WAUPUN — The Waupun Common Council had a long agenda at Tuesday’s meeting filled with speakers of various positions in the community. First on the agenda was the update from County Board Supervisor Sam Kaufman. Sam Kaufman is an attorney based in Waupun and a member of the Board of Fond du Lac County Supervisors, and was appointed Chairman of the County Board last month. Kaufman is also running in the special election to be held Tuesday, June 7th, for the Fond du Lac County Executive position.
Sam Kaufman was the only person to submit nomination signatures to be put on the ballot for the County Executive election. But while Kaufman is the only candidate on the ballot, that does not mean that he will be automatically elected if no one votes.
Waupun Pioneer reached out to Kaufman about starting his run for County Executive. Kaufman stated that it was a last minute decision, a “matter of hours” as there was only a week and a half to collect the 500 nomination signatures required for the position after the passing of the late Alan Buechel, the previous County Executive. By the end of the twelve days, Kaufman had turned in around 1400, which he said, “were collected mostly from people I didn’t even know.”
At the City Council Meeting, Kaufman outlined a number of issues and priorities for Fond du Lac County, mentioning future community infrastructure projects, labor shortages, and maintaining public safety. Waupun City Administrator Kathy Schlieve asked Kaufman if ARPA funds would be available to local municipalities such as Waupun, which he assured would be the case.
Kaufman expressed his admiration for the late Alan Buechel in his years of crossing political lines to work together for a unified future of Fond du Lac County. Kaufman also spoke about the importance of the local communities within the county, including the City of Waupun. “I don’t see Waupun as just Fond du Lac or Dodge, I see it as one city,” he said, emphasizing how the Dodge County side of Waupun is often overlooked.
“This is an important election, both for the future of Fond du Lac County and for the City of Waupun,” Kaufman ended with. Mayor of Waupun Rohn Bishop endorsed Kaufman earlier this week, approving of his plans and looking forward to working together if he is elected to County Executive.
Residents of Fond du Lac County are encouraged to vote in the special election. Those living in the City of Waupun can vote early at Waupun City Hall on Friday during office hours or all day Tuesday, June 7th.
