Campaign season begins local, state, federal posts

Nomination papers are being circulated by candidates running for some county offices, county district attorney, state Assembly, some state Senate seats and Congress.

Prospective candidates have from June 1 to July 8 to collect the signatures they need to have their names on ballots for the general election that will be held Nov. 4. Where necessary, primary elections will be held Sept. 9.

District attorneys

Both Pierce County District Attorney John O’Boyle, a Democrat, and St. Croix County DA Eric Johnson, a Republican, are candidates for re-election. O’Boyle was first elected in 1992. Johnson has been DA since 1984.

Although they are elected by the voters in their individual counties, district attorneys are state employees, and their pay is determined by state law according to the population of their county. The current annual salary for district attorneys in Pierce and St. Croix counties is $104,872.

District attorneys are elected to two-year terms. A DA candidate must be licensed to practice law in Wisconsin and live in the county from which he or she was elected.

DA candidates must collect 200 to 400 signatures on nomination papers and submit those along with a declaration of candidacy form to the state Elections Board by 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 8.

County officers

County clerk, treasurer and register of deeds will also be elected in November — and for the first time, these officers will be elected to four-year terms.

Candidates must file with the county clerk and collect 200 to 400 signatures on their nomination papers. The deadline to submit nomination papers is 5 p.m. July 8.

New salaries for the county positions will go into effect Jan. 1, 2009. In St. Croix County the annual salary for county clerk, treasurer and register of deeds will be $61,000 for each of the four years of the term.

State Senate

In Senate District 10, Alison Page, River Falls, a Democrat, is challenging Sheila Harsdorf, a Republican, also of River Falls.

District 10 includes all or parts of St. Croix, Pierce, Polk and Burnett counties.

Senate candidates need 400 to 800 signatures on their nomination papers.

State legislators are eligible for an annual salary of $47,413 per year. They are also eligible for an allowance of up to $88 a day for living expenses for each day spent in Madison if they certify that they have established temporary residence at the capital. Those who don’t establish temporary residence are entitled to $44 a day. All members are also reimbursed for one weekly round trip from their home.

Assembly

All 99 seats in the Wisconsin Assembly are up for election.

Locally those are the District 28 seat now held by Ann Hraychuck, Balsam Lake; the District 29 seat held by John Murtha, Baldwin; the District 30 seat held by Kitty Rhoades, Hudson; and the District 91 seat held by Barbara Gronemus, Whitehall.

Gronemus, a Democrat who has served in the Assembly for 26 years, has announced her retirement.

Registered candidates for the District 28 seat are Republicans Kent Muschinske of Dresser and Lauren Stephens of Somerset.

Registered candidates for District 29 are Murtha, a Republican, and these challengers: Chris Buckel, Hammond, a Democrat; L. John Peters, Menomonie, a Democrat; and Craig Mohn, Woodville, Libertarian.

In District 30 Democrat Sarah A. Bruch, Hudson, has announced she will challenge Republican Rhoades, who has served in the Assembly for 10 years.

Assembly candidates need 200 to 400 signatures on their nomination papers.

Congress

Ron Kind, a Democrat from La Crosse, who has represented the Third District since 1996, is being challenged by Ben Olson, a Libertarian from Wisconsin Dells.

At this point, no other candidates for the seat are registered with the Elections Board.

The Third Congressional District includes 19 counties in western Wisconsin along the Mississippi River. The district stretches from the Illinois border on the south through St. Croix County on the north.

Members of Congress serve two-year terms.

For more information about state elections, visit www.elections.state.wi.us.

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