Koelpin appointed mayor

Praised for his

support of city

By KREMENA TODOROVA

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The City Council on Tuesday appointed Arnold Koelpin, 69, a professor of religion and German at Martin Luther College, mayor of New Ulm.

In line with the City Charter, Koelpin will hold the job until Dec. 31, 2002, completing the remainder of late Mayor Bert Schapekahm's term.

Schapekahm died last May, following a several months' battle with leukemia.

Koelpin was voted in on a written recommendation from City Council President Dan Beranek, who was unable to attend Tuesday's meeting.

"Mr Koelpin's background as an educator, local history buff and community leader, as well as his excellent communication skills and knowledge of the German language and history all contribute to make him and excellent candidate as mayor of the City of New Ulm," Beranek wrote.

The nomination was formally made by City Councilor Denny Warta, who in a brief interview after the vote stressed Koelpin's "sense of community" and "love for this city."

"I think we are very fortunate to have someone of Bert Schapekahm's caliber volunteer for this job," said Warta. "[Koelpin] was a Fulbright scholar in Germany, he is a very educated gentleman with a great sense of community. ... It will be of great service to us that he will be able to explain a situation in an understandable way."

"[Koelpin] has a great love for this city," Warta also said. "He had a great retirement opportunity a year ago which he chose not to take. That shows his love of New Ulm."

Koelpin, who is in Europe for an educational project, was also unable to attend the meeting. He is expected to return to New Ulm next month.

Under the City Charter, in case of a mayor's death, a replacement is appointed by the council for the entire remaining length of the term.

Consequently, New Ulm's next elected mayor will be chosen at the general election in November 2002.

The vacancy for the position was formally announced June 6.

Interested candidates were invited to submit resumes and contact council members to discuss their ideas about the job.

Some 15 people contacted the council, suggesting possible candidates or expressing personal interest in the position, according to Councilor Joel Albrecht, who chaired the meeting in Beranek's absence.

However, only three persons formally applied. Beside Koelpin, they included retired Brown County Administrator Jerome Bentz and Marktplatz Manager Lori Zehm.

"Koelpin was a candidate we could all agree on," Warta said.

The council did not hold formal meetings with, or a general discussion about, the candidates prior to the appointment, Albrecht said.

Arnold Koelpin was born in Milwaukee, Wis. He received a B.A. from Northwestern College, Watertown, Wis., and a master's degree in divinity from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wis. He did doctoral work at the University of Erlangen, Nuremberg, Germany, as a Fulbright Scholar.

He is a leading U.S. expert on Martin Luther.

Koelpin is a member of the Church History Society, American Society for Reformation Research, WELS Historical Institute, Brown County Historical Society, Minnesota Historical Society and Pommersche Verein, Freistadt, Wis.

He has led several European study tours and also volunteered for the New Ulm Sister Cities Commission and Tourism Committee.

He is married, with four children.

In other business, the Council:

* Scheduled "open houses" to seek public input on facilities to be potentially funded with a local sales tax. Officials stressed that at the meetings, residents can not only learn about preliminary architectural plans, but can also share their ideas of what should be funded if the tax passes this November. The meetings will take place 1:30-3:30 p.m. today at the Senior Center; 7-9 p.m. today at Vogel Arena; and 7-9 p.m. June 28 at Vogel Arena.

* Granted a taxi license to Kato Cab, of Mankato, which will replace Lappe's Cab Service on July 1.

The council heard a report from the firm, dividing the city into eight price zones, with fares ranging from $3 to $8.