Who Should the Council Pick; Who Will the Council Pick

15 applicants for the vacant seat are in front of the six Councilors to select from on Tuesday evening in what is sure to be "sweeps week" ratings for OCAT. I've printed and read the 15 applications and seek now to answer: 1. Who would I pick to serve out the year term on the seventh seat; and 2. Who will the Council pick to serve with them?

The candidates have to be evaluated based on some criteria, and thanks to Burk Tower each Councilor stated what they were looking for. I will do the same. First the Council:

• Tower - someone who has been active in city affairs such as non-profits, coaches, service, also someone with a record of success and managerial skills;
  
• King - would prefer someone who has served on the Council previously (as well as Cummings, we presume, who hasn't)
• Palmeri - someone with integrity, moral character, and intelligence.
  
• Poeschl - none, other than over 18 and breathing
• McHugh - someone with experience with economic development, interest in infrastructure, and a "realistic vision".
• Mayor Esslinger - economic development, past history, long time city resident, budget experience and someone who can handle pressure.
  

This is a wide range of desires from the Council, but based on this we can probably narrow the field of candidates down quite a bit.

But what do I want to see from the seventh seat? First off, this person has no "mandate". They are an interim, a fill-in. When you hire someone to "hold down the fort" for a year, you want someone who has shown they are capable of doing the job without screwing anything up. They may not change the course of things, but they might improve it. They are in no position to take the lead, but should listen carefully to each issue and vote wisely given the circumstances. They should be independent, not tied to any one or two other councilors' points of view too much. So in short: 1. capable, 2. wise and/or intelligent, and 3. independent.

It is too bad that the Council isn't using a form of ranked choice voting, because the system they have set up will result in no "second choices". The Councilors will all vote on their first choice, and then vote again between the top two vote getters. This is unfortunate because I believe that if the Council sought beyond the individuals' first choices, they would probably settle on a candidate that possibly 4 or 5 of them might agree with.

So first, lets eliminate the 6 candidates that don't have a chance, because they don't meet the Council's stated criteria (except for Bob's): O'Day, Ehrlich, Krout, Wildman, Didlo, and Retelle. There is very little chance that any one of these six will get a first choice vote. And it is the first choice votes that matter now.

So here are the remaining NINE in the order of likelyhood of getting appointed:

• Steve Hintz - Former Mayor, six years on the council, mainstay of Oshkosh local politics and government. Lets face it, he's in because Cummings doesn't have the votes on the Council to get appointed. King will vote for him, Tower will strongly consider him. Poeschl and Palmeri will consider him in the second round at least. The fact that he is experienced, capable, and will only serve out the term puts him in a stong position.
  
• Harold Buchholz - a middle manager with All-Lift Systems, he has a business background, pays lip service to infrastructure, economic development, etc., and if he can sell himself to Esslinger & McHugh could be a dark horse. He's unknown, and that might work in his favor.
  
• Larry Spanbauer - a former Councilor and Deputy Mayor, he brings credentials but seems to appeal to the same set as Hintz. The "dig" toward Esslinger by way of the "juicy" letter attached to his resume won't help his case. But Spanbauer's no-bull attitude might make him a popular second choice, but only first choices matter.
• Brian Poeschl - he served a term on the Council, is that enough for second look by King? Poeschl was an Esslinger ally, and thus by proxy could get support from McHugh, but he doesn't have the economic development or managerial experience that many on the council seem to want.
• Mark Madison - Former County Board Supervisor, Madison might just get some love from the enigmatic Poeschl due to his prior support for Poeschl's Winnebago Peace & Justice Center. Madison would need to convince Palmeri as well though to get into the second round, where he might be able to pick up King's support.
• Steve Cummings - the "fourth place candidate", snubbed by the Council for an automatic bid. Can he prevail? He had King and Tower's support, but it pretty much stops there. I'm afraid that Hintz and Spanbauer are stepping in and passing Cummings as likely appointees.
• Jef Hall - Current County Board Supervisor, Chair of the County Dems. Hall wrote a great cover letter, I give him props for that. His politics will scare off McHugh and Esslinger, but does he bring the juice that Tower & King want? Oddly enough, Hall's better bets for first place votes might just come from one of the two Greens: Poeschl or Palmeri.
• Jim Evans - Evans, of the ArtSpace Collective and downtown Gallery Walk, appears to be applying more as a statement against the actions of the current council, but I can't help thinking that he might have gotten some support from his fiery cover letter. He won't get a first place vote from Esslinger, McHugh, Tower, or King, but Poeschl might bite and even though Evans seemed to dig at Palmeri some, I could see Palmeri finding that just exciting enough to support, especially if there is no one else Tony likes. Darkhorse who would liven up the Council. Unfortunately Evans indicated he had no intention of attending the Tuesday "show", so I have to mark him down because of that alone.
  
• Phillip Farley - if he doesn't show up, will he be disqualified? The ONW reported that he had a prior engagement for Tuesday which could hurt an otherwise potential seventh seater. Farley is a retired telecommunications worker who paints himself as a valuable asset to the city. But if he doesn't show up to make his case, he won't convince anyone.
  

So by my (very naive and unscientific) calculations, Steve Hintz is the most likely recipient of the Oshkosh Seventh Seat award, but this is going to be a barn burner with a whole lot of question marks. Who is Esslinger's candidate(s)? What is Palmeri thinking about this pool? How will Poeschl vote? Will it be a tie, or a "hung jury"?

Tune in Tuesday May 26 for Common Council at its best. It will be a defining moment for this Council and MUST SEE TV.

Posted in: elections,Local Government