Applications for District 3 Aldermanic spot to open soon after Nancy Welch's resignation
After 16 years of public service, Wauwatosa District 3 Ald. Nancy Welch will no longer serve on the city council.
Welch announced June 13 that she would step down from her position because she is moving away from Wauwatosa. This ends her time as as a council member, which started in 2016 — after 10 years serving as the city's community development director for Wauwatosa.
Welch decided to run for a spot on the council after a negative experience she had where she was told to "shut up" at a public meeting. At the meeting, she was told she had no grounds to talk as they were discussing plans that she had created as the community development director.
“I kind of said this is not the way local government should work. And that's when I chose to run. And my goal has always been to make sure all the facts are out there, that the public is getting what they need,” Welch said.
It was that previous experience as a certified planner and community development director that allowed Welch to bring unique insights and employ a sense of balance in Wauwatosa. This is exemplified by her contributions to projects such as GE Healthcare's move to Wauwatosa.
“When you have spent 30 years working in multiple communities, have certification as a housing development person and have dealt with it in multiple states and multiple cities, yeah, you know when to say something,” she said.
Though she is moving on from her position in Wauwatosa, Welch said she still plans to remain in public service in a variety of capacities — even if not as a public representative.
Finding a new alderperson
After Welch’s resignation, the city announced that protocols include the formation of a an aldermanic nomination committee of five current council members. The city also asked residents who live in District 3 to apply. Applications will be accepted for two weeks.
The application for the alderperson position became available June 24 on the Wauwatosa city website.
Two weeks after the application window closes, the aldermanic nomination committee will conduct interviews with the applicants. Interviews will be videotaped and made available to the public. The committee will select an applicant to recommend to the full Common Council.
The council will not vote to fill any aldermanic vacancy until at least seven days have elapsed since the nomination committee has recommended an applicant to allow for public comment and appropriate consideration by council members who are not members of the nomination committee,
The Common Council will select one of the applicants for the vacancy by a majority vote.
Beck Andrew Salgado can be reached at 512-568-4070 or Bsalgado@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Beck_Salgado
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: District 3 Aldermanic spot up in the air after resignation
