After Racine City Alderman Ray DeHahn died earlier this month, city officials will now look for a member of the 7th District to serve the remainder of his term.
DeHahn, a man who served on the Racine County Board and Common Council for 40 years, died Sept. 6.
“This has been a difficult time for the City of Racine,” said Mayor Cory Mason. “We still mourn the loss of Alderman DeHahn and are in many ways still in disbelief that he is no longer with us. However, President (Jason) Meekma and I have sought counsel with the City Attorney, and recognize that we need to begin a process to make sure the people of the 7th district have representation.
“But make no mistake about, while we need to fill Ray’s seat, there is no replacing Ray DeHahn.”
DeHahn served District 7, which is located on Racine’s north-west side.
State statutes call for a person to be appointed to the seat because of its proximity to the spring election. DeHahn’s seat would have been up for re-election in the spring of 2019.
“To keep consistent with past practice, it has been determined that the Racine City Clerk will solicit letters of interest and resumes from eligible persons living in the 7th aldermanic district,” Mason said.
The deadline to turn in letters of interest and resume’s is Oct. 31. The Committee of the Whole will then interview candidates on Nov. 13 and make a recommendation to the Mayor. The chosen candidate would then serve out the remainder of DeHahn’s term, which ends April 2019.
Any appointment, if made, would be to fill the remainder of Alderman DeHahn’s term, which ends in April 2019.
“It is important that we stay consistent with past practice when we need to fill a vacant seat. With that said, we are usually filling the seat of someone who is choosing to retire. We lost an excellent public servant and an even better man in Ray DeHahn with his passing. The Common Council will do our due diligence to make sure that whoever we appoint is well qualified to follow in Ray’s footsteps,” said Common Council President Jason Meekma.
Applicants should submit a letter of interest and a resume to the Office of the Clerk at Tara.Coolidge@cityofracine.org or mail to Attention: City Clerk, 730 Washington Ave, Rm 103, Racine, WI 53403. Questions should be directed to the City Clerk’s Office at 262-636-9171