By Ryan Whisner
The Fort Atkinson City Council has appointed former councilman Davin Lescohier to fill a vacant seat on the panel.
The action came Tuesday during the council’s regular meeting.
A lifelong resident of Fort Atkinson and a former councilman, serving from 2009 to 2019, Lescohier also is in the middle of his second three-year term on the Fort Atkinson Plan Commission.
The final vote Tuesday was 3-1 in favor of appointing him to the council. Councilman Kyle Jaeckel cast the lone vote against him.
Per the appointment process approved by the council, Lescohier’s term will be from May 17, 2023, to April 16, 2024. A special election for the remaining one-year term of the seat will be on the ballot in April 2024 to bring the city back into its normal council seat election process.
The vacancy was created after former councilwoman Megan Hartwick, who was reelected in the April, resigned from her position.
Although her name appeared on the April ballot, Hartwick offered a public statement in February, asking to withdrawi herself from the election. However, per state statutes, city officials noted in February, a candidate who had filed nomination papers and had qualified for ballot approval is unable to withdraw from the ballot except under circumstances of death.
In April, the tallies placed Hartwick among the top three vote-getters, winning 1,758 or 14.97% of the vote. Also placing among the top three were incumbent Mason Becker, who earned 2,163 or 18.41% of the vote, and newcomer Kyle Jaeckel, who earned 1,979 or 16.85% of the vote.
A fourth contender, John Donohue, earned 1,561 or 13.29% of the vote.
Following the election, the council unanimously selected to engage in an appointment process via submitted applications for a one-year term and then hold a special election for a one-year term in April 2024.
A total of nine city residents submitted applications for the position. Listed in alphabetical order, they included: Paul Brady, John Donohue, Nathan Friedl, James Garthwait, Gary Held, Jordan Lamb, Davin Lescohier, Diana Shull, and Mary Kay Paulson Weston.
Friedl removed his name from consideration before the meeting Tuesday. Subsequently, only six of the remaining eight attended the meeting and were up for the position.
Lamb and Held were not present.
“I would like to thank all of you for applying for this position,” Council President Bruce Johnson said. “I’m impressed with the quality of the people we have that are interested and I hope that you stay interested.”
Acknowledging that only one would succeed, he encouraged all that have applied to submit papers in the spring and run against him.
“I may regret that but would like to see more activity on that rather than so few,” he said, noting that 100 signatures are not that hard to get.
Jaeckel echoed that sentiment.
“If you don’t get (the) position tonight, definitely try and run,” he said. “I didn’t think I would at first and here I am sitting here in front of you.”
In addition, councilman Eric Schultz cited multiple ways such as attending meetings, making comments during public comment, getting to know committee or council members, or even attending the upcoming citizen government academy as ways to learn more and give back.
“It doesn’t take being on the city council to play an active role in the community or be a leader in it,” Schultz said.
Each of the six candidates in attendance Tuesday had opportunities to introduce themselves and address questions from the council members.
Lescohier was the fourth presenter.
“I appreciate everyone who submitted an application for this tonight, having served in the council before,” he said. “It’s an important role, and I’d be happy to go to the polls and have the choice that this group has given you tonight to make.”
The former council member admitted that he and the other applicants likely shared a lot in common.
“We care deeply about this community, we want to see it thrive, and we’re willing to work and we want to work for the betterment of it for everyone,” Lescohier said. “I see the differentiator for me, and the others is that I have in the past taken out nomination papers five different times to run for city council and had the good fortune of the electorate showing their confidence in me and serving.”
Over his decade on the council, Lescohier served as president for two years and president pro tem for three years and worked with three city managers — John Wilmet, Evelyn Johnson, and Matt Trebatoski.
He guided the council as president through the process of accepting Johnson’s resignation from the city manager position.
In addition, he has served upon many of the council’s committees, he said, adding: “I had a chance to really learn in the 10 years. I know I don’t have all the answers, but I started to gain a lot of them in the 10 years that I was here.”
He said he could offer the council someone who has been through the rigors of five different election cycles and is willing to help the council at least get to the next election.
“It’s an important decision that you have to make tonight,” he said. “A highly unusual one, in that it’s usually a decision made by hundreds, even thousands of our electorate. My primary motivation is to help you get to the next election.”
Lescohier said when he first ran for a seat on the council in 2009, someone asked how long he might be interested in serving. Even then, he said, his answer was multiple terms because it takes time to learn the processes and understand how the city goes about budgeting and how everything works.
His statement was not clear as to his intention to seek the seat in the April 2024 election.
On Tuesday, Johnson described him as previously being “impressive” and questioned if he felt he had left anything “undone.”
“There is nothing that I left undone,” Lescohier said. “I enjoyed immensely my time on the council and near the end of the 10th year that I served, it just seemed like a good time, given the longevity of those who I was serving with, it seemed like a good time to clear a path for a new face to join the council.”
Since his departure, there have been at least four new faces, including two, Schultz and Jaeckel, with whom he has not worked directly.
“I’m really glad that there has been an opportunity for new faces to come in here,” Lescohier said. “I would encourage everybody, five of us are going to walk away without an appointment to this vacancy, to take out papers and run next year.”
He noted that three seats will be up for election in April 2024 and then returning to the regular election cycle three in 2025.
“There are six opportunities in the coming years,” Lescohier said. “It would warm my heart if we continue to show this kind of enthusiasm for service on our city council.”
Meanwhile, Becker inquired about Lescohier’s continued interest in the ongoing Banker Road development and his thoughts on how it is proceeding.
“I’m very interested in that development as a member of Plan Commission,” Lescohier said. “It is an exciting proposal that’s coming before us and as we heard tonight earlier, there’s definitely a need for new residents in our community but also a place for them to live. So, whether it’s single-family homes, duplexes, multifamily options, we need all of that and really at all different levels.”
Continuing, he said he is excited to see how the development plays out in the future and is very much supportive of it.
Schultz, who Lescohier has not previously served with on the council, but has spent time with on the Plan Commission, had no questions.
“One thing I appreciate about serving with you on the Plan Commission, is you always come up with questions that I may not think of, and I definitely appreciate that because you give a unique perspective and thought process through issues,” Schultz said.
Lescohier appreciated Schultz’s comments and indicated that much of that comes from people whom he had a chance to serve with.
When first elected in 2009, Lescohier’s fellow council members included Mark Zastrow, Loren Gray, John Mielke, and Dick Schultz. Others who served during his tenure included Paul Kotz, Jude Hartwick, Leslie LaMuro, Beth Gehred, Bill Camplin, and seated council members Mason Becker and Bruce Johnson.
“I’m one who learns best by kind of watching others and learning from their style,” the applicant said. “I had some good people I’ve had a chance to serve with and you pick up things from them that make you a better council member.”
Following the presentation of each of the six applicants, the council members openly submitted their selections for the three finalists.
Johnson and Becker each choose Lescohier, Shull, and Paulson Weston. Schultz narrowed his selection to Donohue, Shull, and Lescohier and Jaeckel selected Paulson Weston, Lescohier, and Donohue.
Based on that tally, the final three were Lescohier, Shull, and Paulson Weston.
“We have three quality choices,” Johnson said, highlighting the two women who made it into the top three.
“I think that that’s one thing council is missing is a lady’s perspective on things,” the council president said.
Running through the trio, Johnson noted that Lescohier could “hit the ground running,” having served before. Also, based on his research, he said either Schull or Watson would be good choices as well.
Schultz indicated that he considered preparation for the role, history of service to communities, their referrals, and the general application packet in making his selection.
“I think we’ve got some really great candidates,” he said.
Recognizing the quality of the candidates, Becker noted that he would have been fine serving with any of the six people who had applied.
“It was a tough decision,” he said.
Citing his time on the council with Lescohier, he described the former council member as an engaged individual who has served the community in several ways. Specifically, he cited Lescohier’s early involvement in the Fort Atkinson Fire Department’s ride-along program as being demonstrative of Lescohier’s desire to be involved.
Relating to Mary Kay Paulson Weston, Becker said he believes she has a good financial background and is passionate about public service.
“I think she would bring a fresh perspective to our city council,” he said.
Like Lescohier, Becker has known Sholl for some time and serves with her on the library board.
“I do appreciate the perspective and things she said about Fort Atkinson being supportive of families with kids,” Becker said. “That is an area where we need to maintain our strengths right now as a community, so I think all three bring good positive things to the table.”
Jaeckel had little he wanted to add, he said, and admitted how hard the decision was, ultimately leading to the final vote in favor of Lescohier.
Fort Atkinson Municipal Building, file photo/Kim McDarison.
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