Chali Pittman
The "vote here" sign outside Lapham Elementary School.
All 37 Dane County Board seats were on the ballot, but just a third of the races were competitive. Eight incumbents held on and two more were ousted, including one of the county's most controversial figures. There will be a handful of new folks when the new board is sworn in on April 21. Let's do the math.
Two fresh faces are stepping in where Dane County supervisors have moved up to state office.
Medical researcher Gussie Lewis will take over District 22 in DeForest, filling the shoes of longtime supervisor Maureen McCarville, who won election to the state Assembly in 2024. Lewis crushed her challenger, Stephen Ratzlaff, with more than 72% of the vote.
Donald Dantzler Jr. ran unopposed to represent District 33, which covers most of Fitchburg. He will fill the seat left by Randy Udell, who was also elected to the state Assembly in 2024.
Two newcomers on Madison's west side were elected for the first time.
Aria Trucios, a nonbinary power plant operator, will represent District 9 after defeating clinical director Simran Arora with over 62% of the vote. Current Supv. Steven Peters did not run for reelection.
Amy Larson is technically not new. She was appointed in February following the resignation of former Supv. April Kigeya. She'll continue to serve the Middleton-area District 15, after defending her seat against longtime Madison politico and former city alder Nino Amato. She won with 62% of the vote.
Two incumbents lost to challengers.
On Madison's far east side, Goodwill Chekwube Obieze narrowly defeated incumbent Rick Rose by just over 500 votes in District 16. Rose was first elected to the board in 2022 and has recently faced controversy for recommending a flawed contract with a harm reduction center where he also works. Madison Ald. Sabrina Madison, who questioned the contract, described her experience in Madison365 the day before the election.
In northeastern Dane County, retired pilot Paula Brandmeier ousted controversial conservative Jeff Weigand in District 20, with 57% of the vote. Brandmeier had been described by Weigand as a "proxy vote for Madison." Weigand, who's been elected to the seat three times, wrote in a post-election message peppered with Bible passages that "Elections matter and what happens here on earth matters, but nothing matters more than what happens in eternity."
Three incumbents with long tenures held on.
Patrick Downing, first elected to the board in 2006, will represent southwest Dane County for his 11th term. He got 68% of the vote, fending off a challenge from Jeremy Pings to represent District 30.
Heidi Wegleitner, who represents part of Madison's isthmus and near east side, will begin her eighth term. She trounced challenger Carlos Rodríguez Lewison for District 2, with 85% of the vote.
And incumbent Michele Doolan won her fourth term representing District 28, in rural western Dane County. She fought off a challenge from Nathan McGree, the owner of the Tyrol Basin ski resort in Mount Horeb, garnering over 73% of the vote.
Five more incumbents won a second term despite facing a challenger.
Incumbent Erin Welsh will again represent part of Madison's near west side, garnering 89% of the vote to ward off a challenge from writer John Fons to represent District 7.
Lisa Jackson won a second term representing Middleton's District 26, defeating financial analyst Mitch Herl. Jackson got more than 86% of the vote.
Tommy Rylander will represent Madison's north side again, beating challenger Sean Burke to continue serving in District 12, which includes parts of the town of Burke. Rylander won with 69% of the vote.
David Boetcher will continue to represent the village of Waunakee, defending a challenge from former journalist and Cross Plains Village President Dick Greffin. Boetcher got 75% of the vote for District 25.
Kerry Marren will continue to represent rural District 37's eastern Dane County. She escaped a challenge from Katie Michel, the managing partner of a personal fitness company, by just 468 votes, getting 55% of the vote.
