By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD – The Marathon County town of McMillan will get a new chairperson. Debbie Derfus defeated incumbent Carolyn Opitz on April 2, 344-314.

Derfus said:

Derfus was a town supervisor for 10 years, but this is her first time as chair. She says that she has many priorities.

Derfus says she’ll try to put a recent budget and tax levy battle behind the township, after two separate votes were held in November and December of last year on a 2019 tax levy of $500,000.

A majority of electors present at a Nov. 13 meeting cut the proposed tax levy from nearly $666,000 down to a half million. Citing low turnout, town officials scheduled a second vote Dec. 7, asking taxpayers for reconsideration of the $500,000 levy. Nearly 250 electors turned out, and voted 128-118 not to reconsider a new levy.

Meanwhile, McMillan Town Supervisor Incumbent David Swenson won re-election. Swenson was the top vote-getter among four candidates running for two spots on the board, with 326. Gary Franz, who narrowly missed getting elected last year, also wins a spot on the town board, getting 319 votes to fill a spot being vacated by an incumbent. Two other challengers—Steven Ziemba and Mike Joyce—finished in a tie for third place, each getting 287 votes.

Results are not final until a canvassing has been completed.