APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The stage is now set for the spring primary. Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson believes the pieces are all in place for him to secure a fourth term.
“I think that we’re in a really strong position tonight. “We are exactly where we want to be, if not even a better position. And I wanted to get out there and say thank you to the voters.”
But the field has is now narrowed from two challengers to one. Kevin Sturn took in 30 percent of the vote to advance to the General Election. Although Nelson garnered more 50% of the vote, Sturn’s confidence is unwavering.
“I’m feeling good and looking forward to taking on Tom in April. We worked hard to get here and I want to thank the support of the voters and all the hard work that my team put forward. The message is going to be the same.”
Nelson also believes in his message. Throughout the primary campaign he’s touted his successes over his last 12 years as county executive.
“We’ve got a really good story to share. This is one of the best run counties in the state. We’re delivering real results. We’ve got a triple A bond rating 12 years in a row, declining tax rate for eight years in a row. Fully funding our services and we have an airport that we’ve built that now supports over 2500 jobs in the community.”
Recently however, Nelson has drawn criticism from individuals like Sturn, who says there’s too much partisan politics in the county executive’s office.
“The team is dedicated to running this race in a positive fashion and we’re doing this for the betterment of the community,” Sturn said. “I believe that I can manage this county better than what Tom Nelson is currently doing, I’m committed to doing this job for the full four year term.”
Moving forward Sturn says he will target the voters who lined up behind the third candidate in the race Justin Krueger. While Nelson says he will continue to emphasize his experience.
