Tuesday, April 5 is voting day for the Spring Election in Dane County. On the ballot are races for Circuit judge, County Supervisor, and local school board elections.
The only competitive race in Dane County is for the County Supervisor District 14 seat — which represents an area just to the Northeast of Verona — between incumbent Anthony Gray and candidate Amanda Noles.
In District 5 — which represents the majority of the University of Wisconsin students — incumbent supervisor Elena Haasl is not running for reelection. Instead, UW senior Jeff Hynes is running unopposed for that position.
District 8 Alderperson and UW student Juliana Bennett criticized Hynes for not making his campaign public in a tweet, saying it was unfair that Hynes was running unopposed for a position on the council.
“He literally did not have a campaign until he was called out about it,” Bennett said in an interview with the Badger Herald.
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Bennett said she is concerned with Hyne’s lack of campaign or strong policy positions.
Bennett said that Dane County should not allow people to run unopposed in these kinds of elections because it creates a lack of accountability.
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“The problem isn’t with Hynes, it’s with our area in general,” Bennett said.
Bennett said she is concerned that Hynes does not understand the responsibilities of the position, though she also added that she does understand Hynes will probably be elected — considering he is running unopposed — and she is excited to talk with him and work with him over their overlapping terms.
“There’s something to be said about earning your seat. Earning your voice on council versus just winning it by default,” Bennett said.
The district consists mostly of UW students so it’s very important to have supervisors who understand the student body and who can be responsible for their needs, Bennett said.
Bennett encouraged any UW students who are interested in running for office, sitting on committees, or just learning about the city government in general to contact her here.
Hynes did not respond to interview requests by the time of this article’s publication but discussed some of his motivations for running and issues he plans to advocate for in an email to The Cap Times.
“My district has a unique and diverse demographic that includes students, permanent residents, businesses and folks who are homeless and/or struggling financially,” Hynes said. “I want to be a force of unity, progress and constructive action in these challenging and often divisive times and fight the good fight for everyone who sits at our ‘community table.”
UW students can find voting locations and register to vote here — voting is open until 8 p.m.
