Wellington board has five openings

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Five seats on the Wellington Town Board are up for election on April 4. So far, Mayor Larry Noel is the only incumbent to definitely say he will seek re-election.

Noel, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker, has served one term as mayor and multiple terms as town trustee. "I think the town is headed in the right direction, and I want to keep it going in that direction," he said.

Longtime trustee Mike Steely said he is "kind of on the fence" but is willing to serve if needed. "If there is not a lot of interest, I will certainly be there for the town," he said, adding that the town board could always use new members.

"There needs to be more participation in nearly everything we do around here," Steely said.

The newest member of the board, Barry Friedrichs, was appointed last October to fill out the term of Sabre Middlekauff, who resigned. "There's a huge learning curve," he said, adding that he is undecided about seeking a full four-year term.

Incumbents Reggie Kemp and George Lutz also remain undecided about running for office.

"If someone who can do the job wants it, I'll let them," Lutz said.

Lutz, who has also served as mayor, has tried to retire from town politics several times but keeps getting called back when others resign. Kemp also was called on to fill an unexpired term and was then elected to a four-year term.

Nomination petitions will be available at town hall beginning Feb. 13. To be nominated, a candidate must get signatures of at least 10 registered voters. Completed petitions must be returned by March 3. The last day to register to vote in the municipal election is March 6.

Wellington voters did away with term limits two years ago because of the difficulty in filling elected positions on the seven-member board. After the vote, Steely, who was term-limited, was appointed to fill a vacant seat. Election laws now require him to be elected for the remaining two years of that term.

Wellington does not have districts for town board positions. All seats are elected at-large. More information is available by calling town hall at 568-3381.