FRANKLIN, Wis. — With less than a week to Election Day, voters in Franklin have a big decision to make regarding who will serve as their next mayor.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Franklin mayor responds to police investigation into alleged campaign finance issues, resident shares concerns
The mayoral race has taken different twists and turns and become contentious between current Mayor John Nelson, challenger Basil Ryan, and former Mayor Steve Olson, who is now running as a write-in candidate.
Nelson is under investigation for alleged campaign finance issues. Last October, he denied the allegations and called it a "political witch hunt."
Ryan, a former Franklin alderman, filed a civil defamation lawsuit against the Nelson campaign this week.
Watch: Franklin voters face contentious mayoral race at ballot box
In the lawsuit filed in Milwaukee County, Ryan accuses the incumbent mayor of libel and defamation for distributing campaign mailers falsely claiming a convicted criminal endorsed Ryan. Ryan alleges the false statements were made with malice to damage his reputation, seeks monetary, injunctive, and punitive relief, and has demanded a jury trial.
Former Franklin mayor Steve Olson entered the race as a write-in candidate last week.
To find out what Franklin voters think of all of this, TMJ4 spoke with several residents on and off camera.
Longtime Franklin resident Lynn Czaplewski was at the library. She said she is going to have a difficult time at the ballot box.
"I don’t remember it being this contentious. No," Czaplewski said.
"It makes you want to skip voting for a mayor, which, as an American, I don’t think that should be an option," Czaplewski said.
Czaplewski hopes whoever voters choose will put the concerns of citizens and their quality of life first over self-interest.
"We would like to see the city thrive, but not only in financial ways but also quality of life," Czaplewski said.
TMJ4 also spoke with voters like Tim Day about the developments in this race.
"I don't think there's enthusiasm for either candidate," said Day.
He's seen the contention play out online between the candidates and their supporters.
"I just think it's odd. It's kind of an interesting dynamic," Day said.
For Day, it is all about a mayor revitalizing spaces that have been neglected.
"I’d like to see a mayor that's going to say, Okay, let's get rid of all these vacant buildings and start holding the owners of these buildings responsible for getting tenants in there," Day said.
Voters will cast their ballots Tuesday, April 7.
Learn More About John Nelson Campaign: https://www.johnnelsonformayor.com/
Learn More About Basil Ryan Campaign: https://ryanforfranklinmayor.com/
Learn More About Steve Olson Campaign: Steve Olson for Franklin
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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