MANITOWOC WI. — Justin Nickels was elected mayor of Manitowoc Tuesday, beating fellow Alderman Dave Soeldner by 15 votes from more than 9,400 cast.
The city's 27th mayor, Nickels, 22, officially begins work April 21. He replaces Kevin Crawford, who has served since 1989.
"Hard work pays off," Nickels said after receiving the news Tuesday evening. "The campaign is over. Now we need to focus on what's best for Manitowoc and move forward."
Nickels won with 4,711 votes to Soeldner's 4,696.
"It was a hard-fought campaign on both sides," Nickels said. "I just wanna thank (Dave). I look forward to working with him."
The Board of Canvass meets at 3 p.m. today to verify the vote count. Soeldner, 39, said he would wait to hear the results of that meeting before deciding whether to request a recount.
"My focus is on having an accurate vote count — not on making this a charade or a publicity stunt," Soeldner said Tuesday. "I'm going to exhaust all the reasonable alternatives that I have."
Tuesday night totals showed Soeldner won Nickels' district — District 2 — by three votes. Soeldner also picked up District 8, which he has represented since April 2008, by 116 votes.
Still, he was unable to garner enough support elsewhere to win.
"I'll be bitterly disappointed if I lose, because I think I'm the right choice for the city," Soeldner said. "But the one thing that I have is that I stayed true to myself and I ran a campaign that I can be proud of."
He said running a campaign such as this is "a big emotional investment," but he's not ruling out a future bid for the mayor's office.
"I'd consider it, but I just have no idea what four years can bring," Soeldner said. "I've got another career that I'm going try to keep going, and I'm committed to continue serving on the council in a job I love."
Soeldner's City Council term is scheduled to end next April. Nickels' post, which was up for election this year but went unchallenged, will be filled by council appointment. His replacement will serve a one-year term.
Though Nickels won't move into City Hall for another two weeks, he's planning to hit the ground running — starting today. He has a 7 a.m. breakfast for Manitowoc Public Utilities and a 10 a.m. meeting with Crawford and all the city department heads.
"There's no time to sleep," Nickels said. "It's time to work."
Nickels is to receive $68,830 in his first year in office, $70,207 in his second, $71,611 in his third and $73,043 in his fourth, according to city ordinance. The mayor's seat will be up for grabs again in April 2013.
7 comments:
I think this pretty crazy and very interesting. I'm not sure what made people choose a youngen but whatever floats their boat I guess. Who knows maybe he will prove to be a better mayor than any other.
It's unusual to see someone as young as Nickels serving as Mayor. It's obvious that he worked very hard during his campaign to win. Experience is very valuable, especially in political offices, but new, young minds can also have their own positive effects. Nickels appears to be set on his new job and intends to work hard to do the best job possible.
Wow i can't believe Nickles is only 22, and that he was elected. But the entire electoin seems wierd to me, the numbers are just too close. I find it very strange that they didnt elect someone with a little more experience, but mabe it will work out, and if not theres always 2013...
Wow i can't believe Nickles is only 22, and that he was elected. But the entire electoin seems wierd to me, the numbers are just too close. I find it very strange that they didnt elect someone with a little more experience, but mabe it will work out, and if not theres always 2013...
Wow i can't believe Nickles is only 22, and that he was elected. But the entire electoin seems wierd to me, the numbers are just too close. I find it very strange that they didnt elect someone with a little more experience, but mabe it will work out, and if not theres always 2013...
Weird. If i were a citizen of Manitowoc, i think I would choose the older experieced candidate. However, Justin may be the best coice. Who knows? There are many things that can be said about a young adult, for example, they are inexperience and they can't handle a job like that. However, the town may need someone new and vibrant, someone that can make some fresh new changes. I hope for the best for him!!!
Congrats to a twenty two year old who has such ambition and drive that he runs for a mayor and is elected based on his character. I think it’s beyond encouraging that at such a young age he wants to take part and be involved in his local politics. I hope more of this generation learns that nothing will be changed or done unless they take a proactive approach to making things happen.
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