Tomah mayoral candidates speak at public forum

TOMAH, Wis. (WKBT) -- Tomah's mayoral candidates squared off in a public forum Monday night.

Current mayor Mike Murray and challenger Paul Dwyer both shared their vision for the future of Tomah.

Murray talked about his accomplishments as mayor, mentioning the city having a balanced budget for the last two years and leveling the city's mill rate.

Dwyer said one of the reasons he ran for mayor was so more people know about what's happening in the city. He added that the city needs to work on its transparency.

Another topic discussed Monday night was Dwyer's residency. Earlier in the debate, Murray said that Dwyer rented an apartment in Tomah to just get on the ballot as a mayoral candidate.

Dwyer confirmed that he rented the apartment so he could run for mayor. He defended the move, saying he followed all the legal requirements and met "every obstacle" that the city threw at him. Dwyer also criticized Murray for bringing up the apartment.

"I don't think it was very professional of him to take that kind of a jab at me, that I'm not a citizen of this city. I am," Dwyer said. He added that he takes offense to some of the things Murray has alluded to and it's "the kind of thing that we see out of city hall too much."

Terms for mayor are two years in Tomah.

Election Day is Tuesday, April 2, but voters can head to Tomah's city hall until Friday, March 29 to cast their in-person absentee ballot.

City hall will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for in-person absentee voting.

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