APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – 29 year old Jake Woodford was sworn in as Appleton’s new mayor Tuesday.
Woodford worked as a senior administrator at Lawrence University for the last seven years.
“I got started right away with scheduling meetings with department heads here at the city, and also with my staff in the mayor’s office just to get up to speed as quickly as possible.”
Entering office in the middle of a pandemic wasn’t part of the plan, but Woodford tells FOX 11 he’s ready for the job.
“The top priority right now for me is making sure that Appleton is a safe place and a healthy place for our residents.”
Woodford says he’s confident in the city’s response to COVID-19.
“I’ve also been engaging in our emergency operations center with briefings and also in conversations and meetings with our incident commander as we navigate the COVID-19 crisis.”
Appleton Council President Kyle Lobner tells FOX 11 things will be different with a new mayor.
“I think we’re all a little excited and a little nervous. A little bit of both. It’s going to be weird going to council and not having Tim Hanna be there after 24 years. We’ve all worked with him for a long time. He’s the only mayor I’ve ever lived under in Appleton. It’s an interesting time for sure.”
Lobner also said Woodford has big shoes to fill.
“One of the things Tim did really well was establish just a fantastic culture around council. We work on controversial issues, we disagree on things, we are philosophically different people, but we’re always kind to each other in the middle of it. We always treat each other with respect. And that’s an atmosphere that starts from the top.”
Former mayor Tim Hanna has some advice for his successor.
“Trust your people, empower your people. They are good, they’re going to do good things for you, for the city. You know in this job, it’s the other people that are around you that make you look good. You can’t do it by yourself,” Hanna told FOX 11.
Woodford says he plans to stay in touch with Hanna to “pick his brain” from time to time.
