11 of 15 seats contested on Chippewa County Board of Supervisors

Sources:  Chippewa County Clerk, Chippewa County Board of Supervisors 

Why the unusually large number of contested races?

It goes back to 2010, when 5 former county supervisors, led by rural supervisor Don Sperber, collected enough signatures to to place a binding referendum on the November ballot to reduce the size of the Chippewa County Board from 29 to 15.

Voters overwhelmingly approved the referendum:  14,423 to 5,243.  The reduced size went into effect for the 2012 spring elections.  Since then 8 seats were contested in 2014, 7 seats in 2016.

As it turns out, reducing the size of the board has not improved its efficiency, as predicted by Sperber.

Here's what the current board chair, Anson Albarado, first elected in 2010, has to say about his experience.

It’s a little difficult to unite the board and get them moving down the same path, and in a positive direction.  It gets a little frustrating on my part.  

"We need to move forward — don’t dwell on the past.  I’m not blaming anyone on the board, but everything that comes up, it’s contentious.  It’s time for a change.”

(*vacant seats:  Clark, 1; Outagamie, 2; Rock, 1)

Women comprise 50.3% of Wisconsin's population compared to 21.0% of this running tally of county board members.

Related board of supervisors 2018 spring election posts:
Bayfield County.  3 of 13 seats contested.  (2/6/2018)
Brown County.  8 of 28 seats.  (2/9/2018)
Buffalo County.  2 of 14 seats.  (1/14/2018)
Burnett County.  1 of 21.  (3/24/2018)
Calumet County.  1 of 21 seats.  (3/20/2018)
Clark County.  1 of 29 seats.  (2/12/2018)
Dane County.  5 of 37 seats.  3/24/2018)
Dodge County.  1 of 33 seats.  (1/16/2018)
Douglas County:  2 of 21 seats.  (1/7/2018)
Jefferson County.  4 of 30 seats.  (1/16/2018)
Kenosha County:  8 of 23 seats.  (1/11/2018)
La Crosse County.  5 of 29 seats.  (1/19/2018)
Marquette County.  2 of 17 seats.  (1/14/2018)
Oneida County:  5 of 21.  (1/12/2018)
Outagamie County.  9 of 36 seats.  (1/17/2018)
Ozaukee County.  6 of 26 seats.  (1/17/2018)
Rock County.  5 of 29.  (1/16/2018)
Sauk County.  1 of 21.  (3/23/2018)
Sawyer County.  1 of 15.  (1/14/2018)
Waukesha County.  4 of 25.  (1/14/2018)
Winnebago County.  2 of 36.  (1/16/2018)
Wood County:  8 of 19 seats.  (1/12/2018)

Contested seat tally:  89 of 557 = 16.0%