Get Out and Vote in Village Board and School Board Elections

Tuesday is election day in Whitefish Bay, with School Board and Village Board positions on the ballot. You can see the entire sample ballot here.

As you'll notice, there are no candidates listed on the ballot for the two Village Trustee positions, however, four candidates are official write-ins.

I attended last week and honestly found all four candidates to be solid citizens who I applaud for stepping forward.  Andrew Martin, William Demet, Lauri Rollings and Brenda Szumski all show capacity to listen, reason, and question in varying degrees.

(As a point of information, I hadn't met any of the candidates prior to the campaign. Frankly, I'm just pleased we could get volunteers.)

I think the candidate who showed that she could bring the most to the table is Lauri Rollings. As a former MMSD employee, she could offer the Village an enormous amount of specific knowledge on sewer function .. and malfunction. Rollings could replace our current sewer expert, Trustee Tom Fehring, who decided not to volunteer for another term.

On one of the other candidate's websites, there has been an attempt to link Rollings to MMSD in a negative light. I hope that doesn't sway anyone, as Rollings no longer works for MMSD, but also, the page in question has inaccurate rhetoric that needs the "Politifact" treatment. Frankly, it's disappointing that a Whitefish Bay race has even a whiff of mud slinging.

Before you go vote, make sure you remember your TWO picks, since these write-ins will not appear on the ballot:

• Andrew Martin, PhD - University of Iowa / UWM Professor
• Brenda Szumski, MA - University of Denver / Manager of Network Services
• Lauri Rollings, JD - Stanford / Self-Employed Consultant
• William Demet, WFB High School / Marquette Student

You will need to write in their names AND fill in the little arrow to indicate a vote.  Exact spelling isn't mandatory. If you are off a letter or two on someone's name, and the Clerk can figure out your intent, that'll be good enough. Click here to read a media Voter Guide.

There are three solid School Board candidates for two spots: Marie Greco and Jim Phillips are incumbents, volunteering for another term ..  while Anne Berleman Kearney, a Harvard law grad with a new voice, is a solid candidate.

Here are some links to make up your mind:

• Patch article on the
• Gordy Lang videotaped much of the forum for YouTube:
  • Opening statements
  • Comments on Balancing the Budget
  • Comments on Collective Bargaining
  • Closing statements  
• Patch -
• Media Voter Guide