A first-time candidate, a former mayor and a former alderman will face each other in a Feb. 18 primary in the city of Weyauwega.
Shani Appleby, Donald Morgan and Jack Spierings are all candidates for the open Ward 2 seat on the Weyauwega Common Council.
Ald. Donna Allenstein is not seeking re-election in the April 1 election, and because three people filed to be candidates for the position, a primary is necessary.
The two people who receive the most votes on Feb. 18 will be the candidates on the ballot in the April 1 race.
The deadline to file nomination papers for the spring election was 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7.
In the city’s Ward 1, incumbent Bruce Brunner is running unopposed in the April election, and in Ward 3, incumbent Scott Rasmussen is also running unopposed.
Shani Appleby
Appleby was born and raised in Weyauwega and is seeking her first term on the Common Council. She has lived in the community for more than 20 years.
She is a 1995 graduate of Weyauwega-Fremont High School who worked in the nursing field for more than 10 years as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She is a First Responder for the Weyauwega area.
“I like helping people,” she said.
Appleby and her husband, Mike, have two children – an 11-year-old daughter and a son who will turn 7 next week.
She works part time for the city, cleaning City Hall, and is also a Girl Scout leader in Weyauwega.
Appleby was approached by a city resident and asked if she would consider running for Common Council.
“I thought about it and thought it would be nice to get younger people on the board,” she said.
She sees serving on the council as an opportunity to get out in the community and offer a point of view for other people.
“I just want to see the community grow,” Appleby said.
Don Morgan
Morgan was born and raised in Poy Sippi. He and his wife, Beverly, moved to Weyauwega in 1967.
He served the city of Weyauwega a total of 21 years, including 15 as an alderman and six as mayor.
Prior to retiring in 2007, he had a Sinclair bulk petroleum route. In 1966, he bought the service station at Sunset Curve.
Morgan is serving his second term on the Waupaca County Board. He is seeking a third term on the board this spring.
When asked about his decision to run for the Ward 2 seat, he said, “Patrick Wetzel is an intelligent, motivated, energetic and goal setting city administrator. I have enjoyed the time I had working with him. I would appreciate the opportunity to work with him to help move his city goals forward.”
Morgan said, “In addition to that, our present council is very professional and is working cohesively together with the administrator moving the city forward. Counselor Allenstein, who has decided to not run again, and I share many of the same values. I would feel honored to replace her and become a team member with the Common Council with their goal moving the city of Weyauwega forward.”
He also said, “I bring to the table 21 years of city government experience and four years of county government experience. I believe that I could draw on that experience working with the council.”
Jack Spierings
Spierings served on the Common Council for 5 1/2 years.
A native of Little Chute, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for three years, where he studied business administration.
He is a Vietnam-era veteran who served two years in the U.S. Army.
A resident of Weyauwega since 1978, Sprierings was the manager of the former Ace Manufacturing for 17 years and then drove truck for Larsen Co-op. He is retired and continues to drive part time for the co-op.
He is running for the Ward 2 seat, because “I missed it. I didn’t want to get off when I did.”
Spierings had to resign during his third term when St. Peter Lutheran Church bought his property in preparation for its expansion home. When Spierings moved out of his home, he was no longer in the district he had been elected to represent.
He said there are several large projects being discussed in the city.
“In the near future, there is the City Hall situation and Agropur’s possible addition, and along with that, comes the possible expansion of the wastewater treatment plant. There are some big things coming up I’d like to give input in,” he said.
Read about where the Ward 2 candidates stand on local issues in an in-depth article, which will run in the County Post prior to the Feb. 18 primary.