By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org

Acknowledging it was a tough decision, the Wyoming City Council appointed former state House Representative Tommy Brann to fill a vacant council seat.

The seat was vacated by John Fitzgerald, who was elected in the fall to serve as the 83rd District State House Representative. Fitzgerald had two years left of a four-year term with the seat up for election in 2024.

The city received 19 applications to fill the vacant seat. Through a ranking process, the council narrowed the field down to four candidates: Andrea Boot, Tommy Brann, Gabriella De La Vega, and Robert Kilgo. 

At a special meeting on Jan. 16, each candidate had a 30-minute interview where council members asked a series of questions and candidates asked questions and gave a final statement as to why they should be selected for the open council seat. After a short discussion, each council member voted for the candidate they wanted to appoint. Brann received four of the six votes. De La Vega and Kilgo each received one vote.

The council then had a motion to appointed Brann to the vacant seat, which passed unanimously. Brann took the oath office after the vote. 

Focusing on the needs of the city

“As I said when we got started, I knew this was going to be a challenge,” said Wyoming Mayor Kent Vanderoowd. “I knew two weeks ago that it was going to be a challenge with great, great applicants.

“We are looking at different strength sets and different skill sets and we have to decide which is best for the city right now because we can only appoint one.”

Looking at what the needs are of the city, Vanderwood said council needed to appoint the person who brought the “most to the table to serve our greatest needs.”

Several council members pointed to Brann’s long history with the city. He has lived in Wyoming for 51 years and is the longtime owner of Brann’s Steakhouse and Grille, 4157 Division Ave. S.

 

Brann termed out of the state’s House of Representative, serving for eight years. In the fall, he ran for a seat in the state Senate, which Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks won.

Several council members noted that Brann is a strong advocate for public safety and faced with a May millage to help fund fire and police, Brann could be an asset in helping to expand the needs. 

“I’m a small business man,” Brann said as he talked about the upcoming milage. “Do I want to pay more taxes? Of course not.

“Do I want the safety of my employees when they go out to their cars at 10 or 11 o’clock at night? Of course.”

A desire to serve

Brann made it clear that for him to be on the council, he wanted to be able to impact residents lives. He pointed to the 19 bills he was able to get passed while serving in the state House of Representatives. He said he is not afraid of being the dissenting vote and did not always side with his Republican peers in the state, which he demonstrated by supporting bills for the smoking age to become 21 and civil rights for LGBTQ and others.

“As a restaurant owner I am use to serving people…I serve my customers and I served my employees and it is just in my nature,” Brann said. “I want to continue to serve people. I believe as a city council member, it is just important as being a state rep. Actually it can be a little more important because you are one-on-one with people…”

From a state level, Brann said he has seen how cities like Wyoming that are financial responsibility loose out on state revenue sharing. On the state level, he has worked on the appropriations committee and helped solved financial needs.

A small business is similar to running a city in that you are dealing with people, payroll, paying taxes and making financial decisions to keep that city running, Brann said, adding he would use those skills to help connect residents, especially those in the Godfrey-Lee area, so that they feel welcome and comfortable to share their concerns and ideas.

“I think Wyoming is really underrated,” Brann said. “What I love about Wyoming is that we have starter homes and we have homes for your whole life. So you can start in Wyoming in a starter home and as your family gets bigger you can get a bigger house in Wyoming.”