Racine council elects Marlo Harmon as vice president; president vote recorded but winner not clearly announced

The Racine Common Council held its annual organizing meeting on April 15, 2025, and elected Alder Marlo Harmon as council vice president by an 8-7 vote. The council also conducted an open-ballot election for council president and approved the mayor’s committee appointments by voice vote.

Alder Marlo Harmon was nominated from the floor and addressed the council before the vote. “As vice president, I would continue to support everyone having their values expressed through appropriate debate, being respectful,” Alder Harmon said. The clerk’s tally read eight votes for Harmon and seven for Alder Olivia Davis; the mayor publicly congratulated Harmon after the count.

Alder David Mack and another alder were nominated for council president and each was given up to five minutes to speak under a new ordinance governing the procedure. Alder David Mack told colleagues he had led the council through a “very tumultuous time” and cited his experience in state and local government as qualifications. The clerk read ballots for the president’s race and the transcript records that seven ballots were read for David Mack; the meeting record does not contain an explicit announcement declaring a winner for the president’s office.

The city attorney explained the procedure before nominations, saying the ordinance provides nominees up to five minutes to present reasons for election and that the vote is by open ballot. If no nominee receives a majority, the two receiving the most votes are subject to a runoff under the ordinance’s tie-breaking provisions, the attorney said.

After the officer elections, the council considered approval of the remaining committee communications nominated by the mayor (agenda item 0412-25). An alder moved to approve the item and, after a second, the council approved the nominations by an oral “aye” vote called by the presiding officer.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn that passed by voice vote.

Votes at a glance - Vice president: Alder Marlo Harmon elected 8–7 over Alder Olivia Davis (clerk count read 8 votes for Harmon, 7 for Davis). Outcome: approved. - Council president: Open-ballot vote held; the clerk’s reading of ballots recorded at least seven votes for Alder David Mack. The transcript does not record a formal announcement declaring a winner for the president’s office. - Approval of committee nominations (agenda item 0412-25): Passed by voice vote. Outcome: approved. - Motion to adjourn: Passed by voice vote. Outcome: approved.

The organizing meeting also included the swearing-in of new and returning alderpersons and brief remarks from newly sworn members thanking supporters; those ceremonial remarks did not change council business recorded at the meeting.