Jim Ott (born June 5, 1947) is an American politician and former television meteorologist. A Republican, he was a seven term member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing assembly district 23, serving from 2007 to 2021. Before being elected to the assembly, he was a broadcast meteorologist in Milwaukee for Journal Communications's WTMJ-TV and WTMJ-AM radio.[1][2]
Jim Ott | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 23rd district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 4, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Curt Gielow |
| Succeeded by | Deb Andraca |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 5, 1947 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Carol |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Mequon, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession | Meteorologist, politician |
| Website | Official website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1970–1973 |
| Unit | U.S. Army Security Agency |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards |  Vietnam Campaign Medal |
Early life and career
editJim Ott was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and graduated from Milwaukee's Washington High School in 1965.[1] He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1970, and then joined the United States Army. He served three years in the Army with the U.S. Army Security Agency, including a tour in Vietnam in 1971–72.[3] Following his Army service, he returned to school at UW–Milwaukee and obtained his master's degree in 1975.[1]
After earning his master's degree, in 1976 he went to work as an on-air meteorologist for Journal Communications on their WTMJ-TV television and WTMJ-AM radio stations. He worked there for 30 years, leaving only when he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2006. During his time at Journal Communications, he became a member of the unit holders' council, chairperson of stock and information committee, and employee representative on the board of directors.[3]
He returned to school and obtained his J.D. from Marquette University Law School in 2000.[1]
While working as a meteorologist, he also served as adjunct faculty at University of Wisconsin–Parkside, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Cardinal Stritch University, Carroll University, and Marquette University Law School.[3]
Political career
editFollowing the April 2006 announcement that incumbent state representative Curt Gielow would not seek re-election in 2006, Ott declared his candidacy for office.[4] In the Republican primary, Ott defeated John Wirth and went on to win the general election with 56% of the vote over Democrat Stanley F. Teplin.[5] He went on to win re-election six times.
He was defeated for reelection by Democrat Deb Andraca on November 3, 2020.[6][7]
Personal life and family
editJim Ott is married with two adult sons, he and his wife reside in Mequon, Wisconsin. He has been a member of the Lumen Christi Catholic Parish in Mequon since 1986. He is a member of the American Legion and the American Meteorological Society.[3]
Electoral history
editWisconsin Assembly (2006, 2008)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Primary, September 12, 2006 | |||||
| Republican | Jim Ott | 3,170 | 67.12% | ||
| Republican | John Wirth | 1,553 | 32.88% | ||
| Plurality | 1,617 | 34.24% | |||
| Total votes | 4,723 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 7, 2006 | |||||
| Republican | Jim Ott | 13,284 | 56.09% | −42.62% | |
| Democratic | Stanley F. Teplin | 10,394 | 43.89% | ||
| Plurality | 2,890 | 12.20% | -85.22% | ||
| Total votes | 23,682 | 100.0% | +19.01% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
Wisconsin Assembly (2018, 2020)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 6, 2018 | |||||
| Republican | Jim Ott (incumbent) | 18,321 | 51.93% | −43.64% | |
| Democratic | Liz Sumner | 16,939 | 48.01% | ||
| Scattering | 21 | 0.06% | |||
| Plurality | 1,382 | 3.92% | -87.22% | ||
| Total votes | 35,281 | 100.0% | +31.35% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 3, 2020 | |||||
| Democratic | Deb Andraca | 21,052 | 51.59% | +3.57% | |
| Republican | Jim Ott (incumbent) | 19,728 | 48.34% | −3.59% | |
| Scattering | 30 | 0.07% | |||
| Plurality | 1,324 | 3.24% | -0.67% | ||
| Total votes | 40,810 | 100.0% | +15.67% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | 7.16% | |||
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Representative Jim Ott". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ "Former meteorologist Jim Ott has best wishes for John Malan". WTMJ-TV. February 20, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "About Jim". Jim Ott for State Assembly. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ "Gielow won't seek re-election". The Capital Times. Associated Press. April 5, 2006. p. A12. Retrieved December 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Results of Fall General Election - 11/07/2006 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 5, 2006. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 11, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ a b Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 15, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Schmidt, Mitchell (November 9, 2020). "2020 election again shows lopsided Republican legislative maps". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Results of Fall Primary Election - 09/12/2006 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. October 17, 2006. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 11, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2018 General Election - 11/6/2018 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
External links
edit- Profile at Vote Smart
- Jim Ott at Ballotpedia
- Representative Jim Ott at Wisconsin Legislature
- Official website Archived 2020-12-31 at the Wayback Machine
- Campaign website Archived 2020-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Lumen Christi Parish