Corporation counsel to run for circuit judge

Oneida County corporation counsel Mike Fugle is once again asking the voting public to consider him for an open judicial seat.

According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Fugle filed a campaign registration statement on Nov. 30 for the office of Oneida County Circuit Court Judge Branch II.

Fugle is seeking to succeed Judge Mike Bloom, who is stepping down after 12 years on the bench. 

This is Fugle’s second run for judicial office. Earlier this year, he was defeated by former Oneida County district attorney Mike Schiek in a February primary for the Branch I judgeship vacated when Judge Patrick O’Melia retired in August 2022.

Schiek went on to defeat Mary Roth Burns, who served as an interim judge for the remainder of O’Melia’s unexpired term following an appointment by Gov. Tony Evers.

Schiek took the bench on Aug. 1.

With his current term set to expire on July 31, 2024, Bloom filed a notice of non-candidacy for the 2024 election on Nov. 27.

In a statement to the River News, the judge expressed his preference to have the voting public, rather than a political appointee, choose his successor.

“My way of thinking is that elected officials should err on the side of concluding their service a little early as opposed to hanging around too long,” he wrote in an email to the River News. “Also, I prefer to conclude my service at the end of a term rather than retiring in the middle of one, so that my successor is selected by the voting public and not a political appointee.”

Potential candidates for the Branch II judgeship have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 2 to file papers with the Wisconsin Election Commission. 

If necessary, a primary will take place on Feb. 20.

The general election is scheduled for April 2, coinciding with the state’s presidential preference primary.

On his campaign website, Fugle is stressing his “extensive courtroom experience and broad experience in both criminal and civil cases.”

“After graduating from Marquette University Law School, I joined a private practice in downtown Milwaukee where I handled varied civil work including small claims and evictions, and criminal work including the firm’s public defender contract with the State Public Defender’s Office. I have tried fourteen criminal cases to a jury, one civil rights violation to a jury, handled Federal criminal work, represented clients in civil litigation, and written appellate briefs. For the past fifteen years, I have represented Oneida County departments in civil matters (e.g. Social Services, Planning & Zoning, Sheriff Department). During my time in Oneida County, I have tried 12 civil matters (children in need of protection & services, termination of parental rights, and mental health act cases) to a jury.”

The website also notes Fugle’s appointment to the position of corporation counsel in the spring of 2021 as well as previous work experience.

“As Corporation Counsel, I advise the elected officials and departments in legal matters and supervise the Corporation Counsel office of three attorneys. Prior to attending Marquette University, I graduated from Carroll College (now University). I then worked my way up from a front desk clerk to the General Manager of The Vintage hotel at the base of the Winter Park ski area in the Colorado Rockies. It is there that I met and married my wife, Rachel.”

A copy of Fugle’s resume is also available on the campaign website. 

“It would be my honor to serve the people of Oneida County as Circuit Court Judge,” Fugle wrote in an email to the River News in response to a request for comment on his campaign. “Judge Bloom is an exceptional jurist, and he has set an excellent example of what it means to be ‘a good judge.’ I pledge to apply legal precedent to the facts and adjudicate cases in an unbiased manner.” 

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].