Spring 2025 City Council Election Results – Jaeckel, Huckabee, Lescohier Elected
- The Editors
- Apr 2
- 3 min read
Registered voters in all 13 Fort Atkinson wards cast their ballots for City Council and School Board on Tuesday, April 1. The Office of Jefferson County Clerk provides the following “unofficial results” as of the closing of polls last night. Fort Atkinson Independent Reporter provides School Board election results in a separate featured article, along with other relevant election outcomes.
City Council Ballot Results
For City Council, voters chose from a field of four candidates to fill three open city council seats. Individual candidate results in order of total votes cast were as follows:
Kyle J. Jaeckel, 2,339 votes
Peggy Huckabee, 2,177 votes
Davin Lescohier, 2,105 votes
The fourth registered candidate appearing on the ballot, but not elected, was Nathan Friedl, finishing with 1,997 votes.
These unofficial results for the four candidates were separated by an average of just 114 votes each.
Composition of the New Council – How it Shapes Up
As a result of yesterday’s election, Jaeckel will begin his second consecutive term on the council, while Huckabee – a newcomer - begins her first term.
Lescohier rejoins the council to begin his seventh nonconsecutive term. He served five terms from 2009-2019, was then appointed to fill the first year of a vacancy in 2023, and was then elected to a sixth term in 2024 to fill out the remaining second year of the 2023 former vacancy.
Incumbent council member Mason Becker did not seek reelection.
Upon formal swearing-in on Tuesday, April 15, the three members-elect will join presently-serving members Eric Schultz and Bruce Johnson to fill out the five-member council. Seats currently held by Schultz and Johnson will be up for election in April 2026.
Council Member’s Job Description
According to the city’s website, “The city council is the community’s legislative and policymaking body. Power is centralized in the elected council, which, for example, approves the budget and determines the tax rate. The council also focuses on the community’s goals, major projects and such long-term considerations as community growth, land use development and capital improvement and financing. The council hires the city manager to implement the administrative responsibilities related to these goals.”
Composition and Term
As stated in city ordinance, “The council shall consist of five members elected at large [council members represent the city as a whole rather than representing separate wards], who shall serve for terms of two years. Of the five members of the council, two shall be elected in each of the even-numbered years [e.g. 2024, 2026, 2028, 2030] and three in each of the odd-numbered years [e.g. 2025, 2027, 2029, 2031].”
With Tuesday’s election concluded...
Taking Office
By state law and city ordinance, newly elected city council members will be sworn, and will officially begin their term of office on the third Tuesday in April (April 15). This “organizational” or “first meeting” of the new council, is also when it will select by majority vote one of its members to act as president, and one as president pro-tem. Presently, Council member-officers are Davin Lescohier, President; and Eric Schultz, President Pro Tem.
Meetings
Regular meetings of city council are held on the first and third Tuesdays of every month in the council chambers of the municipal building, 101 North Main Street, Fort Atkinson, starting at 7:00 p.m.
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