School Board incumbent ousted in race

Newcomer Suzanne Miller defeated incumbent Steve Burmesch to win the at-large seat in the Northern Ozaukee School District’s School Board election Tuesday.

Miller received 748 (51.55%) of the 1,222 votes cast, and Burmesch got 692 (47.7%). There were 11 write-ins, which made up 0.8% of the votes.

Miller, a mother of four who has three children enrolled in the district, said she “has a pulse for what’s happening in the schools.”

Miller, who moved into the district 17 years ago, said she feels fortunate to have a school system rated in the top 5% in the country.

“Before moving to Fredonia, I checked out the school district and recognized all the great things it has to offer, from great teachers to hearing about the amazing student experiences,” she said.

Miller has also been involved in fundraising for the district by volunteering for the annual scholarship dinner for the past three years.

Burmesch has been a member of the board since 2009.

Incumbent Timothy Burmesch was the lone candidate running for the Town of Belgium seat on the board and received 1,204 votes. Another 18 votes were for write-ins. 

Timothy Burmesch joined the board in 2009. He has five children, who have all attended schools in the district. 

No one ran for the Village of Fredonia School Board seat, but there were 96 write-ins.

Supt. David Karrels said Board President Brent Neis will contact the person who received the most write-ins to see if they are interested in serving on the board. 

“The person is not obligated to serve on the School Board, but they have the first opportunity, essentially,” Karrels said.