A View of the Valley

by Linda Schwanke The stockings have been put away, all the holiday tinsel, ornaments and trimmings are tucked into boxes and bags, ready for next year. A new year has begun. For better or worse. Time to curl up with a good book. I had coffee with a friend not long ago. We talked, as one does, of everything under the sun. Because we were at Arcadia Books, we naturally turned to talking about our favorite books. The friend happens to be a former librarian and it made me realize that if you’re ever looking for a good book recommendation, ask a librarian. I’ve done it for years without even thinking but now when I’m looking for a new book to read, I’ll remember who to ask and I recommend trying it for yourself. Keep in mind that not all librarians will have the same taste as you but it’s still a good place to start if you need something new to read. Libraries are so much more than books these days. I saw an idea somewhere online, I don’t remember where, about libraries having seed sections. People can borrow different types of seed - vegetable seeds, flower seeds, etc. – and grow the plants. At the end of summer, let a few go to seed and return what was borrowed. It’s an interesting idea.  The Arena reading room started with great fanfare a few years ago but has languished since then. The committee held a meeting last week to discuss what to recommend to the village board about where to go from here. If you have ideas, let the board know. Our libraries are just one great thing our local governments have to offer. In the coming weeks, the villages of the Valley are having caucuses for the spring election. (Township officials are elected every other year and this isn’t it.) The school district and Arena don’t have caucuses, you have to file to run and the deadline for them has passed but if you’re interested, you can run as a write-in.  The caucus in Lone Rock will be held Tuesday, January 18, at 7 p.m. at the village hall. Terms for trustees Steve Morgenson, Jr. (Buford) Marshall and one vacant seat will end in the spring. The vacated municipal judge position will also be up for nominations. In Plain the caucus will be held on Wednesday, January 12, at 6:30 p.m. at village offices at 510 Main Street. Terms will expire for Tracey Brent, Merry Lynn Riek and Steve Whitford.  The Spring Green caucus will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, January 12, at 7 p.m.. The link is posted on the village website at vi.springgreen.wi.gov under meetings. People can also call in at 1 (312) 626-6799, meeting ID: 992 0823 3763, access code: 204279. Incumbents whose terms will end are Michael Broh, Jane Hauser and Debra Miller. Jane told me she decided not to run again because she wants to spend more time with her family, that she has increasing business demands and she’d like to have time to take a vacation.  She also plans to continue to work on the fundraising effort for the new tennis and pickleball courts and see that project come to fruition.  According to the caucus manual from the Wisconsin Elections Commission: “Only qualified electors of the municipality may nominate and vote for candidates at a caucus. Any person who is a United States citizen, 18 years of age or older, who has resided within the municipality for at least 28 days before the caucus is a qualified elector. The voter list from a previous election or voter information from the MyVote Wisconsin website (https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us) may be used as an aid in determining if a person qualified as an elector in the municipality at the last election. Any person whose name does not appear on the voter list or the MyVote Wisconsin website may be asked to provide some type of documentation to establish that the individual is a qualified elector of the municipality. A qualified elector of the municipality may nominate themselves as a candidate for office…” “A candidate for a village office must be a qualified elector and an actual resident of the village at the time of the election. Wis. Stat. § 61.19. A candidate for a town office must be a qualified elector of the town at the time of taking office, except an assessor who is appointed under Wis. Stat. § 60.307. Wis. Stat. § 60.30(2). A candidate does not have to be a qualified elector or resident of the village or town at the time of the caucus. A candidate may be nominated for more than one municipal office. There is no requirement that a candidate be a registered voter in the municipality. “Nominations are made separately for each office that will appear on the Spring Election ballot. This can be done in one of two ways: by taking nominations from the floor (“acclamation”), or by conducting a vote by secret ballot. The method to be used should be announced by the chairperson before asking for nominations, in case there are objections to using that method to nominate candidates.  “Incumbents must be nominated at the caucus and follow the same ballot access procedures as any other municipal candidate. Incumbents are not automatically nominated or placed on the ballot.  “When nominations are taken from the floor, each nomination must receive a second. After each nomination is made and seconded, the caucus chairperson must ask, “Are there any more nominations?” and if hearing none, must announce, “Nominations are closed.” Wis. Stat. § 8.05 (1)(d). The chairperson should ensure that all eligible attendees have the opportunity to nominate a candidate if they wish to do so.  “If nominations are made by conducting a secret ballot, the tellers will distribute a piece of paper to each elector, which will serve as a ballot. The electors will be instructed to write in the name of his or her nominee for the office. The ballots will then be collected and tallied by the tellers.  “Whichever method is used for making nominations, the names of the persons nominated will be announced by the caucus chairperson. A flip chart or chalkboard may be used to record the names of the nominees. Only those persons nominated will be voted on at the caucus, if voting is necessary… “Nominations for the offices of town supervisors elected to unnumbered seats, or nominations for the offices of village trustee should be considered together. If more than twice the number of candidates to be elected is nominated, a vote is conducted to reduce the number of candidates to twice the number of seats to be filled. Each elector at the caucus is entitled to vote for as many candidates as there are seats to be filled at the election.  “For example, if three village trustees are to be elected, each person can vote for three candidates. The six candidates who receive the most votes at the caucus will be nominated and certified to the municipal clerk by the caucus chairperson and tellers.” There’s more but this should give you an idea of how caucuses work.  School district seats up for reelection are Area 3 – the Town of Clyde currently held by Jeff Maier who has filed candidacy papers. Area 6 – the Village of Spring Green currently held by Sara Young. Young has filed candidacy papers. Jess Hisel has also filed candidacy papers for Area 6. Area 9 – The Village of Plain currently held by John Bettinger who has filed candidacy papers. Area 4 – the Village of Lone Rock currently held by Sara Carstensen. She has filed candidacy papers as well. Contact the school district office at 588-2551 to file as a write-in or for more information. Arena trustees whose positions are ending are trustees Rachel Maxwell, Kristen Shea and Paul Pustina. Candidates interested in filing as a write-in should contact clerk DaNean Naeger at village hall, 345 West Street, telephone 753-2133.  As the year begins and we look to the future, it is imperative to do your part to make the world a better place to live. Serving your community through one of our municipal boards is a great thing to do. Not everyone has time and that’s understandable. But if you have the time, it is rewarding and important. Small things add up whether at the library or on a local board. Stay in touch. My phone number is (608) 574-3159 – call or text me anytime. You can also email me at homenewseditor@newspubinc.com or write to me at the Home News, P.O. Box 39, Spring Green WI 53588.  Visit our website at homenewsrv.com Get in touch with Gwen for sports or features at homenewssports@newspubinc.com. If you need a display ad, Dave Pronold can be reached at homenewssales@newspubinc.com or by calling him on his cell at 588-4777. Display ads, or ads that are in boxes, are due by 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. The classified ad deadline is noon Thursdays the week prior to publication for both the Buyer’s Guide and Home News. Classified rates are $13 for the first 10 words, then 30¢ per word for each additional word. Call (608) 767-3655 or email classifieds@newspubinc.com  Legal notices are due by 2 p.m. on Fridays, email them to legals@newspubinc.com Call the NewsPub central office at (608) 767-3655 for subscriptions and all other information Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, although afternoon hours can vary. Closed Fridays.