An Aldermanic Rematch on South Side

Residents of the city’s far south side will get a do-over on deciding who will represent them at City Hall.

Patty Doherty, a long-time aide to Alderman Robert Donovan, announced Wednesday morning that she will again run for the 13th District council seat.

She’ll face Scott Spiker, who defeated Doherty by 57 percent to 43 percent in an August special election to replace Terry Witkowski — and any other candidates who decide to run.

The spring election, which will feature a contested race for mayor and county executive as well as a presidential primary, is certain to draw much higher turnout than the special election. Only 3,298 of the 20,868 registered voters (15.8 percent) in the city’s 13th Council District voted in the special election according to unofficial election results from the Milwaukee Election Commission.

According to a 2012 report on the city’s redistricting effort, the district has 39,703 residents, with 71.9 percent identifying as Caucasian, 3.3 percent as black, 19.3 percent as Hispanic and 4 percent as Asian.

Represented at City Hall by Witkowski since 2003, the district is the city’s southernmost district and borders many of the city’s southern suburbs. Under Witkowski, it branded itself as “The Garden District,” and efforts have been made to live up to that slogan. The district is anchored by Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and runs roughly from W. Oklahoma Ave. to E. College Ave. with a host of indentations and bump outs due to the city’s less-than-straight borders.

Spiker, who served as an aide to Witkowski since 2015, has served in the position since August including voting on the city budget and serving on the Licenses Committee and Public Safety & Health Committee. His election allowed him to serve the remainder of Witkowski’s term.

Doherty went back to work as Donovan’s aide, a position she’s held for 11 years. Donovan announced in March he won’t seek re-election.

Spiker and Doherty received the most votes from a seven-candidate field that vied to replace the retiring Witkowski.

If another candidate emerges, a primary will be held on February 18th. The general election will be held April 7th. The winner of the non-partisan race will serve a four-year term on the Common Council.