By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Decatur Mayor Dan Rickord issued a “welcome” to two people in the audience at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
“Congratulations and we’re looking forward to working with you come January,” the mayor said to Jenny Bowers-Shultz and Abby Wilder (left to right in photo) who, some 24 hours earlier, had been elected to seats on the council.
Wilder, a Republican, was unopposed for the District 3 berth and will replace Craig Coshow on January 1. Bowers-Shultz, meanwhile, will move into the District 1 seat currently held by Wylie Sirk.
Bowers-Shultz, a Democrat, won out over Gina Melcher, who had ousted Sirk in the Republican primary last spring.
Wilder and Bowers-Shultz will become the first women to sit on council since Democrat Barb Engle finished her second term – having lost to Cam Collier – in 2011.
Democrat Janet Macklin was appointed to serve the final four months of Grover Odle’s at-large term in 1999. She was unopposed in that year’s election as she secured the seat for a four-year term.
Susan Miller, a Republican, served a four-year term beginning in 1996.
It is believed they are the only women elected to the Decatur council before Bowers-Shultz and Wilder.
Democrat Tyler Fullenkamp, representing District 2, and Republican Matt Dyer, council’s lone at-large member, won new terms on Tuesday.
Council’s normal Tuesday meeting day was postponed one day since Tuesday was Election Day.
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