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John Antaramian

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John Antaramian
Antaramian in 2023
48th & 50th Mayor of Kenosha
In office
April 19, 2016 – April 16, 2024
Preceded byKeith Bosman
Succeeded byDavid Bogdala
In office
April 1992 – April 15, 2008
Preceded byPatrick Moran
Succeeded byKeith Bosman
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
In office
January 3, 1985 – January 4, 1993
Preceded byJoanne Huelsman
Succeeded byRobert Wirch
Constituency65th Assembly district
In office
January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1985
Preceded byThomas A. Hauke
Succeeded byThomas A. Hauke
Constituency23rd Assembly district
Personal details
Born
John Martin Antaramian

(1954-09-21) September 21, 1954 (age 70)
Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLinda
Children2
Residence(s)Kenosha, Wisconsin
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Parkside (BS)
WebsiteCampaign website (archived)

John Martin Antaramian (born September 21, 1954) is an American businessman and Democratic politician from Kenosha, Wisconsin. He is the current mayor of Kenosha, serving since 2016, but has announced he will leave office in 2024. He has served a total of 24 years as mayor, having previously served from 1992 to 2008. He also represented Kenosha for 10 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, from 1983 to 1993.

Early life and education

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John Antaramian was born and raised and has lived most of his life in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He graduated from George Nelson Tremper High School and went on to attend Kenosha's University of Wisconsin–Parkside, where he earned his bachelor's degree in economics and business management in 1977.[1]

Career

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State Assembly

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After graduating from college, Antaramian became an assistant manager at a Kenosha Walgreens drug store. At age 25, in 1980, he made his first run for Wisconsin State Assembly, launching a primary challenge against five-term incumbent state representative Eugene Dorff in the 65th Assembly district.[2] Antaramian ran a spirited campaign, attacking Dorff for becoming inaccessible to his constituents and not taking a significant part in the business of the Assembly. The primary results were surprisingly tight, with Antaramian falling just 196 votes short.[3] Antaramian said he was satisfied that he had sent a message to Dorff, and promised he would run again in 1982.[4]

In January 1982, Dorff removed the possibility for a rematch by announcing that he would not run for another term.[5] Three candidates entered the contest for the Democratic nomination to succeed Dorff in what was then the 23rd Assembly district (due to a court-ordered redistricting plan that had been implemented that spring), but one candidate dropped out before the election. Antaramian based his primary campaign on juvenile law reforms, saying that juveniles accused of severe crimes should face adult court and exceptions from the limits on penalties for juvenile offenders. He also advocated for increasing financial penalties for parents of juveniles who engage in certain crimes, and wanted Wisconsin's drinking age raised to 19.[6] His principal opponent in the race was former county board chairman Ronald C. Frederick. Antaramian prevailed with 55% of the vote. He was unopposed in the general election and assumed office in January 1983.[1][7]

After another redistricting in 1983, Antaramian was back in the 65th Assembly district, where he was easily elected to four more terms in the Assembly, in 1984, 1986, 1988, and 1990.[8][9][10][11] For several consecutive sessions, Antaramian pushed for a state health insurance program to cover the estimated 500,000 Wisconsinites who then were lacking insurance coverage, seeking to expand on the WISCONCARE plan passed in 1985.[12] Though he didn't succeed, a version of this program (BadgerCare) was made possible in the 1990s due to the passage of the federal Children's Health Insurance Program. During the 1991–1992 term, Antaramian was assigned to the powerful budget-writing Joint Finance Committee.[1]

First mayoral terms

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In the fall of 1991, Antaramian announced he would run for mayor in 1992, challenging incumbent mayor Patrick Moran. In announcing his campaign, he also laid out three pillars to his platform: implementation of zero-based budgeting for the city, allocation of additional land and funding to industrial development for business and job growth, and expansion of community policing.[13] The race ultimately drew several other candidates; the incumbent mayor, Moran, withdrew from the race in January, citing family health problems.[14] Antaramian came in first in the nonpartisan primary, taking 59% of the vote.[15] He defeated city councilmember Keith Bosman in the April general election.[16][17] He went on to win re-election in 1996, 2000, and 2004, leaving office in 2008.

After leaving the mayor's office, he started a consulting business. He was also a visiting professor at Carthage College.[18]

Return to office

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In 2015, Mayor Keith Bosman announced he would not run for a third term.[19] Antaramian immediately confirmed that he was considering running for mayor again.[20] After Antaramian formally entered the race, only one other candidate chose to run—first-term city councilmember Bob Johnson.[21] After a brief but bitter campaign, Antaramian easily prevailed in the Spring 2016 election, receiving 63% of the vote.[22][23]

Antaramian suffered a heart attack at his home on May 27, 2019. He was able to receive medical attention and had a heart catheterization procedure; he ultimately made a successful recovery.[24] Despite the health scare, Antaramian showed no hesitation about running for another term as mayor, announcing that fall that he would stand for election to a sixth term in 2020.[25]

He faced no opposition in the 2020 Spring election, which was complicated by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin.[26] Antaramian advocated for the entire election to be conducted via mail-in ballot, to encourage social distancing, but ultimately the city did still open ten in-person polling places on election day.[27]

Shooting of Jacob Blake

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Following the unrest after the shooting of Jacob Blake in August 2020, Antaramian requested the presence of the Wisconsin National Guard in Kenosha.[28] Hundreds of protesters later forced Antaramian to relocate his press conference on the shooting from a local park to the city's public safety building, where the protestors were contained by police with pepper spray after tearing the building's front entrance door from its hinges.[29]

In an interview days after the shooting, Antaramian said visits to Kenosha by President Donald Trump or then-candidate Joe Biden would be "too soon," saying that "...the President is always welcome, but at this time, it's just the wrong time." Trump would visit on September 1, and Biden on September 3.[30][31][32][33]

Later years

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The Fall general election in 2020 was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, for which there was not yet a vaccine at that time. Antaramian remained an advocate for vote-by-mail and other early voting options which allowed voters to avoid congregating in person at polling places. In October 2020, Antaramian participated in a challenge with the mayors of Wisconsin's five largest cities (Racine's Cory Mason, Milwaukee's Tom Barrett, Green Bay's Eric Genrich, and Madison's Satya Rhodes-Conway) to see which city would have the highest rate of absentee and early voting.[34] U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the increase of absentee voting, alleging that it was a source of voter fraud; those attacks only increased after Trump lost the 2020 United States presidential election. Wisconsin, in particular, was a target of these accusations.

Responding to Trump's continuing complaints, his Republican allies in the Wisconsin Legislature appointed former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Michael Gableman to investigate those fraud allegations. The investigation lasted just over a year, and saw Gableman attempt to subpoena Antaramian and the other mayors. Gableman's investigation quickly devolved into a series of accusations and conspiracy theories. Gableman implied that the election process had been corrupted by the cities receiving election support funding from the non-profit Center for Tech and Civic Life. Antaramian described the investigation as a waste of time and money.[35] Ultimately, Gableman was fired by Republican Assembly speaker Robin Vos in August 2022.[36]

In May 2023, Antaramian announced that he would not run for a seventh term in 2024.[37] After the primary, he endorsed longtime city councilmember David Bogdala, who went on to win the election to succeed him.[38]

Personal life and family

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John Antaramian is one of four children born to Martin B. Antaramian and his wife Noreen (née Semerdjian). Both parents were first generation Americans, the children of Armenian immigrants from what was then the Ottoman Empire. Martin Antaramian was a successful lawyer in Kenosha for 43 years, in partnership with his brother, Richard, who was also a municipal judge. He was also prominent in the state bar association, in state Freemasonry, and in the local veteran community.[39]

On January 16, 1982, John Antaramian married Linda Catherine Wesnick at St. Hagop Armenian Apostolic Church in Racine, Wisconsin.[40] John and his wife still reside in Kenosha. They have two adult children.

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly, 65th district (1980)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1980[3] Primary Sep. 9 Eugene Dorff (inc) Democratic 4,289 51.17% John Antaramian Dem. 4,093 48.83% 8,382 196

Wisconsin Assembly, 23rd district (1982)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1982[7] Primary Sep. 14 John Antaramian Democratic 4,084 55.69% Ronald J. Frederick Dem. 3,249 44.31% 7,333 835
General Nov. 2 John Antaramian Democratic 10,825 100.0% --unopposed-- 10,825 10,825

Wisconsin Assembly, 65th district (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1984[8] General Nov. 6 John Antaramian Democratic 15,688 100.0% --unopposed-- 15,688 15,688
1986[9] General Nov. 4 John Antaramian (inc) Democratic 9,628 77.83% Kevin T. Graham Rep. 2,742 22.17% 12,370 6,886
1988[8] General Nov. 8 John Antaramian (inc) Democratic 15,438 100.0% --unopposed-- 15,438 15,438
1990[11] General Nov. 6 John Antaramian (inc) Democratic 7,524 68.03% Cynthia Johnson Rep. 3,536 31.97% 11,060 3,988

Kenosha Mayor (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1992 Primary[15] Feb. 18 John Antaramian Democratic 8,458 59.09% Keith Bosman Dem. 2,464 17.21% 14,314 5,994
Louis Rugani Ind. 1,735 12.12%
Jeffrey Wolkomir Ind. 1,657 11.58%
General[16] Apr. 7 John Antaramian Democratic 14,632 67.20% Keith Bosman Dem. 7,143 32.80% 21,775 7,489
1996 General[41] Mar. 19 John Antaramian (inc) Democratic 10,031 64.59% Scott Barter Ind. 5,499 35.41% 15,530 4,532

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Antaramian, John M. 1954". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "Antaramian is running". Kenosha News. April 29, 1980. p. 9. Retrieved January 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Theobald, Rupert H.; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1981). "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin 1981–1982 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 895. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  4. ^ Engels, Dave (September 10, 1980). "Dorff margin tight". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Henkel, Barbara (January 8, 1982). "Dorff won't seek another term". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Antaramian to run for Assembly seat". Kenosha News. May 4, 1982. p. 6. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1983). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1983–1984 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 889, 910. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1985). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1985–1986 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 908, 926. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Theobald, H. Rupert; Barish, Lawrence S., eds. (1987). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1987–1988 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 889, 908. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1989). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1989–1990 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 911, 926. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1991). "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1991–1992 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 900, 916. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  12. ^ "Plan would help uninsured". Kenosha News. February 5, 1987. p. 9. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Shook, Dennis A. (September 8, 1991). "Antaramian begins mayoral campaign". Kenosha News. p. 9. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ DiGiovanni, Joe (January 8, 1992). "Moran off the ballot". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "Norquist collects 50%". Oshkosh Northwestern. February 19, 1992. p. 11. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b DiGiovanni, Joe (April 8, 1992). "Antaramian in a landslide". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Antaramian new mayor of Kenosha". Racine Journal Times. April 8, 1992. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  18. ^ http://www.wibuilder.com/wb-august-2008/peer-review.html[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ Guida, Bill (June 9, 2015). "Kenosha mayor won't seek re-election in 2016". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Smith, Deneen (June 9, 2015). "Antaramian, Zerban mulling runs for mayor". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Guida, Bill (November 3, 2015). "Alderman declares run for mayor". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Kenosha County Election Results - Spring General Election (Report). Kenosha County Clerk. April 6, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Guida, Bill (March 4, 2016). "Mayoral candidates square off". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian suffers heart attack". WITI (TV). May 28, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  25. ^ Stancato, Donald (September 7, 2019). "Exclusive interview with Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian". The Smart Reader. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  26. ^ Kenosha County Election Results - 2020 Spring Election & Presidential Preference (Report). Kenosha County Clerk. April 14, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  27. ^ Myers, Quinn (April 7, 2020). "Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian on Wisconsin Election, Virus Impact". WTTW. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  28. ^ Peiser, Jaclyn; Berman, Mark; Guarino, Mark; Firozi, Paulina; Witte, Griff. "After video shows Wisconsin police shooting a Black man multiple times, National Guard is called to Kenosha". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  29. ^ Webber, Tammy; Gash, Morry (2020-08-25). "Wisconsin National Guard called out after police shoot Black man". Military Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  30. ^ "Kenosha Mayor Does Not Want President Trump To Visit 'At This Point In Time'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  31. ^ "Trump's Kenosha visit produces outrage for some in the city, and calm for others". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  32. ^ "Biden Visits Kenosha, Wis., Meets Community Members And Jacob Blake's Family". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  33. ^ "Kenosha mayor: Too soon for Biden and Trump to be visiting". CNN. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  34. ^ Hess, Corri. "Mayors of 5 Largest Cities Issue Voting Challenge". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  35. ^ "Kenosha Mayor Responds to Election Probe Subpoena". WGTD. October 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  36. ^ Schmidt, Mitchell (August 12, 2022). "Speaker Robin Vos fires Michael Gableman, marking end to 2020 election review". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  37. ^ Gaitan, Daniel (May 25, 2023). "Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian will not seek re-election when term ends in spring 2024". Kenosha News. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  38. ^ Flores, Terry (March 13, 2024). "Antaramian endorses Bogdala for next mayor of Kenosha". Kenosha News. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  39. ^ "Martin B. Antaramian". Kenosha News. March 10, 1996. p. 10. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ "Antaramian-Wesnick". Kenosha News. January 24, 1982. p. 19. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Final totals for primary, mayor's race announced". Kenosha News. March 28, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved January 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
[edit]
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 23rd district
1983–1985 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 65th district
1985–1993 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Patrick Moran
 Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin
1992–2008 		Succeeded by
Keith Bosman
Preceded by
Keith Bosman
 Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin
2016–present 		Incumbent
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