It’s Neitzke by a landslide for Port mayor

Ted Neitzke IV is Port Washington’s new mayor, succeeding outgoing Mayor Marty Becker.

Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly chose Neitzke to lead the city for the next three years. Neitzke garnered 1,796 votes, or 64.6%, of the votes cast to Ald. Dan Benning’s 979 votes, or 35.2%, according to unofficial results from the Ozaukee County Clerk’s office.

Neitzke said he was surprised by the margin.

“I’m humbled by that many people’s confidence in me,” he said. “I was optimistic, but I had no idea I’d get this kind of support.”

Neitzke said  he looks forward to working with Benning, who will continue as an alderman on the Common Council.

“Dan Benning’s a really nice man and a good alderman and I can’t wait to work with him,” he said. “We’re two people with a passion who want to serve the city.”

Benning said in a statement that he had congratulated Neitzke on his win and will  “continue in my role as the Ward 4 councilman working with Ted and the rest of the (Common) Council on moving Port Washington forward.”

Neitzke said he believes his message that the city needs to engage businesses and residents more was important to voters.

“I think that really resonated,” he said.

He said he also believes that his energy and optimism played a role in his win, as well as his Port Washington roots.

“I know Port Washington; I think people know I know Port Washington and I’m going to work hard for Port Washington,” he said.

Neitzke said his first job will be to “lay out a strategic plan for the city and to make sure we have a very clear vision, one that we enforce.”

Neitzke, who will be sworn in as mayor on Tuesday, April 20, said the first thing he plans to do as mayor is to visit city businesses with City Administrator Tony Brown and “introduce him to everyone I know. I want to go to the businesses and ask them what can the city do for you.”

Although turnout for the elections was expected to be low, 2,861 people cast ballots in the mayor’s race out of 8,521 registered voters, a turnout of 33.6%.

Re-elected to two-year terms on the Common Council Tuesday were 1st District Ald. Deb Postl, who garnered 190 votes, 3rd District Ald. Mike Gasper, 278 votes, 5th District Ald. Jonathan Pleitner, 339 votes, and John Sigwart, 312 votes. All were unopposed.

Town of Port Washington voters also re-elected the Town Board. Chairman Mike Didier received 282 votes and supervisors Gary Schlenvogt and Greg Welton received 240 and 218 votes, respectively. All were unopposed.

Ozaukee County voters re-elected Circuit Judges Paul Malloy and Sandy Williams, who were unopposed. They received 13,513 votes and 13,434 votes, respectively.

County voters went against the statewide vote in the race for state superintendent of schools. 

Jill Underly, who won the state vote with 57.7% of the vote, received 9,005 votes, or 45.7% of the county vote, while Deborah Kerr received 10,655 votes in the county, or 54.1%. Kerr received only 42.3% of votes statewide.

But they followed the statewide trend in the race for District 2 court of appeals judge, voting for Shelley Grogan over Jeffrey Davis. Grogan received 10,367 votes in the county, or 54.3%, and won the state with 55.9% of the vote. 

Davis received 8,712 votes locally, or 45.6%, and garnered 44.1% of the statewide votes.