BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Drama is spilling onto social media following a contentious Brookfield Common Council meeting. One that city leaders say was not video-recorded due to "technical difficulties."
After Tuesday night's meeting, Alderman Eric Fugleberg took to Facebook posing the question, "Where does the power belong: the voters or the council?" Several of his colleagues who voted alongside him shared similar sentiments.
Fugleberg is one of the two aldermen who represent District 7. His counterpart is newly appointed alderman David Poglitsch. Poglitsch was appointed after the seat became vacant when Kris Seals, who won one of the two District 7 seats in April 2026, resigned.
Under state statute, current aldermen are able to appoint a candidate to fill the vacancy.
Watch: Brookfield constituents say they're not being fairly represented after council vote
Fugleberg introduced an amendment to Poglitsch's appointment which would have limited his term to a few months, holding a special election for taxpayers to decide who represents them in April 2027.
Seven of 13 aldermen voted Tuesday to give Poglitsch a full term lasting nearly four years, rather than limiting his service.
The vote has drawn criticism from residents and fellow aldermen who say the process denied District 7 constituents a voice in choosing their representation.
"Last night, seven of my colleagues chose to deny 1/7 of our community the opportunity to vote for their representation," District 4 Alderman Mike Hallquist said.
Hallquist was one of six aldermen who voted against the full term.
"The idea of like 'well this is the way we've always done it' that is nonsense," Hallquist added.
Joanne Cunningham, a District 7 constituent of 34 years, said residents were left out of the process entirely.
"They just chose him without giving us a choice at all," Cunningham said.
Cunningham also raised concerns about public awareness surrounding the decision.
"I think all of us in some way shape or form should have been aware of the fact that this is what's going on and if you want to say something about it here is your opportunity," Cunningham explained.
Resident Laura Krause echoed those concerns during Tuesday night's meeting.
"I am concerned about the process of filling the District 7 alder seat," Krause said.
Alderman Jason Anderson, who voted for the full term, told TMJ4 News over the phone that precedent does carry weight, but that doesn't mean the council can't review current practices and policies to see if there is a better way to handle things.
Hallquist also questioned how the process was managed.
"You wanna talk about transparency in government, and the way these processes are handled, that's a big question," Hallquist said.
We contacted every alderman who voted for the full term. They either did not respond, responded after deadline, or said they were not available for an interview. A response from newly appointed Alderman Poglitsch is also still pending.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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