Graham Kilmer
MKE County

Sanchez, Gómez-Tom Advance From County Board Primary

Three candidates ran in primary of special election for county board's vacant District 14 seat.

By - Apr 4th, 2023 10:58 pm

County Board candidates Angel Sanchez and Caroline Gómez-Tom.

Angel C. Sanchez and Caroline Gómez-Tom will advance to next month’s general election for the District 14 County Board seat.

Gómez-Tom finished first with 1,348 votes (40.6%). Sanchez finished second with 1,337 votes (40.3%). Travis Hope finished third with 615 votes (18.5% ) and will not advance to the May 2 general election.

The board seat for District 14 has been vacant since January, following the resignation of former supervisor Dyango Zerpa. In February, County Executive David Crowley called a special election for the seat to allow the primary to coincide with Tuesday’s spring election. The general election will be held as a stand-alone special election in May.

Sanchez is a construction contractor and served on the Milwaukee Common Council from 2000 to 2004 after defeating then-incumbent alderman Jim Witkowiak. He lost to Witkowiak and has run for office several times since then. During a 2020 campaign for a Common Council seat, Sanchez said, “I’m a Road Builder, Business Owner, Real Estate Investor, with assets exceeding $250,000.00. I am a NRA member, Pro Life, and School Choice. My kids and my wife believe I’m a great dad and a Great Cook.”

Gómez-Tom is the president of the City of Milwaukee Board of Health and a community healthcare navigator working for Covering Wisconsin. This is her first run for public office. She is originally from Racine and holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from UW-Madison. Gómez-Tom has been endorsed by a number of current and former southside elected officials including State Rep. Christine Sinicki, State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, Ald. JoCasta Zamarippa, Sup. Juan Miguel Martinez, Sup. Ryan Clancy and former supervisor Jason Haas.

District 14 is one of two districts with a Hispanic-majority population created during redistricting in 2021. It begins in the north along W. Virginia Street in Walker’s Point and stretches south to W. Howard Avenue and Wilson Park. The district’s western boundary largely runs along S. 20th Street. The majority of its eastern edge is drawn along I-94, the Kinnickinnic River and S. 1st Street.

UPDATE: Vote totals in this article were updated after the city reported its absentee results.

CORRECTION: The general election will be held on May 2.

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Categories: MKE County, Politics

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