MONROE — Alderman Rob Schilt plans to step down April 16, a year early from his seat on Monroe Common Council, for personal reasons and will likely be replaced by a single appointment recommendation despite there being a crowded race for council April 2.
The ballot choices for council were plentiful on Tuesday, something that has not happened in recent years. When now Mayor Louis Armstrong ran for his own seat on council in addition to the mayoral position, he was unopposed. After winning his current seat, he appointed current Alderman Ron Marsh.
But in the year that Marsh has declined to seek re-election, there were more candidates than open seats. Council had four spots and six candidates; one incumbent, Brooke Bauman, four ballot candidates and a registered write-in.
According to unofficial results, Tammy Fetterolf, Kelly Hermanson, Joshua Binger were elected along with Bauman. Rob Driver fell just short of beating out another candidate. Write-in Dan Perdue was much further behind with just 36 votes.
In the past, the mayor has been given the responsibility of recommending a candidate for approval by council members.
“This is the way we’ve done it in the past,” Armstrong said Wednesday.
Because the state statutes don’t specify a method by which to appoint a member to council in the absence of another, Armstrong said the plan is to do what the city has always done. He said other options were briefly considered, but once it was clear the statutes did not specify how to make an appointment recommendation, he decided the way the city has appointed aldermen in the past was best. He noted that he is considering a “number of people,” but would not specify how many or identify possible recommendations.
Wisconsin State Statute 17.23 outlines how vacancies are filled in city offices. While a special election could be held in the first week of November, Bauman said that seems implausible due to cost and time constraints. If an appointment isn’t made within a reasonable amount of time, having an equal number on council could lead to problems, she said.
Ultimately, the responsibility of filling the vacancy falls to council members. They can vote to accept or reject any recommended individual, but there is an opportunity for more than one qualified candidate to be considered, Bauman conceded. She added that a good method for choosing a candidate would be to conduct interviews between the people council members feel are most qualified. Bauman said she might suggest such an idea to Armstrong.
Per state statutes, the council can determined the best procedure for nominating candidates and selecting someone to fill any vacancy.
The appointment would require agreement by a majority of the nine-person council. Alderman can also consider nominating the person with a low vote during the most recent election. Discussion of the appointment among council members is slated for April 16.