Voters elect five new faces and five familiar ones to the Sheboygan County Board in the spring general election

Correction: This story has been updated from an earlier version that incorrectly listed the incumbent and new board members who were elected.

SHEBOYGAN – Voters on Tuesday chose five incumbents and five new representatives on the Sheboygan County board out of 10 contested races.

Members of the 25-person county board serve a two-year term.

Incumbent election winners include Kathleen Donovan in District 3, Christian Ellis in District 18, Jackie Veldman in District 23, William Goehring in District 24 and Roger TeStroete in District 25.

New board members will include Suzanne Speltz in District 12, James Coulson in District 13, John Nelson in District 16, former District 18 representative Jacob Immel in District 19 and Carl Nonhof in District 20.

This year, 33% of registered voters in the county, about 18,900 people, voted in spring elections, a turnout slightly above that of last year (when 27% of registered voters voted) but well below 2020 (when 50% of registered voters voted).

The Republican Party of Sheboygan County helped several conservative “freedom fighter” candidates campaign for the county board. Three of the seven candidates — Speltz, Coulson and Immel — were elected.

Four candidates, including Speltz, Coulson, Nonhof and Veldman, won by a margin of fewer than 50 votes.

District 3: Incumbent Kathleen Donovan secured 65% of the vote, with 420 votes to Lisa Salgado’s 227.

Donovan, 54, moved to Sheboygan in 2014 and was appointed to the county board in December. Donovan’s priorities on the board will include overseeing the implementation of the Health and Human Services Strategic Plan and retaining county employees, she says.

District 12: Suzanne Speltz narrowly defeated incumbent Robert Ziegelbauer. Speltz secured 52.5% of the vote, with 441 votes to Ziegelbauer’s 399.

Speltz, 60, is a retired social worker who ran for county board after she saw the negative effects public health emergency orders and mandates had on people’s lives, she says. Speltz campaigned on protecting constitutional rights, transparent government and financial independence from grant money with burdensome requirements.

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District 13: James Coulson narrowly defeated incumbent Charlette Nennig. Coulson secured 51% of the vote, with 428 votes to Nennig’s 411 (a margin of 17 votes).

Coulson, a 45-year-old business owner, campaigned on smaller government, fewer regulations, medical freedom, fiscal responsibility of government and supporting the police.

District 16: John Nelson defeated Kevin Sande, after incumbent Fran Damp did not seek reelection.

Nelson secured 59% of the vote, with 376 votes to Sande’s 260.

Nelson, 67, has served on the Plymouth city council since 2013 and has served on several boards including United Way (Plymouth) and Maywood Environmental Park. Nelson campaigned on fiscal responsibility.

District 18: Incumbent Christian Ellis secured 57% of the vote, with 413 votes to James Evraets’ 313.

Christian Ellis, 40, was appointed to the county board in January. He is a lifelong resident of Sheboygan County, a father of four children and works as a corporate recruiter.

District 19: Jacob Immel secured 57% of the vote, with 397 votes to Roberta Vollbrecht-Lentz’s 295.

Immel, 27, has served on the Sheboygan Falls city council since 2018 and previously served on the county board representing District 18. Important issues Immel will seek to address while on the board include workforce development, economic development, public safety and transparency in government.

District 20: Carl Nonhof narrowly defeated incumbent Brian Hoffmann. Nonhof secured 50.7% of the vote, with 505 votes to Hoffmann’s 490.

Nonhof, 70, recently served a term on the Kohler School Board and has a 40-year history of involvement with local groups, he told the Sheboygan Press. Investigating ways to reduce costs for Sheboygan County government and citizens will be a priority for him in office, he says.

District 23: Incumbent Jackie Veldman narrowly defeated Dan Jones.

Veldman secured 50.7% of the vote, with 409 votes to 398 for Jones (a margin of 11 votes).

Veldman, 50, has served on the county board since 2019 and has served six terms on the Town of Mitchell board, including three terms as the town board chairwoman. On the county board, keeping taxes low and expanding access to dependable internet are priority issues for Veldman.

District 24: Incumbent William Goehring secured 76% of the vote, with 559 votes to Arush Chahal’s 176.

Goehring, 74, has served several years on the county board, including five years as board chairman, has been Town of Sherman board chairman for 35 years and serves on several statewide committees. On the county board, maintaining low taxes will continue to be a priority for Goehring, he says.

District 25: Incumbent Roger TeStroete secured 60% of the vote, with 626 votes to David Reichle’s 417.

TeStroete, 72, has served several years on the county board, including two terms as board chairman, and has served 12 years on the Town of Holland board. On the county board, maintaining roads will continue to be a priority for TeStroete, he says.

Reach Maya Hilty at 920-400-7485 or MHilty@sheboygan.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @maya_hilty.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan County Board of Supervisors spring election 2022 results