A first look at the candidates for Mount Horeb Village Board

Six candidates are running for two seats on the Mount Horeb Village Board in one of the most interesting local elections in years. Incumbents Ben Jones and Jason Fendrick are both running for re-election, along with four new candidates: Stephen Sopcak, Michelle Kelley, James Brager and Tamiko Clary. 

The Spring Primary Election will take place Tuesday, February 17 and will eliminate the bottom two vote-getters, whittling the field down to four. The four remaining candidates will face off again in the Spring Election on April 7. 

Village Trustees serve for three-year terms. 

While Jeff Grundahl’s proposed Langhús on Main development dominated the community’s zeitgeist in recent months, village trustees are perpertually grappling with an array of complex and nuanced issues (including development and zoning, but also myriad other things) that shape the fate of the village for years and generations to come. Who voters choose when they fill out their ballots will have a significant impact on Mount Horeb’s future. 

All six village board candidates have received an extensive questionnaire asking about everything from transparency and development to Tax Increment Financing and civility in government. This week, however, we start with a simple introduction. Each candidate shared a little about themselves and why they are running for a seat on the Mount Horeb Village Board. 

James Brager grew up in the village. “I lived here from early childhood until I graduated from Mount Horeb High School,” she said. “I then matriculated to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to study politcal science, and moved to Madison.”

“During college, I continued to work for my father’s business, Brager Heatng and Cooling,” he said. “During that  time, I also worked for the Wisconsin State Senate. In 2013 I bought Brager Heating and Cooling from my father and continue to run it to this day.”

“My wife Lacey and I moved back to Mount Horeb once we started our family, and we now have three strapping young boys as future Vikings!” Brager said. “I am running for Village Trustee because our village has lost its way. I want to help our Village Board represent the villagers better by listening to them, and not private interest.”

“The Village Board’s extreme thirst for ‘economic development’ is out of control, and the village needs to slow down and move more thoughtfully,” Brager continued. “I for one, would like to see our village remain small. We should not be in the business of giving countless exemptions of the zoning code to developers. We should also refrain from changing our zoning code until after the election and more public input can be sought. I want to help Mount Horeb remain the charming and financially responsible place it is.”

Tamiko (Tammy) Clary has lived in Mount Horeb for more than 45 years and seen many changes, she said. “I have an accounting degree and spent my career working in the insurance industry in auditing, compliance, operations and finance,” Clary continued. “The recent building proposal is my first opportunity to become involved with the Village of Mount Horeb government and I do see opportunity where I could make a difference as a Trustee.”

“I would like to help drive our community to success with consistency as we navigate the housing crisis, high property taxes and adding businesses,” she added. 

Ben Jones was born and raised in Dane County before moving to attend Saint Louis University and then the University of Minnesota Law School. Convinced it “was the best place to raise his family,” he moved to Mount Horeb in 2021. He lives in the Village with his wife, Traci, and their four young children.

Jones has worked as an attorney for several government agencies and currently serves as an Administrative Law Judge with the Wisconsin Division of Hearings and Appeals. Long committed to public service, he has served on numerous governmental and nonprofit boards since 2017. Jones was elected to the Mount Horeb Village Board in 2023 and currently chairs three village committees and serves as a village representative with Mount Horeb Area Fire District.

Jones said he is running for re-election to the board “to continue supporting responsible economic growth while preserving what makes Mount Horeb special. Additionally, I hope to lead us in meeting increasing demand for village services in a cost-effective and responsible manner to maximize the long-term health of the Village.”

Jason Fendrick is originally from Nebraska and has lived in Mount Horeb since 2013. “My wife, Cindy, and I have two sons, Ethan, a Mount Horeb High School graduate and student at the University of Wisconsin, and Aaron, a junior at Mount Horeb High School,” he said. “I have a bachelor’s degree in political science, a law degree, and practiced law in Nebraska for 11 years before moving to Wisconsin for a career change. I’ve worked at Epic since November of 2012 in the internal IT department, and work with many of the servers and database systems that support Epic’s internal operations and public-facing resources.”

Fendrick has actually served on the Mount Horeb Village Board on two occasions. “First, I was elected in the 2019 spring election, and then served until April of 2023,” said Fendrick. “I was then appointed to the board in August of 2025 to fill the remainder of Brett Halverson’s seat [when Halverson moved out of the village].”

“During my first run for the board in 2019, I wanted to see the village add additional parkland, and also wanted to see more commercial and industrial development in town to help reduce the Village’s tax burden on homeowners,” said Fendrick. “Those two items are now very much in reach with the purchase of the Lukken farm and the plans for the Mount Horeb Recreation Complex, and the work that Village Administrator Nic Owen and economic development consultant Kristen Fish-Peterson have put into a business park proposal over the past few years. I want to continue to work to see those projects to fruition. Also, I enjoy giving back to the village and citizens of Mount Horeb - the first community where Cindy and I owned a home, where our children have spent almost all of their academic careers, and where we expect to remain well into the future.”

Michelle Kelley lives in Mount Horeb with her husband, Mikel. “We have owned our home on South 4th Street for 25 years, where Mikel runs his ceramics studio and where we raised two beautiful daughters, Maggie and Erin, both of whom live in Madison now,” she said. 

“I was raised on a dairy and hog farm in Pine Bluff, with my twin brother and I being the youngest of our large Irish Catholic family,” she continued. “My siblings and I are blessed with the most wonderful parents anyone could ask for, Bob and Rosie Farrell.” 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UW–Madison and a Master of Science in Organizational Behavior from Edgewood University. Kelley has worked in higher education administration for her entire career, primarily in Offices of the Registrar at three different institutions in the area. About a year and a half ago, she was ready for a change and now works as a Business Analyst for UW System. 

“I am running for Village Trustee because I love this community and want to be actively involved in shaping its future. I strongly support preserving our historic downtown — keeping it both small and historic — while revitalizing it for today’s world,” Kelley said. “I love hearing people respond with, ‘Oh, you’re from Mount Horeb? I love that place!’ when I say where I’m from. I want that sentiment to continue and grow, as capitalizing on our uniqueness and small-town feel benefits our community in countless ways.”

She said there “are thousands of possibilities for our downtown district that would allow us to preserve its character while thoughtfully bringing it into the 21st century. It will take creativity and collaboration, but that is what meaningful change is all about.” 

“Beyond the historic downtown, I am eager to learn more about ways to responsibly increase our tax base and bring new businesses and housing to the community,” Kelley said. “Housing is a critical concern — we need more of it. I am particularly interested in approaches that would create affordable opportunities for those just starting out and wanting to start and raise families here. Creating ways to make Mount Horeb home for these folks would strengthen our community and our schools. I know firsthand that Mount Horeb is an incredible place to raise children and would love to be a part of providing that opportunity to others.”

Stephen Sopcak is a retired Information Technology (IT) engineer with “a diverse skill set that includes project management, process improvement, working with customers, leading meetings, solving problems” and more. 

“The reason I’m running for Mount Horeb trustee is to initiate focus groups for our businesses and residents, which then can be used to make informative decisions on the topics and proposals presented the Mount Horeb board and committees,” said Sopcak. “I also want to provide more transparency on how our Mount Horeb administration works and the services that are being provided to our residence.”

CHECK THE MOUNT HOREB MAIL AGAIN SOON FOR AN IN DEPTH DISCUSSION WITH EVERY CANDIDATE ABOUT TRANSPARENCY, DEVELOPMENT, TAXES, POLICY GOVERNANCE AND FAR MORE IN OUR ONGOING COVERAGE OF THE RACE.