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Waukesha committee forwards proposal to make city attorney an appointed post after split debate
Summary
The Ordinance and Licensing Committee voted 3–1 to send a draft ordinance to the full Common Council that would change the city attorney from an elected to an appointed position. Committee members and the city attorney debated independence, candidate pool size and residency requirements before the vote.
The Waukesha City Ordinance and Licensing Committee voted 3–1 on Aug. 25, 2025, to forward a draft ordinance to the full Common Council that would make the city attorney an appointed position rather than an elected office.
The proposal attracted extended debate during the committee’s meeting. Brian Bridal, the city attorney, told the committee that “if you do decide to make it appointed, I can't stress enough that it's important to take measures to maintain the independence of the position.” Bridal said draft language aims to make clear that “the client is the city,” not individual elected officials.
Supporters of making the position appointed said it would broaden the pool of qualified candidates and allow the city to recruit attorneys who do not live within the city limits. Alder Alicia said she did not “like the idea of taking power away from voters,” but added she is concerned there are “not very many lawyers that live within the city limits,” and that allowing nonresidents could attract more qualified applicants.
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