January 2017

The Lemirande sisters felt things slipping away.

Middleton’s girls basketball team was playing Janesville Craig in the 2015 WIAA Division 1 sectional finals. And with the Cardinals in a 48-39 hole early in the fourth quarter, Alyssa Lemirande looked at her sister Bria, then took her tongue and touched it to her nose.

Perhaps the only other person to notice that day was Carlee Lemirande — the third of the Lemirande triplets. But when Alyssa gave the signal, it was “go time.”

“We had a signal to each other that year where if the team was doing bad, we just needed to pick it up and get things done,” Bria Lemirande said. “And so we made up a signal to touch our tongue to our nose.

“And when we made that signal to each other it meant we had to do something. Just get the game moving.”

Maybe it was the signal. Maybe talent simply ruled the day.

One thing is certain: The City of Middleton’s seventh aldermanic district will have a new representative on the common council in 2017.

Whether it is John Orlikowski or Dan Ramsey II, both of whom are running for the seat being vacated by mayoral candidate and current District 7 alderman Hans Hilbert, will be up to voters when they head to the polls on April 4.

After their candidacies became official, both Orlikowski and Ramsey II recently took some time to tell the Times-Tribune who they are and why they are running for a seat on the council. While plenty more information about them – and about the contested mayoral race between Hilbert and current District 2 alderman Gurdip Brar – will ensue in the coming months, this provides an early opportunity to get to know the council candidates before they, or their supporters, knock on your door to ask for your vote.