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DeForest board appoints Wayne Brown to fill trustee seat after ranked-choice tabulation
Summary
After interviewing five candidates and using a ranked-choice scoring spreadsheet, the DeForest village board unanimously approved the appointment of Wayne Brown to the trustee seat through April 17, 2028. Alicia moved the appointment, Jan seconded, and the board announced Brown will take the oath at the July 7 meeting.
The DeForest village board appointed Wayne Brown to a vacated trustee seat at a special meeting on June 30 after interviewing five candidates and tabulating trustees’ ranked preferences.
Board moderators ran a randomized interview order and gave each candidate about 90 seconds to answer five questions. The trustees then ranked candidates on preference sheets; Kelly entered those rankings into a spreadsheet that applied a ranked-choice calculation. Bill, who moderated the interviews, told the room that "if a candidate receives more than 50% . . . then that candidate will be recommended for appointment." The ranked-count rounds eliminated Kevin Murtha and Craig Garti in the first round and, after three rounds, produced Wayne Brown as the top choice.
At the board’s business item to appoint a trustee, Alicia moved to "approve" the recommendation; Jan seconded. The motion "carried unanimously," and the board confirmed Brown as the appointee to serve the remainder of the term ending April 17, 2028. The board did not record individual roll-call votes in the minutes; the chair announced the outcome by voice. The newly appointed trustee is expected to be sworn in at the board’s next regular meeting on July 7.
Brown, one of five finalists, told trustees during the interview that "the biggest role is to represent all the residents" and emphasized long-term, fiscally responsible decision-making and transparency. Other finalists described listening, community outreach and using staff expertise as central to trusteeship. Candidates outlined outreach approaches including listening sessions, social media, surveys and presence at community events.
The meeting opened at 5:00 p.m. with the pledge of allegiance and concluded at 5:57 p.m. The board’s packet listed the vacancy term through April 17, 2028, and moderators instructed candidates on microphone use and timing before questions began.
No statutes, ordinances or written conditions were cited as a condition of the appointment. The board’s selection process relied on trustees’ ranked ballots entered into the spreadsheet and the board’s subsequent voice vote to confirm the appointment.
