Harrison's new village president Allison Blackmer will help the growing community to 'keep moving forward'

Roshaun Higgins, Appleton Post-Crescent
·1 min read

HARRISON - Allison Blackmer was surprised to be appointed village president of Harrison during a meeting earlier this week.

"I had expressed interest in running for village president in 2023," she said. "It was kind of a surprise Tuesday night when they appointed me."

Blackmer is succeeding the previous village president Kevin Hietpas, who became village president in 2019 and resigned Dec. 21 due to family health concerns. Blackmer was appointed for the remainder of his term, which ends in 2023.

When Harrison was a township — it became a village in 2013 through an effort that involved Hietpas' — Blackmer served as town chair for 10 years. That role for her ended in 2001. Prior to that, she also served on the Calumet County Board for eight years, two of those years as board chair.

Blackmer is the only challenger in the upcoming spring elections for the village board. If she wins, she said she will decline the seat. The seat will then go to the next most popular candidate.

Even though it was an unexpected turn of events, Blackmer is ready to proactively assist in Harrison's growth. She looks forward to discussing multifamily housing options and reconsidering the village's comprehensive plan.

"There's been a lot of growth in the village of Harrison," she said. "(I'm) mostly trying to get all the projects on target and keep moving forward."

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Contact Roshaun Higgins at 920-205-1154 or rhiggins@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @row_yr_boat.

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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Allison Blackmer "surprised" to become Harrison's village president