Burgelis, Zepnick headed to April 2 match for south side seat
District 7 had close race with no incumbent
Milwaukee voters on Tuesday chose the candidates who will move forward in the three Common Council races where primaries were held.
The races — in Districts 5, 7 and 11 — were part of a continued shift on the council as more senior members have departed in recent years.
Among those who are not running for re-election this year are District 7 Ald. Khalif Rainey, District 10 Ald. Michael Murphy and District 11 Ald. Mark Borkowski.
District 5 Ald. Lamont Westmoreland, who was elected in the April 2023 special election, faced challengers for the seat.
Here are the top two vote-getters in each primary race. They move forward to the April 2 election:
Milwaukee Common Council District 5 spring primary
Westmoreland received 83% of the vote to the 9% received by Bruce Winter, who also sought the seat in the last election.
Real estate agent Stacy A. Smiter was in third place with 7% of the vote.
Absentee ballots were not yet included in the results.
Milwaukee Common Council District 7 spring primary
The race was close in District 7 in Milwaukee’s central city.
Longtime Master Lock employee DiAndre Jackson received 31% of the vote to community organizer Jessica Currie’s 26%.
Randy Jones, founder of the nonprofit Staying On Track Inc., received 22% of the vote while pastor and businessman Kenneth Hughes received 21%.
Milwaukee Common Council District 11 spring primary
In the heated race for the District 11 seat, Milwaukee County Supervisor Peter Burgelis received 53% of the vote and was trailed by former state Rep. Josh Zepnick, who received 35% of the vote.
In a statement, Burgelis hailed a “resounding victory” and said residents had “cast their votes for proven results.”
In third place was Lee Whiting, a member of the city’s Safety and Civic Commission, who had 12% of the vote.