Caroline Gomez-Tom, Angel Sanchez aim for District 14 seat on Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Voters on Milwaukee's south side will decide who will fill the final vacant seat on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors in the runoff of a May 2 special election for District 14.

In April, Caroline Gomez-Tom came in first in the primary, but only ahead by 11 votes over Angel Sanchez.

Now, Gomez-Tom and Sanchez are squaring off in the runoff of the special election for a seat that has been vacant since January following the resignation of Dyango Zerpa.

District 14 is one of two Latino-majority districts in the county and encompasses part of Milwaukee's south side.

Gomez-Tom was out knocking on doors on Friday, April 28 to share with voters why she's running for the seat.

"I've been in this community now for ten years so I want to continue to serve this community to the best of my ability and I thought by running for office that was the next way I could serve this community," Gomez-Tom told CBS 58.

Her opponent, Angel Sanchez, also shared why he is wanting to lead the district on the County Board of Supervisors.

"I want to represent this district because this district needs some leadership, the City of Milwaukee and both the county face some very difficult financial times not only now but in the future," Sanchez said in an interview.

Gomez-Tom currently works at Covering Wisconsin, helping people find affordable insurance coverage, as well as serving on multiple nonprofit boards. She said her experience with community health distinguishes her from her opponent and other members of the Board of Supervisors.

"This health care, public health background that I bring, it doesn't just look at one particular issue in a silo, but rather looking at how it impacts our whole, places where we live, work and play," Gomez-Tom said.

Meanwhile, Sanchez points to his experience as a former member of the Milwaukee Common Council and work in business as his strength in his candidacy.

"I've been in this neighborhood my entire life, I'm a formal councilman, 20 years ago," Sanchez said. "At that time, I had over 300 million dollars of economic development."

Early voting ends on Saturday, April 29 where people can cast ballots from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The runoff of the special election is on May 2.