Tylor Elm received the appointment and was sworn in Tuesday to serve as the 6th District city councilor.
Two months after losing the election by one vote, the Superior businessman will finish out the first year of the term his opponent, Graham Garfield, was elected to serve carrying the election with one more vote than Elm garnered.
Garfield stepped down last month after being charged in connection with a domestic incident.
Elm and Kara Schmidt, a 6th District resident with four years in student governance at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and two years as a youth member of the Douglas County Board were vying for the appointment.
"My heart for civic engagement started in kindergarten, when I went to my very first Girl Scout meeting," Schmidt told the council. After earning the highest honors conveyed in Girl Scouts, she said she carried those values forward as a student at UWS and a member of the County Board. In addition, she's participated in Superior Days for the last five years. She said after knocking on doors of people in the district, she is familiar with the issues that matter to people in the district.
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"I pledge to them, and I pledge to you Council, I will uphold the platform that won through our sacred election process," Schmidt said.
"This past campaign season has challenged me; it allowed me to grow," said Elm, who highlighted the various city and service organizations with which he's been involved. The co-owner of discoverpc.NET, he said it was through his work in the IT industry, he discovered "troubleshooting comes naturally to me."
After working and growing his business through the Tower Avenue reconstruction project, he plans to serve as a liaison for the businesses currently impacted by the Belknap Street reconstruction project.
People, including many living in the district, overwhelming spoke in favor of Elm, speaking of his integrity, willingness to serve others, involvement in the community and ability to persevere.
"I am here to support Mr. Elm," said Gayle Wahner, a 52-year resident and 40-year homeowner in the 6th District. "He sees the value in our beautiful city, and how do I know that? He owns a home here. He sees the potential in our chilly city. How do I know? He owns a business here. He also listens, then he asks questions and then he researches. He is just such an asset to our city. I hope you select him."
Lindsey Dobson of the 6th District said the Council's decision was important to her because she was the one who urged Elm to run for office this year.
"This is a critical decision the Council will be making on behalf of our city," Dobson said. She said after being involved in politics since her teens "I can say with full confidence that Tylor Elm would be an asset to this city as a council member. I've known Tylor for 11 years and he's always been heavily involved in the community. I can attest to his principled character and upstanding work ethic."
After listening to more than 20 people speaking, two who favored Schmidt but lived outside the 6th District, the Council made its decision.
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By a 7-2 vote, the Council voted for Elm to fill the vacancy for the next 10 months, when a special election will decide who will finish the term.
"They're both wonderful candidates and we would be well served by both of them," said Councilor Warren Bender, who joined Councilors Dan Olson, Jenny Van Sickle, Jack Sweeney, Brent Fennessey, Craig Sutherland and Keith Kern in support of Elm.
Councilors Ruth Ludwig and Esther Dalbec favored Schmidt for the seat.
