A decision was supposed to be made on Thursday, July 5 on which one of the three candidates for the District 6 aldermanic position would join the 15-member Waukesha Common Council.
But on Friday, the Mayor’s Office indicated that due to a lack of quorum, the meeting has been canceled.
Mayor Jeff Scrima said earlier in the week that because of the Fourth of July holiday he was checking to see if there would be enough council members available. He said 10 members are needed to conduct city business.
As a result, the next Common Council meeting will now be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 17 at the City Hall Council Chambers.
At that meeting, the candidates will then be interviewed by the Council and then they will vote in open session.
The selected candidate will be sworn in at the end of the meeting and then will begin duties.
The alderman would serve from July 18 until April 2013 and would then have to win an election to serve out the remaining year of the original three-year term, which ends in April 2014.
The district is on the city’s southwest side, north of Sunset Drive, west of Grand Avenue and generally east of the Fox River and the Glacial Drumlin Trail.
The three candidates, who all have different backgrounds, are seeking to replace Ald. Brian White, who died in May.
While the decision has been postponed for a few more weeks, here is an overview of the candidates:
Katherine Ebel
Ebel, who has lived in Waukesha since 1998 with her husband, James, is a senior contributing editor for Plank Road Publishing in Brookfield.
Ebel lives at 337 W. College Ave.
She was previously a lecturer in German at Carroll University and a teaching assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ebel received her bachelor’s degree in German Literature from Cornell University and a master’s degree in German Literature from UW-Madison and is fluent in German.
Ebel, also a member of First Presbyterian Church in Waukesha, says her experience in the public and private sector and her time living in Germany and the Netherlands showed her that problems and solutions are “rarely simple.”
“Sometimes, we need to look at things from a different perspective to find the best solution,” she said in her application letter to the mayor. “As alderwoman, I would bring to the council an ability to carefully question and consider both sides of an issue and to offer creative solutions.”
Adam Jankowski
Jankowski, who lives at 114 Hinman Ave., touts his Army background and his leadership experience at his current employer, Dickten Masch Plastics in Nashotah, where he has served as a PC Technician for the last two years.
Before this, Jankowski was a lead computer technician for the U.S. Army from February 2008 to December 2009 and was an assistant computer technician from 2006 to 2008. He has received many awards from the Army.
“I believe I am the best person suited for the alderman seat because of my wide variety of experiences and practical knowledge,” Jankowski said. “I am a decorated Army Veteran with a Combat Tour of Iraq, where my experiences and knowledge singled me out to be assigned to a mission critical unit whose efforts helped increase the security on the infrastructure and roadways of Iraq.
“My job responsibilities at (Dickten) and my interactions with fellow employees have increased my ability to troubleshoot and problem solve a single persons or groups issue.”
He is currently enrolled at the University of Phoenix in its Bachelor of Science System Administrator degree program.
Marga Krumins
Krumins, who is challenging Rep. Bill Kramer later this year for the 97th Assembly seat, put her name in the hat as well.
“In talking to my neighbors in this district, it has become clear to me that my approach, one of listening to people, looking into the pros and cons of issues, thinking through implications, is one that would serve the people in this district well,” Krumins said. “I think you will find me a valuable asset, someone who will listen closely, point out implications, see others’ viewpoints, working to do what is best for the city.”
She has extensive background as a software developer as she has served as a software engineer and web developer for various companies in recent years.
Krumins was born in Stevens Point and was raised on her parents’ small dairy farm in Galloway, Wis. (Marathon County).
In the late 1970s she began college at UW-La Crosse, but left to serve as a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic in the U.S. Army for four years, before returning to school at UW-Madison, where she also served in the local reserve unit.
She then worked various jobs as a punch press operator, telephone sales representative, warehouse worker, tractor-trailer inspector and milling machine operator in La Crosse, Dane and Marathon counties.
In the early 90s, she worked with horses professionally, first as the barn manager at a show barn in the Madison area, then with thoroughbred racehorses in Chicago and Colorado.
Then, while working as a grinder operator for a Marathon County manufacturer, she earned a degree in Liberal Studies from Excelsior College.
Krumins also graduated with separate degrees in Computer Information Sciences from Northcentral Technical College in Wausau in 2002 and 2004.
“Working in various industries at various levels, will allow me to listen to people in the district with an understanding of where they are coming from, what they are experiencing,” said Krumins, who moved to Waukesha in 2006 and bought a house near downtown in 2009. “That, alongside my having rented in the city and now owning a home, as well as working directly with business people as a developer, will allow me to see through the eyes of much of the community.”