• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Newcomer tops Elkhorn School Board field

Photo

Matt O’Donell

Photo

Barbara Fischer

Photo

Susan Leibsle

ELKHORN — Two incumbents will return to the Elkhorn School Board, and a newcomer who was the top vote-getter in Tuesday's election will join them.

Four candidates were seeking three seats on the board.

Newcomer Matt O'Donell, a 32-year-old who works as director of shop services at Stuart Tank, topped the field, receiving 1,976 votes, according to incomplete results posted by the Walworth County clerk.

"I'm honored that the community would give me the opportunity to serve," O'Donell said Tuesday night. "I'm going to work as hard as I can for the students and the community.

"Nothing ever is a walk in the park. You just do the best you can, make the best decisions and hope everything goes well."

O'Donell will be joined on the board by incumbents Susan Leibsle and Barbara Fischer, who also were re-elected Tuesday. All will serve three-year terms.

The fourth candidate was Dagmar Knorr, who had been appointed to the board last April and was seeking her first full term.

Leibsle, 60, has served on the school board since 1994 and is the board president.

"I'm a graduate of the system," she said. "I was literally a cheerleader, and I'm now figuratively a cheerleader.

"I'm very proud of the district and the things a lot of people have contributed to over the years."

Leibsle, an accountant, said the biggest issue facing the board would continue to be the district's budget.

"When you have a zero-percent or very low increase in your budget, it's very hard to explain to taxpayers why there would be a large increase in the tax levy, and that may very well happen."

Fischer could not be reached for comment.