residents and moderator Jim Schaefer, who is also the Muskego-Norway School Board president, posed them to the competing candidates. There was much consensus to be had on Muskego's arrangement with the Tess Corners Fire Department (all candidates felt their was no need to enlist a full time department or fire chief), the need for continued transparency of meetings and available agenda, and funding to Janesville Road for streetscaping enhancements. However, other divisions arose over spending. A question posted on whether it was a good idea to …
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Challenger Wolfe takes 60% of vote, more than double that of incumbent Snead.
The three-way race for the aldermanic seat in Muskego's 1st District was pared down to two candidates Tuesday as Robert Wolfe and incumbent Tracy Snead advanced to the April 3 general election. Final, unofficial results are as follows: Robert Wolfe - 375 votes (60 percent) Tracy Snead - 150 votes (24 percent) Randall Hojnacki - 91 votes (15 percent) The turnout was 24 percent, which is average for an aldermanic primary, but interest over the recent council vote to approve the purchase of land along the lake on Janesville Road for use as a park was expected to give the race extra attention. Snead was one of four Common Council members who voted for the purchase of the land at a cost of $3.55 million, which may have had an impact on her …
Poll workers report a healthy turnout, and no problems with voter ID procedures.
The opening volley in the election season that will take voters into November and make them quite familiar with the voting process began at 7 a.m. Tuesday in Muskego's 1st Aldermanic District. Incumbent Tracy Snead is running for re-election against challengers Randall Hojnacki and Robert Wolfe. The top two vote-getters will square off in the April 3 general election. The district, which is predominantly seated in the Tess Corners and Fountainwood areas of the city, is seeing a good turnout, with nearly 200 voters casting ballots by 11:30 a.m., or just shy of 10 percent of the 2,608 registered voters. With polls open until 8 p.m., the number could reach 30 to 40 percent. Monday also marked the first election in which voter ID rules are …
Mark Oium
1:00 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Too late for a referendum. Might you mean a recall? I hear they're in style. I hate being in style. more ›