Tim Meehean was appointed Tuesday night by the Merrill Common Council to fill the District 8 aldermanic seat. Meehean takes the place of long-time incumbent Anne Caylor, who declined the position due to a recent job-related move away from Merrill.
Meehean had run as a write-in for the District 8 seat in the April 1 election. Caylor actually won the election, although she had announced she was no longer seeking the post. Caylor said she had intended to run for re-election, but the job opportunity in Appleton arose shortly after the deadline to file nomination papers. She was unable to remove her name from the ballot. In the election, Caylor received 48 votes and Meehean received 46 write-in votes.
Meehean, retired administrator of Pine Crest Nursing Home in Merrill, was the only applicant for the open Common Council seat and was appointed by a unanimous vote of the council members.
During Tuesday night’s organizational meeting, another new face was welcomed to the council. Pete Lokemoen, a retired employee of the city’s engineering department, was elected in the April election to succeed Steve Hass, who opted out of re-election after 10 years on the council. In the past term, Hass served as council president.
On a split vote, John Burgener was elected council president for the next term. Both Burgener and Chris Malm were nominated for the position. Burgener received votes from four of the eight council members. Mayor Bill Bialecki voted in favor of Burgener to break the tie. The council president is paid $250 more per year than the other aldermen.
Bialecki said the city has accomplished a lot in the past aldermanic term, and is looking to the future.
“Growth, development and jobs will be the main focus around here,” he said. “Going forward, I think we’re going to see a lot of positive change in Merrill.”