Voters in the Westosha Central High School District will have a contested race for the Brighton seat on the School Board.
On the April 1 ballot will be:
- Neil Lakomiak
- Jay Nutting
Incumbent Jeff Kinzler is not running for re-election.
Nutting currently holds the Paris seat on the board, but he has moved to Brighton. If elected he will resign his Paris seat, said Kim Hole, exec assistant to the Board of Education and district administrator, and serve that three-year term. If he does not win the Brighton seat, Nutting can continue to fill the Paris seat until the end of that term, which is April 2026, since he was living in Paris when he took the oath of office.
The same questionnaire was submitted by westofthei.com to each candidate by email.
Here is their biographical information followed by their question responses, presented in alphabetical order:
Neil Lakomiak –– Age: 49. Village, town, city where you reside: Brighton. Education: B.S. Electrical Engineering, Masters of Business Administration. Occupation: Engineering Manager. Previous elected/appointed public office: Town of Brighton Planning Commissioner.
Jay Nutting — Age: 44. Village, town, city where you reside: Brighton, Education: BSME (Mechanical Engineering – UW Madison), MBA (Master Business – University of Phoenix). Occupation: Owner of DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen (Paris, WI). Previous offices: Westosha Central School Board – Currently active; Town of Paris Plan Commission.
1.) What do you feel is the most pressing issue facing the school district and how do you feel the School Board should address it?
Lakomiak — The most important and pressing issue should always be academics and preparing students for their next stage in life, be it higher education, starting their own business, or going into a trade. Having attended school board meetings for nearly a year now, it has become clear to me there are a host of activities and initiatives that are pulling far too much focus and attention away from this most important operational mission of Westosha Central High School.
Nutting — Currently, a key challenge for Westosha Central is to improve our already outstanding school report card as we continue to grow the district with an increasing student body. Fortunately, Westosha has already met State expectations, but let’s not stop there! I would like to set our goals to “significantly exceed expectations.” The current school board (myself included) and administration have set our sights on being the best in the state. Maintaining our fiscal stewardship is my top priority. Well over 80% of school districts in the state have applied for operational referendums. We have NOT. This is a massive celebration! With that, we will continue to work hard balancing our budgets and planning for the future. Westosha Central has been, currently is, and will continue to be a safe and enjoyable facility for our students. This is a NON-NEGOTIABLE!
2.) Why are you the best candidate for School Board?
Lakomiak — If elected, I will do the following: Uphold the beliefs and morals of the local community. Hold fellow board members and the administration accountable to keep a laser focus on students and academics. Foster constructive debate instead of defaulting to the status quo. Push to provide parents more options to participate in board meetings and to shape the agenda, putting them back in the driver’s seat. Promote private sector practices to drive more fiscal responsibility with the goal of avoiding future referenda. Revisit board policies and administrative guidelines to better align with parents’ expectations. A school board member is needed who has the courage to pursue these priorities for students and parents. I am that person.
Nutting — I believe I make a great candidate for Westosha’s school board due to my background in the private sector outside of the school system. While there is great benefit in having a background in public education, my “outside eyes – looking in” approach brings a unique perspective to our decision-making matrix. Specifically, my background in business finance, leadership, and team building is a valuable asset on the school board. I will soon have a son attending Westosha and I can assure you that the bar will continue to be set very high for his education along with all of his peers. We have a first-class facility with a first-class staff. To maintain this, we need a first-class board.
