Oshkosh mayoral candidates outline views on housing, TIFs, DEI and city manager role at League forum

Two Oshkosh City Council members competing for mayor answered a range of policy questions at a League of Women Voters forum, focusing on the mayor’s limited formal powers, strategies for affordable housing and the role of tax-increment financing in redevelopment.

Matt McGrawer, deputy mayor and a current Oshkosh City Council member, said the mayor should “preside over the meetings” and act as one of seven elected council members. “You are one of seven, and it takes seven, you know, seven council members ... to come together to get things done in this community,” McGrawer said, arguing against expanding the mayor’s authority.

Aaron Mojakowski, also a member of the Oshkosh City Council, echoed support for the city manager form of government and described the mayor’s role as providing steady leadership and facilitating meetings. “I’m a big fan of that,” Mojakowski said of the city manager model, adding that it allows a professional administrator to run city operations while elected officials provide oversight.

Why it matters: Voters will choose a mayor who presides over the council and represents the city publicly, but both candidates emphasized the city manager’s central operational role. Their positions matter for how Oshkosh balances elected…