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Ben Dobson
Ben Dobson is a former at-large representative on the Janesville School District school board in Wisconsin. Dobson won a first term in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017. He resigned from the school board effective March 21, 2018, due to a new position with the Rock County Human Services department. Dobson said, "This new position with Rock County will really help me grow as a professional and will require an additional time commitment. I am proud of my time spent serving as a Board member. It was a great experience."[1]
Elections
2017
Three of the nine seats on the Janesville School District school board were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. A total of six candidates filed for the seats. Board incumbent Kevin Murray was successful in his bid for re-election and was joined in his victory by newcomer Ben Dobson and former board member Karl Dommershausen. They defeated R. Michael Flynn, Janine Hegle, and Thomas Murphy.[2]
Results
| Janesville School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kevin Murray Incumbent |
26.70% | 4,357 |
| Ben Dobson |
17.46% | 2,849 |
| Karl Dommershausen |
16.83% | 2,747 |
| Janine Hegle | 16.69% | 2,724 |
| Thomas Murphy | 11.60% | 1,893 |
| R. Michael Flynn | 10.56% | 1,723 |
| Write-in votes | 0.15% | 25 |
| Total Votes | 16,318 | |
| Source: Elisabeth Moore, "Email correspondence with Debra Blazer, Board Relations Coordinator," May 24, 2017 | ||
Funding
All candidates in this race claimed exemption from reporting campaign contributions or expenditures, according to the Janesville School District.[3]
All school board candidates in Wisconsin were required to file a campaign registration statement with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission after qualifying as candidates. This statement declares their candidacy to the county clerk's office and allows them to claim exemption from reporting campaign contributions and expenditures. Candidates were only required to report campaign contributions and expenditures if they did one or both of the following:[4]
- Accepted contributions, made disbursements, or incurred debt in excess of $2,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted more than $100 from a single source during the calendar year, barring contributions made by candidates to their own campaigns
There were three campaign finance report deadlines in 2017:
- The pre-primary report was due February 13, 2017,
- The pre-election report was due March 27, 2017, and
- The post-election report was due July 15, 2017.[5]
Candidates who filed before January 1, 2017, also had to file a continuing campaign finance report on January 16, 2017.[6]
Endorsements
Dobson received an official endorsement from the Gazette Xtra.[7]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ School District of Janesville, "Commissioner Ben Dobson resigns from School Board," March 23, 2018
- ↑ Rock County Clerk's Office, "April 4, 2017 - Spring Election - Unofficial Results," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Elisabeth Moore, "Email conversation with Debra Blazer," March 30, 2017
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "11.0104 Reporting exemptions: limited activity," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Filing Deadlines and Reporting Periods," accessed December 15, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Checklist," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Gazette Xtra, "Our Views: Hopeful but concerned about this Janesville School Board slate," March 31, 2017
| Janesville School District elections in 2017 | |
| Rock County, Wisconsin | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Kevin Murray • Ben Dobson • Karl Dommershausen • R. Michael Flynn • Janine Hegle • Thomas Murphy |
| Important information: | What's at stake? |
