Scaffidi Already At Work As He Prepares to Take Office

Even before he takes the oath of office tonight, Oak Creek Mayor-elect Steve Scaffidi started work on one of his biggest campaign themes.

Scaffidi took steps in the days between the election and swearing-in to begin shoring up what he sees as deficiencies in communication. Among his initiatives were to get the city active on social media, improve its official website and expand late Mayor Dick Bolender's "Meet the Mayor" meetings.

The first Meet the Mayor event is tenatively set for early May at the , 301 W. Ryan Road. City staff will be on hand to answer questions and attendees will be able to tour the police department, Scaffidi said.

Future meetings are planned at other city departments, such as streets and fire, as well as local businesses, Scaffidi said. He's also planning to hold open forums about every six months.

"I want people to know what’s going on," Scaffidi said. "They can come and show up and ask any question they want."

Scaffidi said the city is working through logistics of establishing a Facebook page, like who would administer the page and the legalities of what the city could publish. On Twitter, Scaffidi maintains his feed at @OCMayorSteve (twitter.com/ocmayorsteve).

Communication about key issues will also be emphasized at the Common Council level, Scaffidi said. He plans quarterly updates about ongoing projects such as the Delphi and lakefront redevelopments.

Scaffidi said representatives from the Waukesha Water Utility will address the council in May about its .

"Often, the council only sees (a proposal) when it's almost finalized," he said. "We're going to have progress updates probably quarterly ... so the council is fully aware of where projects are. Council is the final arbiter and they need to be involved with process."

The mayor's office in city hall has also been transferred to the Oak Creek Health Department, which resides across the hall and badly needs the extra space, he said. Scaffidi took the office of former Parks and Recreation Department Director Doug Schachtner, who retired at the end of last year.

Filling Scaffidi's aldermanic seat

Scaffidi also said the process to fill his now-vacant aldermanic seat will start at Tuesday's council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. with the swearing in of the April 3 election winners.

The council is expected to accept applications from any interested residents in the 3rd District (click here for a map). Aldermen will then interview each candidate and make an appointment sometime in May. 

Scaffidi had one year remaining on his aldermanic term. The appointee will hold the seat until the term expires next April, or until a special election can be held.

A special election could be held in conjunction with another election this year, though Scaffidi said it would still add to the city's costs and he would rather see the appointee serve out the remainder of the term.