On April 21, Madison will welcome its newly elected members to the City Council; however, some city officials have mixed feelings about the incoming alders.
Tuesday, Alder-elect Bridget Maniaci won the City Council seat currently held by Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2.
Serving on the council since 2001, Konkel was the first incumbent to be defeated in an aldermanic race in more than a decade, according to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
Mayor Cieslewicz and Konkel have a history of public disagreements concerning city affairs.
“What was said was voters really want their public officials to work together and cooperate to find some common ground,” Cieslewicz said. “Rejection of confrontation for confrontation’s sake. [Maniaci] taps into the mood of the public.”
Cieslewicz said he is “very happy” Maniaci won the race, adding she will bring a lot of energy, enthusiasm and new ideas to the council.
Maniaci, a University of Wisconsin alum, is much closer to students in age than Konkel, Cieslewicz added.
“I think it’s definitely a step forward for the City Council and frankly for the representation of students in District 2,” Cieslewicz said.
Unlike Cieslewicz, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, was a supporter of Konkel and said he will greatly miss her presence on the council.
“I think most people consider it an upset, and it was an upset,” Verveer said. “There is no real clear issue working against her, but in [Konkel’s] case, [people were] largely against style. It was led by Mayor [Cieslewicz] that Brenda currently has poor style in the City Council. I respectfully disagree with that.”
Verveer, who works hand-in-hand with the District 2 and 8 alders, said he discussed his reasoning for endorsing Konkel with Maniaci and added, had Maniaci not run against his friend of 15 years, he most likely would have endorsed her.
Ald. Marsha Rummel, District 6, said on a personal level, Konkel is one of her closest colleagues and she will miss her on the council. However, the city voted and decided Maniaci was better for District 2, Rummel said, adding Maniaci is smart and will do her homework like Konkel.
Verveer, Cieslewicz and Rummel did agree Alder-elect Bryon Eagon, a UW junior, was the best choice to fill the shoes of current Ald. Eli Judge, District 8.
Judge, a UW senior, served as District 8 alder for one term and also gave his endorsement to Eagon.
“I think [Eagon] proved to all observers that he has really done his homework and is ready to hit the ground running as an alder,” Verveer said. “I went … to celebrate his victory and we were certainly talking about city issues and personalities last night. I am in particular very excited to work with [Eagon] as the latest 8th district alder.”
Eagon has big shoes to fill, Cieslewicz added, but Eagon will pick up just where Judge left off and work hard to fix safety issues on campus.
“He was the obvious frontrunner and performed to everybody’s expectation,” Rummel said.
