WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |Tomah Mayoral Primary Results

TOMAH, Wisconsin (WXOW) - Voters in Tomah will elect a mayor in April, but since four candidates filed for the position, a primary was needed to narrow the field down to two candidates.

Incumbent John Rusch will advance as he was the top vote getter Tuesday night. He'll face off against Shannon Hough in the general election April 3.

City council members Matthew Boyea and Nellie Pater finished in third and fourth place.

Rusch, the current mayor of Tomah, had good things to say about Hough in the upcoming general election.

"I've met her several times. Terrific personality. She seems to be very sharp and she's going to be a good opponent," says Rusch.

Hough says it's exciting to now be able to turn her attention towards the general election.

She previously held public office in California, and also served as a state budget and legislative analyst in Hawaii.

Like Rusch, Hough is also a military veteran.

"I have always served my government," she says. "I have never worked in a private company. I think your government is important and you need to get as involved as possible."

Hough moved to Tomah approximately 1 year ago. Her husband is in the military and his defense contract is what brought them here.

Matthew Boyea came in third, which wasn't quite the result he wanted. But he did say he learned a lot from the campaign. "It's been a challenge and it's been a fun challenge for me. I really enjoyed calling people and talking with them. They've given me a lot to look into, a lot of notes of things to look forward to and things to look into for the coming year. So I really enjoyed that," says Boyea.

There are around 4,500 registered voters in Tomah. A bit more than 830 of them made it to the polls, so voter turnout was roughly 20 percent.

Tomah's system of government employs a part-time mayor with a city administrator.