Mlada, Vollmar to Face Off in General Mayoral Election

While candidate Tom Mlada said he went into his campaign to become the next Port Washington mayor with a positive mindset, the results from Tuesday night's primary election were still humbling — and a mild surprise.

"(It's) great news ... I admit, I’m so humbled, it’s really kind of awe inspiring just looking at the overall level of support," Mlada said. "I certainly felt very confident … like I had really gone on all-in on this (campaigning effort)."

Mlada was the top voter-getter of the election, with 697 votes. Ald. Jim Vollmar came in second place, with 515 votes, and the two will now face each other in the general election.

"I'm looking forward to the April 3 election, and I’m confident that I have positive programs that no other candidate has come forward with," Vollmar said. "I’d like to thank all those who voted for me, and look forward to their votes in the final election." Vollmar added that he hopes to gain leverage by earning some of the 454 votes that candidate John Sigwart earned during the primary.

Ricky Ranz was the lowest vote-getter and was eliminated along with Sigwart. Ranz got 54 votes.

"I had some problems getting involved in the campaign; I was hospitalized the week of the forum, which hurt. Plus I’ve got a full-time job. It's difficult to run a campaign and do your job at the same time," Ranz said. "I’m glad to see that Tom (Mlada is) going through. Tom’s a great guy. I definitely throw my support completely behind him, and I hope that anyone who did vote for me votes for Tom.

"I like his character. He has a very strong, very honest character. He’s very easy to talk to. He called me up after the forum to see how I was doing; he was the only one. That’s a mark of a great person."

Sigwart was disappointed to be out of the race, and was unsure which candidate he would support in the general election.

The mayor earns $7,500 and serves three-year terms. The general election is April 3.

Voters see election as a key one

With two important races on the ballot, Port Washington residents came to the polls with a reason Tuesday.

"(Mayor Scott) Huebner's replacement is an important one because he's been there so long," Port resident Robert Mueller. "Downtown concerns me. I'm hoping they can help develop downtown."

Port residents Kelli Goldsmith and Barb Schmit agreed on the importance that should be placed on Huebner's replacement.

"You're talking about the leadership for the city. I want someone who is a good listener, who is progressive and who studies the issues," Goldsmith said.

"For mayor, you're trying to vote for someone that has good morals," Schmit said. 

But the mayoral race isn't the only reason Schmit visited the polls on Tuesday.

"I'm an American citizen, so it's my duty to vote," she said.

As far as the Port Washington-Saukville School Board race goes, Port resident Kelli Goldsmith said it was important to vote because of the lack of movement of people on the board in recent years.

"We've had such a positive, proactive school board for many years, so this is the first big change." she said. "I think our school board has really put kids first, and I want to keep that."

City officials said voting got off to a slow start Tuesday morning, but the voting picked up during the day.

Weather was likely the culprit in Tuesday morning's slow start, Port Washington City Adminstrator Mark Grams said.

Poll workers at the Port Washington City Hall said that it was busy there, and that the new voter ID laws haven't been causing much confusion — in fact, most voters have come to the polls with their IDs ready.

Tuesday marked the first election in which IDs were required under a new state law.