By LeAnn R. Ralph
TOWN OF HOWARD — Incumbent Tom Zwiefelhofer prevailed in the April 6 election for town chair in the Town of Howard, and Heather Rothbauer-Wanish won the Supervisor I position.
Zwiefelhofer faced challenger Wayne J. Schindler, and Rothbauer-Wanish was on the ballot against Jeffrey Bennesch.
Incumbent Supervisor 2 Dennis Dvoracek was the only candidate on the ballot for Supervisor 2.
Zwiefelhofer received 163 votes for town chair, while Schindler received 90 votes, according to unofficial election results.
Rothbauer-Wanish received 158 votes for Supervisor I, and Bennesch received 93 votes.
Dvoracek received 190 votes for Supervisor 2.
Susan Haake, town clerk, was the only candidate on the ballot for clerk and received 212 votes.
Debra E. Wallsch, treasurer, was the only candidate on the ballot for treasurer and received 217 votes.
Kristopher Krall, constable, was the only candidate on the ballot for constable and received 208 votes.
Zwiefelhofer, who previously served in the Supervisor I position and has been on the town board for 10 years, was appointed town chair in January following the death of incumbent town chair Vernon Schindler in December.
Zwiefelhofer is a graduate of Bloomer High School and went to work directly after graduation. He has owned and operated a Century Family Farm since 1982. In 2018, he sold his dairy herd and has transitioned into crop farming. He also serves on the Dunn Electric Co-op Board, Dairyland Power Co-op Board, Town of Howard Planning Commission and the Town of Howard Fire Commission.
Schindler works as a journeyman electrician. He is a graduate of Colfax High School and Chippewa Valley Technical College and completed a two-and-a-half year apprenticeship as well.
Rothbauer-Wanish has been the owner of Feather Communications since 2008. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, she has written thousands of resumes for individuals across the United States and beyond.
In addition, Rothbauer-Wanish has taught college classes since 2008 and currently serves as a Lecturer in the Business Communication Department at UW-Eau Claire. She is a graduate of Colfax High School, has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from UW-Eau Claire, an MBA from Lakeland University, and a PhD in Organization and Management from Capella University.
Bennesch became the owner and operator of Frosty View Farms, a fourth-generation family farm, in 1993. He also is employed at Beskar Farms of Wheeler as a service technician and equipment operator.
A graduate of Colfax High School in 1985, Bennesch has a diploma from Chippewa Valley Technical College in Agricultural Mechanics and has participated for more than 10 years in CVTC’s farm business management continuing education program.
