Politics & Government

Former Alderman Appointed Mayor of Oak Creek

Al Foeckler will serve as mayor through the April elections.

Former Alderman Al Foeckler has been appointed mayor of Oak Creek and will serve the remainder of the term of Dick Bolender, who died unexpectedly Dec. 10.

In an emotional meeting Tuesday night, the Oak Creek Common Council appointed Foeckler on a 3-2 vote. Foeckler, an attorney with Cannon & Dunphy, served as alderman from 1999 to 2008 in the 2nd District and was council president for three of those years.

"I don't cherish stepping into this role," Foeckler said in an interview after the meeting. "It's simply a means to fill a civic duty brought about tragedy.

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"I, by no means, think I'm going to fill the void that's left. I'm simply just trying to keep the ship steady in times of rough waters."

Foeckler will be sworn in Thursday and serve through April 16. He is not running in the mayoral election in spring.

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It's believed to be the first time in the history of Oak Creek that a vacancy in the mayor's office has occurred, City Attorney Larry Haskin said.

To fill that vacancy, Haskin presented the council with three options after researching the city's municipal code and consulting with the Wisconsin League of Municipalities. The council could appoint an alderman, appoint a past elected official or open up an application process for all Oak Creek residents.

Aldermen Dan Jakubczyk, Michael Toman and Tom Michalski voted for Foeckler while Aldermen Dan Bukiewicz and Ken Gehl voted for council president and Alderman Steve Scaffidi.

Scaffidi, in his role as acting mayor, did not vote. The mayor only votes in case of a tie.

The council also considered former mayor Dale Richards.

Had Scaffidi been appointed mayor, he would have vacated his position as alderman, which would have prompted another appointment process for that seat.

Toman and Michalski said they preferred Scaffidi retain his aldermanic position so that he could continue voting on issues.

"There's too much going on in the city right now," Toman said. "We got some huge development issues out there. We have the Civic Center to deal with. Steve is familiar with all that ... we need his vote. We need him back in that aldermanic seat."

Scaffidi and Michalski, along with Mark Verhalen, are running for mayor in this spring's election. For more on the mayoral election, .

Earlier in the meeting, the council paid tribute to Bolender and approved a resolution honoring his service to the city and his life. .


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