My April 3, 2012 ballot picks: Grant, Sutton, Wolfla, Lowerr, Lambert, Wartman

Tuesday, April 3, 2012, is Election Day in Wisconsin. We vote in the Presidential primary and for local non-partisan races. Click to view larger photo.

It is doubtful that our recently passed Voter ID law will be in effect, however, you will be required to sign the Poll List when you vote.

You can find your sample ballot anywhere in Wisconsin simply by putting in your address at this website: Wisconsin Voter Public Access Find your polling place here.

Polls open at 7am and close at 8pm. District 7 voters, remember we vote in at St. Luke's Catholic Church on Greenfield Ave. and Davidson Rd. in District 6.

Take the time to be an informed voter. If you don't know anything about a candidate, don't vote in that race. The Wisconsin Conservatives - Vote April 3rd! site is a good source for many races in the southeastern quadrant of Wisconsin.

Most of the races on our ballots in Brookfield are uncontested, meaning the candidate will win regardless of your vote. I still cast a vote for some of these people if I support their candidacy; I don't if I don't know much about them or don't support them.

Going from the general to the specific on the front page of the ballot:

Party Preference: You must select a party for the Presidential Primary. For me that is Republican. (Last time, since McCain cinched the nomination, I selected Democrat and voted for Hillary, believing she was the less radical choice should she win!)

Presidential Preference Vote - I am voting for Rick Santorum. Considering his shoe-string budget campaign, I am impressed he is doing as well as he is with Romney outspending him 4 - 7 times to 1, depending on the state. More than likely, by the end of April, if not on Tuesday, results will show Mitt Romney will be our nominee in November, but I still am voting for Rick. His candidacy has made Romney a better candidate as Santorum pushes him more to the right. 2012 Primary Election Schedule

County Races:
Waukesha County Board Supervisor: District 7 - Jennifer Grant She is running in the only contested County Board race in Brookfield in some northern Wards of our city. Jennifer Grant contacted me 2 months ago and we have emailed back and forth a bit. She explained, "I am running because I truly believe that we are at a crossroads and it is time for even the Waukesha County Board to represent conservative fiscal policy and reduce taxes (we are a red county after all). As a CPA and Benefits professional, I think I have the private sector experience needed for the position."

Jennifer Grant is endorsed by my State Assembly Representative Dale Kooyenga and the Menomonee Falls Taxpayer Association. She would get my vote too, but I live south of her district.

Jennifer Grant for Waukesha County Supervisor
Menomonee Falls Patch: April 2012 Election: Jennifer Grant

The other County Board races in Brookfield are uncontested. I am not voting for Tom Schellinger in County District 20. Possibly next time, in 2014, we will have a choice in southern Brookfield.

Municipal Races: City of Brookfield Aldermen

District 1 - Incumbent Dan Sutton - Though I don't live in District 1, if I did, I would be voting for Dan Sutton. He has been my ballot pick before mainly because he supports the residents and has good instincts. Retired Judge Dick Steinberg is challenging him this April. I do appreciate and thank Judge Steinberg for all the years he spent on the bench in Brookfield, but I would leave it at that. Dan Sutton is very popular in his district and he should be reelected.

BrookfieldNOW Alderman District 1 race

District 4 - Cathy Wolfla over Appointee Buck Jurken - I'm thinking I would vote for Cathy Wolfla if I lived in District 4. She seems to be very interested in keeping constituents informed on the issues, something I really appreciate with my 2 Aldermen Renee' Lowerr and Lisa Mellone. I also liked her last line in the BrookfieldNOW profile, "I am open to listening to what the residents think about bond issues and "specialty taxes," but ultimately, we must balance what we can have with what we can afford to pay." Now that is a refreshing concept!

BrookfieldNOW Alderman District 4 race
Brookfield Patch: Aldermanic Election: Wolfla Promises Greater Input; Jurken Touts Record

District 7 - Renee Lowerr - I have lived in District 7 for 26 years, and by this time, I know a good Alderman when I see one! Renee Lowerr takes her job as Alderman very seriously. She is hard working, energetic, listens to her constituents, and does not have divided loyalties. Her focus is on what is best for her constituents and the City of Brookfield. She is very sensitive to residents concerns with new development.

Her challenger is Tom Schellinger, who is and will be our County Board Supervisor. He was our Alderman from 2002 - 2006, but was voted out of office by Lisa Mellone in 2006 and by Renee Lowerr in 2008. Schellinger's performance aside, I believe serving in both positions would be a conflict of interest.

The thing that troubles me is that new to the district residents don't know the issues we have had with him in the past and might believe the very misleading campaign literature he distributed against Lowerr. I do hope they will do some research before voting.

Schellinger sinks to new low with misleading campaign literature, Vote Renee Lowerr!

Conflict of interest? Schellinger for County Supervisor & Brookfield Alderman with left-over Schellinger for Assembly signs

Brookfield Patch: Aldermanic Election: Challenged by Schellinger, Lowerr Focuses on Development
BrookfieldNOW: Brookfield 7th Aldermanic District

District 7 - Lisa Mellone - Lisa again is unopposed as she runs for the remainder of her term, but she does deserve our vote. I will quote my 2010 ballot pick post: "...she deserves mention as an outstanding Alderman. What a pleasant change from our former Alderman [Schellinger] often referred to as "Mr. Rolodex". Lisa Mellone works very hard for her district and follows through on resident concerns. Some day, I hope to draw that little connecting arrow next to her name for Mayor of Brookfield!"

Come back, Lisa Mellone, District 7 needs you!

For School District of Elmbrook School Board races, you must turn your ballot over. Everyone in the Elmbrook School District votes for both school board races, regardless of where you live in the district.

Area IV - Jean Lambert - Her background as a senior financial analyst for Froedert Health makes her a great asset to the board. She is a 40 year resident with 30 years private sector experience and 3 years on the Elmbrook School Board.

Jean Lambert summed it up well in Elmbrook incumbents face challengers: "'I'm running because we have, for the past couple of years, done a lot of heavy lifting with regards to Act 10 and decisions about Open Enrollment and the closing of Hillside,' Lambert said. 'Now we can concentrate on student achievement, acclimating the new superintendent and building our school communities as we have needed to redistrict.'"

At-Large - Meg Wartman - I have supported Meg Wartman in past elections, and I support her now. She, like Jean Lambert, has been a solid vote against adding expensive 4K to Elmbrook. Meg Wartman has lived in the district for 25 years and has served on the board 3 terms as treasurer, President, and Vice President. Her experience has helped her to understand that adding more students through Open Enrollment, 220, or even 4K does not help our district but rather just adds more cost to the taxpayers. Meg Wartman is one of that collective "we" Jean spoke of in the above quote. They have done heavy lifting. They have made tough decisions and our Elmbrook School District and the Elmbrook taxpayers are the better for it.

Please see 2012 Elmbrook School District election picks: Meg Wartman & Jean Lambert for more details from the Candidate Forum

So, there you have it: My ballot picks for April 3rd. Be sure to look into the issues and candidates for yourself and vote. Each of the links to postings I did on these candidates has numerous links to more articles and postings.


Voter guide to conservatives on southeast Wisconsin ballots


Links: Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, RandyMelchert, Betterbrookfield, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, WisPolitics Quorum Call, Wisconsin Reporter, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation