Council to appoint District 10 rep following Phillips departure

By Brandi Makuski

The Stevens Point City Council will appoint someone from District 10 to fill the remaining four months of Mike Phillips’ role.

Phillips, the longest-serving member of the council, announced in September he was stepping down, citing longtime frustrations with the council majority and a pending move from his district. Phillips served in his role from 1995 to 2004 and was elected again in 2012.

The council had the option of leaving the seat empty until April’s election, Mayor Mike Wiza said on Monday. Councilmembers said they preferred to have the 10th District represented through the spring election.

Any District 10 resident interested in filling the position should contact City Clerk Paul Piotrowski at 715-346-1569. A formal application process would become available shortly, Wiza said. Candidates will be interview publicly during the December council meeting.

Applicants will serve through the April 7 election unless they also return nomination papers by Jan. 7 for inclusion on the spring ballot. A possible primary election has been scheduled for Feb. 18.

Candidates must be at least 18 years old, have no felony convictions, and collect 20-40 signatures from residents in their district.

Phillips was scheduled to offer his parting remarks at the Nov. 18 city council meeting but was unable to attend. During an exclusive interview with the Metro Wire in September, Phillips explained some of his reasons for leaving.

“We used to run the council like a business,” he said. “This council, the majority of it, it’s all about self-interest, lack of financial knowledge…I think it’s because they want the ‘feeling good’ part of it. I don’t think any of them understand the financial impacts of anything they do. I’m just fed up; what’s next?”

Wiza has a plaque of appreciation he plans to give Phillips.

“We cannot thank him enough for his years of dedicated service,” Wiza said.

*Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story contained an inaccurate date. We regret the error.