Kenosha mayoral race; Bogdala, Spottswood near finish line
KENOSHA, Wis. - The future leadership of your community is on the ballot. On Tuesday, April 2, you’ll decide many local races, including in Wisconsin's fourth-largest city.
Since 1992, only two people have served as Kenosha mayor. On Tuesday, April 2, the city will elect the third.
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"I’m honored to be a candidate for mayor as the first woman in Kenosha’s 200-year history ever to seek this office," said candidate Lydia Spottswood.
Mayoral candidate Lydia Spottswood
She’s a nurse and was an alderwoman until 1998, when she ran for Congress and lost to Paul Ryan. She serves on several Kenosha boards, including the City Plan Commission.
"Kenosha is at a juncture. It’s at a crossroads," said candidate David Bogdala. "There’s a lot of great things happening in Kenosha.
He’s been a city alderman for 16 years and works as a program manager at Abbott.
Mayoral candidate David Bogdala
"Public safety is our number one priority that we have," Bogdala said. "I’m the only candidate in this race that is endorsed by both the Kenosha professional police association, as well as the Kenosha firefighters association."
While the Kenosha County Democrats are urging votes for Spottswood.
"I want to prioritize the growing public safety concerns, but among those concerns is the feeling among our city that we have a health care desert that’s growing east of Green Bay Road," she said.
Both said the city’s technology needs major upgrades.
"Our IT system at City Hall is atrocious," Bogdala said. "To say it’s in the dark ages is probably the biggest understatement."
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"We’re going to have this freight train of development coming at us, it’s on the way now, with absolutely outdated systems and the city’s not prepared as far as personnel, or communications or data-gathering," Spottswood said.
Soon, a new mayor will lead the Wisconsin city. The two candidates beat out seven others in the primary.
In 2020, there was only one name on the ballot: Mayor John Antaramian. In April, he'll leave the office he's held on and off for a total of 24 years.