Abby, Colby left with four open spots on April 7 ballot
Not all council races will have registered candidates in 2020
Blank spots will appear on the ballots of three different wards in the cities of Colby and Abbotsford this spring, as no one turned in nomination signatures by last Friday’s extended deadline.
The original deadline to turn in signatures and registration paperwork was Jan. 7, but because several incumbents did not declare non-candidacy, the deadline was extended to Jan. 10 at 5 p.m.
There were no takers in either city, leaving it up to write-in candidates to fill four impending vacancies on the two city councils.
Voters in Abbotsford’s Ward 2 will have no official candidates to choose from, even with two seats to fill.
No one turned in nomination signatures to replace either Brent Faber, who did not register to be a candidate, or Jeremy Totzke, who resigned last year, leaving a one-year term to be filled.
As a result, either a pair of write-in candidates will need to be elected, or the council will have to look at appointing two new Ward 2 representatives after the April 7 election.
In Colby, neither Ward. 1 Ald. Steve Kolden nor Ward 3 Ald. Nancy O’Brien declared non-candidacy or turned in nomination papers. No one else submitted paperwork either, which will leave those two spots empty on the ballot.
City clerk Connie Gurtner said last week that both Kolden and O’Brien plan on running write-in campaigns to keep their seats on the council.
Last year, separate races for Colby’s two Ward 3 seats both ended in tie votes among write-in candidates after the incumbents did not turn in paperwork to be on the ballot.
Meanwhile, two local villages held caucuses last week to find candidates for their April 7 elections.
Four village residents — including two incumbents and a pair of newcomers — were nominated to fill seats on the Dorchester village board at last Wednesday’s caucus.
Trustees Daniella Schauer and Justin Duranceau were nominated for re-election by fellow board members, who also nominated Clarence “Klemm” Klimpke and Julie Goldschmidt. Incumbent Matt Derrico decided not to run for re-election.
The nominees have until Wednesday to accept the nominations so their names can appear on the ballot.
Technically, there are only three available seats on the board. However, trustee Lynsey Hardrath recently stepped down from the board, leaving an additional vacancy.
The top three vote recipients in the April 7 election will be guaranteed a spot on the board.
Village clerk Brooke Bruesewitz said she’s heard that Klimpke will likely not register to be on the ballot, but he’s willing to be appointed to fill the one-year vacancy after the election.
At the Curtiss caucus on Jan. 7, trustee John Unruh was the only person nominated to be on the April 7 ballot, so he will be running unopposed for a new term.
The village of Unity will hold a caucus on Jan. 20 at 6 p.m., with trustees Ryan Maldonis, Brian Michlig and Josh Bauer up for re-election.
