Matt Mugerauer wins Oshkosh mayor race; council sees shakeup after 2023 spring elections

Bremen Keasey, Oshkosh Northwestern
·2 min read
Jerry and Gail Raddatz sign in during voting April 4, 2023, at the Sunnyview Christian Church polling station in Oshkosh, Wis.
Jerry and Gail Raddatz sign in during voting April 4, 2023, at the Sunnyview Christian Church polling station in Oshkosh, Wis.

OSHKOSH – The people of Oshkosh have a new mayor, as council member Matt Mugerauer earned the most votes to take over for the outgoing Lori Palmeri.

Mugerauer earned 7,737 votes for 52.7% of the tally compared to 6,953 votes, or 47.3%, for opponent Aaron Wojciechowski, and will earn a two-year term as mayor. Mugerauer will replace Palmeri, who is currently serving in Madison as the representative of the 54th Assembly District.

The Oshkosh Common Council will look different during its next meeting in April. Three challengers, Karl Buelow, Paul Esslinger and Joe Stephenson were the top three vote-earners, and will earn two-year terms on the council.

In an increcibly close race, Buelow placed first earning 6,212 votes, good for 18.3%. Stephenson was second with 6,131, 18.1%, and Esslinger was third with 6,044 votes, 17.8%.

Matt Mugerauer
Matt Mugerauer

Incumbents Courtney Hansen and Bill Miller finished in fourth and fifth, with Hansen earning 6,018 votes, 17.7%, falling just 26 votes shy of earning another term on the board. Miller finished with 5,530 votes for 16.3% and Devon Hudak rounded out the field with 4,002 votes, or 11.8%. Wojciechowski, who lost his race for mayor, was the lone incumbent to not seek reelection.

In a countywide race, long-time incumbent Judge Scott Woldt held off a challenge by LaKeisha Haase in the race for a seat on the Winnebago County Circuit Court.

Woldt, who faced his first reelection since he was suspended without pay for seven days by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2021 because of misconduct, won 23,547 votes, or 51.5% to earn another six-year term as judge. Haase, the first Black judge to serve in Winnebago County after she was appointed to the court in Dec. 2020 by Gov. Tony Evers before losing a re-election bid in April 2022, gathered 22,099 votes, or 48.5%.

More: Oshkosh-area election results

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Click to see The Northwestern's special offers at thenorthwestern.com/subscribe and download our app on the App Store or Google Play.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh mayor, Winnebago County election results: Spring 2023 races