The New Hampton City Council has approved Mayor Steve Geerts’ appointment of Kerstin Schwickerath to fill the vacancy created with the resignation of former At-Large Councilwoman Katie Fisher on January 21st.
Geerts says he noticed Schwickerath’s attendance at recent Council meetings.
Geerts said previously he preferred to appoint Fisher’s replacement rather than filling the vacancy through a costly special election. Schwickerath helped avoid that scenario.
Still, any New Hampton citizen could gather enough names on a petition to request a special election, but that must be submitted within 14 days of Schwickerath’s appointment, which became official when she was sworn into office February 3rd.
Barring a petition, Schwickerath will serve as councilwoman at least until the election on November 4th, at which time the At-Large Council Seat, with a four-year term, will be up for voters to decide. She would need to run for office at that time to keep the post.
