Wauwatosa is moving to fill a vacant District 6 aldermanic seat that has sat empty since former Ald. Sean Lowe resigned in April after buying a home outside his district. Six applicants — Michael Hemmingsen, Lawrence Hoth, Erik Jessup-Anger, John Myers, Derek Steinmetz and Jozef Zwier — will interview Aug. 26 before a five-person committee of alderpersons, which will recommend a candidate to the Common Council for a temporary appointment. The council is set to vote on that recommendation Sept. 29, with the appointee earning $587.50 per month and serving until an April 6, 2027 special election decides who completes the remainder of the term.
The plan followed pushback from nearly 40 residents who petitioned the council for faster representation after a Government Affairs Committee proposal initially called for waiting until 2027 to fill the seat through election alone. The council amended that plan on July 28 to pursue both an interim appointment and the special election. District 6, covering the Pasadena and Tosa East Towne neighborhoods, is one of 12 districts under Wauwatosa's newly redrawn map, which shrank the Common Council from 16 to 12 members. Candidacy filing for the 2027 election opens in December.
