• Home
  • News
    • Politics / Govt
    • Legislature
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Archives
  • Sports
    • Badgers
    • Packers
      • Titletown Report
    • Brewers
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Legislature / Getting the politics out of county government

Getting the politics out of county government

August 8, 2011 By Andrew Beckett

County Executives in Wisconsin currently run without a party designation, but candidates for offices such as sheriff, district attorney, and county clerk typically claim affiliations with the Republican or Democratic parties. A state lawmaker thinks several of those elected county offices should be non-partisan positions.

State Representative Dick Spanbauer (R-Oshkosh) says it makes no sense for elected offices that serve vital roles in county government to have political influences hanging over them. He’s proposing a state constitutional amendment that would make those offices non-partisan.

Spanbauer says the change would force voters to pick a candidate that is most qualified for jobs tied to public safety, rather than someone aligned with party politics. He admits politics would likely still play a role in some of those races, as it still does in some county executive elections. However, he believes more voters would look at the qualifications of a candidate if an “R” or “D” is not next to their name on the ballot.

The proposed amendment would also move all election for county offices to the spring election cycle, which is when county executives are currently on the ballot.

The proposal would need to pass two consecutive sessions of the Legislature before going to voters in a statewide referendum.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:08)

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Legislature



Featured Stories

Teachers to begin getting vaccinated March 1 in Wisconsin

Assembly approves bill to allow DWD to update computers

Bucks extend win streak to three

Evers defends proposed budget as Republicans voice disapproval on his spending targets

Antetokounmpo, Middleton lead Bucks past Kings

TwitterFacebook

Sports Headlines

Bucks extend win streak to three

Antetokounmpo, Middleton lead Bucks past Kings

Number-21 Wisconsin ends two-game slide (AUDIO)

Badgers tie Notre Dame, take 4 of 6 points on the weekend

Bucks losing streak reaches five games

More Sports

Tweets by @WRN

Get our news delivered to your inbox:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Copyright © 2021 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC