Ballot registrants for Stanley and Boyd introduce, reintroduce themselves to voters

Staff Report

“I won’t claim to know everything about everything,” Boyd village presidential candidate Bob Geist said when asked for reasons why his fellow Boyd residents should vote for him. “It’ll be a new experience for me,” the candidate for president said, saying he thought that small communities like Boyd would face challenges in the years to come. Geist is married to the deputy village clerk of Boyd, Jayne Geist, and graduated from Stanley-Boyd High School with the Class of 1997. “I think I’ve been in the community a long time and I’d like to see the community grow,” he shared of his reasons for running. Chosen to serve as school board president this past year when Jackie Holub stepped down, Geist joined the school board around the same time he entered village politics, back in 2017 to fill a vacancy.

Now with long-time Boyd village president Randy Setzer retiring from the post after 11 years as of this spring, Geist has filed his nomination papers to replace the long-time village president, running unopposed as to the official ballot. Also on the ballot in Boyd, however, are two other names, both running for a trustee position. One is current trustee Gwen Krizan who handles finance and claims for the village, the other being new candidate Sarah McQuillan, daughter-in-law of Tom McQuillan, a current trustee who has decided not to run again. Sarah is married to Tom’s son Ryan, and it was Tom along with another village board member who approached her about running.

“I’ve been living in Boyd for the past eight years and have enjoyed it,” McQuillan said when asked to share more about herself. “We spend a lot of time outdoors with family.” With a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Wisconsin- Stout and an Associates degree in Accounting from Chippewa Valley Technical College, McQuillan currently works as a fiscal manager for the Chippewa County Department of Public Health. “Our family just really likes living in Boyd and wants to see the best for the village,” McQuillan said of her candidacy for a trustee post on the village board. The spring election is April 6. Switching over to Gwen Krizan as a current trustee seeking re-election, the finance and claims head had the following to say when asked what she could bring to the village board if re-elected.

“I was raised in the Village of Boyd and am now raising my kids here,” Krizan said. “The people in this village have always worked hard to make Boyd what it is. I feel that it’s my turn to step up and do my part to make this a great place to live, raise kids, and maintain a great community, she said. That wasn’t the whole reason though. “I like to help others when I am able to,” Krizan shared. “As I’m finishing my first term, I have learned a lot by being a village trustee and the feeling of being a voice of our Village.”

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FROM PAGE 1 Saying that she had gained knowledge about policies and processes that need to happen, Krizan had also learned how the board was important to the village as a community, though decisions weren’t always easy. “The decisions made are not always easy, but know what is expected of us in order to succeed. I feel that I would continue to bring honesty, dedication, and the willingness to make decisions to better our community,” she said.

Although there is no primary locally for the village, there will be a statewide primary for school superintendent “and possibly a justice” on Tuesday February 2nd, according to Boyd Village Clerk Sandi Isaacs. Village of Boyd residents may begin to vote absentee and in-person at the Village Hall as of March 23, or two weeks prior to the April 6 election. They can also request absentee ballots online at myvote. wi.gov, or through the U.S. Post Office. Early registration is encouraged, with more information available through your local clerk’s office. Putting off the town board candidates’ report until the local town caucuses are finished and shifting east, the City of Stanley has three official candidates for election to the common council this spring: Jacob Huff in Ward Three, Laurie Foster in Wards Four to Eight, and Rick Hodowanic in Ward one, all incumbents.

“No one else has filed,” assistant clerk Holly Hatlestad reported as of Thursday, January 7, two days after the deadline to file official ballot candidacy. Starting with Jacob Huff in Ward 3, the alderman who first came on board after Norm Christianson asked him to fill a seat said he was family, faith, and community oriented.

“I would say that I’m a person that’s passionate about their community,” the Kenosha native and local resident full-time since 2002 shared of the Stanley area. As to family, meanwhile, “It’s just me, my wife, and our black lab,” Huff said, saying that he didn’t have kids. Still there was a strong sense of working for the common good. “I want us to be the best for everybody,” he said of his hopes for the City of Stanley. Self-employed and selling house and life insurance, Huff asks for your consideration on the April ballot. Next up is Laurie Foster.

“I graduated from Thorp High School,” the Fourth through Eighth Ward Stanley alderwoman shared, saying she also had a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Human Resources Management as well as an Associate degree in accounting related work. As of the present, Foster is a member of the Stanley Area Chamber of Commerce and has lived in Stanley since 2003, on the council since 2015 after filling a vacancy.

As to what she would like to see going forward, Foster shared in part that she would “like to see better communication and feedback among the city council and people in Stanley in keeping everyone involved in what’s going on at meetings and any concerns for improvements,” she said. Following Foster in service to community is Rick Hodowanic, who took over from Duane Booth after Booth had returned to the council despite saying that he wouldn’t be running in the last election. Now in his first election after taking Booth’s spot, the one-time Stanley-Boyd graduate from the 1980s and lifelong area resident “I’ve worked for engineering and construction firms for 37 years,” Hodowanic said of what he brought to the Council. “Hopefully with my expertise I can help out wherever possible,” he said. Asked why Ward 1 voters should pick the Rick Hodowanic ticket, the lifelong resident hewed back to his engineering and construction experience, citing “the utilities, the water, the sewer,” and Street department. As such, Hodowanic is currently head of the city of Stanley’s Public Works Committee.

Meanwhile, opportunities remain for those who want to get civic experience or else return to council from a prior term, as Kevin Hendrickson did in the last election, beating out James Schultze a Ward 2 seat.

For those seeking an opportunity outside the election, there was a Ward 3 seat open as of Tuesday morning. Applicants may find more information by calling the City Clerk’s office at 715-644-5758–provided they live in the right ward that is–upper west side is roughly correct.