Spring election results: Hanus defeats Barnett by 15 votes; new faces elected to county board

According to unofficial election results posted on the Oneida County website, Rhinelander mayor Kris Hanus has earned a second term, defeating District 1 alderman Tom Barnett by 15 votes, 798 to 783.

Incumbents were also re-elected to the School District of Rhinelander Board of Education. Mike Roberts was the top vote-getter with 2,872 votes followed by fellow incumbents Merlin Van Buren (2,663) and Duane Frey (2,596). Bill Freudenberg captured 2,190 votes while Doug Artus tallied 1,288.

As for the Oneida County Board of Supervisors, only one incumbent (Robb Jensen) survived and that was by 3 votes. Jensen received 317 votes to Keven Mahner's 314 to hold onto the Dist. 11 seat in the Town of Crescent. In District 12 (Woodboro, Cassian Ward 2 and Lake Tomahawk Ward 2), Kyle Kilbourn upset Mitchell Ives 355 to 212.  In District 2 (City of Rhinelander Wards 5,6 and 17), write-in candidate Sandy Hamburg outpolled write-in candidate Josh Raith 28-5.  Hamburg will succeed Kris Hanus who chose not to seek another term on the county board.

In District 9 (Pine Lake Wards 1 &4), Mary Roth Burns defeated Wayne Kulhanek 271 to 224. Finally, Andrea Sheppard will fill the District 4 seat (Rhinelander Wards 10,11, 12 and 13) being vacated by Steven Schreier, who chose not to run for re-election. Sheppard was unopposed.

Linnaea Newman, who represents part of the City of Rhinelander on the county board, will fill the District 6 seat on the Rhinelander Common Council. Newman ran unopposed for the seat currently held by David Holt. Holt chose not to seek another term.

The statewide race on Oneida County ballots, for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, was a resounding victory for Judge Chris Taylor. According to unofficial results, Taylor received over 900,000 votes while Maria Lazar receive just over 600,000.  Oneida County voters chose Taylor over Lazar by a tally of 5,684 to 4,776.

More information on the spring election will be published in the April 15 edition of the Northwoods Star Journal.