Cudahy is considering a special election in 2023 to find a new alderman

Cudahy’s Common Council is now short one member after District 3 Ald. Paul Marifke recently moved out of the city.

Marifke, who now lives in Franksville, said he was told his term ended when he officially moved and “became a non-citizen,” which was on Sept. 14. He lived in Cudahy for 12 years.

“I’m no longer allowed to be the alderman,” he said. “I’ve still been answering emails and phone calls and communicating with people’s issues still. I inform people when they call me, ‘just so you know, I’m no longer your alderman’ but I can help you and point you in the right direction.”

Marifke said he wants to stay involved and become a part-time city inspector in Cudahy.

As for who will fill his seat, the city is looking into holding a special election in conjunction with the spring 2023 election. Nomination papers can be circulated as soon as the election is ordered, according to a Sept. 29 city memo. The election order could go out no earlier than Nov. 21 but could come as late as Jan. 3, 2023.

The common council was set to discuss the matter at its Oct. 4 meeting.

Marifke is still listed on the city website as the alderman for District 3 as of Oct. 3. He was elected in April 2021 for a three-year term — his first term in any political office.

“I like helping people out and I figured as long as I lived in the community, with as much as I knew, I figured if I didn’t like something what can I do?” he said. “So, I ran.”

Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter at @ES_Hanley.