School Board race could be tough for incumbents

Unlike the neighboring Greendale and Oak Creek-Franklin school districts, voters didn't have to narrow down the list of candidates seeking a spot on the Franklin Public School Board this past Tuesday. Both incumbents, Janet Evans and Aimee Schlueter, are seeking new terms and have two challengers to their seats in Jessica Kent and Jeff Lewis.

While not needing a primary, the race provides an opportunity to be a barometer on how the voters view current School Board leadership and their backgrounds. Both Evans and Schlueter are part of the leadership - Evans being the President, Schlueter the Clerk. On the flip side, their opponents provide stronger business backgrounds - Kent currently serves on Franklin's Economic Development Commission and Lewis' employment background is currently with GE Healthcare and previously with JPMorgan Chase, based on his Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

Literature and knocking on doors will be key. The current members should provide information on why their leadership has been solid and productive for the district. The challengers need to be pointed and clear on why the incumbents should pack their bags. The incumbents have a tough sell, since they can't even tout any improvements to Franklin High School on their record. The improvements happened thanks to voters passing 2 referenda - both of which would not have been on the ballot if they had their way. Both Evans and Schlueter voted NO to allowing voters to decide on the 2012 referendum (see 7/11/12 Board Meeting Minutes).

This race could also simply boil down to Evans' record being 4th District Alderwoman. Residents, especially those in her district, could sidestep her voting record on school district matters and focus more-so on her record with the Common Council. This could be rough for Evans due to her strong support for an apartment complex proposal near 51st Street, in her district. It wasn't a proposal that was supported by her constituents living in nearby homes and condos, who ended up fighting it at the Council level for months before the project failed to obtain enough votes to get approved. Despite the large constituent opposition to the project, Evans voted in favor. One of the challengers in the Board race, Jessica Kent, is a resident who helped lead the opposition to that complex.