A comeback for Marsha Rummel and Nino Amato?
If The Werkes were conspiratorially minded, we would wonder why two of the Madison Common Council’s few moderate (not conservative!) alders were being moved into new districts. If our tinfoil hat didn’t already pinch, we’d also note that both Sheri Carter and Barbara Harrington McKinney face hard-left incumbents in the April 4 city elections. (Find your alder district here.)
Ald. Carter has been shoveled over to the 10th to confront social justice warrior Janette Figueroa Cole. The 20th pits veteran Ald. Harrington-McKinney (formerly in District 1) against appointed incumbent Matt Phair (who had previously been elected) — not because they moved but due to redistricting. Plus a challenger both for schitz & giggles. A third moderate alder, Charles Myadze is being challenged in the northeast side’s 18th.
So far, no filings in Harrington-McKinney’s old 1st District on the far SW side of town. In all, 33 candidates are seeking election to the other 19 council seats; 14 are incumbents. The other six have declared their non-candidacies. To date, only four incumbents out of 20 are unopposed: Regina Vidaver in District 5, Nasra Wehelie 7, Bill Tischler 11, and Tag Evers in 13. That’s the picture so far but candidates have until 5 p.m. January 3 to file. (Get started here.)
Seven Feb. 21 primaries so far
Already, seven primaries are shaping up if all the announced candidates follow through. (Candidates need only 20 nomination signatures.) The Downtown 4th is a real surprise; two are challenging the council’s longest-serving incumbent, Michael Verveer. Willy Street’s 6th District is always wild and wooly. Six in the 6th are vying to succeed Brian Benford, who is quitting. Among them, longtime former alder Marsha Rummel, progressive Dane.
Ald. Bennett has been moved from the 2nd district to the the 8th, where she faces two challengers. Four vie to succeed retired Syed Abbas in the 12th. The 14th has no incumbent due to redistricting, so three hats are in the ring there. Three also in District 15 being vacated by Grant Foster. The aforementioned 20th district, featuring two incumbents, also would require a primary — scheduled for February 21 — with a third candidate filing.
A notable name, former mayoral candidate Nino Amato, took out papers against Nikki Conklin in District 9 — a district that went from pro-cop under Paul Skidmore to Defund the Police with Conklin’s election in 2021. But the Werkes hears another notable name is considering that race.
Incumbents seeking re-election — 14
Juliana R. Bennett — District 2 (moving from 8th)
Michael Verveer — 4 (three challengers)
Regina Vidaver — 5 (unopposed)
Nasra Wehelie — 7 (unopposed)
Nikki Conklin — 9 (1 challenger)
Sheri Carter — 10 (facing Cole)
Yannette Figueroa Cole — 10 (facing Carter)
Bill Tishler — 11 (unopposed)
Tag Evers — 13 (unopposed)
Jael Currie — 16 (unopposed)
Sabrina Madison — 17 (unopposed)
Charles Myadze — 18 (one challenger)
Barbara Harrington-McKinney — 20 (Moving from 1st, facing Phair)
Matt Phair — 20 (facing McKinney)
Incumbents not seeking re-election — 6
Patrick Heck — District 2
Erik Paulson — 3
Brian D. Benford — 6
Syed Abbas — 12
Grant Foster — 15
Keith Furman — 19
Non-incumbents filing papers — 19
Colin Barushok — District 2 (incumbent Heck not running)
Evan McSorley — 2 (incumbent Heck not running)
Derek Field — 3 (incumbent Paulson not running)
Samantha Givich — 4 (against Verveer)
Maxwell C. Laubenstein — 4 (against Verveer)
Donna Anne — 6 (Benford retiring)
Fae Dremock — 6 (Benford retiring)
Wesley Guthrie — 6 (Benford retiring)
Davy Mayer— 6 (Benford retiring)
Marsha Rummel — 6 (Benford retiring)
Charlie Fahey — 8 (formerly Bennett’s seat)
MGR Govindarajan — 8 (formerly Bennett’s seat)
Nino Amato — 9 (against Conklin)
Blake Alvarenga — 12 (Abbas retiring)
Julia Matthews — 12 (Abbas retiring)
Victor Toniolo — 12 (Abbas retiring)
Isadore Knox, Jr. — 14 (no incumbent)
Noah Lieberman — 14 (no incumbent)
Eric Alan Marx — 14 (no incumbent)
Katherine S Pedracine — 14 (no incumbent)
Brad Hinkfuss — 15 (Foster retiring)
Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford — 15 (Foster retiring)
Michelle Ellinger Linley — 18 (against Myadze)
John Guequierre — 19 (Furman retiring)
Aslam Rakhangi — 20 (v. incumbents Phair & McKinney)
For Madison school board, only incumbent Nicki Vander Meulen (Seat 7) has filed. So far, no one for Seat 6, now held by Christine Gomez Schmidt.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Aside from Nino Amato, the only non-incumbent with which we are familiar is Ike Knox, an ally of the late, great Wayne Strong.
Education
Blaska Policy Werkes 
Which Julia Matthews is running; is it the one who married the John Matthews that WASN’T the MTI pr!ck?
The Gotch
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Did Grant Foster wear Foster Grants?
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Will Mayor Dave take on Davy Mayer?
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I don’t know if he wears Foster Grants but it seems like after he didn’t get the BIG pay raise he wanted he isn’t going to run. He’s been my alderman but except for voting for all the left/woke causes I can’t remember what he has done. I’m sure whoever replaces him will be more of the same.
On a side note, I got my property tax bill today. Getting close to the $5000 mark. Pretty good for a 1100 sq. ft. house on a less than 5000 sq. ft. lot. As soon as the housing market straightens out I think it is time to leave.
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“I got my property tax bill today.”
You too? Talk about your Sticker Shock, am I right?
Monthly, the amount we pay MMSD ALONE to impart CRT, Victimhoodie, and Lefty Drag Queen Hour Grooming (at the expense of Readin’, Writin’ & ‘Rithmatic) is more than The Gotch EVER paid for rent!
There’s something supremely f**ked up about that; still, Lefty’ll give you that vacant stare while slobbering “Diversity…Inclusion…Equity.
“We Will Take America Without Firing A Shot” N. Khrushchev
The Gotch
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Start investing in tRump NFT’s. It’s a sure-fire money maker to help with those taxes.
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The DementiaJoKe administration has overseen trillion$ in net worth evaporate.
Now run along back to your coloring books, off-topic indigent Lazy @$$ Blogge Idiot, the adults are talking.
The Gotch
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DT’s NFT’s sold out. You missed your chance.
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I’ve met Evan McSorley a couple times. I can’t speak to his politics, but he seems like someone that most of the regulars here would be comfortable voting for, especially over a wokie like Bennett. Unfortunately, McSorley is white, male, and seems to have a “work hard, play hard” attitude, which means most of the electorate will reject him immediately.
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Isn’t expecting Madison politics to improve (i.e., to include voices other than those on the left, the far left, and the lunatic left) like expecting the sun to rise in the west tomorrow?
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