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Council appoints Eric Halgastad to fill District 11 vacancy after multi‑round vote
Summary
After interviewing seven candidates in public Q&A, the Waukesha City Council appointed Eric Halgastad to the District 11 alderperson seat by a majority in successive show‑of‑hands voting rounds. Councilors asked candidates about downtown projects, the Fox River, and the city budget.
The Waukesha City Council appointed Eric Halgastad to the District 11 alderperson seat during its May 19 meeting after multiple public voting rounds.
Mayor Powell Slickman opened the meeting and explained the selection process: each candidate would make a one‑minute introduction followed by questions from council members, with voting by public show of hands and elimination of the lowest vote‑getter each round. The council heard from seven applicants: Lenny Miller, David Vincent, Timothy Nikish, Eric Halgastad, Aaron Spencer, Becky Fetters and James Touchstone.
Candidates fielded the same core questions about working with others to reach compromise, support for downtown businesses and projects, the Mandel redevelopment across from downtown, and how to address recurring Fox River flooding and dredging. Lenny Miller and James Touchstone emphasized prior elected experience and downtown involvement; Timothy Nikish, David Vincent and Aaron Spencer described neighborhood and community engagement; Becky Fetters raised concerns about houselessness and cited interest in supportive housing initiatives; Halgastad, who serves on the library board, discussed Freeman Alley placemaking and said he would review a pending river/dam study before committing to a dredging plan.
Councilors conducted successive rounds of public, show‑of‑hands voting, dropping lowest vote‑getters after each tally. After multiple rounds of voting and eliminations, the mayor announced that Eric Halgastad had received a majority of the votes and declared him appointed. Halgastad accepted the seat and was welcomed to the council.
The mayor recorded hands during the process; the transcript shows the council followed the procedure described at the start of the session. The appointment was immediately followed by committee assignments; council later voted to place Halgastad on Building & Grounds, Ordinance & Licensing, and the Public Library Board.
What happens next: Halgastad will assume the duties of the District 11 alderperson and represent the district in upcoming council business. He has been scheduled to sit near Alderson Camacho and to begin committee service at the direction of the mayor and council.
