Former Marathon president to run in 87th

By Kevin O’Brien

John Small, former Marathon City village president and Marathon County supervisor, has announced his candidacy for the 86th Assembly District. Small is the first Democrat to enter the race, which also includes a Republican primary faceoff between incumbent Rep. John Spiros and Rep. Donna Rozar, who was moved into the 86th as the result of redistricting.

According to his campaign announcement, Small was first elected as Marathon’s village president in 2005 and was reelected six times for a total of seven two-year terms. During his time in village government, he served as chair of the planning commission and finance committee and was a member of the Marathon City Utility Commission.

Small also served 10 years on the Marathon County Board of Supervisors, representing District 33. He chaired the Education and Economic Development Committee and was also a member of the Executive, Environmental Resources, and Forestry and Recreation committees.

As part of his role with the county, Small also chaired the Big Eau Pleine Task Force, which includes representatives from state government, local ag producers and the county to address environmental hazards in the reservoir.

Small was also on the board of directors for the Wisconsin League of Municipalities and Alliance of Cities and the Marathon County Economic Development Corporation.

Small earned a biology degree from UWStevens Point in 1970 and worked as an animal health inspector for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) from 1973 to 2002. He previously worked as a humane officer for the Rock County Humane Society and production foreman for the Del Monte Corporation.

Having served in the Wisconsin Air National Guard from 1969 to 1989, Small is a former member of American Legion Alois Dreikosen Post 521 and is a member of Legion Post 521 in Fox Lake.

On the Republican side, Reps. Spiros and Rozar, both of Marshfield, are set to face each other in the Aug. 13 primary election. Spiros has represented the 86th since 2012, and Rozar has represented the 69th Assembly District since 2021, but as the result of newly redrawn legislative boundaries, she is no longer living in the 69th.

Besides Marshfield, the newly re-drawn 86th encompasses Marathon City, Edgar, Fenwood and Stratford, and also includes portions of Wood County.

The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers to be on the ballot is Monday, June 3.

John Small